To Vaccinate or Not? - Evans,CO

I to was a new mom about a year ago, I looked at it like this: would I rather get her vaccinated and deal with some of the possible side effects like fevers, and swelling or would I rather risk her getting exposed to something from a kid that wasnt vaccinated has and then getting sick. So I picked vaccinations. I would rather her get a little fever than getting exposed to something and possibly dying! Also I think that children have to have their vaccination record to attend school.

Oh boy! You are opening a can of worms!
I believe in vaccinating. I have done the standard but no flu. I would be really MAD if my infant got mumps from some kid who had not bee vaccinated. What would you do if your child got another child sick and they died? I do not ever want to see my kids with polio or measles or god knows what else.
But I know there will be dozens of people who disagree.
Just don't bring your unvaccinated kids around my kids.

Please be nice ladies there is room for everyones opinions here!

Peace!

a lot of the push to not vaccinate is due to fear and in many cases, ignorance. there was only ONE study to EVER link autism to vaccines, and it has been formally discredited- yet, people still want to think that it is true.... the reason all of these awful diseases are "gone" is b/c of vaccinations, and there is already a resurgence of measles being seen in many areas of THIS country due to the fearmongering non-vax movement. and, i have to say, even if a link with autism were proven, i would rather have my child living with autism than dead from measles or some other PREVENTABLE illness. and yes, i have a child with autism(he is 7), so i can put my money where my mouth is - and i still vaccinate!

edited: i wanted to add this to answer the mom that asked why those of us that vaccinate are scared of the unvaccinated/potential disease carriers, why are we worried if we have protected our children... the problem there is a child is not "fully vaxed" until after the age of 2, so there is def a "danger zone" in which there is some social responsibility to be considered.

i cant be certain, but somewhere in the distance I think I just heard a can of worms opening.

I agree with the previous poster. People are crazy about this issue - one way or another - but my opinion is to definitely do it! These weird diseases are still around, and are still dangerous. If someone's kid wasn't vaccinated and a baby (who isn't old enough to be vaccinated) got sick and died that would be HORRIBLE. I WOULD BE PISSED if my infant got sick from a child who hadn't been vaccinated. For that same reason, I always get my kids vaccinated - I don't want my kids getting sick unnecessarily and I don't want them to pass a life threatening disease to someone else. There are risks for everything in life, but vaccines have saved WAY MORE lives than they have hurt.

Vaccinate. (You don't believe in them so .... you believe in getting childhood diseases? I live next door to a cemetery filled with baby and children's graves from the turn of the century. They most likely died from things we get shots for now. So I do believe in them.) Here's an article that was just in the Chicago Tribune this morning. It says the link (never was one in my opinion) between vaccines and autism is discredited. This is a hot-button topic and you're going to get many passionate answers here. In my opinion, people who don't vaccinate are endangering all of our children. EDIT: (It's called herd immunity for people on here who don't get why we think this. Not all of our children are fully vaccinated until they get all their boosters -- so if there are unvaccinated children out there passing along diseases, it makes our children susceptible until they are fully vaccinated. It's why whooping cough is making a dangerous comeback. Kids get boosters at 5 yrs., junior high and again in high school. At any time they are susceptible to illness if the vaccine immunity wears off. And no, vaccines are not 100% either.)

Article discrediting the autism/vaccine link
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/ct-oped-0915-a...

LOL, Amanda G.!!!

Vaccines have rid our country of most deadly illnesses, for the most part. Also there is some resurgence of disease, because of erroneous anti-vaccine information. When I was a kid, and people personally knew people who had had polio, or any number of other diseases, nobody questioned vaccines at all. In 2010, we get to routinely live to 70 or 80+, instead of 30 or 40+, like it was a century and more ago.

Vaccines are safe. Some unvaccinated babies just died from whooping cough (pertussis), which is the P in the DTP vaccine It's a terrible death, and preventable.

I have two children with ASD. They were autistic from birth! There are some rare cases when children have been harmed, Krista's situiation sounds heartbreaking, and some children should not be vaccinated. I know a family who has a child who had a true allergic reaction, but same happend with a lot of other things too, so they have a good reason to not vaccinate. There are other rare situations. The rest of us should protect that baby who can't by getting ours vaccinated and contributing to the herd imunity. Mine are, and I line em up for what ever they need. They are the very last children on earth who would do well with measils, mumps, pertussis, or the flu.

