If you decided to delay or to forgo MMR, how did health professionals react?

[usedtogotomars]

Just wondering about this (and haven’t yet decided) - do they respond in a way that respects your view or do they try to persuade you to have the vaccinations given to your child?

Read this from the WHO
www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs286/en/

I think that the point is that I can imagine that with a young baby and alone I would feel vulnerable and could easily be cocerced into something I’m not sure about. Anyway, thanks for the replies.
Indeed by reading rubbish on the internet you maybe coerced into not protecting your baby from lethal diseases. It’s likely your HV etc will try to persuade you to give your baby the vaccine as there is a TON of research and evidence that says immunisations ARE the best thing for your baby. The HCPs want the best for your baby too. Have honest discussions with them as they want you to make an informed decision and be comfortable with your choice.

The trouble with the way this discussion is going is that the inference is that I (or indeed anybody) who even hesitates about vaccinations have been told that I am stupid, have no social conscience, want other children to die, want my own to die - which is extremely cruel and wrong (IMO) even for an emotive topic, there are some lines that (I think) should be drawn.

As such, it’s hard to know how to respond without becoming emotional myself and I did just want a question answered.

I come from a background where vaccination damage was sustained and severe and I can see here that this experience is one the majority of you do not have, but that’s not a luxury I feel I have as I have experienced it and seen it and I can’t ‘un’ see if, so I have to make the best choice I can.

Being called some pretty strong things with that memory a strong one still isn’t pleasant, and it’s particularly unpleasant when the people calling the names evidently do not know about the complex health conditions and the impact of vaccine damage not only on that baby (who is no longer a baby) but on everyone who knows and loves him and if you’ve never had to worry about that I am glad, if you can just vaccinate without concerns. I wish I could.

This is somewhat OT, but for those who missed it researchers have found that brain scans at six months of age can accurately predict which children will go on to develop ASD:

Brain Scans May Forecast Autism in Babies

which of course is another piece of evidence that shows the fallacy of the vaccination causes autism theory.

I had measles as a child. It left me with hearing loss, a disability I've struggled with my entire life.

Measles Complications

I haven't vaccinated my two ds's yet and every time I go to the gp they asked me why not and I have to explain. Only on one occasion has someone pushed me on it. Other times they accepted what I told them and moved on.

I understand that Terry but I hesitate to do so. It’s been upsetting enough reading the ‘when your own child dies’ sort of posts. And my child doesn’t exist yet. Having a hugely distressing experience rejected by people who will never know will make me very emotional.

It is not my job to 'push' anybody to do anything.

It IS my job to make sure they have all the available scientific evidence and facts.

Lots of parenting decisions are made all the time that go against currently medical knowledge and as there is no enforcement of vaccination in this country it is up to the parents to make a decision in the best interest of their child.

I am guilty of being very up to date with latest measles data including death rates of the disease vs serious vaccination reactions due to the vaccine. And I am quite happy to share that all my children have been vaccinated.

I’m a practice nurse. In my career I’ve vaccinated thousands of babies and children (and adults).

Not one of them has had a serious reaction. Not one of them has been damaged by a vaccine. Not one of them has autism caused or triggered by a vaccine.

Before I went into primary care I nursed a 15 year old girl in hospital, who was in a persistive vegetative state as a result of measles encephalitis, epiglottitis and hypoxia. She hadn’t been vaccinated and caught measles from a sibling. This was before the Wakefield effect.

Anecdotal yes, but based on evidence based research your child is at far greater risk from the diseases themselves than from the vaccines. We have had notifications from public health this week about measles outbreaks around the UK, encouraging us to vaccinate all those who are eligible.

If you came to my clinic I wouldn’t be confrontational or hostile but I’d want to know why you were averse to vaccinating and I’d try and reassure you and give you enough information to make a proper informed decision. There are very very few children that shouldn’t be vaccinated - a minuscule amount.

I come from a background where vaccination damage was sustained and severe and I can see here that this experience is one the majority of you do not have

I do understand and I know someone vaccine damaged. Severely.

