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?

*precious

Does your midwife know YOU'RE unvaccinated ?

Actually as you work in childcare does your employer?

Very few people have been actively rude to the OP, and no one has been "hysterical" at all, which I think is pretty tolerant in the face of what she's been stating.

Anyway, it's all okay because her entire deeply ingrained mindset has been changed by a few words from silkybear and now she is prepared to fly in the face of family tradition and long held beliefs.

Thank Christ for that, then.

I have family members who could die if they catch any of the diseases vaccination should be wiping out. It's not just about your child.

Do it.
Please do it.

my faith in that we will be all kept safe is actually stronger than my faith in some bozo with a syringe in a lab injecting mice

What utter shite. Tell that to the parents of innocent young babies and children, and well sometimes teens and adults losing limbs and dying of meningitis.

Or how about tell that to the parents of a child who has an ineffective immune system, if your unvaccinated child picks something up and makes them seriously ill.

We are so lucky to live in a country where 'bozos' with syringes are provided free of charge for many illnesses and diseases.

My honest opinion is that anybody who doesn't vaccinate because of religion or some daft 'research' into how supposedly bad vaccines are or whatever else, is selfish and stupid.

I have never once wavered in my commitment to get my son vaccinated, but I will admit it is upsetting to see a tiny baby poked with needles. What helped was:

Considering the individual diseases and thinking how horrible it would be watching them succumb, much better to nurse them through the after effects of vaccines.

Consider what the infant mortality rate was before vaccine programmes were widespread. Was it something like 1 in 3 children didn't make it to their fifth birthday? Many from these diseases, but many from other diseases as a result of weakened immune systems after having those diseases. Go visit a local graveyard and walk the older section and count the number of children's graves to hammer the point home.

My uncle had polio as a child. He spoke once about spending time in an iron lung. And, being deadly serious, he was lucky, he only lost the use of his dominant arm for the remainder of his life.

I think we've become so divorced to the devastating effects of these diseases because we're no longer losing children and siblings to them. Have a look at the diseases in detail and remind yourself how horrifying they are.
Google herd immunity and see how fragile it is. It doesn't take much before it is ineffective, especially in such a global community. There is no way I would gamble my health and the health of my family by depending on herd immunity. And have compassion for those who are immunocompromised. By not vaccinating you are putting them at greater risk and frankly you could be part of the chain that kills them. I would have thought that would have gone against your beliefs? I'm assuming that you're a Christian where we are commanded to love they neighbour? Even if not, most religions demand the same? I think contributing to herd immunity would fall under that instruction.
I hope I've not been harsh. I understand hesitations to a certain extent, especially if brought up that way by your parents, but it is your duty as a parent to protect your child from what are devastating yet preventable diseases. Focus on the horrors being prevented rather than the very small risks presented by vaccines.
.

99percentchocolate the issue is that giving a single MMR vaccine fundamentally was never going to protect you from all 3 illnesses. What I struggle with is the fact that as a child it was common knowledge that you couldnt get both measles and mumps at the same time. So giving the MMR as a single vaccine was never going to protect you. The fact that doctors thought that it would was really rather worrying.

Whooping cough needs you to top up your vaccinations regularly. Dd was vaccinated but has just finished a particularly nasty bout.

The only time dp and I had the flu jab we were so ill we never did it again. Dp would not survive a bout of flu but he is taking his chances as he doesn't see putting himself in to that situation again as any different than having the full blown disease

How was it not going to protect you, Oliver? Are you suggesting that the MMR would only work on one single occasion of exposure and after that all bets are off?

Oh, I replied before I saw the OP's latest posts, which make it clear that this was certainly trying to bait us into a bun fight

Yep.

It all depends how much risk you want to subject your baby to.

Your baby may never catch these diseases - ironically because you are relying on those that do vaccinate to protect your baby as well. But never know when you will encounter these viruses through others that don't vaccinate.

• DH is a HCP working on a paediatric ward during a measles outbreak where several unvaccinated children were admitted - one died and others suffered life-altering ilnesses (brain damage and blindness). He was determined not to take such risks with his own child.
• I am too old to be vaccinated against mumps and caught it in my 30s and it developed into viral meningitis despite never knowingly being exposed to the virus - must have just caught it out and about
• DDs suffered complications from chickenpox before the vaccine was available - convulsions, scaring and large fluid filled spots in their mouths, airways and genitals.
• I guy at Uni didn't realise he was unvaccinated against tetnus and developed blood poisoning as a result of a kitchen accident

Obviously vaccines give you no protection against other illnesses such as coughs and colds and the flu vaccination isn't always accurate as it is hard to predict which strains will be active in any given year.

