Visiting Zoe
Hey y'all! We are getting antsy for everyone to finally be able to meet Zoe in person, but also being a bit overcautious to make sure we aren't under-cautious in regards to her health. Now is a particularly dicy time to be sick, especially for a little one:
- RSV is pretty bad everywhere right now and Michigan has had some hospitals run out of beds due to it. Also, RSV can be especially dangerous for babies under 6 months.
- Flu season has begun early and experts say it'll be a doozy.
- Covid cases in Michigan have let up a bit. It generally isn't as terrifying in babies, but still something we don't want to deal with. Also, it's real transmissible and holidays are sure to increase cases.
- Finally, Whooping Cough is still fairly rare, but extremely dangerous for babies. Also, there seems to be an uptick in cases recently due to vaccination numbers dropping and general immunity being weak from isolation during the pandemic.
This all being said, we are going to keep Zoe in a cocoon through the rest of the holidays so we can see how things shake out. After that, we would appreciate anyone that wants to see her before six months be:
- Current on Flu vaccination
- Current on Covid vaccination (bivalent)
- Current on TDAP vaccination (had it in the last 10 years)
- Healthy, no symptoms of anything
Our pediatrician said that we could blame these requirements on her, but it also matches CDC recommendations—so we will let her off the hook. Doesn't make it any less of a bummer though—we want others to be able to experience some of the joy Zoe has brought us and in return show her there is a world of people outside our cocoon that loves her to pieces, but we realize this is annoying and gatekeeper-y for some. We will keep an eye on the state of illnesses and potentially we can compromise with mask wearing and some combination of the above—no promises.
For now we will continue with the FaceTime calls, but if you want to see her in the early new year before she gets her first round of vaccinations and has a bit more time to build her immune system, we'd appreciate you getting your vaccinations up to date!