How would you feel if this happened to you?
A woman has taken to a popular parenting forum to vent/ask for advice. She detailed how she found out that her mother-in-law had lied about getting the flu jab before meeting her newborn baby.
She said, “Last time my LO (little one) was born SO (my significant other) and I had asked everyone to get their flu vaccine before he was born. MIL told us it would be no problem since they “always” get their vaccines. A couple of weeks later SO and I asked if everyone had a chance to vaccinate and they all said yeah.”
All going well, she thought. She goes on to talk about how she had rules in place for people visiting and meeting the new baby.
“Our LO was born. We had strict rules put into place. Always wash hands before holding baby, don’t bother coming over if youre sick, and wear a small blanket over your clothes when holding LO. Small blanket was due to MIL and SIL coming over smelling like they bathed in perfume which used to make LO break out. They swore it was their “natural scent” but their (sic) “natural scent” magically disappeared once they got tired of following the blanket rule.”
Then came the shock a number of months later when she found out that her mother-in-law had not got the vaccination like she had said. She slipped up mid conversations admitting that she hadn’t had the injections since she was a child.
“A few months go by and I’m casually talking to SIL about LO’s upcoming shots and she said “aww poor baby. I havent had shots since I was little!” I was very upset. I never told SO though I just started limiting visits.”
Her reason for posting is because she is pregnant again and wants to know if there is anything she can do this time around to make sure people have their shots.
She concluded by saying:
“Well Im pregnant again. I am wondering how to go about the flu shot topic. I was thinking of sending a group text letting everyone know if they don’t get their shots they will not be around LO2 until he gets his shots. I also want to ask for proof since they lied to us last time. I don’t really know how to say it without coming off rude. I was just wondering if anyone had any suggestions?”
She got a mixed reaction to her request for advice with some people saying she can’t control what other people do, and others agreeing with her that she is smart for thinking ahead to keep her baby healthy.
What do you think? Is it OK to demand that your in-laws get the flu shot before meeting your baby?
