Does everyone here vaccinate? (Help fast)

[Lacrymosa]

I've been going back and forth about it since doing a lot of research, and according to db the ONLY reason to vaccinate is because you need to in order for your kids to get into the public school system. I spoke to my sister last night and she said that is absolutely not true, and that I don't really need to vaccinate because most everyone does, so there's not really a risk. Since I have extreme anxiety, I know I'm gonna worry either way, if I do or if I don't. I just need more information. Asia's two-month appt. is tomorrow, and she is all set up to get her immunizations, but I need to make up my mind fast if I'm not going to do it.

Who here vaccinates or doesn't vaccinate and why?

[aydensmama]

Don't have tons of time, but the most important thing is to tell your doc you are delaying. We do not vax. For many reasons. It took me several months to make a decision, I have over ten books, tons of bookmarked websites, etc. While I was deciding, my kids were not in school or day care so it wasn't urgent and I told my pediatrician that we were delaying and doing them selectively and I wasn't going to be vaxing my ds1 till he was two. This gave me plenty of time, and if I had decided to do them, I easily could of said, "ok lets do this at this visit." I couldn't take back a vax after the fact if I had allowed them at that visit and then decided not to.

Also, each state has different exemption rules. We are allowed all three in Texas, so our exemption for school is no big deal. Both ds1 and 2 are in preschool.

And overall for us. Risk vs Benefit of vaxs and deseases for our specific family and our choices, lifestyle, etc lead me to decide not to vax.

Good luck!

[Talula Fairie]

Firstly, this is probably going to get moved to the vaccination forum.

But anyway. Assuming it stays...

You may not get a balanced picture on MDC. Most people don't vaccinate, a few delay, and ones that do vax are not really supposed to talk about it a whole lot since the vaccinations forum is for supporting nonvaxers or delayed/selective vax. Does that make sense? Not saying there is not a great deal of good info on MDC about vaccinations, just that keep in mind you're only going to get one half of the story. There is a whole other camp -also with convincing evidence- that is pro vax.

Fwiw, I can't figure out what to do either. I vaccinated #1 once, did not continue, and the other two have never been vaccinated.

[GenomicsGirl]

I do vaccinate, but on a delayed schedule based on Dr Sears' recommended schedule. We are not allowed to talk about the positives of vaccinating openly on MDC, but please feel free to PM me with your questions.

[Earth Momma]

you don't have to decide right away - don't feel pressured to do anything you're not ready to do. At your appt tomorrow just say your not ready today, let ya know!!! Doc should not pressure you, maybe give you his Med opinion, which you can add to your list of resources.

good luck - trust your instincts

oh and school is no issue!!!

[Mamatoabunch]

You do not need to decide tomorrow, you can delay any vaxs you choose or all. We do not vax and have not since my twins were 18m/o, so almost 15 years now.

[AutumnMoonfire]

I vax, on schedule at that!

To be honest though I come from a family that isn't highly allergic or sensitive and with that in mind I decided the benefits of vaxing outweighed the risks for MY family.

As always, you have to decide what's best for YOUR family.

[mamadelbosque]

I researched vaccines heavily when my DS1 was due/born and we decided not to vax. Reading Sherry Tenpenny's book "Vaccines: The Risks the Benefits, The Choices" really helped me, along with Dr Mendehlson's "How to Raise a healthy Child In Spite of Your Doctor". My recommendation would be to stop, and research untill your comfortable one way or the other.

Because, you can *ALWAYS* do them later, but you can *NEVER* take them back.

[Flower of Bliss]

If you're having reservations about vaccinations, I would recommend at least delaying them so you have time to make an informed decision. You don't need to decide today what your vaccination plan is for her entire life. Take your time to research each vaccine and the disease it vaccinates against and weigh your risks for your child and your situation. You can do some vaccines and not others. You can do them on your own schedule. You can opt to do all of them, but slowly, or none of them at all. There are so many options, and it's a very personal decision.

FWIW, at this time both my 3 year old and my newborn are completely unvaccinated. I personally have no plans to give them any vaccines at this time.

[mama*pisces]

Originally Posted by mamadelbosque

Because, you can *ALWAYS* do them later, but you can *NEVER* take them back.

Yeah, that...