Take a tour of an old grave yard, and read the head stones that date back around 100 years. That we have this modern miricle of good medical care and vacines actually makes the vaccine debate possible. There would be no argument against these if nearly half our children were dying form deseases that we sudenly found out we could prevent. 100 to 200 years ago, that was the death rate prior to reaching adulthood. In places where infant and child mortality is high from these illnesses, there is no debate about it. 300 years ago, when the first small pox vaccine came into practice, the very rich lined up in droves and were quarentiened for 6 weeks and willingly subjected themselves to a nearly one in 10 contraction of the desease, and the assoicated death rate for small pox. People who know the horrors of the illnesses, and the frequency of death, did not wonder about infentecimal risk. There is risk in everything you do, and many, many times more risk in mondane activities like riding in a car, than are in the vaccine.

You do get to choose. There are risks on both sides, and some risk to everyone else who cannot choose to avoid you, if you decide to roll the antivaccine dice, but still your choice.

Part of this debate should include a side note about Autism. It is not the end of the world. I have happy children. They don't feel like tradgedies. They are great kids. Would I choose autism, no. Would I choose my kids? Yes.

The last thing I would tell you is this. If you are going to have an autistic child, you alread do. Genetics are the key to autism. You have a one in 110 chance of having a child with autism and a 1 in 99 chance if it is a boy. It has already happened if it is going to happen. I can say with absolute certainty that I would not have either of my autistic children with me today had they been born 200 years ago. They both would have died within weeks of being born. Were there a mirilce, and one survived, they never would have survived life in a home with an open flame. The rise in the numbers of autistic children is as moreto do with the time we live in, and the relative safety of modernity and good health practices as it does any unknown thing. That my children live long enough to be identifed as autistics is significant. That they will go on to have relationships and families should alert you to why their numbers continue to grow.

You will love this baby, no matter what. Don't be afraid of this one thing, or sacrifice something that can protect your baby for an unknown that may already be anyway. And if it is...it is not so bad as you think.

M.

I remember sitting with my husband and pediatrician to discuss this very issue about two months before our son was born. This is an area of research for me professionally, so I know cognitively what the stats suggest- vaccinate b/c 99.9% of kids are fine and it keeps diseases from spreading. Great, but the mommy in me was worried sick about MY kid!

Having said that, we met with our pediatrician and he explained to us that there are certain, very specific, situations where vaccines are dangerous and he would not do them- certain heart and neurological conditions and he's not a fan of "new" vaccines for very young children.

We went through the vaccination schedule and talked about which were "required" for daycares and which were optional. We did the required vaccines and the flu vaccine (not the H1N1, though). So far, so good.

Make sure that you talk with your pediatrican to be certain that he/she knows your child well. My family experienced a severe tragedy last winter when my two-year-old nephew died after receiving a vaccine that was clearly contraindicated for children with seizure disorders. The pediatrician was a hack, which we all new for years and begged my SIL to switch doctors. He didn't know the parameters of the medication, didn't know my nephew beyond a chart and didn't follow-up on how he was responding.

Be open, ask questions, but remember that for most children there are no side effects beyond a mild fever and discomfort. Vaccines keep serious illnesses from spreading and have all but erradicated diseases that once killed large numbers of people.

I completely agree with Rebekah. We vaccinate our children. I believe in vaccinating to rid and keep away deadly diseases.

Everything Tonya C said! We don't do any except for tetanus. If I did any it would not include either hep a or b, flu, gardasil, chicken pox/varicella, or pertussis. There is a lot of good information in a book called the sanctity of human blood, his website is www.thedoctorwithin.com. Also look up dr. Tenpenny, and read the dr sears vaccine book. Also the nvic website and 909shot. Many states have waivers which will allow your child to attend school without any or all of their recommended immunizations.

