should I vaccinate my child or not?

[GalaxyDefender2012]

I am currently 17+2 weeks pregant so I have a little while before I decide. But it's something me and my partner have argued about on numerous occasions. To this date I have never had any vaccinations whatsoever. Despite no one believing me throughout my whole life I haven't. I had the vitamin K shot when I was born but that was it. Never anything more. That's just how my mum brought me and my siblings up as her mother had brought her and her siblings up. And I think her mother before that. My partner on the other hand has had most of his childhood vaccinations just like all of his siblings and all the other children in his family. I would have liked to have carried on the no vaccination tradition if you like. But he strongly wants our child to have them all. And seeing as it is both of our choices it's a subject that we've rowed about in the past. Can anyone let me know their views on whether vaccinations should be administered of not?

Yes, vaccinate. You not only put your own child at risk by not vaccinating you put other children at risk.

I couldn't imagine not having my dc vaccinated, but the decision ultimately is down to the parents. Obviously you and your dp will have to decide at some point.
Maybe sit down together and weigh up the pros and cons for each side?

Having said that, I can't see many (if any) pros of not vaccinating....

Yes vaccinate. Please. Listen to science.

Why on earth wouldn't you? Why put your child at risk of potentially lifelong effects of preventable illness? Just because you were ok doesn't mean they would be.

There is an absolute ton of opinion out there. Plus many threads on here. Many (most?) have dubious sourcing. Discuss any concerns you have with a medical professional (gp/ hv as a start), not randoms on the Internet. but I think you'd be crazy not to vaccinate based on a family 'tradition'

Of course you should vaccinate. You should also consider having the whooping cough vaccine during pregnancy to protect your newborn when they're here.

Why wouldn't you want to prevent your child dying or becoming seriously unwell?

I wonder how many immune compromised people got sick or died from yours, your siblings, your mothers and her siblings exposing them to illnesses you could have easily been prevented from having.

Most people vaccinate their children so I am sure of why you are asking.

Personally I couldn't imagine not vaccinating my child. The benefits speak for themselves IMO.
However I think you both need to discuss it and come to the decision you both feel is best

Vaccinate your child and as soon as you are medically allowed (after giving birth, I'm assuming, ask your GP or midwife) vaccinate yourself as well. So far you have been lucky and herd immunity has protected you but that's a lottery and now you have a child to consider. Don't risk them or you getting something nasty and avoidable, please don't.

Do it!
I was one of the first batches to have the MMR vaccine and for some reason it failed. The didn't do the top up in those days.
We had no idea until I got mumps in my late teens. It was absolutely horrific. The headache alone was unimaginable - only morphine relieved it and even then only slightly. It was the worst illness I've ever had, bar a blood clot.
Why the hell would you want to inflict that on your child?

I think my worry is now that because no one in my family has been vaccinated other than my great grandad who died shortly after recieving the flu jab (though he was very ill as it was) but I have no idea how my family react with vaccinations. You hear tjose stories of bad reactions. I have nothing to go by. So my point is the worry that my child will have a reaction that could possibly be fatal to a vaccination that I was against in the first place. My cousins have actually been vaccinated and I can't think of any 3 children that are sick with flu more than them. He did agree that he's not fussed about the flu vaccination but he was very adamant that he wants our girl to have her tetnus. Though if an accident did occur and we find ourselves at A&E I would not refuse the Tetnus then. But I don't know how I feel about having them all at such a young age. My brother was born premature and still had no vaccinations and we have never encountered any severe diseases.

of course you should and you should also thank everyone else who has vaccinated their children that you haven't caught anything nasty whilst pregnant that can damage the child you are carrying.

If you love your baby vaccinate them against diseases that could kill them. This might sound blunt but it really is that simple.

I have in the past threatened to post photos of my father's polio-deformed legs on threads like this.

You don't know where your children may end up living or working and who they might encounter.

'You hear tjose stories of bad reactions'

You also hear stories of children dying from measles and whooping cough or are you not bothered about that.

Seriously - sit down and have a good look at all the diseases that are prevented by those vaccinations. Then think about your little one having to get through them - what are the complications that can happen etc. Yes, vaccinations can have complications, but are rare.

I had all vaccinations that were available when I was little (nearly 50 years ago so things have changed), but I wasn't allowed to have the whooping cough one as due to birth complications I suffered fits as a new born. I finally caught whooping cough when 5 months pg with my first child (from someone who had caught it off their child who hadn't been vaccinated). It is not an experience I would wish one anyone.

Talk with your GP please.

Of course you should!
What possible justifications are there for not vaccinating?

Well I should imagine that most of us have a "family tradition" of not vaccinating if you go back a couple of generations to before the programmes were introduced. We will all also have "family traditions" from that time of children dying, becoming blind, being left physically and mentally disabled as a result of the diseases that they contracted before vaccines became available. Not something that I'd particularly want to continue but ymmv.

I'm sure your family have other traditions that don't involve putting your children and the rest of the population at risk of dying from communicable diseases. I suggest you concentrate on them.

Just would like to point ut that I came here for pros and cons. Not a personal attack because of my families beliefs!

You know you can have a reaction to anything right? Ibuprofen. Penicillin. Are you planning never to medicate your child?
Yes vaccines may have side effects. But the dangers of the actual diseases are far greater. Vaccines are not a grand conspiracy invented by pharma companies. Most vaccine research happens in Universities by scientists attempting to find solutions to some terrible diseases. And we still don't have a malaria vaccine or a decent one for dengue, not to mention a flu one that doesn't need to be reworked each year. I don't genuinely understand why people who are happy to otherwise medicate their children (given that all medicines have side effects that could be terrible) are opposed to vaccines. Is it the needle and the 'hurting my baby' thing? Whereas medicine are delivered more benignly?!

I don't see not vaccinating as a 'tradition '! A family name or having goose at Christmas is a tradition!

Personally I think you'd be selfish not to get your child vaccinated, not just for your child, but other people who have immunodeficiency.

How would you feel if your child died from a preventable illness? I got both my dc vaccinated and paid for dd to have the meningitis jab as I couldn't bear the thought of her getting it. Luckily ds had his as he was a baby.

Ultimately it's your choice, but I think your dh is right and seeing as you get them for free on the NHS, why wouldn't you?