AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

FTFA: Most families couldn't imagine spending a year in quarantine, but one Kansas City-area couple is doing it to protect their children.


I would love to spend a year in quarantine.

/"I like it in here; its private." Jaime from Mythbusters in a fire suit.

They are too cute. But now its time to expose them to germs and dirt, time to get licked by a dog, time to get sick... That's what actually builds up you immune system. Keep them isolated at their own peril.

/knows lots of parents like these.
//their kids will end up being the ones that get sick the most

Are they following medical advice, or doing it on their own? I wonder what effect allowing their immune systems to take a full year off will have in the long run.

schnook: In before all the fark libs that are upset and butthurt that these babies weren't aborted.

They are white, so in this case adoption is preferable to abortion. Amirite?

What a couple of cuties.

I remember the day after each kid's birth being given the kid and told to go home. Figured they'd be dead within hours. WTF were they doing letting *us idiots* go home with newborns!?

Wow. Nice story. Cute babbies.

Gotta say as a parent of preemie twins born at 24 weeks gestation I totally understand. Yes, you want to expose kids to germs and such eventually but ya probably want to protect them long enough for them to actually survive it...

/lost one preemie to lung infection at 27 days in NICU.
//lost second to flu at 21 months even after being vaccinated.
///didn't quarantine...

They go on walks outside, and they allow visitors. Hardly would I call that a quarantine.

Nazi grammar: Gotta say as a parent of preemie twins born at 24 weeks gestation I totally understand. Yes, you want to expose kids to germs and such eventually but ya probably want to protect them long enough for them to actually survive it...

/lost one preemie to lung infection at 27 days in NICU.
//lost second to flu at 21 months even after being vaccinated.
///didn't quarantine...

spicorama: They are too cute. But now its time to expose them to germs and dirt, time to get licked by a dog, time to get sick... That's what actually builds up you immune system. Keep them isolated at their own peril.

/knows lots of parents like these.
//their kids will end up being the ones that get sick the most

Yeah, my kid was a 25 weeker. Your point about exposure to germs preventing illness is an interesting idea, but it has not been proven. More accurately the studies show their may be a correlation between germ exposure and immune problems like asthma and allergies. I am not sure where you went to med school, but according to the board certified neonatal specialist that advised us on the risk/benefits of this very idea, he felt the benefits of not having a premie get even a cold in his first year of life far outweighed the unproven risks of him developing asthma or any other auto-immune issues later.

As far as developing your immune system, better they develop it with a three year-old's lungs than a premie 2 month-old's. Either way by the time they are school aged, they will be exposed to pretty much the same amount of gems as someone who was first exposed earlier.

As far as my son, we managed to keep him from getting a cold his first 2 years of life, he is 5 now, goes to Kindergarten gets colds less than his cousins, so at least for him, it hasn't seemed to matter. He did get a cold when he was 3 and was in the hospital for almost a week because his lungs had a hard time dealing with it. The last few colds haven't been bad at all (knock wood) because his lungs and airways are much bigger and the scar tissue that formed when he was born so early makes up a smaller percentage of his lungs.

My grandson was born premature and passed away because he had a raging infection that did not respond to treatment. I understand doing anything you must to get your baby through that first year. These babies are gorgeous and have plenty of time to build up their immune system before preschool.

Makes sense to me. Those are pretty much the conditions our baby's doctor recommended for the first six- months, and there were no complications. I believe they are APA's recommendations as well. Before 6 months, normal babies don't have much of an immune system to "build-up" through exposure, despite what all the fark doctors, who surely have medical degrees from Harvard, say.

Nazi grammar: Gotta say as a parent of preemie twins born at 24 weeks gestation I totally understand. Yes, you want to expose kids to germs and such eventually but ya probably want to protect them long enough for them to actually survive it...

/lost one preemie to lung infection at 27 days in NICU.
//lost second to flu at 21 months even after being vaccinated.
///didn't quarantine...

Need a sad button....:(
Saying my condolences just sounds lame....but you have them if you'd like.

Wearing hats like that, they are going to end up as insane mercenaries working for a Browncoat.

