Following on from Plaguerat’s thread, could all those who were anti vac and then changed their minds when their children were much older, tell me what changed their minds....

[Unsurewuss]

... and what their experience was when they got their DC's vaccinated at the "wrong" time? Did you get the MMR? And all the other stuff like DtP etc.? Over what period of time? What was your doctor's response? And that of our child/ren?

Every time there's a thread on MN I re-think and wonder if I'm doing the right thing by not vaccinating. Now DD is 11 and about to go to secondary school and I read that very good link from the CDC, I am once more thrown into the dilemma about whether to vaccinate her or not. I've followed the arguments over the years and have basically felt that although I'm not "happy" with my choice not to vaccinate, I broadly feel it's the right one, but as DD gets older, I'm less sure.

Please feel free to tell me I'm irresponsible and hysterical btw, and I'll feel free to ignore that because it's just not helpful or interesting; but if you have real-life experiences of being sceptical and then changing your mind, I would be so grateful if you would share them with me.

bumping up to active again before going off to bed.

I guess you mean ..because you think they are less likely to suffer an adverse reaction, you are now considering it?

The only one I would give/advise/whatever is rubella before pregnancy.

I live in a third world country so gave IPV.

Partly the less likely business, but mainly the arguments plus statistics I haven't seen before and asked everyone in the NHS to give me to be met with a blank wall - incomprehensibly, because the statistics are favourable to their pov.

I'm interested in your thread but I'm not sure if I have understood your question.

Are you asking what made people who refused vaccines originally, change their minds later on and end up giving them to their children?

I'm the opposite case, I started out vaccinating and then stopped. The reason I stopped was because my eldest child reacted badly to DTP/IPV/HIB vaccines she received. She has not had MMR and will not be having it, her younger sister is currently unvaccinated at 2 years old. Our GP and allergist both agree that it would be irresponsible to vaccinate DD2 in the light of what happened to DD1. Shame we had to damage DD1 in order to find out that my kids don't appear to deal with vaccines too well.

Which vaccine are you considering for your DD? If it is rubella then you could test her for immunity first to see if she actually needs the vaccine.

Exactly Beachcomber. Someone on another thread said she'd changed her mind and I wondered what persuaded her. I'm always humming and ha-ing about it and wonder what the thought processes are of others.

I often wonder what makes people change their minds too. Everything I have read has made me more and more convinced that I don't want my children vaccinated ever again.

I will cross the rubella bridge when I come to it but would definitely test them for immunity first.

My DS didn't have the MMR as he was very, very ill at the time it was due. DD didn't have it because that was when there were all the stories in the papers about there being a link to autism.

I got a reminder from the GP a while back and I've decided that it's time they did have the MMR. The reasons I changed my mind are:

1. I think there's enough research out there to suggest that the risks of not immunising (particularly with the rise in measles cases) are greater than the risks of immunising. It's not risk-free either way, of course.

2. Both DCs are way past the age that autism is a risk.

3. Neither of my DCs have any conditions that make immunisation unwise; therefore, for "herd immunity" reasons, it makes sense that they get immunised so they won't act as carriers and give these diseases to children who can't be immunised.

Hi Unsurewuss - i am in your position.

i made the decision not to vaccinate when ds was a few months old and got very sick- started to look at evidence and read around teh subject and didnt wnat him exposed to vaccinations. When dd2 born after him I didn't feel I could vaccainte ( and therefore put her at risk) if I hadn't vacinated ds.

I was at peace with my decision for years but have felt unsure in the last 2 or 3 yrs. There was a measles outbreak in our area recently and I made enquiries about single vax but in the end couldn't do it. Ds ended up needing a tetanus shot about a yr ago and had the DTP bascially although it was only a first one and not booosters.

I think I do want to vaccinate now kids are older - def don't believe in vax young babies - but agree that seems to be a bit of a bar in med profession about how to arrange.

I started (ds1 vaccinated) then stopped (ds2 and ds3 nothing) after ds1;s regression.

ds2 is 7 now and I would like him to have single tetanus (with diptheria at a push) and single measles at some stage.

Single measles is being made available in the US again next year (? think I have that date right) and I suspect it might follow here. If that happened I would get ds2 done sooner rather than later, but otherwise need to find a time I can get to London and see Dr Halvorsen.

I am much warier with ds3. Physiologically he is very very like ds1, and I suspect more vulnerable.