I will be vaccinating my child. There are now 10 confirmed cases of the measles in our area because people won't vaccinate their children believing it's not necessary or it causes autism... there's a reason people live til there 100+ nowadays and bringing back awful diseases that could be prevented isn't going to help anyone. I have a family member who chooses to not vaccinate their children yet at the same time won't allow them in any hospital or even go to a normal school when the children are begging them for normal life! I see them suffering because their left out of alot of stuff normal kids do. They asked to go to a normal school and their mother asked us if we knew anything about the montessori school across the street from our public high school (biggest and best highschool in our town that everyone wants to go to) not only had we never known it was there but none of us would even know what it is... that's not a normal school and only worse because they will see all the "normal" kids across the street. I'm curious to see what happens when these kids get older and have more of a say...
My son is a perfectly "normal" kid, fully vaccinated, and goes to a normal, typical Montessori school. We are required each new school year to provide an up to date physical record showing vaccinations to date.
To the OP, as others have said, the whopping cough can be deadly to your newborn, which is why they vaccinate you before birth to reduce the chance of you passing it onto them.
You'll get 101 different blood draws and tests done during pregnancy, if you choose to. By rights, you can refuse any you don't want, but most of them are meant to help you be informed and alert you of any potential abnormalities (not all of them are for the baby either, such as R factor with your blood type). The spina bifida etc. isn't necessary if you don't want them, but again, it's one of those things where many parents would rather have warning and be prepared for what is to come.
The two things that you may consider refusing right after the birth of your baby, are the Heb B shot, and vitamin K. Do your homework on both, discuss the pros and cons with your midwife/OB, and make your decision.
As far as a vaccine schedule for your baby in the first year and beyond, if you intend to have a specific pediatrician, many will arrange an interview appointment with you before baby's birth so you can go over all of that. We had our son on a split and slightly delayed schedule in the first 2 years just to space them apart a bit more, but otherwise followed the recommendations.