The ingredients scare me, also how many they get, the shock to their immune and nervous systems. We take vitamins, wash with soap and water, aren't super clean (allow for healthy bacteria and regular exposure to everyday germs), Did extended breastfeeding, get adjusted by a chiropractor regularly and when sick. My kids and others I know are sick less frequently and less severely than kids I know who are vaccinated. my kids were directly exposed to whooping cough recently, and only got a fever for one day and a runny nose for two days. Our pediatrician mentioned how healthy they are and not to bring them in unless they started coughing. They never did, and should now have three times the immunity to it than the vaccination would have given them. You know what's best for your family, congratulations on wanting to educate yourself!

P.S. Osteopathic manipulation is nowhere near massage therapy! Osteopaths are medical doctors who have done extra training in their specialty, can be more than 8 years in school. Massage therapists learn a lot and serve a wonderful healing purpose but are not allowed to diagnose any conditions and only go to school for one year. Everyone has their opinions but please check facts. Every medical and health professional has their place in helping everyone to be healthier!

Oh No!! I'm with Rebekah but you will get a lot of hard core, anti vaccine mothers.

I vaccinate! My kids have always gotten the recommended vaccinations. The only one I choose to skip is the H1N1 and that is because it is optional and I feel it is too new to know the long term risks.

My son did not get the chicken pox vaccine but that is because he had chicken pox when he was 8 months old. Once they have them, there is no sense in getting the vaccine. By the way, getting them once or getting the vaccine does not prevent getting them again. It just means they are less likely to be as severe.

Vaccinations prevent deadly diseases. Not getting them does not guarantee you will get them but it does put your child at risk. If your child is then exposed to the disease (maybe by someone who doesn't even know they are sick or someone who was too ill to recieve the vaccine) now your child is not only sick but also putting others at risk (like those children that are too young to receive that vaccine yet). That is how epidemics start! There is no need for that! That is why schools require vaccinations.

Just so you know:
Pertussis... is in epidemic proportions, in certain states. It is spread via adults or children. In adults, the symptoms can be very minimal like that of an ordinary cold... but if a baby gets it... the symptoms are WAY worse... even causing death.
There has been a case in my State, where a baby got sick... the parents thought it was just a regular cold. But it was not. It was Pertussis. The baby... died. The Mom, is very very sad now of course. The baby was not vaccinated.
The public information about it is... that Adults and older children/teens... need to get Booster shots, for Pertussis. Because, of the epidemic outbreaks of Pertussis, recently.
Again.. in babies, they can get more severe symptoms of illnesses... and die from it. Especially if not vaccinated....

The other side of the coin is, many parents are not vaccinating their babies/children now. But, this then creates more babies/children perhaps getting fatally ill...
And, once kids to attend school... vaccinations, are required.

Speak to your Pediatrician... as well. For his/her views on it.

I HOPE, you already found a Pediatrician??? That is what you must do, BEFORE having your baby.

My kids, are vaccinated. They have NEVER had any side effects from it.

all the best,
Susan

I totally agree with what Krista has to say, as well as the other moms. My kids are all vaccinated. For my 2 1/2 yr old, I am following a vamped schedule mainly because 4 shots at once is a lot to put on her poor legs. None of my kids have had reactions to any of the shots. We do get the flu shot but not the H1N1 and I plan to ask for the regular flu shot without the H1N1 this year. As Krista says, make sure your doctor is aware of your child's medical issues. Any medication can have a bad affect on a person based on underlying issues, My son could bleed to death if someone gives him aspirin or ibuprofen so be active in your son's health. I am sure you will make the right decision for your family.

I use to and we stopped. After stopping they have never been healthier. It is like a whole new world to us with out them getting shots. We love it. I have a dear friend that started shots with her first two and then looked into what was put into the shots, she stopped too. She just had baby number 6 and her children are doing great with out the shots. We are trying for number 3 and have talked to our family doctor and will not be giving shots to a new baby when we are blessed with one. If you think about it there are more people than you realize that do not vaccinate out there.