But if fate is determined by god is god not also offering you the vaccines?

Though if an accident did occur and we find ourselves at A&E I would not refuse the Tetnus then.

Why? Are you saying that if you believe the risk to be high then you would vaccinate?

Does this mean if there is an outbreak of a preventable disease where you live you would then vaccinate?

This implies that you're making a decision based on risk. The risks of your child catching these preventable diseases is currently low because most people vaccinate their children. You are therefore willing to benefit from herd immunity. Strikes me as very selfish.

Charles I don't think she is going to change her mind because of one comment from me. I also don't think she will change her mind because someone called her selfish, a tit, endangering lives, selfish etc etc. Why do people think insulting her and her family are going to help her make a decision towards vaccination? And thanks to the poster who said I shouldn't have children despite my child being vaccinated, really nice.

OP I can see why you are concerned about how your family reacts to vaccines. Also that vaccinating is a big step if your family culture is hostile to it.

The truth is that there is no risk-free option here. You must assess where the highest risk lies.

An extremely small number of children suffer negative reactions to vaccinations. An even smaller number are vaccine damaged or even die. This happens. Very rarely.

However your child is at much, much higher risk of death and disability from vaccine-preventable diseases. A hugely greater risk in almost all situations. Find a doctor you trust and talk it through.

The religious protection argument doesn't make sense. Why would God not protect your child against vaccine damage, if this is what you believe?

3/10

Watch that and give your head a wobble OP

m.youtube.com/watch?v=RfdZTZQvuCo

I'm a medical scientist.

The risk of severe reaction to a vaccination is much much lower than the risk of serious complications from a preventable disease.

You and your OH need to decide together. But imo not vaccinating is irresponsible - how would you feel if your child died from a preventable disease?

Death after vaccination is almost unheard of.

Your unproven and unsupported "beliefs" are in direct contravention with proven and supported SCIENCE.

That is why you are being called an uninformed selfish idiot. Sorry if you think people are being unnecessarily rude, but it is less dangerous to be rude than it is to unnecessarily endanger the lives of other vulnerable children and human beings.

The reason you have never encountered and serious disease, is because the majority of people vaccinate their children! If people didn't vaccinate, then rubella and polio would be bloody everywhere again! What possible reason could you have for not wanting you child to be protection for life threatening illnesses. Seriously. You saying that no one has had any of the illnesses in your family is like saying, all my family smoke and none have died from cancer.

Vaccinate.

Oh and my grandads sister, so these are war time children, had polio as a young child. She was out of the family home for months and months on end and had to learn to walk again. She also could never have children because of this.

Oliversmumsarmy

What I struggle with is the fact that as a child it was common knowledge that you couldnt get both measles and mumps at the same time. So giving the MMR as a single vaccine was never going to protect you. The fact that doctors thought that it would was really rather worrying.

I have genuinely never heard this - is there any evidence to support this that you know of?

I don't think that giving both in the same virus would have cancelled the other one out though... They take effect at different times after vaccination so measles after 7 - 11 days and mumps after 3 - 4 weeks according to the NHS...

www.nhs.uk/Conditions/vaccinations/Pages/mmr-side-effects.aspx

From reading your updates, I think you are lacking in medical understanding of how vaccinations and diseases work, so you should probably speak to your gp and he'll be able to explain to you how they work and that they actually do work.

And as a Christian myself, whilst I believe of his plan for me, if I didn't vaccinate my kids, and one of them died of something preventable, I sure as hell wouldn't think 'well this is gods plan for him to die of diphtheria'.

What I struggle with is the fact that as a child it was common knowledge that you couldnt get both measles and mumps at the same time. So giving the MMR as a single vaccine was never going to protect you. The fact that doctors thought that it would was really rather worrying

So much wrong with this statement. What kind of fuckwit do you have to be to think that your vague "common knowledge" means that you know more about vaccines than the drs, AND then judge the drs for your ridiculous assertions!
The ignorance displayed here is outstanding.