do you vaccinate? - Page 2

[carriebft]

We vaccinate...we have added more to our  schedule as our family has grown and we have done more research. PLus situations have changed and we also travel a lot. We have seen no ill effects. Our children are incredibly healthy. The only VPD we have seen is rotavirus (older two got it and were not vaccinated) but that was before the vaccine with my oldest. None of my kids have ever had ear infections, they do not have asthma or allergies...they have never been antibiotics, etcetc. we have had a cold here and there but that's about it.

[Perdita_in_Ontario]

We do most of the vaccinations, and on schedule. The schedule is a little different in Canada, and there is no routine hep vaccination for babies, so we don't get that one obviously. I also did a lot of reading, and talking to two epidemiologists, and I'm confident that the benefits outweigh the risks for the core vaccinations.

On advice of our Most Excellent Doctor, DH and I got flu shots this year, but DD and DS didn't. DD because she's robust and healthy and we'd rather she build up her immune system naturally in the case of something like run-of-the-mill flu. DS because he is still nursing quite a bit and will get immunity through me (which I why I got the shot).

The only vaccination I'm questioning is Chicken Pox for DS. He got a probable case of it when he was 3 months old (no idea where from) and in my mind that means a vaccination would be moot, but our doctor feels that vaccinating would strengthen his immune system against a second case. I need to check into this one more.

[WildKingdom]

Both of my children are fully vaxed according to the CDC schedule.  I am UTD on all my vaccines, including my flu shot.  So is DH.

I am also a physician.  Every doc I know with kids around my age has also fully vaxed their kids.  That's why I can't believe some of the conspiracy theories that I see about vaccination.  Am I to believe that me and my colleagues are so brainwashed that we are willing to place our children in harm's way, just to make a buck?

[Lauren31]

Originally Posted by MsFortune 

I'm pro-science.  We vax.

Yep, us too!

[cappuccinosmom]

We vax as well - none of my kids have reacted to any of the routine childhood vaccines thus far.  We do not do the flu shot and we won't do Gardisil when dds get to be the age where they do that kind of thing. 

Ha, you said exactly what I was going to say.  Exactly. lol

I have yet to run across an argument against vaccines that makes sense to me, with the exception of individuals who have specific and logical reactions to specific vaxes.  I have a friend with children prone to serious allergies, and after immediate and severe reactions to vaxes in her older children, I think she is most reasonable to avoid them.  For her family and mine, the balance of risk vs. benefit falls in opposite directions.

[MsFortune]

Originally Posted by ~Demeter~ 

people that don't vaccinate, like they are ruled by something other than science?

Yes.  I think they are ruled by a desire to do what they think is best for their kid, but they are not able to differentiate between objective facts and opinions, and they don't know how to weigh risks.  They are lulled into a false sense of security about VPDs because these diseases have been well managed during their lifetime.    

I don't really blame them - there is a lot of very convincing misinformation out there.

But their decisions are not science-based.  

[major_mama11]

Yes, we vax per CDC schedule. The only issues we have had were very minor: DD had a small localized reaction to one of them at 4 mos, and both kids typically had a low-grade fever and fussiness for half a day after receiving them.

[Plaid Leopard]

My 12yo was vaxed on schedule up to 4 months, received the oral polio vaccine against my wishes at 12 months, and then a tetanus shot when he was 5.

My 10yo has had one tetanus shot. My 7 and 3 yo have had no vaccines. None of my children have had any "vaccine preventable diseases", not even chicken pox. All of my children are very healthy, - just getting the occasional cold or virus which never sticks around very long. They have all been breastfed for at least 3 years. We lived in Germany for 6 years and have been the UK for over 2 years. In both countries, vaccines are recommended but none are required.

I have been reading about and researching vaccines for many years now. I may not be a scientist, but I do know how to dismiss the conspiracy theories, how to differentiate fact from opinion,  and how to understand the risks versus benefits of vaccinating vs. the risks of getting a particular disease or having complications.

[P.J.]

Originally Posted by UnderTheMoon 

I couldnt agree more, mama.  i respect my babes integrity.  when they are old enough, they can make that decision for themselves.

By "make the decision for themselves", I assume you mean as an adult, right? Meaning, you aren't having your kids vaxed.