If you have justified and traumatic health anxiety caused by someone you love being vaccine damaged, of course you are worrying. And doubly so because it's your child. Sometimes it's easier NOT to do something than DO something. Because then we feel that we won't blame ourselves if something goes wrong. The sad truth is that if your child is damaged by measles, for example, you will blame yourself. And it's massively more likely.

Do you think some counselling might help with your feelings around this?

I think if there is a family history of severe and irreversible vaccination damage, it would be entirely appropriate to seek some specialist advice from paediatrics/immunology prior to vaccinating your own children.

Speak to your GP and yes, look at the concept of risk - it is not as self-explanatory as we might all think (for instance, the risk of dying is far greater crossing the road but most of us are not fearful of that. We simply take steps to minimise the risk by looking left and right and crossing at a safe place. The risk of dying on a commercial airplane is far less but causes more people significant anxiety).

No, thank you. I don’t feel it is a mental health issue on my part (apologies if that sounds as if I am being snippy with you; I’m not.) I haven’t decided but I do want to be prepared for the likely reaction if I do decide not to go down the vaccination route.

Thank you, Perfectly

trust your gut, end of.

And what comes out of the end of your gut?

‘It’s no body else’s business’ is bollocks. Tell that to the newborns and immunocompromised who rely on those able to have vaccines to have the good sense and decency to do so. Disgusting

Just selfish then. Sad.

Jesus Jenny

Did you read my post where I shared my background?

Ridiculous excuse. I was horribly injured ina car accident but it hasn’t stopped me driving my kids around.

There is NO excuse to not vaccinate your child other than total ignorance.

I’ve sent you a pm OP

It isn’t the same Roman, I’m afraid. It doesn’t work as an analogy. Perhaps a better analogy would be - would you drive your kids around knowing there was a very good chance your car might be unsafe, but you couldn’t get a mechanic anywhere to give you an honest response. Would you risk your kids even then?

Thanks, Drogon Will look now.

shill Gut = instinct but then you already know that, not of it though.

but you couldn’t get a mechanic anywhere to give you an honest response. Would you risk your kids even then?

But the rates of adverse reactions to vaccines has been exhaustively studied. You can download summaries by vaccine here:

WHO Vaccine Info Sheets

Who are you concerned won't give you an honest response? The actual risk data is available to everyone.

OP I've read this whole thread and have changed what I was originally going to put, although I'm sure you can guess my position on it. I have two things to ask you:

1. Have you/will you have the whooping cough vaccine and/or flu jab during your pregnancy? Considering this vaccine goes to you but still gives your baby some protection until they are old enough for their vaccines (whether you choose to vaccinate or not), is that something you would do?

1. Please don't take this as inflammatory, I know it may sounds so but it's not intended that way - should you not vaccinate, and your child suffers because of that (anything ranging from a short time being poorly to permanent disability or death), would you be able to cope with the knowledge that you could have prevented it? Would that be easier than the small possibility of vaccine damage with the knowledge that you did so because you believed it was the best for your child?

I have a child born with sn when all this autism scare first came out regarding vaccines. But after researching long and hard. I think not vaccinating scared me a lot more then to vaccinate. But obviously your choice at the end op. But I wouldn’t expect posting on here would get you many sympathisers.

Sidge - I have seen one child seriously ill from vaccines and never met anyone who has long term effects from the MMR illnesses or personally knows someone who has had which is equally anecdotal and equally irrelevant for someone else to make a decision based on.

The facts are that vaccines carry a risk of serious complications, a risk which is considerably less than the illness they protect from and that risk is why I had a severely ill baby caused by them but the risk of the diseases is although small larger than that risk which is why I have since given a very select and delayed vaccination program despite my experience. However much less vaccines do carry a risk and to pretend otherwise plays into the conspiracy theorists view of it where possibly an honest discussion on the risks of both options might have a better response. In my case the risk factors changed with the reaction and so I have made decisions agreed with the GP and peaditrician based on those.

Unless you have a medical reason for delaying - a proper one - Then you should vaccinate. You really don’t want your child to get measles.