Have i done the right thing opting out of MMR?

[kellysomer]

Please can someone reassure me that i have done the right thing opting out of giving Isla her MMR?

I cannot bear the thought of someone injecting her with horrible things and have cried very time she has had her jabs, she has had pneumonia one, but the HV gave me a complete load of verbal about her not getting it and now every time i think about it i cry.

I dont know what to do, i dont want her to be hurt, i dont want her to be injected with disgusting things but i dont want her to be ill. I just dont know what to do. And how would i feel if she was brain damaged etc because i made them give it to her, i would have done that to her?

DO you think i'm a bad mum for not taking her, i am only trying to protect her. Has anyone else opted out?

 

[Nic'n'Keeley]

Its upto you hun

I don't think you are a bad mum at all

Keeley's not gonna have the mmr but she is gonna have the injections done separtely as i think the risk to autism is too high

I haven't spoken to my hv about it yet but at the end of the day she's YOUR baby and only you know whats best for her

 

[Emmylou]

You have to do what you think is right for you hun, if you feel that that was the right decision then don't let anyone or anything make you feel otherwise.

Libby will be having the jab (well thats how I feel about it atm), my MIL is a peadiatric (sp) nurse, and believes that the link to autism is unfounded, and that the only link is that MMR is given around 1year of age, and that its not long after this age that autism is usually diagnised/ discovered. My friends son didn't have the MMR and he is autistic.

This is purely my view (as I say - atm - all could change in 8 months when the time comes) and I certainly would never say that that is THE only view, personally I think if you have read up on it and made your decision with you & Isla in mind, then all power to you hun.

(NB. I'm not trying to start a debate, I am trying to show why everyone will have different opinions and there is nothing wrong with that at all)

 

[chezzabell]

Iam not wanting to start a debate either......I think its utter rubbish about the link, between the MMR and autism, as always someone has to blame something or somone for their child have autism

 

[SarahH]

Arianna had her MMR today - and I know what you mean about your little one having the jab - I pass Arianna on to the HV to hold her while the nurse does it as it breaks my heart and I just give her loads of cuddles afterward.

I have had "heated discussions" about this before. I think the link between the MMR and autisim is rubbish - my nephew never had the jabs and he is autistic. My view is also that I had it when I was little and it did me no harm at all!!

But whatever you decide she is YOUR child - nobody else can decide for you. When I was at the clinic today there was a mum refusing it and the HV was giving her a hard time - and I think that is wrong.

 

[Nic'n'Keeley]

I forgot to add earlier that i have read there's a link between mmr and epilesy(sp)
my sister was born with epilesy and my ex's auntie died from it so i am over cautious about it anyway... but like i said before its your decison

 

[kirlykird]

You're not a bad mum.

My 2 eldest had it & so will Sam.

You're taking a risk whether you give or you don't. Besides,doesn't everything carry risks these days?

 

[Sammystar]

If you're unsure about the MMR then it's up to you, you must do what you feel is best for your child.

I'd look into getting the jabs seperately though.

My girls have had MMR and Sam will have it too. I was worried too so I researched it and there's no proof of any link to autism.

Giving them jabs is horrible but necessary. You just have to tell yourself it hurts you more than them!
I cried buckets after the first jabs.

Like Kirlykird says there's risks both ways. Personally I decided the risk of the jab was smaller than the risk of not having it.

Measles in particular is now on the increase. It's a really nasty virus and can cause potentially fatal complications for children who have not been immunised.

 

[kellysomer]

Thank you all for you comments what makes me feel worse is my hubby doesnt understand what i am fussing about and says just do it.

I appreciate everyones comments and certainly do not think that anyones opinion is wrong either, thats what i love about this site, everyone gives their side of things but in a nice way and its soooo useful to see who opted for it and who didnt and why. Its great

I think the fact that i feel bad about her not having it at all is for my benefit not hers as i cannot bear to see it done as it distresses me, i normally go out the room but this upsets Isla further as mummy is gone so not good for her either. I think i have decided to have her jabs done one by one which is worse for Isla and makes me feel bad too, but i know then the risk of autism (whether its true or not) is not there. Also i think as Isla is older and i know she definatly doesnt have autism that i can cope with her having her jabs if my mum takes her and i wait outside with a big cuddle.

OMG its making me cry now even thinking about her being sad, and i'm at work! Damn these pregnancy hormones.

Now i just have to be brave and book that appointment..... god only knows when i'll pluck up the courage for that.

PS Does anyone know if there are any side affects from jabs if your child is allergic as Isla has several allergies to milk (goat and cow and soya)?

 

[lauramumof2]

I know you are worried about her crying from the jabs and I was the same but for some reason she didnt cry with that one.

