I am ashamed to say that I have never put much thought into childhood vaccines, I just always got them for my children. It was the state law, the drs. recomded it, the illness that they prevent are bad, etc... but I just found out that some very disturbing news about childhood vaccines (see links below.) Do your children get vaccines, if not do you mind telling me why? http://www.rtl.org/prolife_issues/LifeNotes/VaccinesAbortion_FetalTissue.html http://www.lifeissues.net/writers/tay/tay_20abrchickenpoxvac.html
I was like you, I didn't even think twice about vaccines with my first child. He got all the recommended vaccines on schedule until about 18 months. I spent several years researching, reading books, and contemplating. I thought about just going on a delayed schedule, but eventually changed my mind. We stopped vaccinating. My second son is unvaccinated, and I haven't thought about going back for a second. I usually don't give my reasons to people because I feel it is a very personal decision that should only be made after a great amount of research. I don't want anyone making medical decisions based upon something I said. One saying I like is: You can always put them in, but you can't take them out. Delaying to think about or do some more reading is never a bad idea. That way you can make an informed choice, rather than just letting medical decisions be dictated by fear or by pushy medical professionals. I have had no problems with daycare, school, or doctors. I use an exemption form which is legal, so there isn't much anyone can do about it except give you a lecture. And I usually cut off the conversation if someone wants to argue. It is my choice. End of story.
I understand that and respect it, thank you. I almost didn't even ask and just post the links, but I thought there would be someone that would share.
I THINK some vaccines are just unnecessary - like chicken pox. In my 57 years, I've only ever heard of maybe two people who had bad complications from having the chicken pox, which makes it kind of rare. Bazillions of people have had the chicken pox with no lasting effects. In fact, it used to be common practice to try to get your kids exposed to it early on so it would be over with before they entered school, and it would be passed around the family all at once and get it over with. Tetanus - if you actually GET tetanus, you can still get it again, so where's the immunity? If you get an injury that you think you need a tetanus shot for, they can give you the single-bug shot. So why give it to a little tyke who is not playing in the barnyard with a rusty nail? in a combination with other stuff too. When was the last time you saw a case of diphtheria in this country? My dgs's pediatrician told me she had never in her years of medical practice seen a case. I've never heard of one. So why inject an infant with a vaccine against it? Pertussis - okay whooping cough is really really bad - but you can't get immunized against it without getting the D and the T which probably aren't really necessary for these littlest guys. Why not? From the information I've seen, polio - which was terrible and devastating and tragic in its day and I don't have a problem with immunizing against it - was already on the wane when they came out with the Salk and the Sabin vaccines, so the decrease in incidence can't be attributed solely to the vaccines. I am particularly leery of those "combination" shots with like three or so vaccines in one shot, AND leery of the immunization schedule that recommends giving like three to five injections containing six/seven/eight vaccines all at one time!!! I don't really have a problem much with "one vaccine at a time" scheduling, for things like polio, but I really don't like so many at one time, even if it means taking a shot every month or two, spacing them out. That way, if they get sick from it, at least you know which one probably caused it! And I'm especially leery of DPT and MMR combos - too many at once. I once counted up in my mind how many personal friends/acquaintances had kids "affected" by DPT - like 8 through the years (but it's been awhile so I've forgotten, could have been 7 or 9 or 10) - who ended up with severe seizure disorder or other brain damage beginning within the week they took the DPT. And some vaccines just don't do what they said it would - like my daughter's MMR which she had (before my research days) when she was little. By the time she was ready to go to college, she was told that she had to go have another one because the vaccine they'd given her (including tons of kids the same age as dd) had proved ineffective - which had promised lifelong immunity to mumps, measles, and rubella. So much for the promise. So she and a group of friends and most of the freshman class all had to go to the health unit because the college didn't tell them until they got enrolled and started classes about this MMR, and they all also had to have pneumonia and meningitis vaccines - none of which were mentioned before they got started in school. So much for the "you're done!" at the last immunization as an early teen (I want to say tetanus booster). BTW, my mom told me that I had both measles and rubella before I was a year old, and I'm fine. If I had an 11yo daughter, I don't know if I'd give her the HPV vaccine. For certain, though, I'd delay until she was older. They tell you right off the bat that it only stops some HPV, not all, and isn't proven to be effective in all people, or 100% effective in the ones it's effective in, or for how long, and there are cases (like the brain damage and DPT or autism and MMR) where life-changing illness has been attributed to the HPV vaccine because of immediate effects, and worsening effects with the two boosters. But the medical community keeps denying these links. Maybe they're right - maybe they're not.
