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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To give my child additional vaccinations

64 replies

MeridianMother · 24/10/2014 13:33

I have opted to vaccinate my toddler against chicken pox and meningitis b (4 separate jabs) at quite a cost, but one I consider to be worth it. Certain members of my family have told me this is unfair to my child (to put her through trauma of extra injections) and unnecessary. They are implying I am some sort of cotton wool parent to do this and i need to relax a bit more. She is also about to have the flu vaccine (nasal spray), to which they rolled their eyes, even though it is recommended by NHS.

Would other people think this way of me?

OP posts:
Original poster
MeridianMother · 24/10/2014 14:32

Oh no sweetpea another one for the list! My family are going to love that! Seriously, thanks for the info!

I'll admit to being quite confused about the CP vaccine and immunity - I seem to read up on it, think I've understood it, then promptly forget it all again. In the end, we just took our cue from a paediatrician friend who had his child vaccinated, as he'd seen some very serious cases

OP posts:
skylark2 · 24/10/2014 14:33

If you've looked into it and it's the best for your daughter, YANBU.

It's not the best for all children - vaccination does carry some risk and for some kids that risk is bigger than the risk of catching the illness vaccinated against and then being significantly ill with it.

And even if your kid is at high risk, it is likely to be a different consideration for different vaccines. So YWBU to blanket give her every extra vaccination going without considering the case for each one. (I am not suggesting you are doing this, just pointing it out for completeness.)

Ericaequites · 24/10/2014 16:24

I so recommend vaccination against chicken pox. My siblings had it as adults, and were very ill indeed. I had it at ten, and still have scars.

YackityYackYack · 24/10/2014 16:30

YANBU at all, and quite frankly given the vitriol people on here get for deliberately exposing their DC to CP 'naturally' I think a lot of people really need to get over themselves and realise that, really, it's one or the other. You either vaccinate and hope for the best, or you expect them to catch CP naturally via the school yard. You can't have the best of all words, of not having either!!!!!

ErrolTheDragon · 24/10/2014 16:51

YANBU. My DD didn't catch CP in primary school (there was a pupil with compromised immune system so everyone was under strict instruction to keep their kids off school if they'd been exposed to CP as it could kill him), so we had her vacc'd last year (age 14) as we didn't want to risk her getting it durig GCSE/A level years or as an adult. She's needle-phobic so actually does find injections traumatic in anticipation, but agreed it was sensible - same thing with Hep A&B before a holiday a few years earlier.

QuillPen · 24/10/2014 17:00

YANBU. Having had a very sick DS with CP, if I could go back in time and give him the vaccine, then I would.

carlsonrichards · 24/10/2014 17:01

YANBU

Heels99 · 24/10/2014 17:06

Good idea. A quick jab is less unpleasant for a child than a nasty illness. But why are you even discussing it with people, wouldn't cross my mind to do that

catslife · 24/10/2014 17:20

YANBU it's your child so it's up to you to decide. Actually it's rather unreasonable for members of your family to comment in this way.
When dd had chicken pox the grandparents were very anxious about the risks (to them) of shingles (one of them hadn't had CP) so you really can't win either way!

BabyDubsEverywhere · 24/10/2014 17:27

how much is the CP vaccine?

mausmaus · 24/10/2014 17:49

baby depends.
ask your gp, some do it privately. in my case it cost around 60 for the vaccine plus something for the (private) consultation.

BabyDubsEverywhere · 24/10/2014 17:51

That's great, thank you :)

Pico2 · 24/10/2014 18:01

We had DD vaccinated against CP as it was pretty horrible watching her being uncomfortable with hand, foot and mouth and CP is generally worse than that. I've thought about the men b vaccine but haven't done anything about it yet.

I think we will get DD tested for CP immunity at some point as I know it can wear off.

Andro · 24/10/2014 18:08

I don't think you are being unreasonable, but it isn't something I would do (due to dc having a history of bad reactions).

Kendodd · 24/10/2014 18:13

Our GP here said there are several strains of chicken pox and vaccine only covers a couple of them.

Does this mean you can catch CP multiple times, if you get a different strain?

