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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To vaccinate my dc against chicken pox?

40 replies

ghoulelocks · 05/04/2013 12:00

Reasons

-time off work for all, especially if caught one after the other would be hugely more than the cost of the jab, no other childcare at all apart from nursery and ft working parents
-they have my skin which scars so easily, might avoid some facial scars if they have it badly
-I haven't had cp (though have worked for over 10 yrs with small kids so wondering if immune some how)
-none of grandparents (or a substantial part of village back home) have had it and we fly to see they a few times a year, really don't want to feel the wrath of bringing it to elderly in the village! Of course this would have to be unlucky timing.

None of these reasons are hugely important so if there's a valid reason medically not to vaccinate I wouldn't, but if it's safe it seems it would make sense for us. I know I'd pay, but it's cheaper than not working.

OP posts:

GreenEggsAndNichts · 05/04/2013 13:23

Go for it. We'd have done it if we'd found a clinic in time; none of the ones we contacted got back to us.

breatheslowly · 05/04/2013 19:15

The clinic we used is a private travel clinic, so mostly they do travel jabs. I had DD immunised after I took her there for a flu jab and they mentioned the CP one. I will definitely consider getting her the flu one again as there are plans to immunise all under 5s in future, so I don't see why if it will be a good idea in future years it isn't a good idea now. Flu is really horrid.

smokinaces · 05/04/2013 19:22

Yanbu. If I were going off ds1 I'd say chicken pox is annoying but nothing too bad, two weeks, liveable etc.

And then he gave it to how brother.

Ds2 was seven months, and thankfully still breastfed. He was rushed to hospital twice with dehydration and nearly admitted for chicken pox complications. Thank god I could get him to take small amount of breast milk as that was all he took for a week and that was hard enough. He couldn't suck, swallow easily, I just kept him on the boob for two days so he could nuzzle as he could. If he werent breastfed we would have been on a drip etc. Was a hellish week. And we had "mild" complications!

So Yanbu. If I ever had a third I would seriously think about it.

ItsAllTLAsToMe · 05/04/2013 20:44

GreenEggs, no-one that we contacted got back to us either!

ArtVandelay · 05/04/2013 21:07

I am supposed to get this done this month but I don't think I will. I think I will get the tick injection done though as I've seen what that does to little ones (pain, paralysis etc). There seems to be a bit of a revolt against CP jab with the other mums at the moment so I think DS has a good chance of getting it when he starts KG.

ArtVandelay · 05/04/2013 21:08

Sorry - I forgot to say YANBU, if you think its important you should go for it :)

NeverKnowinglyUnderstood · 05/04/2013 21:14

yanbu,
I wouldn't, both of the kids have had it thankfully very mildly and it feels like a more natural way of them getting life long immunity.

HOWEVER I am aware that we had an easy time of it and we may feel different about it if we had or had known someone in rl not t'internet who had had a hard time.

GirlOutNumbered · 05/04/2013 21:35

Yanbu.
We have awoken to CP this morning. The whole of our holiday next week cancelled, i am so gutted. DS1 has it and So I am just waiting to see when younger brother will get it too.
It's ruined our plans and cost a lot of money. I would have vaccinated if I knew you could!

Dahlialover · 05/04/2013 21:44

I had CP and shingles as a child and seem to be immune now.

However, DS got cp at toddlers, passed it to his 1m old twin sisters and to OH. No one was 'really ill' thankfully, but it was bad enough.

Happydotcom · 05/04/2013 21:52

Yes, we had ds vaccinated when he was 20 months. Had it privately for £120 .
No side effects but did have 2 cp looking spots 24 hrs later on his back.

DH and I decided to do so for the same reasons op. ds also went through a four month period of constantly being ill. Chest infections / tummy bugs/ v high temps. We though if we could prevent just one virus.....we'd pay!!

I'm so glad we did as DH was really ill and in hospital with shingles a week later.

EndoplasmicReticulum · 05/04/2013 22:00

My children have just had the pox, one after the other, and between them had two weeks off school.

I am very lucky in that I have retired parents nearby who were happy to pox-sit, but otherwise I would have had to have two weeks off work, not sure if that would even have been possible (I'm a teacher).

They weren't too ill with it, luckily, but have each been left with some scars.

Bresychen · 05/04/2013 22:57

Do it. Our DS was rushed to hospital with infection from CP. We endured 4 days of hell while A'E, paediatric and surgical consultants tried to work out what it was. To start with they thought it might be necrotising fasciitis (a flesh eating disease which is a v rare but known complication of cp). He was in hospital for 10 days, bombarded with mega antibiotics, and had to have an operation to 'dig out' the last stubborn bit of infection.
Google 'streptococcal infection chicken pox' - there are no good outcomes if not caught early. We were v v lucky because I insisted DH take him to GP when he had a small but nasty looking red area around a spot. GP and admitting A'E consultant were brilliant. But we read in the paper about a little boy who died of the same thing because it wasn't diagnosed quickly. And then my DS who already has health complications caught it at 6 months old. Do it.

anonymosity · 05/04/2013 23:00

Its called Varicella the vaccine. I think there are 2 or three doses required a few weeks apart. Mine had to have it by law to attend state school in the USA. We did it in the UK first.

MyDarlingClementine · 05/04/2013 23:19

I wish the fact it can be serious was more well known.

So people can be a little more prepared. There is a stubborn element that does think it has no complications in little ones at all, but lots later on when they are older.

Trazzletoes · 05/04/2013 23:24

DD has had it (DS has a weakened immune system). It's 2 doses 4 weeks apart.

Due to run out in her early 20s just in time for her to have babies. That prospect terrifies me, but I guess at least we can warn her in advance and can only do what we believe to be best right now, which is to protect DS.

We have been told variously that she may catch a milder version of it (so we still have to keep her home from nursery during outbreaks) or that if she gets it it is likely to be much more serious.

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