A soon-to-be mum on Reddit shares why she remains adamant about refusing unvaccinated family members from seeing her new baby. Her decision ultimately offends her loved ones who wish to meet their newest family member. In her defence, she only aims to protect her child from contracting COVID-19.
Mum Keeps Unvaccinated Family Away From Infant
The soon-to-be mum on Reddit prompted the conversation about keeping unvaccinated family members from newborns. She was already in her 34th week of pregnancy, about six weeks before she finally gives birth.
Before her expected delivery date, the couple decided to tell both of their families about the restrictions on visiting her child.
“I told my family, and my husband told his [family] about how we feel about them being unvaccinated,” she said.
The couple informed their families of their decision to restrict unvaccinated family members from visiting their new baby. Aside from that, they banned visiting loved ones from kissing the baby as well.
Unfortunately, both families got offended. In particular, the mum’s side of the family voiced their frustration over the couple’s decision.
“They said that they rather not come,” she explained. “And I said, okay, it’s your choice.”
Meanwhile, on her husband’s side of the family, only a few members expressed their distaste. Some of her husband’s siblings are against the COVID-19 vaccine, and the couple respect that. However, the couple maintained their stance on only allowing family visits from vaccinated members.
“We expect people that come and see our baby to get vaccinated,” said the mum.
Despite the conflict that could arise between the couple and their families, they remained adamant about their visitation rules.
Concerning this, the woman became uncomfortable about this conversation. She also expressed how she hated hearing other people’s opinions on her decision of keeping her baby safe. Additionally, she called out people who somehow control her way of parenting.
“Like, go ahead, don’t get vaccinated but do not come to my house expecting to see my kid; also, you want to kiss my baby? Too bad you can’t.”
If there were an instance that a family member showed up without prior notice, she refused to allow their sudden visit.
“I said I wouldn’t open the door, and I don’t care,” she said. “This baby is mine and my husband, not everybody else’s. “
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Is It Safe for Newborns to Be Around Unvaccinated People?
This is a frequently asked question from soon-to-be parents, as we are still amidst a pandemic. We fully understand the concerns of parents over the safety of their kids meeting with unvaccinated people.
COVID-19 vaccines protect people from contracting the virus. Most countries offer free access to these vaccines. Because of this, cautious parents refuse to believe excuses from unvaccinated family members. They only wish to reduce their baby’s risk of contracting COVID-19.
“Newborns are highly susceptible to illnesses,” says an expert. “They don’t have much of an immune system of their own.”
Even pre-pandemic doctors advise parents to be very careful with germ exposure with infants. It is because children develop more robust immune systems over time.
Concerning this, experts say that it is essential for parents to consider limiting their newborn’s exposure to others strongly. Unvaccinated individuals could spread the COVID-19 virus, most especially the more contagious variants.
Here are a few simple ways to protect your baby from the virus that can give you peace of mind:
- Stay vigilant in wearing your face mask, especially for non-household members over two years old.
- Practice physical distancing when travelling outside your home. It is essential to insist unvaccinated visitors remain 3 feet from the baby.
- Keep visits with family short; limit them to under 15 minutes. This especially applied to households with newborns.
- Update your COVID-19 vaccines. Encourage every family member and friend to get fully vaccinated. If you succeeded in getting your initial shots, you also need to keep track of the availability of the booster shots.
Understanding the Mum’s Protectiveness Against Unvaccinated Family
Going back, we can’t find fault in the mum’s decision to keep unvaccinated people away from her baby. She and her husband only wanted to keep their baby safe from the possibility of contracting COVID-19.
Parents love and care about their children and their well-being. They do everything they can to raise the healthy, happy, and prosperous.
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In addition, parents are also instinctively protective. They always wanted to protect their child’s well-being by preventing illnesses, hurtful feelings, and failure from happening to their child.
Infants or newborns are fragile; they require extra love, care, and attention. Experts say that having protective parents is beneficial for infant survival. It is good to be overprotective, especially if the living experience and the environment where they belong contain high risk.
However, becoming very protective of your child could also affect your child’s development. While it is better to exert extra effort in protecting your child, it is also essential to know all the other angles.
Focusing exclusively on protection without flexibility in an ordinary home free of serious conditions could negatively affect your child’s development.
Most parents become vigilant and protective of their children while still in the middle of a health crisis. For parents, children and their health shall always be their topmost priority.