To BCG or not to BCG

[scgd]

My Dh and I can't agree on this for our 20we ds just wondering who let their baby have it and if you didn't your reasons for not? TIA

My DTs were offered it because I come from a high risk country (immigrated here when I was a toddler). I am generally very pro-vaccine and so so felt that I should take advantage of being offered it (not routine in my area).

We turned up to the hospital appointment where I read the leaflet for the first time. The scab thing sounded awful.

We went into the nurses room ready to go. The nurse explained that you need prolonged contact (not just on a bus etc). She also basically send that I may come from a high risk country but as I was now basically "middle class" living in a "middle class" area she though our risk was very slim and probably not worth the distress etc to the DTs.

So I left without having them done.

Don't regret it at all.

thank you all for yor replies, i have been reading them when you posted but because of a very demanding baby have not had the chance to post back so apologies from me! we are still so undecided. my dh does not want the jab because of the scar i agree with him i dont want to purposely scar my babies perfect skin, but for me it is not enough to not have it done. also he waas born 4 weeks early so started off being jabbed lots and he only has one kidney which is being monitored that this bcg jab feels another needle too much on his little body. we will keep re reading your replies to try and agree on a decision, i know how awful i would feel if ds did catch tb, though a midwife friend told me (off the record) that it is hard to catch it and that we would probably have to be living in the same house to really be at risk. of course i want to protect my ds from as much as i can but without putting him through uneccesary procedures. motherhood, i never thought it'd be this hard!!!

All 3 of mine jabbed within a couple of weeks of birth (lived in central London at the time where it is standard, although it was of course optional). Jab was over in a second, no problems or distress etc - after a few months a raised red lump appeared and then gradually faded away again, one of them had slight scabbing.

I'm not entirely sure why you wouldn't get it done. If you don't have it now then likely to have it done as a teenager. If the only reason not to do it now is scarring then I wouldn't let that stop you. The scars on those who have it as teenagers tend to be worse i think (baby skin is remarkable at healing). Only one of my 3 has any sort of scar at all and that has now (age 5) faded to the point where you really, really have to look and I'm sure that soon it will have completely gone.

Myself and pretty much everyone I know had BCG as teenagers and loads have still got very noticeable scars.