To expect the Doctor to respect my wishes?

[loumum3]

I have not vaccinated my youngest child. I have done this after much research and made an informed decision. The Doctor's surgery has phoned me several times now and written requesting I go in for a discussion about this. I haven't got time for a visit to discuss this, nor do I want to so I said if I had to, I could talk about it on the phone....I have had the Doctor on the phone this afternoon grilling me about my choices, really trying to scare me into having the jabs done and trying to make me feel bad. She cannot see my point of view at all and has been very rude.

Is is really too much to expect a Doctor to respect the decisions I make about my own children ?

Has anyone else experienced this ?

"but yet they were just as likely to put another pregnant mum at risk because they were not immune either!"
Not a lot I can do about it, bubbleymummy; if the vaccine hasn't taken 3 times, it's not likely to now, but at least I tried...

Actually pixie, tetanus can still occur in a fully vaxed person. You do know that vaccines aren't 100% effective don't you? If your child got a bad puncture wound would you trust that they wouldn't get tetanus because they had been vaxed? Or would you take the tetanus immunoglobin and the antibiotics that the hospital offered?

Also, do you honestly think that the 62+ million people in the uk are fully up to date on their tetanus boosters (recommended every 10 years)or that they run to the hospital every time they cut themselves or get a splinter? Or do you think that maybe it isn't that common a disease anyway? Before anyone even attempts to use the herd immunity argument here, tetanus is not a communicable disease.

Rustybear, I'm not blaming you but can you not see how you are just as much of a risk as an unvaxed child? Why put all the blame on them? We don't know who we're sitting beside or what their immune status is or whether they are due a booster or whether the vaccine didn't take. It doesn't matter whether they tried to get vaxed or not - any one of those people could make a pregnant mum sick but the unvaxed child is always the scapegoat.

I wonder if the introduction of antibiotics in the 1940s may have contributed to that drop....

Bubbley - the difference is that I can't do anything to reduce the risk (short of never leaving the house!) the parents of the unvaxed child can.

How do you know who is more at risk pixie? Do you know that the tetanus vax worked on your child? You don't know where I live, or what I do or anything about the lifestyle I lead that may or may not put my children at more risk of tetanus than yours. The vax isn't 100% effective and regardless of your immunization status the hospital would offer you a tetanus vax if you sustained an injury that would be considered a risk so it does make you wonder what the point in getting it in the first place is... ESP since there about a 1in 6 million chance of catching it in the firstplace... less likely than being struck by lightening iirc.

'...but for all intents and purposes, she is now immune to a disease which is nasty in adults! Sorted!'

Not sure how widely known this is, but you can catch chicken pox twice. Was a bit panicked when the DCs started sprouting spots - they'd been vaxed against everything and had had CP - started thinking it was bedbugs as we were on holiday - turned out to be CP again. And quite a nasty attack as well.

Since when can my children not have antibiotics? Are you confusing me with someone else? Fwiw I did avoid allergy foods for several months after weaning started and then I introduced them gradually. Does that make my opinion more valid to you?

Xposting - not ignoring your questions

How do you know your children are protected? Have you had their immunity tested after the vaccine? Unless you have you have no idea that it actually worked. Also, certain lifestyles/jobs/living conditions do put people more at risk of contracting tetanus so without knowing anything about me it's a bit ridiculous to assume that your child is less likely to contract tetanus than mine.

Pixie, you don't even know my reasons for not vaxing. I'm not really sure how this has got on to food allergies either....but if you want to provide sources for your info I would be interested in reading them. Fwiw I have no problem with you vaxing your child against tetanus, I do worry that you seem to think that it somehow guarantees protection but if that helps you to sleep better then that's great. I've evaluated the risk/ benefit of the vaccine and come to a different conclusion. Seeing as tetanus isn't a communicable illness I don't see what it has to do with you anyway

Btw I don't live in a sealed bubble but I reckon it's pretty unlikely my children will contract tetanus too... About the same as them getting struck by lightening actually and I try not to lose too much sleep over that either off to bed myself. Goodnight ladies!