Interview 09

Brief Outline:

For DTaP/IPV/Hib: Followed recommendations of health professionals. For MMR: Took advice from their GP. Talked to friends and her grandmother who could remember childhood illnesses before immunisation. She regarded media reports as largely biased and scaremongering.

Background:

At time of the interview: Married, two children, aged 5 years (daughter) and 3 years (daughter). Parent’s Occupation: Mother –Teacher, Father – Traffic Consultant. Ethnic background: White-British.

The MMR vaccine had no effect on her daughter who had eczema.

The MMR, you know, I could have chosen any time any day and it was just like a routine appointment at the doctors. I don't seem to, I don't think it was anything different, it wasn't like a clinic as such, it like the primary ones.

And how was she, how were both of them after?

Well absolutely fine. There was, it, there, it wasn't anything like the primary ones. I, I had given them Calpol but they were a lot older, they didn't bother, they didn't have a sleep, it made absolutely no difference to them at all. It didn't give them a temp-, there was, there was just no difference in their behaviour. They had obviously that little lump, a tiny, tiny little lump under the skin where the, the needle had gone in and after a, I can't remember, probably in a few days it had gone. But they, they had no reaction whatsoever in any way, both of them. And in fact my younger daughter suffers from eczema and I had been told by a homeopath to be very careful in my decision-making she said, because she felt that it would exacerbate her eczema. But there wasn't even that reaction in her skin.
 

Her grandmother told her what life was like before immunisations were available.

I have to say just prior to me having it done my, I used to visit my granny quite a lot, well, every week, and she said that when she had her children i.e. my mum and my aunties and uncles they, immunisation wasn't available. And she said when her youngest daughter, my mum's youngest sibling was born, some vaccines began to be available. And she said the queue of women just queuing up to get their babies done, you know, she said they were going in the clinic and out with their babies because they had all witnessed at that time babies dying or being terribly ill and having long, life lasting effects of illnesses. And so it was an amazing opportunity for them. So she was sort of guiding me that way also because she had experienced both with immunisation and it not being available, and also seeing her children suffer as a result of the illnesses. 
 

You need to make sure you are informed, listen to professionals and read up.

Mine was not a difficult experience. Both my girls went through it fine. I mean I had the obvious anxieties like any new mum, you know, worrying and you don't want your child to go through anything, you know, they're very precious to you. But you have to do what you feel and what you think is right, because you'd never forgive yourself if you had made a wrong decision either way.I think it's a very personal thing. And you need, I think you do need to make sure you are informed and listen to what the professionals say. And if you're still in doubt make more make more time to sort of think about it further either by looking, reading on the Internet or in books or whatever. It's not a decision to be taken lightly but it's a decision that needs to be made.
 

She had taught children with autism and believed that the MMR vaccine had nothing to do with autism.

So can you tell me what you based those, that decision on?

I think it, well, several factors really. One, I knew I wanted them to be immunised. It was a case of, 'How? Would, would it be a split vaccine or would it be the triple vaccine?' So I, you know, there was always the, there was never a decision to make whether she was going to have them or not. And then secondly, I spoke to GP, my GP, the nurse, you know, who were, well, health professionals and again they gave me the relevant literature. I didn't do any extra research on the Internet or anything like that; I just took the NHS leaflets. But I think as far as I was concerned, having taught children with autism and that was obviously the main fear, and I had been on professional courses as part of my job. I already had some insight into autism and the causes of autism and I was clear in my mind that the vaccine had nothing to do with it. And that's why I prompted, I, it prompted me to go for the triple vaccine.
 

Feels very glad she had given her daughters MMR and feels relieved that her children are...

Basically now that I've had them done, it's years ago now, I mean [daughter's name], my younger daughter, she still has to have her booster MMR in a year or so's time, but I don't feel worried about that. I will have her done, I don't have any worries. I've experienced with my older daughter that she was absolutely fine and, and my younger daughter's had the first lot and I, and was fine. I've got no worries about that. But basically now that they're both done, whenever anybody talks about immunisation and the issues surrounding immunisation, you know, I'm very relieved that I've had it done. And when they worry on the television particularly about outbreaks of all these childhood diseases, measles, mumps, rubella, the lot I just feel, 'Well, that doesn't concern me. My children are safe. I've got, I've got nothing to worry about because I made the decision and they're protected.' It's other people who haven't had their children immunised who have got future concerns. I've, I had initial concerns and I, and I made the decision and I had, you know, worries while I was doing it. But now that's it. I'm free from those sort of anxieties because I've done that, I've made the, the right step for us.
 

Apart from being more tired than usual, her daughters experienced no reaction to their 2, 3 and 4...

She went to sleep basically. And I don't know, in, in fact both of them did, they both went to sleep, they and I don't know whether that was because I had already given them the Calpol and they were very young babies or whether it was just that would happened anyway. But I think because they had also both cried a lot, tiny babies, that exhausts them too. So, so they both basically had a really good sleep and by the time they woke up they were absolutely fine.