To ask my Dr to give baby ds his MMR before a trip to the UK?

[honeytea]

I live outside the UK in a country with very very high MMR uptake but we are due to visit the UK (south Devon) in July.

I have read that babies over 6 months in outbreak areas are being given the MMR, I will be visiting an area with very low MMR uptake load ofhippies I think the chance of measles being there is fairly likely there is an outbreak in north Devon at the moment and I guess it is likely to spread.

The problem is that I am breast feeding DS, my plan was to bf till he is 1 but I have had measles. My mother claims that I caught measles from my measles vaccine (pre MMR single vaccine) I gave measles to my younger brother so it seems it really was measles I am scepticle as to if i contracted it from the vaccine.

My HV has said that because I have had measles my antibodies will interfere with the MMR because ds will be getting antibodies from my milk, they also don't usually do it untill after 9 months.

Should I stop bf so ds can have the vaccination without it being effected by my antibodies?

Has anyone had their baby vaccinated early despite not living in an outbreak area?

I just want to keep ds safe.

I don't know enough of the facts about the timings for the vaccine but I think YADNBU in asking your GP to discuss the best options for your DS.

My dc had the MMR when they were still being breastfed - it was not raised as an issue at all.

How old were they humphrey? Ds will only be 7 months in July so he would have to have it at 6 months exactly. Good to know you got it whilst still bf :)

I bf both of mine until they were 1 and both had the mmr. Never heard of breast feeding interfering before. No one mentioned it to me!

I need to watch this as going home to Swansea in July..! I live abroad (where we have to produce evidence of vaccines to the govt! and to get in to kid's clubs) and DS2 will be only 5 months when we go back...

If you are visiting anywhere near Totnes - I'd advise to get your child immunised. If you are visiting Totnes..... WHY???

I hope I won't have to stop bf I really don't want to, it's good to know other breastfed babies had the mmr.

Oh, clearly the interesting bold and strikethrough features didn't work

Yep I will be staying in Totnes, I grew up there.

Yep, another one here, I was still breastfeeding when my DD had her mmr.

The jury seems a bit undecided on this one but the info on this link seems fairly reliable

evolutionaryparenting.com/breastfeeding-and-vaccines/

With regards to the mmr they say:
The evidence of feeding type on the MMR vaccine is interestingly mixed. In a study from Canada, researchers found that the response to the MMR vaccine from breastfed infants was significantly better and more targeted than that of formula fed infants[11]. In fact, in their findings, only the breast-fed infants showed an increase in certain cells associated with an appropriate immunological response. However, other authors have pointed out that in this study, the level of measles plaque neutralizing antibody was lower in breastfed infants[10], suggesting the opposite of what the authors initially reported and found with respect to other measures of antibodies in the system. Interestingly, the reason for lower neutralizing antibodies with live viruses in breastfed infants is due to the fact that the virus was unable to replicate in the gut and the ?enhanced clearance of virus? due to anti-viral secretory IgA antibodies and other factors in breast milk?[10]. So even when the argument is made that formula-fed infants can show an increased immune response, it?s only because of the better general immune response of being breastfed.

10 Wold AE & Adlerberth I. Does breastfeeding affect an infant?s immune responsiveness? Acta Paediatrica (1998); 87: 19-22.

11 Pabst HF, Spady DW, Pilarksi LM, Carson MM, Beeler JA, & Krezolek MP. Differential modulation of the immune response by breast- or formula-feeding of infants. Acta Paediatrica (1997); 86: 1291-7.

(sorry about the essay)!!

(Personally, I'd get the mmr and carry on breastfeeding)

Not a murmur about bf when receiving MMR here either - but we were 12 months - they moved to combined 12 mth boosters and MMR.

Mmr here given whilst breastfed also

In the UK MMR vaccination is usually given after the age of one, as that is when maternal antibodies (especially to measles) tends to wane. You can give MMR vaccine earlier but it is 'discounted' in scheduling (ie they would still be offered their 2 doses over the age of one) as it may not be as effective under one.

Certainly if you are travelling to an area with outbreaks then giving MMR earlier isn't a bad idea, but dependent on your country's vaccination schedule may not 'count'.

In the UK (I don't know for other countries) the two MMR vaccines available are not licensed for use in babies under 9 months.

But they are vaccinating babies of 6 months plus in Swansea?? Maybe they are doing single vaccines.

And yes, if he does have it early then it may not count and he may still have the regular schedule of vaccines

Both of mine were still breast fed when they had the MMR - both doses of MMR for one DC as we had to do extended breast feeding due to a serious health problem. It wasn't a problem and nobody suggested that it might be.

I was breastfeeding when DS had MMR too, though that was at 14 months. I thought that your DS would still be getting some protection from your breastmilk at his age? I don't know much about it though!

I don't mind him having to still have the normal 2 doses.

I wonder what the advice is for babies that live in at risk areas of the uk but where they don't currently have an outbreak? Also I wonder if there was an outbreak whilst we were there (we are staying for a month) if they would vaccinate ds despite us not living in the uk.

Maybe I will call nhs direct, is that the right place to call for info?

I heard on the radio tht they are giving mmr early, but revacinating at 12ish months as normal due to the effect of maternal antibodies. something to look into to check my hearing

There was a q and a on here last week where people could ask about this. Am sorry but I can't link on my phone.

Did talk about immunising babies under 1 and the schedule from there.

Would talk to your Dr though as they would presumably sort it all out for you.

I'd get him the mmr and carry on breastfeeding. Then if they want to do a booster mmr after 12 months I'd probably do that too.
Both mine got the mmr while I was breastfeeding, fed them longer than a year.

1. you can't catch measles from a measles vaccine

2. you having measles antibodies will not interfere with the MMR vaccine

HTH

No one even asked about the bf when DS1 was vaccinated... He was bf until over 2 years and I never heard about that...

I didn't think you could catch measles from the measles vaccine either but it was a dr who said to my mother that that is probably what had happened, it was proper measles I had not just a strong reaction as my little brother caught measles off me. I suggested to my mother that maybe I had measles before I went for the vaccine she said neither her nor the Dr had thought of that

I think part of the problem is that Drs in the country I live in just think I am being silly, I asked for the whooping cough vaccine whilst I was pregnant and they just thought I was crazy as they don't seem to have outbreaks of illnesses here.

My DD was exposed to measles at 8mo (while too young to be vaccinated) and we were advised that she got the MMR the very next day. The thinking was that she would develop antibodies quickly enough to protect her. She thankfully escaped measles.

I was still breastfeeding DD and this was not an issue.

The one problem was that, at that young age, DD may still have had some passive antibodies from me, which meant that she might not have developed proper immunity of her own in response to the vaccine. As a result, the recommendation was that she received the MMR again at the usual age of 13mo. I understand that to be partly why the MMR isn't routinely given until 13mo, because before that age it is less effective.

I read studies that seemed to show that the babies passive immunity comes from the placenta, rather than from breastmilk, but don't have a link to them off the top of my head. One point I recall was that if the mother was vaccinated against measles, rather than acquired immunity naturally through exposure to the disease, the immunity passed to the baby is thought to be not so strong and wears off at an earlier age.

If you are happy for DC to be vaccinated, and to receive further doses at the usual age, then I would think it entirely sensible in view of the current outbreak. Assuming you are not concerned about vaccination side effects, I would have thought that giving the MMR early wouldn't hurt and might well help.

I don't imagine that any contact at the NHS would be experienced enough to advise you properly on this, however, and you might be better to speak to your Doctor.