My three have all had CP, they weren't very ill and have suffered no consequence. I had it as a adult and also hardly suffered although i understand it is usually worse if you are older. I think my children's reaction to CP is very normal and how it affects most children, trouble is, you just don't know if it'll be your child who'll be the 1 in 100, or 1 in 1,000 or even 1 in 100,000 who is very badly damaged.

As an aside, do you think my three suffered very little because I suffered so little, maybe they have a bit of CP resistance from me?

wonderingsoul · 24/10/2014 18:14

ynbu both of mine have had (ex was american military)

only thing i had against it was they did loadfds of shots in one go.. 4 in each legs.. he couldnt walk for two days. (he was 18 months and had missed a few american shots as he had been just having uk ones from gp.

but nethier of mine had chicken poxs. even when nursry was pretty empty when they h ad a bad case of it

Rockdoctor · 24/10/2014 18:15

YANBU.

For those of you considering the chicken pox vaccine, I have just been to get my DDs nasal flu vaccine and was told she can't have it for another 4 weeks because she has just had the chicken pox vaccine (both are live apparently so can't be given within four weeks of each other). Worth knowing if you are thinking of doing both.

wobblyweebles · 24/10/2014 18:48

Our GP here said there are several strains of chicken pox and vaccine only covers a couple of them

If this is true, how is it the case that in countries with high vaccination rates against varicella the rates of disease have dropped so dramatically?

Anotheronesoon · 24/10/2014 18:50

I'm considering cp vaccine for my sons- anyone recommend anywhere in London- my Gp doesn't do it. Thanks

MarmosetMum · 24/10/2014 18:51

I did the same as you...yanbu...and will be getting the flu nasal spray as well.

I got told by someone that they didn't want to immunise they child against chicken pox as they would rather he/she got it naturally. It's a live vaccine!!!!

thanksamillion · 24/10/2014 19:01

Until recently we were living abroad and the DCs had all sorts of extra jabs. In fact it's a bit embarrassing if I have to list them anywhere as it's such a long list.

If you want to do it then go for it.

HappyCria · 24/10/2014 19:10

I think YANBU OP

With regards to why we don't routinely vaccinate against chicken poX I work in pharmacy and one of our training nights was on vaccinations. We were discussing the new shingles vaccine which is ridiculosly expensive so is only being offered to something like 70 and 79 year olds no one before inbetween or after that age.

I asked why we didn't start routine vaccinating children against chicken pox therefore eventually getting rid of shingles and was told it had been considered but shingle sufferers get their immunity topped up by chicken pox helping them so if there was no chicken pox about then they would suffer much more.

So although it would eventually get rid of shingles it would cause a lot of suffering for a very long time.

Not really relevant to the op but i thought it was interesting. Smile

unlucky83 · 24/10/2014 19:15

YANBU
My DD2 was offered BCG at age 6 (grandparents were born in an at risk country - even though we never see them, they don't live there anymore etc) - she had just missed it when it changed to having it as a newborn
Not only did I accept it but looked into why DD1 (then 12) hadn't also been offered it...she should have been and so I got her 'done' as well.
(I am horrified that all children are not routinely getting it any more - the arguments against it don't make sense to me - just because you are born in one low risk area doesn't mean you are never going to move to a higher risk area in the UK)
And they are highly likely to get CP - surely one jab isn't more traumatic than scratching and scars? I didn't know it wasn't 100% effective (neither is BCG) but I know an adult who got CP every time their 6 children did. When they had it as a child (naturally) their body fluffed making the antibody - so their body was making antibodies but not effective ones. I wonder if there is less risk of this happening with a vaccine?

Topseyt · 24/10/2014 19:15

It really is your choice. You know your child and your circumstances best.

I guess you are aware that many vaccines can have a failure rate, although in most cases it is fairly small. My 19 year old daughter was always kept up-to-date with her MMR and all of its recommended boosters. In fact, she had a booster just before going away to uni in 2013. At the end of the academic year this summer she came home and developed mumps. The GP was a bit surprised, but said there is a small failure rate anyway.

MaryWestmacott · 24/10/2014 19:22

Op, YANBU to have it done, but yabu to discuss it with family any further. In fact, if they think you are terribly "cotton wool parent", then just keep all info to a minimum and if directly challenged "oh, we've not decided what to do yet" just easier....

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