Nazi grammar: As a parent of preemie twins born at 24 weeks gestation, I totally understand. Yes, you want to expose kids to germs, and such, eventually but you probably want to protect them long enough for them to actually survive it.../lost one preemie to lung infection at 27 days in NICU.//lost second to flu at 21 months even after being vaccinated.///didn't quarantine...

FTFY

Cute babies and I wish them well, but what happened to natural selection with humans? We allow people that would otherwise die to live through artificial means. For genetic purposes, wouldn't it make sense to have the weakest links of our race die off and only let the strong survive? Again, I wish this pair well...

Nazi grammar: Gotta say as a parent of preemie twins born at 24 weeks gestation I totally understand. Yes, you want to expose kids to germs and such eventually but ya probably want to protect them long enough for them to actually survive it...

/lost one preemie to lung infection at 27 days in NICU.
//lost second to flu at 21 months even after being vaccinated.
///didn't quarantine...

More seriously, what a terrible loss, and I wish you all the best....

schnook: In before all the fark libs that are upset and butthurt that these babies weren't aborted.

them, you, it's a long line

I feel so sorry for these kids. Because of how small and "wounded" they were as infants, their parents will never truly be able to let that go. They're going to be sheltered and protected and "loved" until they learn to despise their parents or end up as assholes incapable of integrating with normal society. Sorry, little babies. You have a tough, tough life ahead of you.

schnook: In before all the fark libs that are upset and butthurt that these babies weren't aborted.

...

I've been stymied. I guess I'll leave then.


_{/is this how you expected it to work in your fantasies?}

It beats spending years on a piano...

Ms Monstera worked for DCF. These infant twins had hats like those and the beloved family doby thought one was a toy and clamped right down through the soft baby skull. Now there is a twin, a veritable vegetable, and no dog.

Great, another lost season for the Twins.

/Oh wait, wrong one

Is this year of quarantine recommended by any professional or just something the parents think is best? I read the article as it's something they decided is best based on their knowledge of how immune systems work, not a professional opinion. Hopefully the parents' overprotectiveness doesn't continue past this year.

Those are some cunning hats.

myinternetname: [www.kmbc.com image 640x427]


AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

Yeah, pretty much this.^↑

Perhaps a nice game of Trivial Pursuit would liven things up.

It seems like a not-bad idea to me. They don't want the little mites to get a big flu. They are getting exposed to bacteria and viruses. They said they take the kids for walks and that it's been a mild winter. I doubt the photog scrubbed the equipment in Lysol. People do things, touch their noses, pat their pockets, sit on the floor or on a chair in a public place, and so on. Grandma might have taken a seat at the local Olive Garden and then come by and parked on the couch while holding them.

I suspect they'll loosen up as time goes by.

Our first was a 28wk'r and we kept him pretty isolated the first year - I stay home, we asked anyone who wanted to touch him to wash their hands (properly) immediately beforehand, sick relatives were not welcome, etc. He's had plenty of colds but never ended up in hospital and he's got a perfectly normal immune system now. Second was full-term but habit had us doing much the same with him as a baby - he didn't have so much as the sniffles til he was 3yrs old.

Conversely, their cousin went into daycare at 3m and he's had constant problems with respiratory infections, pneumonia, etc. IMHO, newborn-6m shouldn't be exposed to a lot of people/germs for immunological reasons at the least. Babies aren't novelties to show around.

jingks: Is this year of quarantine recommended by any professional or just something the parents think is best? I read the article as it's something they decided is best based on their knowledge of how immune systems work, not a professional opinion. Hopefully the parents' overprotectiveness doesn't continue past this year.

My friend had her baby at 27 weeks and the baby spent 10 weeks in the NICU. When she was finally allowed to come home (August), they advised that the baby stay home and isolated (except for Dr. visits) until flu season is over. Baby Belle was allowed to have visitors, but the visitors must be UTD on flu vaccine, not sick and take proper precautions. They have dogs. The doctors did not say anything about keeping the dogs away, just sick people.

So far so good for a baby who wasn't expected to live. These babies are more fragile than full term babies and their immune systems aren't as efficient. Babies in general are more prone to have complications from sickness (especially rotavirus and influenza) so why not keep the fragile ones away from as much sickness as possible. Once their immune systems have caught up to a normal child, then they can roll in the feces infected ball pit at Chuck E Cheese.