Vaccinations... why are they forced?

So I have told my midwife that I am not wanting to vaccinate my baby, I am atleast going to wait until she is older or I may not do it at all, but I want to do lots of research before I decide so I will be delaying for now,
So my midwife was fine about this although she gave me a heads up and said beware that the Doc's & plunket will try hassle you into getting them...I also asked can I just get certain ones done, but apparently not it is all in one. This made me think, why?

So why will they bully me into vaccinating my child when it should be my choice its not like my child is 100% going to be harmed by not vaccinating, & also what if I wanted to vac against polio but not chicken pox, shouldn't we have a choice?

Anyway what are your opinions, i dont want a heated debate, I know alot of babies get vaccinated and are absolutely fine but there are some that react and have lasting affects and even death... just interested to hear your views thanks smile

- I am 37 weeks pregnant with my first child.

You should be able to make that choice without feeling bullied into it. Perhaps you could think of a phrase to repeat if any health professionals push you, something like 'this is my choice, please respect my decision'

I'm not sure if you can choose individual vaccines, perhaps you can if you see a doctor and pay for it yourself?

Good luck

We have quite a few Immunisation Articles on our site which you may be interested in.

I can see you are in New Zealand, so this link will take you directly to the relevant NZ info.

Cheers
Huggies Moderator

Chicken pox and rotovirus are not included with the free vacs in NZ anyway, so if you wanted those ones you need to pay for them. Its always your choice, but yeah Ive heard plunket bullies you into things too. Ive been told to tell them what they want to hear to get them off your back, havent had apt with them yet so time will tell smile

In NZ the choices available seem to be vaccinate, not vaccinate, or delay vaccination, there seems to be very little 'middle road'. CP vaccine is on its own so if you wanted that you could have it for example, but you can't vaccinate against diptheria for example without tetanus and pertussis. I haven't found anyone who can split the current six in one vaccine for diptheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, Hep B and HIB; though you can have the four-in-one instead which is pertussis, diptheria, polio and tetanus. If however you wanted to vaccinate against say rubella for example, but not measles and/or mumps, then you are plum out of luck..it's MMR or nothing This is a list of the current vaccines available:

http://www.immune.org.nz/vaccines

I've heard both horror stories where non vaccinating parents are harassed by health professionals at every opportunity, even at home, and ones who are pretty much left alone. If you arm yourself with as much information as you can, about the vaccines and the diseases, I think that can make it 'easier' for you when dealing with health professionals. Realistically you should be able to say "I've made an informed decision to not vaccinate" and that be the end of it. If you feel bullied, you could always take it higher up the 'food chain' and complain; so for example if a doctor you could complain to the practice manager if necessary.

Good luck...you might be pleasantly surprised and find that it's not as bad as you think it might be.

My2QTpies wrote:
I guess each Plunket nurse would also be different, TBH I don't ever recall plunket asking about my kids vax (they are but I don't think I was asked or told to do it or not)

Mine asked when our youngest was coming due for his 15 month jabs (was 13 month appointment I think). I told her we had questions about them and her response was, and I quote, "that's fine, as long as you get them done"! Gee wiz......but then I was pretty much fed up with Plunket by then anyway, but I wasn't impressed that our concerns (and she didn't even know what they were at that stage) could just be so flippantly fobbed off like that.

It's probably different in NZ but here is Aus when I had both my daughters we refused the initial dose of hep b. We made an informed decision and decided that we didn't want them to have that but they went on to have all their other immunisations.

Well once they were born every single person that walked into the room be it nurse or paed said 'well we better get that hep b vacc organised' and I would have to tell them that we were choosing not to do it, and I had to explain to every single one of them why and they would all tell me that it would stuff up their future immunisation schedule when in fact it doesn't impact on it at all.

I'm not sure what it is like here, but my cousin in France paid to have her children vaccinated with the individual vaccinations separately, so instead of MMR she had M, and then M and then R - hope that makes sense smile
Plunket & Dr and such like do encourage you to have them as it is considered to be 'for the best'
For me, I just couldn't live with myself if my child got whooping cough or measles, which resulted in complications. Measles and whooping cough are about more these days in the Auckland area (i'm not sure about the rest of NZ).
I have a couple of friends that have decided not to vaccinate, one just doesn't want to - not an informed decision, and the other is scared her son may become autistic as a result, again, there is no proof that there is a connection.
I guess that it's people like these the Dr & plunket feel they need to try and talk to.

Pretty much single vaccines aren't readily available here if they are available in the multi form.. You could possibly ask a Pharmacy to source them if you got a script, but it would be $$$

•••bubbles••• wrote:
Mum Of 3 Cuties wrote:
I read this blog written by a trauma specialist and his most recent post was about vaccinations from his perspective.

http://docbastard.blogspot.co.nz/
That doctor! Lol. F#%*ing evil squirrels! laugh

laugh

Thanks for that Mo3C smile

I have a son who is vaccinated and I will vaccinate my baby im carrying but I have had a 2 year old realtive die from menningitis before the vaccs were available and I have seen first hand the effects of tetanus and had measles as a baby. Through experience I have weighed up risks vs benefits which I believe is key.
At the moment whooping cough and measles are very active here in NZ and when I was in the south Island whooping cough went round the entire town so fast it was too late for those not vaccinated. You need to know how to deal with things if your baby does contract these nasties.
I would definately find some people who are open minded and experienced with both sides.
Maybe see if your midwife could recommend someone to talk to who could help you with the info you are looking for. Sometimes nurses seem better than docs and Plunket too.
Just be confident in your decision what ever that may be. Then they have to respect your decision. If you have info to back you up you can explain youve made an informed decision and they need to accept it. I think as long as its informed and you tell them that they will respect it. Well they should anyway.

Personally I vaccinated my DS and plan to vaccinate any other children we have but that is just what I want to do.
But as you say you should be able to choose and not have your choice questioned or feel bullied into changing your mind for this reason when DS was born we opted out of Plunket and I have had nothing to do with Plunket and don't plan to for any other children we may have.

Good luck, i hope that you don't get bullied, we are always told its the womens right to choose, but god forbid if we don't choose "right" smile