Preparing to start a family is exciting, but it can quickly become overwhelming. Especially once you start to realize that:
- Your OB/GYN wants to vaccinate you, while pregnant, with three (or sometimes four) different vaccines
- Depending upon where you live, the C-section rate could be up to 30-40% of all births - and that could include you. (OB/GYN's are trained as surgeons.)
- The hospital will want to give your newborn the (synthetic) vitamin-k shot and Hep-B birth dose (you can research these in VaxCalc)
- At age one month, your pediatrician will want to give the second Hep-B dose
- At two months, your pediatrician will want to give EIGHT more vaccines at once to your little baby
- You might discover that you and your spouse have different views about vaccination
- Your extended family might feel justified in pressuring you to vaccinate in ways you are not comfortable with (and your spouse might not support you)
- Public schools will want your baby vaccinated (typically with less than the full CDC childhood schedule) with vaccines you don't think necessary
- Your pediatrician might kick you out unless you agree to the full CDC schedule
Every item above represents somebody who has a plan for you and your child. Their expectation is that you will be compliant and fit into their plan.
If that doesn't work for you, you need your own plan, your own team, and the courage and commitment to stick to it in the face of any and all opposition.
The most important thing your plan does is to get you OUT of the medicalized-birth system and into more of a natural birth. If that is not possible, you will have a trained team that can go in with you and give you the support you need.
How to start?
You and your husband/partner need training and a plan. The best way to do this (we did it for all 3 of our births) is Bradley Birth training. Even if you don't go all-out natural birth, its important to know what your options are and to create a supportive plan that works for you. Their FAQ page is excellent and gives a very good idea of what they are all about.
BTW, we are not associated with Bradley Birth training. We did the training, used a birthing center instead of a hospital and are still very happy with that choice.
Your birth plan needs to address whether or not mom will be vaccinated while pregnant and how you will handle pressures to fully vaccinate your baby starting on the day of birth (if you are in a hospital). Here's an example of what can happen when pregnant women are vaccinated.