At the end of the day whether its separately or the combined jab you need to get them. You just cannot take the risk of your baby getting these things especially with so many people opting out.

Laura x

 

[mary70]

Hannahs 2 on monday and she hasnt had it hun so your not alone

 

[beanie]

I opted out of the MMR and will probably do so again with this one. I will probably take Seren to have her measles jab but not mumps or rubella. I have read around the subject and this is the option that feels right for me. Just read around and do as you feel right.

 

[feenix]

?

 

[Urchin]

Personally I would never opt out totally, because it put other people at risk, eg pregnant mothers and young babies. If anything I'd say go seperate if you are worried.
I went seperate with Mason, but will probably go combined with Brody now the link to autism has been ruled out.

f you are only worried about the pain of the needle I would think about the pain of her getting measles or something later... it can do terrible things to babies

 

[libs]

Josh had all his vaccinations, I don't believe in the link with autism and the pain only lasts them a few minutes. Mumps is agony. When I had it (MMR was given at 13 then, I had mumps at 11) I thought I was going to die. My brother is infertile due to mumps and they are currently having to undergo IVF to get a LO
Measles can leave a child with damaged sight, or throat and they really are miserable when they have that Rubella - make sure your little girl has that one too - otherwise when she's older and pregnant she'll have the worry of contracting it and hurting her LO.

So if you don't want the combined, get the individual. Unfortunatly part of being a parent is understanding that sometimes, nasty things are for your child's benefit, like dentist appts, homework and curfews

 

[Sarah&Braydon]

Bray had the MMR and i had no doubt in mind about him having him i spoke to the HV the doc my mum a nurse, and read about it and to me the risks of him not having them were nothing compared to him having it
he had his nearly a yr ago and there have been no problems

 

[Adele]

Chloe had hers done last week, i was petrified about her having them too but knew it would be in her best interest to have it done so i booked the appointment. OH came with us and held her while she had it done, I almost burst into tears myself as soon as she started crying, she had the pneumonia one at the same time and was under the weather for a couple of days and had quite a high temp. but thankfully she seems back to her old self again already, im glad i opted for her to have them. she just has to go back in 2 months for a pneumonia booster then shes all set until school. i felt so bad seeing her so poorly, but knew deep down id feel worse if she caught measles later on from not having had it.

its a hard decision to make, jsut do what you think is best for your LO

 

[kellysomer]

Ok yet again i have chickened out of booking even the individual ones. I am going to the hospital with Isla on thursday to see the dietician at allergy clinic and am going to discuss it then.

Thanks for all the comments, keep them coming......

 

[Squiglet]

Well I was told by my digestive consultant to opt out of giving Tia the MMR. I have Crohns and she says there is still too much debatable evidence that might prove in the future that there is a link between MMR and bowel disorders such as IBD and IBS. As my daughter has a direct genetic link with someone who has Crohns and had active Crohns during the pregnancy she thought it would be better for Tia not to have the MMR.

My HV at the time went scatty too and even threatened to call social services but I got her to call up my consultant at the hospital and funnily enough I never heard from her again.

Tia has since had Rubella, it went around at school last year, so that's one illness out of the way and she was fine with it, other than having "spotty skin syndrome" as she called it.

I was one of the first kids in our area to have the MMR. There is no history in my family of Crohns and I am the first and only one to be diagnosed. Although the vaccination is much more refined now, back then there might have been a difference, which could have led to my Crohns...who knows.

I worry Tia might contract measles one day and there is a possibility of her becoming deaf, blind or even die... but I also couldn't risk condemning her to a lifetime of drugs, diarrhoea, vomiting, rectal bleeding, vicious stomach cramps, endless embarrassing tests, horrible stomach ops and eventual bowel cancer. I suppose because I have to live with that, it makes it much more real to me.

As for the link with Autism, even in Autistic children who have not had the MMR, they will be diagnosed with Autism at around the same age they would receive the MMR, so it is very difficult to tell what the cause is. This is why it has been near impossible to prove the Autism/MMR link.

Letting your child have the MMR is a personal decision and no mother should be made to feel bad for either giving or not giving it. If you can have the vaccinations seperately then go for that option, if not weigh up the pros and cons and research as much as possible before you make the decisions.

Luckily Spain doesn't have the MMR vaccine, so my next one has no option than to have the separate injections. There are worse things than injections though, when Tia was 9 months old, she had meningitis and they had to give her a Lumber Puncture, the screams she made were horrific and I was almost hysterical, so I had to leave the room. The injections only last a second, but the effects last a lifetime and may one day save that life.

 

[Ruthy]

I dont think your a bad mum.
One thing though,try and do it private,autism risk is really high.