And she was, you know, very sort of… from a sort of top overview telling me about the information that’s coming from the States and various other countries and how many countries are actually using the MMR and how many years they’ve been using the MMR and that, you know, there is not a link, that, you know, and I think I needed to hear someone in her position saying, ‘There is not a link between the MMR and autism. And, so I think that’s, like I say, and I think it was having that initial conversation where she said that, that really kind of tipped me over to think, ‘Yeah, OK, I think were going to go with doing this.

There was a period of time that I think I felt quite strongly that we wouldn’t go down the route of the MMR and I think after having read various articles in the papers, probably nothing based on fact but just the articles I’d read in the papers, were enough to make me think I don’t want, I don’t feel happy about this so I don’t think were going to go ahead and do this.

And to be honest I think everything changed when I then phoned up Great Ormond Street and spoke to someone on the front desk and said what my concerns were and is there a paediatrician or somebody there that I could speak to who might have some comments based on facts, that, who could talk to me. And they, that’s when I was directed through to the lady there who helped. And I think that was the big turning point for me in that we had a long conversation on the telephone I think then a week later I phoned her back and we had another long conversation and I also had her email address. So every time something just popped into my mind I was emailing her and she was emailing back and also our friends next door, their one of their god-parents is a paediatrician in Ireland and she was saying that his comment was very much that I would go ahead and have, I would, you know, their little girl has the MMR.

So, I think it was having heard that comment from her and then also the fact that this other lady was giving all of this, what seemed like very grounded advice based in, on fact.

And then our little boy was born and I had the same reservations but again went straight back to this lady at Great Ormond Street. She reiterated everything shed said before and also I was interested in finding out if there was any more data, has anything happened because theres 3 ‘ years difference between the two. And she was just able to tell me exactly what the, the current sort of comment was on it and stuff and, and also it wasn’t just her giving me the facts, she was also talking to me as a mother as well. Shes got children of her own and she was talking to me from that perspective. So I kind of felt, unlike with our local doctor who I, you know, other people were commenting, ‘Oh they will just give you the party line,’ I felt as if she was telling me exactly what all the facts were as well as the fact she was a mother and she was also being honest with me about how she felt about it.

But I think I really needed to hear the way that this lady spoke, it was very much a case of, you know, her comments seemed to be along the lines of that, you could give one child a ham sandwich and they’ll be perfectly fine, you can another child a ham sandwich and they might have reaction to that. So theres always going to be this possibility that a small percentage of children might have a reaction, but like they might do to anything you might cook for them or something. But, that over-ridingly it’s safe.

And she was, you know, very sort of from a sort of top overview telling me about the information that’s coming from the States and various other countries and how many countries are actually using the MMR and how many years they’ve been using the MMR and that, you know, there is not a link, that, you know, and I think I needed to hear someone in her position saying, ‘There is not a link between the MMR and autism. And, so I think that’s, like I say, and I think it was having that initial conversation where she said that, that really kind of tipped me over to think, ‘Yeah, OK, I think were going to go with doing this.

And she was just able to tell me exactly what the current sort of comment was on it and stuff and also it wasn’t just her giving me the facts, she was also talking to me as a mother as well. Shes got children of her own and she was talking to me from that perspective. So I kind of felt, unlike with our local doctor who other people were commenting, ‘Oh they will just give you the party line,’ I felt as if she was telling me exactly what all the facts were as well as the fact she was a mother and she was also being honest with me about how she felt about it.