Immunize or not?

[LittleBoo]

Immunize. There are children out there who CAN'T be vaccinated against these diseases, who are more vunerable than most. They count on others having their child vaccinated. Not just this, if my eldest (immunized) caught the disease from another child (not immunised) (quite often the child isn't immune to it, but the effects are much less damaging) and then infected my baby before he could have his jabs, chances are my baby would be seriously ill or worse. I'd like to say each to their own, but when it could hurt others, I can't see why anyone wouldn't vaccinate a child.

 

[Itsychik]

We travel a lot internationally (from Europe to the U.S.) and I am paranoid about someone being on a plane from who-knows-where with some disease they could give my baby.

I don't know enough about the benefits/risks to make an informed decision about delayed vaccinations, but since we started travelling when my LO was 2 months old, I didn't want to take any risks.

In the Netherlands (where I currently live) they don't give kids the chicken pox/flu vaccinations as standard, and those are the only ones that I know I would decline if they did.

 

[Fascination]

We've chosen to delay her immunizations because she's having them all done separately. I wouldn't risk my daughter's health for the sake of not seeing her cry; that's ridiculous but I'm sure it's not the main reason people decide against them.

So no, we haven't vaccinated yet but we definitely will when she's a little bit older. X

 

[aley28]

One of my friends didn't vaccinate her daughter, and her daughter just caught pertussis. I feel bad for the girl... I feel a little angry at her parents.

We definitely vaccinate.

 

[MrsAgar]

Thanks for all the replies ladies. I vaccinated my LO but a couple people I know haven't. I had never heard of not immunizing your child so I was curious to see how common it is.

 

[Brookey]

You take a risk either way. But the fact is, its a bigger risk NOT to vaccinate.

Why take the bigger risk when it comes to your baby?

 

[emilyjade]

i would never not let them have their jabs!

 

[RebeccaG]

As other ladies have said it's not just the fact that your LO will cry that they delay or not vaccinate - there are other reasons too.

 

[MonstHer]

I got her the jabs...
Based solely on my grandmother's experience of knowing so many children who died or were disabled due to diseases that now can be prevented. (she's 87)
Otherwise I would have been tempted not to, but that is because I have a western medicine phobia. I'm well aware that sometimes it's an irrational fear.
Also, I think since the vaccines work so well, people in the western world tend to forget or not know just how serious these diseases were back when they were prevalent.
You don't hear of anyone in Cambodia or Haiti declining vaccines, lol.

 

[summer rain]

I got her the jabs...
Based solely on my grandmother's experience of knowing so many children who died or were disabled due to diseases that now can be prevented. (she's 87)
Otherwise I would have been tempted not to, but that is because I have a western medicine phobia. I'm well aware that sometimes it's an irrational fear.
Also, I think since the vaccines work so well, people in the western world tend to forget or not know just how serious these diseases were back when they were prevalent.
You don't hear of anyone in Cambodia or Haiti declining vaccines, lol.

No but in many other countries they do give the jabs on a more delayed spaced out schedule than we do here xx

 

[summer rain]

As other ladies have said it's not just the fact that your LO will cry that they delay or not vaccinate - there are other reasons too.

Yes I personally find that assumption patronising and a bit flippant; most parents I know who have chosen not to give certain vaccines or to delay them considerably it is due to them having a serious vaccine reaction in one of their children or a particular vaccine being otherwise contradindicated for their child. Until you're in such a scenario it is very difficult to understand; but everyone wants to protect the health of their children and for a very few children the risk outweighs the benefit when it comes to certain vaccines. Also no vaccine is 100%, I had the seperate measles, mumps and rubella and the two doses of the combined jab of those and still contracted german measles, twice. The GP said this was contagious and my eldest sister who was pregnant at the time was found to not be immune to rubella and consequently had to have additional scans and tests to make sure no harm had been caused to her baby. Also that same sister contracted whooping cough despite her being vaccinated against it, and she was extremely unwell for months on end xx

 

[smelly07]

yes my girls had their vaccinations and i didnt delay any x

 

[Dalila]

Of course! no delay but me an OH also are not allergic to any vaccines and figure should be the same for LO

 

[MonstHer]

Pediatric nurse and mom to a 2 month old here

Before I left for maternity leave, I remember a kid getting admitted meningococcal meningitis. I'll never forget the look in his mother's face

As a pediatric nurse, can you enlighten the rest of us as to why the vaccines are so close together?

I asked my doctor and she said it's for maximum immunity.
Would you say this is accurate?

I'm rather weary of them being so close together.

 

[lizardbreath]

Wedid both oyr girls . They can't go to school here unless they do and we couldn't get a sitter unless we did I see nothing wrong with it I'd rather them get it over with now then when they remember

 

[Lauren25]

Yes bobby is, didn't even cross my mind for him not too

 

[Maman]

yes. I live in a high risk area for many of the illnesses that the childhood vaccines are for- like they even do bcg at birth here- you ladies whos babies havent had it- any normal immunisation is nothing compared to this. It develops in to a massive green lump, which then bursts and leaved a huge hole in your babys arm, which takes its time to heal. Joel is 3 months and his is only just healing now.

BUT the risk of him not having it would be TB, another member on this forum can back me up that there are people in luton with active TB as she came in to contact with one when she was pregnant. I also know of a man on my road who has it- so its essential.

 

[summer rain]

They offer the BCG here however the health professionals admitted in this particular area TB is non-existent and its just because its a London-wide recommendation that it was advised here; they then tried to say as my OH is 'foreign' then the boys need that vaccine as TB is probably rampant in 'his' country, but we looked into it and my OHs country has a low prevelance of TB, lower than the UK plus he has no family there anymore anyway. The type of TB the BCG protects against affects only children and very young people, this is why they no longer vaccinate in the teen years as the vaccine is not effective against the form of TB more common in adults so it was a bit pointless giving it then. Anyway we personally felt the risks of that vaccine outweighed any benefits, especially as we know of a couple of babies who developed bone abscesses at the injection site-they don't only look awful but have permanently affected the mobility in that arm xx

 

[emmylou92]

We was going to have the MMR at 18 months, but dr said hewould give her the jabs separately so she is aving it in two weeks.

 

[Ozzieshunni]

We was going to have the MMR at 18 months, but dr said hewould give her the jabs separately so she is aving it in two weeks.

Really? I thought the NHS didn't do this.