Thank God you (we)live in America. The majority of children are vaccinated. So if your child were in a classroom or a daycare, she would probably be safe.
Just a few tips. The mercury is not in the infant shot, but it is a preservative in the childhood shot. It's not in all shots only one (ask your Dr.). The main problem with mercury is that it's a neurotoxin. But, there are preservatives in other shots such as flu shots that people also think are linked to autism.
I think you'll find that most people that claim there is a link between the preservatives (not the immunizations themselves) and autism are moms of kids who have autism, organic fanatics, and natureopath fanatics. It seems to me like they feed off of each other about diet, nutrition, and then of course the immunization thing as a thing to blame autism on. And it seems very obsessive to me. Just my personal opinion of some moms who struggle to understand and come to a conclusion about WHY their child has autism.
My experience:
My son has a neurological disorder and he's been through intensive chemotherapy. His medical care is managed by a team of top pediatric doctors in the country. When he was done with chemo they instructed me to wait 6 months and then get him re-immunized. They didn't instruct me to avoid the mercury or the preservatives even though he already had enough neurological problems. When I asked them why they weren't prudent with their instructions, the head Dr. said that it is because there is no factual link between the two. He further explained that the main reason why people blame immunizations is because the odd behaviors of autism can become most apparent during the toddler years, and that's when the majority of immunizations are given. I also worked for the head Dr. of the State of Oregon (a major organic fanatic state) who wrote and directed protocol for the care of medically fragile children, intensive behavior children (primarily autistic). She also educated many Dr.s and parents about how there is no factual link between the two. These are both people who care about children and would jump on it, if they were convinced that the claims where legit.
So, I take all of this in myself... and I try to listen to the arguments from both sides. And this is what I personally have come to: I decided to have my children immunized.
As far as my son goes. I had already decided to put him through chemotherapy. In chemo there are preservatives and chemicals that have huge side effects long term and short term. Because he went through the chemo, he's considered immune compromised for another 5 years. Regardless of the fact that just about everyone around him is already immunized, I wanted him to be covered also.
He does display sensory processing trouble, he's hyper, he's aggressive, and his behavior is hard to handle. But, the Docs keep telling me he's an absolute miracle and they are impressed and amazed by his tenacity to make up for lost time. He faught for his life and boy oh boy does he have the strong will to match it. I wouldn't call him autistic or Aspergers... but, still I'm learning the same skills (and using them) that parents of those kinds of kids use to manage their intense needs. And I don't blame his behavior at all on the immunizations. It's clear to me that the brain tumor, some of the side effects of chemo, and all of the medical fear and trauma that he went through contribute to his difficult behavior.
Kids get symptoms of things like autism, or allergies, or hyper sensitivity, for many reasons. So many in-fact that that's why I don't buy into the immunization arguement. Seems like a lot of parents of autistic kids also go a little over board about the "food allergy" argument. But, from what I learned when Hunter was on a G-tube and receiving intrevanous nutrition (which probably has preservatives in it), is that it kept him alive, brought him back to life, and nourished him. Everything we eat or comes into our bodies breaks down into the same basic vitamins, minerals, and fats. And God gave us a liver and kidneys for a reason. Hunters are tested regularly and everything tests out fine. They are doing what they should. Even when it came to his body processing the Big Gun chemicals or those immunizations, his body did what it should.
Isn't all of the analysis about immunizations, organic foods, alternative medicines, and narrowing down food allergies all about trying to answer the question: Why is my child behaving this way?
For me, I'll never know WHY Hunter got a brain tumor. His was so rare and the only link that's been proven is to depleted uranium from the mine fields over seas. There's a lot of kids over there getting the same kind of brain tumor that live among the mine fields. Where the heck around my house is a mine field of depleated uranium??? And also for the rest of the kids in America that have been diagnosed. I asked the Dr.s if it was my fault because I ate Reeses peanut butter cups (which have preservatives in them) a little too much when I was prego with him. And I asked them if it was because I ate processed food sometimes... and I drank non-organic milk. They reassured me that it wasn't my fault and that there are women who have healthy children who are FAR FAR FAR worst off than me. No matter how hard we try, sometimes there is nothing to blame. What is... just is...
And with that, I also had my new baby daughter immunized. She's absolutely wonderful and normal. I personally think that this immunization/autism thing is similar to lung cancer and cancer in general. Why would someone who has never smoked a day in their life get lung cancer, yet someone who has smoked more than a pack a day, and cigarrs, and drinks, live till they are 99 without a lick of cancer. Every body's body is different. I think that some kids are just going to be prone or lean toward displaying autistic symptoms whether or not they are immunized.
And if by any chance there is a valid link discovered some day, we should also consider how many children (the majority) where not effected at all and look more into why some where pre-disposed to react that way and so many were not. So, I'm not dismissing it all together.
I hope you appreciated some of my thoughts and experience. I too am a mom that has spent some time weighing this issue. And I just wanted to share how I arrived to my decision.
God bless you on this one, may He make his daily direction clear, YM