Ds got his hep B shot at the hospital, and his 2 and 4 month shots, and the day of his 4 month shot was when I first caught wind of the whole vaccine controversy. I started doing research, and he has not had a vaccine since. Dd will not be vaccinated at all, unless they both decide to when they are much older. The only reason I may want them to is if they travel to another country where they are more susceptible to catch something and/or have less chance of receiving good health care. For me, the risks REALLY outweigh the benefits of the vaccines, especially since there are three family members on DH's side of the family that are on the autism spectrum. And I know for a fact at least one of those cases was caused by vaccines....that's one of the main reasons why we don't vaccinate, but also because: 1)of the toxins that are in the vaccines(like aluminum, aborted fetal tissue...blech!) and 2) because I believe God gave us immune systems for a reason, and I don't want to mess with that.

But yeah, like I quoted above, and like other PP's have said: you have all the time in the world. Do NOT let anyone rush you into such an important decision. Tell them you want to delay until your LO is two, and then do some research on it and decide for yourself.

[Abraisme]

I don't vaccinate. I think that all the chemicals in the vaccinations are poisonous and scary. I feel that the risk of the side effects is more than the risk of any of the diseases. I have given my son one tetanus vaccine when he cut himself outside. Other than that I don't think it's nessasary. I sign the exemption waver for school. Your kids do not have to be vaccinated to go.

[Koalamom]

I don't vaccinate. I only do natural medicine if I can and so why would I do unnatural shots. And they have such high chemicals and metals in them, why would I want that in my body. My nephew is now considered autistic and it only happened after his shots. He was ayear when he got them and fine and after, he was never the same. I don't want to take that risk with my child.

I do thik that if you are not going to vaccinate, that you do have a alternative route for dealing with health problems. Not that you have to see them, but as a backup if your child does get something. Probly wont happen, but it is good to say, I am not just doing nothing, but I have an alternative. We see a homeopath and I am an herbalist. We go those routes.

My mother learned about not vaccing when she had my 2 younger brothers and they didn't get shots, and they are teenagers now and just fine. So by your child not getting shots, they are going to be fine and not turn into a lizard or something weird.

My 2 yr old isn't vaccinated either.

[Pernillep]

We have not vaccinated either. Originally we said we were delaying but that turned into not doing it. I think as others have said. If you are not sure, don't do it. You can always do it later.

I was never vaccinated as a child and had all the childhood diseases. They weren't bad and I now have natural antibodies. Well, until I had to do my immigration to the US paperwork and they refused to accept my doctors papers saying I had the illnesses nor would they accept a blood test stating i had the anti bodies. Basically without a vaccine record I was considered not immune and had to have the shots. At least it happened when I was in my 20s and I could handle the shots but still sucked.

About exemptions for school etc.. I live in a state with only 2 exemptions. Medical and regligious. We have a religious exemption at daycare even though we are not religious. They are not allowed to question your religion so it was pretty easy.

[GradysMom]

fwiw, my mother who spent 20 + yrs as a lab tech at a VA was shocked when I explained the CDC schedule to her. She vaxed us in the 70s and 80s... and if I recall they started at 6 mo then with about 1/2 as many shots.

i've only just recieved grief about my 3 yo not being vaxed...

I stuck in my "delayed" part of selective delayed

[Mamabeakley]

Here's hoping you got settled in your mind about what is right for you and your family for today, Lacrymosa s

Although my brothers and I grew up fully vaxed, my ILs did thing differently. When DH was a baby, he had (TWICE) the classic adverse reaction to the DTP, presumably to the pertussis component. After that, MIL slowed way down on vaxxes and really (I think) only did what was required by schools (not much until college, since they were homeschoolers).

DH would be just as happy to completely avoid vaxxing our kids. I have done a lot of research and eventually decided that a) I want to foster the development of their natural immune systems by allowing them to grow unimpacted by vaccines until they are fully weaned and b) there are really only three vaccine-preventable diseases which, for a small child, I think "Oh SH*T" instead of "oh, well" when I imagine my kid having them: diptheria, tetanus, and polio. So that's what we have vaccinated DS1 & DS2 for, starting after they weaned and finishing . . . soon - we've been going through a saga getting DT instead of DTaP for them and DS1 should get his last dose this week and DS2 should get his first dose.

But even with the same family histories, my brothers and in-laws have made choices everywhere on the spectrum of vaccine choices for my kids' cousins. All the way from NO VACCINES to ON SCHEDULE.

Oh, we will also probably do the MMR & Varicella vaccines if the kids haven't had those illnesses by the time they are hitting puberty, because they are more dangerous for older kids/adults than they are for young children - but we'd probably also let our kids have some say in that decision.

