im so overwhelmed about vaxing ... how do you decide what to believe?

[CherryBombMama]

hi, im new to this forum

my ds1 (19m) got most of his vaccinations until around the year mark, i forget exactly when.

i have only given ds2 (2m) a polio vaccine, partly to give peace of mind to my dh (who is pro vax) and partly because it seemed less scary to me than other vaccines

i feel like ive done a good amount of research but i keep uncovering more and more information and everything cancels eachother out! im so overwhelmed and confused now. i wish i could just completely stop vaxing but i have a hard time standing my ground and i worry about what a new doctor will say (since our old dr let us go for not fully vaxing.)

how do you decide what articles to believe and which ones to pass up?

[Harmony08]

I wish I knew.  My son is two and I still feel this way.  Hugs

[alegna]

It can be overwhelming, that's for sure  :hug

What I did was go disease by disease.  For each disease I tried to research: number of cases, severity, possible outcomes, chance of severe issues, treatments, etc.  And for each vaccine I researched: known side effects, history of the vaccine, if given solo or in combo, chance of reaction, etc.

good luck!

-Angela

[indigosky]

I just kept reading and reading and reading. Mostly books rather than websites. I found The Vaccine Book and Vaccinations: A Thoughtful Parent's Guide to be helpful. And then I made myself a big spreadsheet with questions, conclusions, pros/cons, etc.

[pacifica]

Originally Posted by indigosky 

I just kept reading and reading and reading. Mostly books rather than websites. I found The Vaccine Book and Vaccinations: A Thoughtful Parent's Guide to be helpful. And then I made myself a big spreadsheet with questions, conclusions, pros/cons, etc.

So, do you use any vaccines?  If so, which ones?  

OP, I'm in the same boat as you.  There's so much information.  I'm feeling confident in not doing any vaccinations at this point.  My dd is 3 months old, so I'm researching for her.  My older children were selectively/delayed vaxed, but I don't plan on any more vaccinations for our family.  Still researching though.

[angelpie545]

I don't think the research ever ends.  I think it's important to know something about how each study is conducted (i.e., double blind, what was the control, ext.) to be able to evaluate whether or not the study is statistically significant.  It also helps you weed out the bunk and stick to the science.  FWIW I'm not against vaccinations at all-I do think they are effective at preventing disease, but I'm not entirely sure they are safe, based on what I've read and researched so far.  I'm also not entirely convinced that there are many studies that aren't biased or have an agenda to promote (yes, it is possibly to present data in a manner that appears to support a certain hypothesis wherein that may not be the whole story).  For my family, I feel like choosing to delay some vaccinations and then selectively vaccinate is right for us.  We have some familial medical concerns that I feel make this a wise choice as well.