I would also like to hear your oppinion on the swine flu vaccine. Are you purposely avoiding this question? I understand why you would but I would like to know so I am not waiting for an answer. Thank you,

Dear Stephen's Mummy
You don't say the age of your toddler but toddlers do go through a phase of having nightmares and night terrors for no apparent reason. The rule of thumb I followed with my own children was not to waken them if they weren't awake. I know it's deeply unpleasant to hear your child screaming out in the night because you think they must be frightened or in pain but as a child has no memory of a nightmare or a night terror it's better to simply sit with them, pat them gently, talk quietly so they know you are there without actually waking them by lifting them out of bed. If you do wake them, you may cause more distress because the child carries the nightmare or night terror into the real world and they need a great deal of reassurance in order to settle down. With one of my sons, his night terrors would last 15-20 minutes over a period of about six to nine months and it was very distressing for my husband and I because he was not amenable to being comforted and would push us away. Be assured that your baby isn't coming to any harm and try the technique that we used. I hope it works for you.

It's 1pm now, so please no new questions.
Many thanks for all your posts and thank you too to Dr Miriam for making time to be with us today.

none of the swine flu questions were answered can you please explain why this is when i thought she was here to answer them specifically? thats what it said on the ad on the homepage...?

Although the chat is now closed to new questions, Dr Miriam is planning to go back to answer unanswered Qs, including ones about swine flu.
web ed

I agree with Katie and pianobex.
Wish I hadnt bothered asking and bearing all.
A sitting on the fence reply would have been more acceptable than no reply.

Dr Miriam, thanks for coming on line - hope you do find time to answer the swine flu questions - I'm sure you understand how concerned we are - especially us 'mummies to be'.
Thanks Lentil 36 +3

Hi, Will Dr Miriam Stoppard's replies be posted in this topic, or will they be elsewhere? Or will they be personal replies please? I don't know where to look. Thanks.

Hi,
Me neither as I am keeping this page open and keep refreshing it.
Cheers

i keep checking back to see her answers but as yet nothing. The only thing im worried about at the moment is swine flu and thats the only question she wouldnt answer. To be honest i dont think she will and if she does it will probably be to tell you to use your own judgement which i have already been told by the health professionals i have spoken to. None of them are willing to commit to a definate answer as there is not enough information on the jab therefor i doubt i will be having it. Oh, i think i have just answered my own question.

I too am confused, was coming on here to read the advice on the swine flu jab and it hasn't been mentioned once?!

I know many of you had concerns regarding the swine flu vaccination, both for yourself if you are pregnant or for your children. It is important to remember that, to date, swine flu has been a mild illness for most people. However, if you have concerns it is important to discuss them with your doctor who not only knows your medical history but also will have looked at the latest scientific evidence and will be best placed to give you advice based on your health and your personal circumstances.

Swine flu is of course a big issue at the moment, and Dr Miriam said she would get back to answer outstanding questions about this.
However, please bear in mind that as with all webchats, experts cannot give advice on an individual basis, merely comment on general issues. Anyone with specific swine flu or other issues should contact their GP or midwife for personalised advice.
It is a pleasure to welcome an expert of Dr Miriam's calibre to babyexpert. Please bear in mind the limitations within which she has to work on a webchat of this type.

[Modified by: webeditor on November 02, 2009 05:22 PM]

Thanks for your response - if it happens tonight I'll try to keep him asleep so it isnt brought into his waking world. Ollie is 29 months now.

just me being picky though - its mummystephe, not stephen's mummy.....

Thanks again for the info

Stephe
x

Hi,

Is Dr Stoppard able to answer my question (posted at 12:34) about her opinion on deliberately exposing an otherwise healthy toddler to children who have chicken pox so that they contract the virus at a young age, as I have heard that generally, the younger a healthy child gets it, the less chance of it causing them problems? Or is that irresponsible? Obviously, nobody wants their child to be ill, but if they are going to get it, and it can be better for an otherwise healthy child to get it earlier rather than later, I would like to know her view.

That was the reason for my post at 2:35. I completely understand that a webchat does have confines, but other posts which came after mine (from MummyStephe and me-time) were answered during the webchat.I wondered whether mine would be too. This is a general question and not a specific one.

Thanks.

Dear K-Lo
Firstly, I sympathise with your situation. Secondly it is important for me to emphasise that I can only give general advice and not advise you personally as I don’t know you or your medical history. Swine flu is a new pandemic and as yet we don’t know exactly how it will progress, which is why advice has been very general. What we do know is that while for most people the virus is very mild, for more vulnerable groups, such as pregnant women, the virus can be more dangerous. The best advice I can give you is to talk to your obstetrician who will be familiar with your medical history and who will be able to help you judge what is best for you. Please also be reassured that the vaccine has gone through all the necessary trials in order to be granted a license – not rushed through. A medical professional will look at all the evidence and be able to discuss your options more thoroughly. As you work in an office it is worth bearing in mind general hygiene advice – washing hands thoroughly and reminding people near you to be more careful, e.g. sneezing into tissues and disposing of them.

Dear Katie19c
As with the previous question, I can only give general advice. Anyone with specific concerns should of course speak to their doctor. As with any flu, whether seasonal or swine, there will be some patients who become more ill than others and pregnant women are more at-risk than other groups. It is worth discussing this with your doctor as he can assess whether you have any other conditions or complications that may influence the decision on whether to immunise. Ultimately though, you need to discuss your particular circumstances and risk before making a decision.

Hi, I haven't had a reply to my post yet :-(

Doesn't look like I'm going to get a reply to my post. How disappointing.

As I've said before in this webchat, I completely understand the confines of a webchat. But my question was very general, polite and I would have thought, quite an easy one for an experienced family doctor like Dr Miriam to respond to. I posted right in the middle of the webchat (at 12:34, and the webchat ran between 12:00 and 1:00) and others who posted after I did received replies to their posts.

I don't mean to sound difficult. I really don't. But if there are going to be webchats on BE, then it doesn't make sense to encourage people to post and keep an eye on the chat if they aren't going to receive replies to their posts. It expects a loyalty and interest from them that isn't reciprocated.