PigletJohn - my worry is that there will be negative effects from the vaccination. Simple. Did you not have any concerns at all? Did you do yours immediately without researching anything?
Have you read the side effects on the patient information leaflet for Repevax? Can those same side effects happen in the fetus? I'm not being obtuse here, as I really don?t know the answer. But considering nerve damage, lymph node disorder and seizures are possible side effects, that?s not zero risk, is it?
That?s not to say it is likely, but then it?s also not statistically likely that my baby will get a severe bought of Whooping Cough (because no outbreak in my area of the country) or all that likely that this vaccination would stop my baby from getting it in the first place, because they don?t know that for sure, and some of the cases this year were in vaccinated children.
There are also doubts as to whether this vaccination will lower the effectiveness of the subsequent childhood jabs, which I see as more important, from the point of view of my child mixing in a wider network of children and adults the older it gets. Essentially, if I choose not to get it, then I will be limiting my baby?s contact with people for the first 8 weeks, so I don't really get the 'selfish' comment. How does me or my child not being immunised for the first 8 weeks of his life affect anyone else?
I am definitely not opposed to vaccinations and think they are essential, in general, and plan to give my child all the necessary jabs once born. I would possibly also take all jabs as a precaution if I wasn?t pregnant. The thing I am worried about is having this while pregnant without being sure of the effects.
We don?t know at the moment, do we? And for all those who say they?ve used it in the US for years ? they have used a similar vaccine, but not one that included Polio. They have never used this particular vaccine on pregnant women. It is also not the one they administer to 8 week old babies - it's the one normally not given to under 3s.
I don?t have medical knowledge to understand what the possible effects on my baby are, and all I can find is ?data is limited? and ?The effect of REPEVAX on embryo-foetal development has not been assessed?. How do they know there is no risk if testing hasn?t been done? Do you know how? I?m not trying to provoke an argument ? if you could help me with that answer then that would be great.
If I was in an area where there had been an outbreak then I would probably get it. If this was a single vaccine, I?d probably get it. It?s all about evaluating risk.
So if you can understand, I?m not weighing up the decision as either my baby gets whooping cough or I have a minimal risk vaccination. It?s not as straightforward as that and you are really over-simplifying it. I?m actually genuinely researching to make a decision, and like Orenishii I haven't been able to find enough balanced advice to reassure me.
What I don?t appreciate is being mocked or attacked for not blindly following medical advice. I don?t know why anyone would have blind faith ? they must have had very lucky experiences with their health so far, because I have experienced cases before where the medical advice given was absolutely wrong.