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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be considering cancelling daughters jabs?

189 replies

Beautifulblue · 07/08/2018 00:16

My 13 month old is due her jabs tomorrow & im absolutely dreading it. I was already dreading it, because of the needles souly, I don't want her poor little legs & arms jabbed Sad last time was really quite traumatic. But today I bumped into a some what crazy aunt of mine who went on & on about how damaging immunisations are & how my baby could be left disabled. I don't believe it, in all honestly. I know how many children have them & are absolutely fine. But I didn't even tell this aunt she was having them tomorrow & now I'm stupidly feeling like I was meant to bump into her. Hmm oh goddddd, I'm so nervous!! Help!

OP posts:
NaomiNagata · 07/08/2018 08:54

@Beautifulblue

You've just got to get through it today and honestly, you're making it worse than it actually is. By the time you leave the centre, the baby won't remember. She you get home, they will be completely over it.

And if they are grumpy, just give them an extra treat!

I feel very hard hearted when I read these because I do not understand why any one would cry while getting their kid a vaccine. They will get jabs regularly for their whole lives if you plan to travel etc. It's a completely normal and safe part of life.

Remember, the herd immunity that people rely on whilst banging on about being anti-vaccine no longer exists. It used to not matter if one person didn't bother as everyone else was protected so they'd never catch it from anyone. That's not the case anymore and we get outbreaks. You do not want your kid to get one of these diseases, and you do not want to be responsible for contributing to the return and spread of these diseases to our communities.

It sounds horrible to say, but you need to toughen up. My kid had surgery 2 weeks ago - he's 7 and he's old enough to be scared. How do you think he'd have got through it if I'd been crying whilst they put the needle holding thing in his hand etc. They need you to support them and show them that there's nothing to worry about, to just be strong. If you're blubbering then they are going to think "mummy is crying so this must be bad". It makes it worse for them; It makes them think there really is something to be scared of. You've got to control yourself. I'm sorry to say that to harshly, and hope you can understand the meaning behind it and not just be insulted.

continuallychargingmyphone · 07/08/2018 08:54

*so, not do, sorry

Inkythemouse · 07/08/2018 08:55

My friends daughter caught measles and was hospitalised a couple of years after being vaccinated. The doctors said if she hadn't had the vaccine she would probably of died.
To me the short term discomfort of the vaccinations is nothing compared to the level of protection it gives.

TeddyIsaHe · 07/08/2018 08:55

continually I can’t beleive you’ve made it to adulthood tbh. The stupid! It burns!

mavismcruet · 07/08/2018 08:55

The problem is that anti-vax theories get to every parent, no matter how rational and sensible they are. If someone tells you it will hurt your kids a tiny bit of doubt and worry creeps in.

Good luck with it all. I had a chat with my older daughter a while back when her brother was getting them done. She has no recollection of having hers done Smile

continuallychargingmyphone · 07/08/2018 08:55

It harmed Robert fletcher, didn’t it

The risk is small granted

It is still asking babies - all babies - to take a risk for adults

Adult women should be the ones immunised against rubella

Not babies.

MrSpock · 07/08/2018 08:56

So if a teenage girl gets pregnant by accident and catches rubella, that she hadn’t had the vaccine for yet because she didn’t even think she’d get pregnant, that’s all fine because you didnt put her through five seconds of discomfort as a baby? Hmm

Mumoftwoyoungkids · 07/08/2018 08:56

Are you still breastfeeding. I fed my son through his injections which worked pretty well.

One time it was almost comical - needle went in, he froze slightly, opened his mouth to scream, then you could see his little brain ticking over “if I cry I won’t get milk, milk or cry, milk or cry, milk!” At which point he latched back on and carried on chomping happily.

I suspect it would work with a bottle too.

Monkeysocks2017 · 07/08/2018 08:56

It's awful seeing them cry, but I saw it as you have to be cruel to be kind! When dd has her 8 week jabs I spent all day feeling rough with a nervous stomach ache almost in tears at the thought of the Nurse hurting her!! ( obviously not the nurse but the needles ) I came out and rang my mum and really tried not to cry infront of everyone in the docs after!!
Take along some stickers or something your dd could have as a reward for being a brave girl, or tell her you will take her somewhere she likes after like the park, Good luck and remember that your little one will forget it pretty quickly!! Xx

continuallychargingmyphone · 07/08/2018 08:56

It’s stupid to get baby boys to be vaccinated against a disease that won’t harm them.

