#mythbusting Doctors most definitely DO vaccinate themselves and their own children!

I love my baby as much as any of you love yours. He’s absolutely perfect, as all of your children are. If I thought this vaccine had the potential to harm my child, I would not be doing it. I’m many things, but I’m not foolish.

I know that #vaccineswork and that I am giving Baby C. his best shot.

I know that measles, mumps and rubella are diseases that have serious complications that I have seen in clinical practice.

I know measles is not a harmless childhood infection, and can cause ear infections, pneumonia, bronchitis, encephalitis (inflammation of the brain), convulsions (fits) and brain damage. Measles can be fatal in 1% who get it, even with the best medical care. I know that there is currently a global measles outbreak.

I know that mumps can cause viral encephalitis (inflammation of the brain). It also causes deafness, inflammation of the pancreas and pain and swelling in the testicles in men. I know there is currently a mumps outbreak in Ireland.

I know that rubella causes major birth defects in unborn babies and may cause miscarriage if the mother gets rubella in pregnancy. Babies may have some degree of deafness, blindness and damage to their heart or brain. I don’t want my children to be potential carriers of that disease in the community.

I don’t expect you to be as confident as me. My medical degree didn’t make me smarter as a mammy, it just made me confident to ignore the noise from the foolish, and trust the right experts. It’s okay if you are still vaccine hesitant. But don’t just hesitate. Make sure you are making informed decisions on real facts, not social media misinformation.