I, too, never gave a 2nd thought & just got them all. Hey, we got them & we're "ok" (I use that word lightly lol). Anyway, ds had the MMR vax @ 18mths & had a reaction that has yet to go away, he's now 6. So, no vaccines since that one. To each his own. It's a decision YOU have to live with.
We got them all and yes the chicken pox one seemed pointless. But in Canada it is now part of the routine schedule. My DD is due for a booster for meninigitis sp?? anyway that makes me nervous. Both getting the vaccine and not getting it. I guess one will outweigh the other one of these days lol.
My Oldest is fully vaccinated because like you I didn't question it, I just did it. My Middle boy had everything except his last round he was supposed to get at age 4/5. My baby is mostly unvaccinated. We are using a modified schedule for some vaccines and eliminating others all together. Dh and I got together and made a choice we could live with based on the disease and potential complications vs the vaccine and potential complications. We also decided to skip the newest vaccines because we didn't feel there was enough research and evidence to prove their safety because of the age of the first children to get them. I also skipped anything I felt was unnecessary.
I know most of the research has said Vac's don't cause autism, but when one child is diagnosed, you really don't feel like taking any chances. so therefore, my youngest has not had any since he was 10 mo old. am I being too cautious? maybe. ask any parent, what scares you more, autism, or measles? lot of kids survive chicken pox and mumps. autism is forever. just my .02.
I agree Leissa. Of course my son's pediatrician doesn't necessarily agree that the MMR caused my sons's reaction....but he still doesn't push the issue. Why risk it? I don't know what causes what but neither does anyone else =)
I forgot to add that at about 15 months, dgs had not been walking very long, he got an injection for something or other - can't remember now - and we thought he was fine after. But after a couple of days we noticed he wasn't walking anymore and went back to crawling - had not walked since getting the injection. This lasted about a week - but he didn't seem sick otherwise. But there was a weekend and a holiday at about that time, so going back to the pedi's office wasn't an option, and going to the ER didn't seem appropriate. Told the pedi about it next trip, and she looked at us funny and said, "well, if you were concerned, you should have brought him in."
My oldest son was routine vax'd up until he was two. Then my second came along. Quinten, quite literally, nearly died TWICE because of his vaccines. And the stupid doctors had the nerve to tell me it was just coincidence that my newborn was completely lifeless and being kept alive by machines just hours after his shots... TWICE! I'm not an idiot. So, um, no thanks on the shots for me. So from that point on none of my kiddos have had any shots. I would reconsider getting something if the need arose. But even that, IDK. I mean, ok, think about this: In the early nineties, there was a serious massive whooping cough epidemic in Iowa. I mean, thousands of kids got it. But 82% of those who did were fully immunized against it. Didn't help them one bit. But the gov't blamed the kids who were not immunized. They said the shots only work as a herd immunity. In other words, according to them (though it makes no sense if you think it through), if even one child in 1,000 is not immunized, the other 999 who were aren't immune anyhow. Then there's the other problem: many vaccines are made from human embryos. I have a moral objection to that. But the doctor can't tell by looking at the package which batches/brands were and which were not. For the record, it's not state law. The doctor will tell you it is, but it is not. The only time it matters is if you enroll your child in a public education situation (public school, daycare). But public schools in all 50 states are required to offer exemptions. There are three types of exemptions: religious, medical, and ideological. Every state offers the first two, and several offer the last. It is possible to truthfully word your objection to fit religious. (Only a doctor or the CDC can give a medical)