Added: I had to look up the name to get the site. This is a well known children doctor in NY that has stopped vaccinating children. http://www.drpalevsky.com/

I vaccinate. Diseases are becoming more antibiotic resistant. Preventing diseases is going to become imperative because sooner or later antibiotics are not going to be able to help after the fact.
There are a lot of people out there who are more than willing to buy a lot of snake oil from any number of professionals who have great information, stunning research, the truth about (you name it) and the purpose of the marketing pitch is to separate you from your money.
People die from preventable diseases. Do what you can to prevent it from happening to your family.
http://shotbyshot.org/story-gallery
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/spec-grps/parents.htm#myths
http://whyichoose.org

Additional:
Dr Tenpenny - she sure wants to sell a lot
She is Board Certified in Emergency Medicine and Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine. (Kind of like massage therapy).
The thing is, as far as her expertise on vaccines goes, the US Court of Federal Claims rejected her as an expert in the field of vaccines because
"Expertise is not acquired through osmosis or accretion, just as television interviews do not an expert make. Her ideas on vaccine injury have not been exposed to any critical analysis of those in the relevant field, let alone peer-reviewed medical journals. There is no way to ascertain whether Dr. Tenpenny’s opinion is credibly accepted by those who would know; there are only the patent defects in her report that militate for the opposite. "
http://www.uscfc.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/ABELL.V...
I'm not certain she is a credible person to listen to. The court certainly didn't want to listen to her.

Vaccinate.... absolutely vaccinate.

Geez, all these answers are enough to make your head spin! The bottom line is that you must NEVER stop asking questions and this is a very worth while one to ask and keep asking until you are satisfied with the answer. I was curious while pregnant, too and attended a seminar that I felt answered a lot of my questions and I'm grateful.
There are so many people out there who are very biased and have much to gain from you choosing a certain way and so it can be daunting to try to wade through all the info. I read a book that I found very helpful. You may find it helpful, too or you may hate it, who knows?! It's called Raising a Vaccine Free Child and had much intriguing information. I found it very well rounded as it addresses so many of the concerns people raise like 'herd immunity' and such and the best thing about it is that if your child does inevitably come down with some childhood illness, it tells you the appropriate way to handle each one for best outcome. I have found it VERY helpful and insightful.

http://www.amazon.com/Raising-Vaccine-Child-Wendy-Lydall/...

If you read this book and still opt to give your child certain vaccinations, then at least you know you will have really educated yourself first and can feel good about having left no stone unturned. Blessings to you and your little one on the way!

Whatever resolution you come to, the biggest one I would research and worry about now is HepB on the first or second day of life (3 shot series but that's when many states recommend the first dose).

My second child (born just 3 years after my first who had the first dose at about 4 months) had this before leaving the hospital and he broke out in a TERRIBLE rash not long thereafter. He also had alot of trouble nursing (and I had experience with my first child). He was my sickly child for YEARS.

As it turns out maybe we were lucky. www.iansvoice.org .

It is not an easy decision whatever you do . . . it's GREAT that you know to ask the questions though. And it's a good idea to listen to and research both sides, so that you can make the best decision you can in the best interest of your child.

I personally love Kenneth Bock, MD's book ("Healing the new Childhood Epidemics . . . ") as well as a book by Stephanie Cave, MD ("What Your Doctor May Not Tell You about Childhood Vaccinations" - or something along those lines).

Good luck and God bless you both!

www.drtenpenny.com. Read her articles.

Lisa

I vaccinate. I think autism has a lot to do woth genetics adn I wasnt concerned for my daughter nor for my soon to be born so I believe in vaccinations. There are soo many things out there for or against it can be overwhelming but is deff a persona; descision for you. For us I felt it was really important. There are cases where children have been hurt from a vaccine but that can happen with any medicine. My cousin had an alergic reaction motrin and developed TENS which turned into Steven Johnson Sydrome and died, so no on ein our family gives anyone under the age on 18 ibprophen since we know this could happen to any of us. Its something gentetic in our family and if you research online its pretty common. But if your not predisposed to this gentic abnormality then its probably not a risk to you, the same I feel with vaccines. Talk to your babys perdiatrician and see how they feel about delayed vaccines which is very common also make sure that if you choose nto to vacinate they will still have you as a patient (this is very common that practices wont take on new patients who do not vacinate so I wanted to give you a heads up). Good luck and remeber its whats right for YOUR family, you make the choice :) ((HUGS))

Added: I also wanted to say that my daughter is almost 4 an we have never had to go to the Dr other than the regular check ups. she is extremely healty and has only been sick (fever) maybe three times her whole life.