It’s stuoid to vaccinate baby girls when the vaccination may well wear off by the time they are of childbearing age

We all have different definitions of stupid

greenlavender · 07/08/2018 08:56

I feel really ragey when I read threads like this and I'm sure I'll be accused of being horrible. But for heavens sake get a grip. As other posters have written, we are lucky to live in a society where immunisation is provided as a given & better to hold a baby who sobs for 5 minutes than a dead baby. Parenting carries responsibility & it is our responsibility to do things we may not like to protect those we have chosen to bring into the world.

NotPerTickly · 07/08/2018 08:56

Continually must be a troll. Nobody is that thick.

MrSpock · 07/08/2018 08:57

They actually don’t know what caused Robert Fletchers epilepsy.

KoshaMangsho · 07/08/2018 08:57

So if the same vaccines with the same ingredients were given in a spoon not a jab would it be okay?!
Is it the method of delivery or the actual vaccines that trouble you?!

MrSpock · 07/08/2018 08:57

It’s stupid to get baby boys to be vaccinated against a disease that won’t harm them.

No it isn’t because it stops them spreading the disease to women who may be unvaccinated because of illness or some silly choice like yours.

continuallychargingmyphone · 07/08/2018 08:57

I think women of childbearing age are the ones who need rubella jabs, not babies. It’s not that contentious or difficult. Vaccinate the ones who the disease may harm.

cookiesandchocolate · 07/08/2018 08:57

I get your issue and I didn't get my DD done until 14 months and she reacted badly. Wasn't right for a month. But then I paid for the meningitis jab as I needed that peace of mind. It's not great when they're babies but it needs to be done.

On another note- please don't post comments such as 'I feel sorry for their kids' when people get emotive about vaccinations. That's very passive aggressive and no need.

MrSpock · 07/08/2018 08:58

I think women of childbearing age are the ones who need rubella jabs, not babies. It’s not that contentious or difficult. Vaccinate the ones who the disease may harm.

I’m autistic. It would have caused me far more distress to have it in my teens than to have it as a child.

GummyGoddess · 07/08/2018 09:00

I dreaded them, but as soon as dc1 opened his mouth to cry (when all injections were completed) I put a little bit of chocolate in to distract him. He immediately stopped crying and looked for more! Now I have peace of mind that he's less likely to die an agonising death or be painfully disabled by a preventable disease.

continuallychargingmyphone · 07/08/2018 09:01

It’s not about individual distress for needles and so on.

For example, boys are not immunised against cervical cancer. Why would they be?

Rubella in itself is not a harmful disease.

I understand that by vaccinating all babies it is a clean sweep.

However i do not endorse that. There is a risk to vaccinations. a tiny, tiny one, absolutely, but still a risk.

I cannot ask my baby to have a vaccination for an adult. I can’t understand how anybody can.

MrSpock · 07/08/2018 09:02

The cervical cancer thing annoys me. Boys can spread it. They should be immunised. As an aside, I personally didn’t have that one.

What risk is there? An allergic reaction? Do you give calpol?

whatshouldIdo999 · 07/08/2018 09:02

You are being ridiculously precious. My child has a genetic disease and has been through so much in their short life so far, a small set of immunisations as an infant when they have no recollection of it is really no big deal and I don't really understand the massive overreaction of so many mums.

They do the jabs very quickly, you cuddle her and distract her with some chocolate buttons or such like and she will have forgotten all about it in 10 minutes.

It is nothing on the possibility that if your DC was to catch one of these diseases she would be in a lot more pain than a pin prick.

LegoPiecesEverywhere · 07/08/2018 09:03

A friend’s daughter got the measles shortly before she was due her vaccine. Her daughter is now deaf. Measles is on the rise in Europe. No way would I even postpone the appointment.

herecomesthsun · 07/08/2018 09:04

Treats work well. When my son was slightly older vaccinations involved getting a big chocolate lollipop, this distracted him very effectively.
You may well not be giving chocolate to a 13 month old, but some other goodie just after will stop the tears very effectively and cheer her up.

cutitout · 07/08/2018 09:05

I got my child's vaccinations done in instalments as I didn't want her to have three strong vaccinations in one go. She had two in one sitting and one injection after two weeks just to make it easy on her body. May be doing that would help?