Our Dr. was a huge fan of vaccines, and I was ALWAYS skeptical. First, my brother has autism, and (people can say what they want, but I've done research) I think there is a link. We gave Bo one shot every week. (Some shots are grouped. You might get chicken pox and tetanus in one sitting, but we'd get that done one a week. Just an example) When my son stopped speaking, began banging his head, flapping and spinning in circles, and hanging form us as limp as a rag doll we quit. Absolutally quit. It was heartbreaking and it took him literally MONTHS to stop. We at one point took him to the pediatrician (when his next shots were due) and said, "Look at our son! What's wrong with our son!?" And he gave us a void stare, and thats when we told him we were stopping. We got a lecture, but we knew what we were getting into. We will suffer the consequences and deal with whatever comes our way, but I will not give my children another shot. Leissa, your right. That was our thinking. We could handle anything that come our way (I'm tearing up), but one thing that I knew would just kill us was if our son had autism. And I know one day I would be caring for my son, and also for my brother when my parents could not (wich is coming down the pike). DH agrees. It terrified him when our slipped and just wasn't himself. Our Dr. Doesn't even mention it to us anymore. I agree with what Blizzard said too, though. Don't take anybody's word for medical advice. Every child is different and reacts differently to different things. Research it on your own.
This was sent to me today. It's an article about a UK family who has won compensation for the damage done to their son by the MMR. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...cerns-vaccine-surfaced.html?ito=feeds-newsxml And I found this VERY telling:
With my first child, I did everything "by the book". I did question the DPT shot as two of my brothers had violent reactions after it. My dr. said it was a different formula now and not to worry about it. Luckily she didn't have any reaction. When my second (and third child) were born, I started reading about the ingredients in the vaccines. That more than anything made me leary. Why are we putting so much poison into such a little body? I had to fight the hospital with my second child not to get the HEP B shot at birth. That was when the mother bear in me came out! My husband still wanted them vaccinated so we compromised and didn't start any until they were 9 months old and than only did one at a time in case of a reaction. Although my boys are up to date on the standard infant shots, we haven't done any since. I don't see the point in chicken pox or flu, and my daughter will absolutely not get the HPV shot. It just seems that it is being shoved down our throats without proper testing or true release of side effects. I know too many people who have been permantly damaged from booster shots as adults - especially tetanus. And now we're being told that the vaccines effectiveness is wearing out and nearly every shot needs a booster?! No thanks! We're done! By the way, I ran a licensed daycare and had to show my kids' vaccination records to be licensed. The state's only stipulation was that I had to notify my clients in case of a break out. Coming off my soap box now
We use delayed and selected vax here. My boys are many years behind their peers and my daughter has only had 1 shot so far. But they will all be getting their shots mostly caught up in the next 18 months because of the area we plan to live.
I never gave it a second thought until my 4th kid...lol...by the time my last kid comes around I look into this...lol. Anyway, I held off on some vaccines but now at 2 she is fully vaccinated. From my understanding the ill effects had a genetic connection. None of my other kids had even a slight reaction from vaccines. My ped is great about vaccines...it was totally my choice and no pressure. My decision to vaccinate my 2 year old didn't come from him as much as research I did. I figured he was biased..LOL. I do recommend caution, getting informed, and making your own decision. I like to pick and choose vaccines. I also made the decision to wait on vaccines and follow a slower schedule. I'm happy my kids are vaccinated...since there were no complications...of course. However, I respect the decision not to vaccinate. In fact, I may never have vaccinated my first child had I known more. But..I went along with the game plan at the doc office at that time. So, I have a bit of an odd position...I am happy my kids are vaccinated since there were no complications but I may never have vaccinated had I been better informed from the get go. Yep, I'm one strange lady.
I plan to have my daughter vaccinated, but I won't let them give her a hundred shots at once. Nobody in my family ever had a reaction to anything, so I'm not really too worried about it. And if we end up having to leave the States, I'd much rather she was protected than not.