Hot topic. Do research. Talk with pediatricians in your area. They will make an appointment for a meeting.

As for me... I choose to vax on schedule for both of mine. I'm not saying that's right or wrong. I'm just saying that's what I've done. My mother vaxed me in the same way.

In the end... You do what is right for you and your family.

This is quite a passionate topic for many people on both sides of the fence. I try to be more in the middle and took some advice my my midwife who has lots of experience and has seen lots and lots of babies that have been vaccinated and not vaccinated. She's okay with skipping some vaccines (like chickenpox), delaying some vaccines (polio, MMR), and doing some vaccines on time (Hib). She leaves it up to me and does not pressure me about it.

I like "The Vaccine Book" by Dr. Sears. He'd a pediatrician and tries to present a research-based book on the pros and cons of each vaccine. He is not a fear-monger (like many people are on each side of the vaccine debate) and accepts that some parents aren't going to give their kids all the vaccines out there. Basically he says if you're not going to vaccinate for the first year or two then you'd better be breastfeeding and not have your infant in a crowded daycare setting.

On p.223 he has a "selective vaccination" schedule that I sort of follow. I don't think your baby will die from vaccines and I don't think your baby will die without vaccines. Of course there are exceptions to every rule and I'm sure people have horror stories of vaccine injury as well as a terrible illness from lack of vaccination.

Try to do some research and reading and if you don't have a pediatrician in mind ask some friends for advice on peds (especially if you don't want to follow the normal vaccine schedule). If you find a good pediatrician, they can help you make some decisions about this.

There's studies out there to support both sides of the fence. I tend to lean towards the side that says there might be something to the vaccine - autism (ADHD, etc.) link.

Best of luck to you - I'd really recommend you read Dr. Sears book, hope this has helped!

Don't do the vaccinations that you don't believe in and do do the vaccinations that you do believe in. That's what I have FINALLY decided to do. It's not an all or nothing decision like I once thought it was. Just do your research on each vaccine ahead of time, talk to your pediatrician, talk to the father of the baby (If he's in the picture), and do what is right for you.

Check out the Dr. Sears website. Good info to help with your decision.

I was pleasantly surprised earlier this week when I posted a new CDC article on vaccinations. The responses were very civil even though there were much different opinions.

Here is the study from the CDC. My best advice is that you speak with your pediatrician, understand why they're given as they are, what the risks are, and what the consequences are for not vaccinating:
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE68C1CZ20100913

i got the vaccines.. because some of the virus's are so bad.. i didn't get the chicken pox one because i don't think it's such a bad virus.. and guess what my child needed it by law in NJ for 6th grade... she got chicken pox during the summer right before she started 6th.. and she was sick for about 2 days, had less than 50 pox.. so she had a mild case.. but i'm glad i didn't get that shot... my friend doesn't want her child to get like 2 or 3 shots at once..so she spreads them out... tells the dr... only 1 and she will go back in about 2 months for another one.. that's just her. I don't do flu shots.. because a normal healthy child can usually fight off the flu.. we've been lucky with the flu not getting anyone in the house real sick. As for the mumps, rubella... i think it's good to get these shots... these diseases can be really bad and if you child goes to school some kids from other countries don't get these shots but they do get the diseases.. i wouldn't want my child put at risk. good luck.. it's your decision.. and talk to the dr.... hear what they ahve to say to... don't ever get a shot for the baby when they are under the weather.. it can cause problems.. even a small cold.. don't get the shot.. wait until the child is better.. to many things happen to kids when they are sick and they get a shot.. or so many people think.....

I researched vaccines when I became pg the first time and chose to postpone all vaccines until my daughter was 1.5 and then to pick and choose which ones she gets and space them out at least 3 months. I'm doing the same with daughter #2. My advice is get your hands on Dr. Sears Vaccine Book and do some research. The aluminum content in vaccines is ENORMOUS, many times the amount that has been deemed "safe to ingest", and there are NO STUDIES on the effects it has on a small child/baby, let alone proof that it is safe. Not to mention all the other suspicious ingredients. Don't walk in there without knowing what you're really putting into your child. They have no one but YOU to look after them. Best of luck on these HUGE and scary decisions!