My feed
Premium

Please
or
to access all these features

For free parenting resources please check out the Early Years Alliance's Family Corner.

Parenting

Does you regret giving your child the pre-school MMR?

42 replies

mamamidwife · 05/08/2013 22:55

My son has his MMR and other booster tomorrow as he is 3 & 1/2. He has had all the other jabs but I was just getting cold feet about the MMR and the doctors letter said I could sign attached declaration to decline that particular jab, but they don't do it for the other vaccinations, so I thought it was a tad strange. He has had no problems with his other vaccinations.
Your thoughts please?

OP posts:
Report
LynetteScavo · 05/08/2013 22:58

No, no regrets at all.

If I regret any, it's the first MMR, because DS1 reacted to it. Only mildly though.

Report
AnythingNotEverything · 05/08/2013 22:59

No.

Report
Ablababla · 05/08/2013 22:59

But hasn't he already had MMR at 13 months? If do its just more of the same.

Report
Flojobunny · 05/08/2013 23:00

No of course not

Report
oscarwilde · 05/08/2013 23:08

No. DD had hers early at 2.5 last summer as we were going on hols somewhere there was a measles epidemic. Gave me a lot of peace of mind this summer. Stressing like mad that the baby will get measlesHmm

Report
MaryKatharine · 05/08/2013 23:10

As an aside, you can actually decline any of the vaccinations due for your child. I am not for one minute suggesting that you do that but you just seemed under the impression that you could decline the MMR but not the others. The form is probably because that is the vaccine that most people are nervous about.

Just one other thing; if, for whatever reason, you do have worries, you can pay privately to have a test which will tell you if your child has developed immunity from their first MMR. I seem to remember it's like a scratch test on the back of the hand but you'd need to contact a private clinic to get the full information.
The second dose isn't actually a booster but a safeguard as not all children develop immunity after the 1st jab so it's a fail safe to help preserve immunity. Your child does not need two doses to be immune but the general population does.

My children are completely vaccinated btw (although I did delay and stagger their baby jabs) so this is just information to help you make an informed choice.

Report
mamamidwife · 05/08/2013 23:26

Thanks for all your helpful advice, it's reassuring to hear.

I know I can decline any vaccination but the docs letter just threw me with its rather formal opt out clause!

OP posts:
Report
Andro · 06/08/2013 11:35

Yes,I very much regret it - it landed her in intensive care and very nearly killed her. I now have a DD who is so terrified of the GP she has full blown panic attack just walking through the door to reception.

Report
mamamidwife · 06/08/2013 11:47

Why did she end up in ICU?was it an anaphylaxis? Or some other reaction? Only if you want to share of course

OP posts:
Report
Andro · 06/08/2013 11:55

I don't mind sharing. She had a massive allergic reaction, her blood pressure just dumped and she went into cardiac arrest - it took ages to stabilise her. We know it was the vaccine because of how quickly she reacted...I don't think I have ever been more scared. She is the 1 in a million who had a near fatal reaction.

Report
mamamidwife · 06/08/2013 12:14

Blimey! how frightening for you :(
And was that the second MMR she had?

OP posts:
Report
DioneTheDiabolist · 06/08/2013 12:15

No.

Report
Andro · 06/08/2013 12:22

mamamidwife Yes, it was (second dose and very frightening). I wish I knew how to help her with the psychological fall out, but that's another thread altogether (and probably the remit of a professional!).

Report
LondonMother · 06/08/2013 12:25

That must have been absolutely terrifying, Dione, and I hope she made a good recovery physically and eventually gets over the psychological after effects.

To balance things out, though, I have to mention a conversation I had with a colleague last week. He was on his way to visit friends whose daughter is in intensive care because of measles. She is critically ill and may not pull through. I didn't ask about the MMR, obviously, but I assume she didn't have it.

I'd go ahead with it without a qualm, unless there's anything in your son's medical history or the wider family's medical histories to suggest caution.

For what it's worth both my children (now grown up) had the MMR and there were no problems. My daughter has Asperger's and is absolutely vociferous in her condemnation of Andrew Wakefield and his totally discredited 'research'.

Report
LondonMother · 06/08/2013 12:25

Sorry, Andro, not Dione.

Report
eccentrica · 06/08/2013 12:28

Andro that is absolutely horrible, sorry you went through that.

My daughter is luckily one of the 999,999 out of a million who don't have a bad reaction, so no, I'm happy that she's had both doses. She had the second one early, at 2 1/2, because we were spending lots of time in Wales during the measles epidemic.

Report
motownmover · 06/08/2013 12:31

Actually I heard of someone getting measles who had MMR - isn't it because of the heard mentality?

Report
Viviennemary · 06/08/2013 12:32

Glad your DD recovered Andro. I decided mine wouldn't have the MMR and I'm glad I made that decision. But I wouldn't presume to tell anyone else what to do.

Report
noblegiraffe · 06/08/2013 12:33

How strange that she was fine with the first and not the second, Andro. Did they have an explanation?
Glad she has recovered, physically at least.

My DS was fine with both his. Not even a temperature.

Report
ILoveAFullFridge · 06/08/2013 12:41

The first would probably have sensitised her - you don't get an allergic reaction on first exposure but on subsequent ones. Terrifying. Hypnotherapy is very good for PTSD.

All of mine are fully immed. We have Asperger's in our family, and there is absolutely no correlation between whether the individuals have it or not, or to what degree, and to whether or not they have been immed.

The only reactions any of mine had were to some of their earlier 3/4/5-in1 triples, in which case we broke down the later doses and spaced them out.

Report
Tee2072 · 06/08/2013 12:45

Not just no, fuck no.

Report
Andro · 06/08/2013 12:50

noblegiraffe - no explanation other than 'these things can happen and it is a little unfortunate that it made her so unwell' (the words of one of the doctors and something of an understatement I think). DD is adopted though so if there had been a subtle reaction we wouldn't necessarily have known.

Report

Don’t want to miss threads like this?

Weekly

Sign up to our weekly round up and get all the best threads sent straight to your inbox!

Log in to update your newsletter preferences.

You've subscribed!

mamamidwife · 06/08/2013 12:52

It makes sense it was the second vaccination as the first one is the body's sensitizing event, the second one is the reacting event, thats how most allergic reactions work.
So terrible, I hope she recovers from the trauma,
and I'm hoping my son is not 1: million

OP posts:
Report
TheYamiOfYawn · 06/08/2013 13:00

None at all, as my children can play with their immune-suppressed friend.

Report
BrianTheMole · 06/08/2013 13:04

No

Report
Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.