Interview 11- Immunisation

Brief Outline:

For DTaP/IPV/Hib' Followed recommendations of health professionals. For MMR' Gathered information from the media and talked to other mums at playgroup and to their health visitor. Advice from their GP helped them to make a decision.

Background:

At time of interview: married, one daughter, aged 5 years. Parent's occupations: Mother- Nursing Auxilary, Father- Plasterer. Ethnic background: White British.

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Had found the MMR decision for her child really difficult. She was grateful that her own, trusted, GP persuaded her to accept the immunisation and did it there and then, before she could change her mind.

We had no problem with her having the other immunisations, the normal ones, but the MMR was quite an issue obviously, as it was for everybody. But even more so really because [our daughter] had had, she'd always had viruses and ear infections and then she started with bowel problems. And the decision was just a dreadful one to make for that. And then we decided eventually after much anguish, listened to what was on the television, what was being said, that we would take her to have measles only done, privately. So we went to a clinic in Liverpool, and by this time she was coming up to 2½ and we hadn't had the first MMR done yet. So we took her to the clinic in Liverpool and when we got there they wouldn't do the measles injection because she'd had antibiotics the previous week for something else. And we didn't know that she couldn't have the measles injection. Anyway they sent us packing, sent us home. 

 

And we went to see our own doctor who, but, you know, he, who persuaded us and staked his career on the fact that this MMR wouldn't harm our little girl. And he said he'd even give her the injection himself, just to prove how confident he was in it. And he hasn't given an injection to a child for a long time. Anyway he gave her, gave it to her there and then before we could change our minds or have time to think about it. And we were just, in just such a state. I couldn't tell you how worried we were. 

 

And these health professionals, I'm trying not to say the names, they were sort of, they've got no reason to say otherwise. If they for one minute thought that there would be a problem with MMR it's more than their careers are worth to push me to give it to my little girl. And in the end that's where I thought, “Well” because my doctor who is a family friend and, as well, I just knew he wouldn't, he would not have staked his career on it. And, you know, I mean he just said, “Come on, give her here, I'm going to do it now”. And, and he did it. And it was, and it was talking to them really and realising that they wouldn't say those things if they didn't truly believe them, you know.

 

So you trusted your doctor?

 

Oh, yes, yes, I trust him with anything. And I hadn't actually spoken to him himself, we went over another issue with her. And it was, I thought, “Oh, I should have spoken to him long since really” because he was that last bit of reassurance that we needed, you know. And it was a good thing, it was, you know, the best thing we did.