Worried about vaccinations - anyone else feel the same?

[ladymac]

DD is 15 weeks today. When we went for 1st jabs a few weeks ago, GP wouldn't give them because she had a cold. Since then I haven't gone back as she'd either been snuffly or we were away (jabs only done on mon afternoons).

We are going to Spain for a week on saturday and today is a jabs opportunity. Trouble is I've got really nervous about her having them. Worried about possible reactions and also if it could make her poorly for our hols.

At the same time I don't want her to get any nasty diseases.

I feel my views are somewhere in the middle of my HV and her evangelical jabs spiel, and the anti jabs brigade on the other side.

Any help/views/reassurance would be great.

I always found any grouchiness that occured around jab time was easily controlled with a little capol and only lasted about 24 hours - hth

Well I'm an anti-jabber

What are your reasons TooTicky?

I should add that I used to be married to a fervent anti-jabber. This child is with DH who has the opposite view.

I started typing quite a long post and then I thought that I wasn't actually explaining all that well. Firstly, I thoroughly recommend this

For me, it just felt so wrong. Dd1 did have her first jabs. She was hot and miserable afterwards. I phoned the doctors more than once, they kept saying it was normal. A common reaction, yes, but not in any way natural. This was before I knew of any debate about whether to vaccinate. She also had the MMR but separately.
When I had ds1, I was armed with facts and felt stronger. Doctors and nurses do make you out to be an irresponsible parent if you refuse jabs. They are heavily indoctrinated. Surgeries also get paid by pharmaceutical companies for a high uptake of vaccinations.

Ds2 and dd2 have also had no jabs.

My main concerns are:
Childhood diseases actually build immunity.
The ingredients of vaccines.
The processes some vaccines undergo.
The links with autism.
Fact-hiding - until books were published on the subject, you had to dig and search for information.
Parents are not informed of genuine risks.

Sorry, this is a long and disorganised post. I hope it helps a bit!

Come on everybody - it's only 3 hours till the clinic!

Oh sorry, you don't have time to get the book!! I know there are good websites out there but I don't know where... I'll see what I can do!

Ok, well, I'm a jabber. Wouldn't say I was evangelical about it and expect I'm not nearly as well read as TooTicky, am aware that a very few children have very bad reactions to vaccinations, but in my view the risks of not vaccinating far outweighed the risks of vaccinating. Don't have time to write a long post, ds is getting bored sorry! Good luck!

I have found this site which appears to argue both sides - don't know how good it is, but at least it's something. www.vaccination.co.uk/

Sorry, TooTicky, I think our posts crossed!

First 3 kids (with anti-jab ex) didn't have baby jabs but as they got older they did have some although this was against their father's wishes.

I feel my DH is leaving decisions to me, as this is his 1st and my 4th.

My first two (dd and ds) were really healthy apart from the usual childhood illnesses. However my third, dd2, got whooping cough when she was 3 and was ill for 6 weeks. I couldn't stand nor would i want dd3 to go through the same thing.

I'm somewhere in the middle too so probably not much help. My eldest had a bad reaction to his 1st and 2nd set of jabs and turned out to be allergic to one of the components. My next 2 children were vaccinated and had absolutely no problems whatsoever.

IME the usual reactions, eg temperature, feeling unwell, only seem to last for a couple of days so your dd should be okay by Saturday if you decide to go ahead.

Good luck.

I definitely believe it is safer not to vaccinate.

My 19 month old daughter died from Pneumococcal meningitis 2 years ago.
Your Dd will be given the Prevenar jab today and protect her from this devastating disease?
My Dd wasn't lucky enough to have her vaccine as she died 18 months before the vaccine was introduced.
I say give her the jabs ASAP!!

amyjade

ladymac - I think this is the problem with not vaccinating - the jabs they have at a very young age are against the real horrors of childhood diseases - whooping cough is just horendous to have or to watch!

Was considering not getting involved in this thread (don't fancy being shouted at) - I am a pro-jabber - from horrendous personal experience (my sister was unable to have the jabs as she's allergic to eggs - and was very ill with whooping cough - and later suffered with measles - both of which were horrible to watch) - but can see where others are coming from with the anti-jabbing arguments.

You have sort of answered your own question - if you have seen what whooping cough can do, and don't want this lo to potentially suffer the same, then the answer is to vaccinate.

This site has some basic info on the vaccination programme.

Oh AmyJade, I'm so deeply sorry for your loss.

ejt, I think you are probably right about answering my own question. It's just that I was all prepared for her to have the jabs then GP wouldn't do them and now I've got so, so nervous about her having them.

AmyJade, I am so sorry.

Deaths do also happen as a result of vaccinations.

It is a very difficult issue.

I would probably vaccinate after the hols. Unless you think there is a very high chance of exposing the little one to some of the diseases whcih the vaccine protects against whilst on hols. But, as you say you are off to Spain, I'd go on hold and vaccinate on return. What's one more week? Maybe two?

We do the baby jabs, but delay then a bit. And single for MMR. So I sit somewhere in the middle on the vaccination debate.

I don't tend to vaccinate for diseases which don'tpose a serious health risk -- like chicken pox.

ejt's site is very one-sided and does play down the risks of vaccination.

Also, vaccination isn't always effective.

amyjade v sorry to hear about your daughter ladymac I am a bit of an anti-jabber but also superstitious about not getting ds jabbed. My compromise is to get single vaccines. Unfortunately he gets colds a lot so haven't yet been able to start the single MMR ones and he's 3 now so I am conscious of that. He had the 5 in 1 DTP jab minus the mercury - but I had to wait a bit for that. Health professionals do bully parents a bit about jabs. You have to do what you feel is best for your child.

I'm a jabber-want to protect dd against these illnesses if possible.
she has never reacted badly to any jabs so far (haven't done MMR yet but will)

ladymac, it's the fact that you know it's won't be a wonderfully pleasant experience for her! I know I had to build myself up for jabbing sessions when ds was small - but he doesn't remember them now ...

AmyJade

eleusis, why do you delay the baby jabs?

ladylush, where did you get your info re jabs and mercury?

Anyone know more about this?