Baby BCG vaccine

[SweetPea91]

I'd really like some advice!

My baby boy is 6 months old and was due to have his BCG vaccine 3 months ago, however I delayed it due to him having an allergic reaction 5 days earlier to his other vaccines.

I've been needle phobic since I was about 4 and I'm desperate not to pass it on to my son. But since having his other vaccines and screamed intolerably I'm worried about rebooking his BCG. I know it's important but I don't know how to get round this. I'm desperate for advice. Many thanks in advance.

Perhaps you should discuss your concerns with the doctor? Vaccination is important, but there also needs to be a balanced approach where there have been allergic reactions. Looking at which vaccine your DS reacted to and the nature/severity of the reaction will determine whether the risks are worth the rewards. I can really understand your concerns, my DD had a reaction to one vaccination that was so bad it resulted in a lights and sirens trip to the hospital - utterly terrifying for all of us!

As for the needle phobia issue; you either need to stay calm in your son's presence during needle procedures (horrifically difficult for most phobics) or have a partner/your mum/other responsible adult go in with him.

It was the group of 5 in one he had a bad reaction to, didn't have to go to hospital thankfully, that sounds frightening I'm sorry your DD had a nasty allergic reaction. My son just cried intolerably for two days and had a big hard lump on his leg that was really hot when you touched it.

Yes it's incredibly difficult especially when he screams, I feel so helpless because he doesn't understand and I can't explain to him what's going on. I'm nervous of the BCG because of the side effect warnings.

You really do need to talk to your GP then, at the very least s/he needs to know about the reaction your DS had - that's a matter of safety.

Your poor DS sounds as though he was in a lot of pain

My DD had the BCG at 9 mths because my uncle contracted TB.

She had far less of a reaction to it than any other vaccs but if you are concerned speak to your GP. She has a scar but it's very small and it's normal to get one.

One thing I will say is if you are needle phobic I would really recommend you get someone else to take her. BCG isn't injected in the same way as other vaccs, it is injected between the skin and the muscle (hence the bubble) and can be hard to do on babies due to small arms and thinner layers. The needle is put in slowly and can take more than one go to get it right because it's so fiddly. The vaccine then has to be pushed through slowly.

The baby needs to be completely still throughout which isn't easy. To do DDs I had her on my knee pinning her legs, body, head and one arm whilst a nurse held the injection arm straight and immobilised.

It sounds worse than it is, and tbh DD was upset when the vaccine went in but ok for the needle part and settled quickly after, but but if you don't like needles I think you may struggle with it. I don't mind them and was fine with her other vaccs, even the first ones, but found this hard.

My boys had the bcg at birth as dh is Indian. They had no local reaction to the vaccination, where the did to the others. I had a long talk with the dr and think the pros outweighed the cons. Especially when dh's sister got diagnosed with tb a few months after visiting us!