[Jilian]

You know what, I'm really torn too. I vaxed DS1 until he was 6 mos and I started reseaching. DS2 is not vaxed at all (born with a CHD and had a quad bypass @ 2 weeks old so I wasn't about to vax a healing heart baby). I'm undecided about this baby. There are so many things to consider when deciding:

Do you breastfeed? This passes your immunities onto baby
Is there an older sibling in school? (that may potentially bring home VPD's)
Where do you live? (is your area a high-risk area?)
Do you know the warning signs of all of the VPDs?
Do the risks of vaxing outweigh the benefits to you?
How would you handle it if your child got a VPD?
Will your child be attending a daycare? higher potential for germs and illnesses
Do you or your partner work in contact with many people? increased potential for illness


With that being said we're leaning towards getting this baby Prevnar and possibly HiB also. Meningitis and pnemonia scare me to death and I have an older child in school and a middle child who is often around other children. DH works in people's homes and often comes into contact with sick people. We're undecided about Pertussis because it is really, really common and often comes with complications in children under 6 mos. It is also cold/flu season and back-to-school season (aka illness galore season) so that is something to consider too.

I have to admit that I used to be firmly against vaxing my children in the past and now I'm starting to see the benefit of a few of the vaxes.

One of the BEST places to research vaccinations and the diseases along with stats is the CDC. CDC.gov

[Hazelnut]

Originally Posted by Lacrymosa

I've been going back and forth about it since doing a lot of research, and according to db the ONLY reason to vaccinate is because you need to in order for your kids to get into the public school system. I spoke to my sister last night and she said that is absolutely not true, and that I don't really need to vaccinate because most everyone does, so there's not really a risk. Since I have extreme anxiety, I know I'm gonna worry either way, if I do or if I don't. I just need more information. Asia's two-month appt. is tomorrow, and she is all set up to get her immunizations, but I need to make up my mind fast if I'm not going to do it.

Who here vaccinates or doesn't vaccinate and why?

Biggest thing I wish someone told me seven years ago:
It's not all or nothing, and you DON'T HAVE TO DECIDE BY TOMORROW! I get most of them, but delayed, and I really wish I hadn't felt with my first that I had to decide by the two month visit. It's really silly the way they make you feel that way. I would take your time reading about each individual vax. There are some great books out there on it now. Then at least you will feel a leeetle better about your choice. Doing any shot in a rush when you have doubts is a terrible feeling.

[Hazelnut]

True, although if you ask elsewhere, it's going to be completely biased as well, and will possibly scare her into thinking that she's going polio at the local Dominicks.

Originally Posted by Talula Fairie

Firstly, this is probably going to get moved to the vaccination forum.

But anyway. Assuming it stays...

You may not get a balanced picture on MDC. Most people don't vaccinate, a few delay, and ones that do vax are not really supposed to talk about it a whole lot since the vaccinations forum is for supporting nonvaxers or delayed/selective vax. Does that make sense? Not saying there is not a great deal of good info on MDC about vaccinations, just that keep in mind you're only going to get one half of the story. There is a whole other camp -also with convincing evidence- that is pro vax.

Fwiw, I can't figure out what to do either. I vaccinated #1 once, did not continue, and the other two have never been vaccinated.

[texaspeach]

we skipped the hepB shot at the hospital - I know I don't have hep B because I've been tested multiple times for different hepatitis things (in pregnancy 2x and by my rheumatologist) so the baby wouldn't be infected from me, no one else that will be caring for him has hep B. I don't think he'll be using needle drugs or having sex any time soon so we skipped it.

We will likely be doing at least some vaccines though.

I read the sears vaccine book but still haven't really made up my mind. I need to read some more. There's just so much information out there that it's hard to get a clear picture.

[curious&eager]

I'm comfortable with vaxing on the Dr. Sears schedule. To me the benefits outweigh the risks. You have to read a lot and come to your own decision. There was a story in the Sears book of a parent that didn't vax and their child got hib or something like that and ended up in the hospital with antibiotics and surgery to save their child and they still were happy with their decision not to vax. I would not be like that. I want to protect my child from some pretty serious diseases. But, we do travel a lot overseas and vaxing to me gives me more peace of mind when I'm away from trusted medical care. But, every family is different and you have to make the decision for yourself. I think Dr. Sear's The Vaccine Book is a great read looking into each disease and vaccination separately and presenting the pros and cons to vaxing with respect to each disease.