Because honestly I don't see how you could expect a child to make such a decision for him or herself. I mean, I am an adult and I am struggling with this decision, it would be impossible and unfair for a child to do this research on their own and understand the implications.

[UnderTheMoon]

for me faxxing is like circumcistion.  i can't expose my babes to something so harmful without a really good reason so wehn they are older theyc an decide.  mabye when they are teens but maybe when they are adults.

[WildKingdom]

Originally Posted by UnderTheMoon 

for me faxxing is like circumcistion.  i can't expose my babes to something so harmful without a really good reason so wehn they are older theyc an decide.  mabye when they are teens but maybe when they are adults.

I think in exactly the opposite way.   I can't withhold something so safe from my children, and I will do anything to strive to allow them to live the healthiest life possible!  That includes fully vaccinating them.

[Mirzam]

Originally Posted by WildKingdom 

I think in exactly the opposite way.   I can't withhold something so safe from my children, and I will do anything to strive to allow them to live the healthiest life possible!  That includes fully vaccinating them.

Vaccines do not make children healthy (see my post of the Hayward study below). We all want our children to live the healthiest lives possible which is why some of us choose not to vaccinate. 

[PatioGardener]

I have researched the immunizations my son gets thoroughly, and feel knowledgeable about the diseases, the benefits of the immunizations, and I am comfortable with the high risk of minor side effects and very low risk of major adverse reactions. I immunize on a Canadian schedule - no hep B for infants or rotavirus immunization. I watch the epidemiology of the flu each year before deciding if I will get the shot myself, and will do the same for my DS.

[Turquesa]

Originally Posted by MsFortune 

I'm pro-science.  We vax.

For the record, consumers who question CDC orders aren't against science.  On the contrary, we're demanding more of it.

Selective and delayed vax for us. 

[ema-adama]

I am anti science and have yet to vaccinate my children  Although seriously. Being pro science and following the CDC schedule do not have to be mutually exclusive positions. 

Risk benefit analysis is essentially at the crux of the decision. No vaccine is 100% effective. So, if I choose to vaccinate, I am taking a risk of a reaction and the risk of the vaccine not working and my child getting the disease anyway.

The balance of information is very much in favour of vaccines being beneficial and diseases being dangerous. To the best of my knowledge there is no good science to say that vaccines can cause harm in all but the most unusual cases. However, there is not any good science studying the safety of individual vaccines,their ingredients or specific vaccine schedules. So right now we are in a situation where you make a choice and hope for the best for your child.

Each family needs to be able to make the choice based on their comfort levels with the risks being taken. I personally am not comfortable injecting aluminum into my child, or mercury. Another family would not feel comfortable with seeing their child sick with a disease that could have been prevented with a vaccine.

Neither choice is without it's risks. 

[WildKingdom]

Originally Posted by Mirzam 

Vaccines do not make children healthy (see my post of the Hayward study below). We all want our children to live the healthiest lives possible which is why some of us choose not to vaccinate. 

I didn't see any reference to children's health in your post.  I saw information about dogs' health.  I would suggest you check out carriebft's post from yesterday regarding a vaccinated/unvaccinated study on actual children.  This post, published this year, rather than 14 years ago like the other one, seems to suggest the opposite of your concerns.

[Naomi]

Like MsFortune, I'm pro-science and both my daughters are fully vaccinated.

I have read the research and feel very comfortable with this decision.  Also, as a college student, I studied abroad in a third world country where not everyone had access to vaccinations, so the consequences of a largely unvaccinated society are not abstract to me; I've seen them personally.

[kathymuggle]

I am pro science.  I do not vaccinate.

I am very tired of it being implied that I am not science-y enough  - or I would vax.  It is patronizing.

Kathy

(edited to add:  while I am pro-science, I have had some experiences that cause me to distrust vaccines and vaccinators. They include:  offering DPT when DaPt was available because DPT was cheaper...and who cares that it was not as safe?  Removing thermisol from vaccines due to safety issues (or perceived safety issues) but allowing old batches with the thermisol to be used, front line staff being unable to answer my questions  on vaxes  or unable to point me to research....)

Edited by kathymuggle - 3/13/11 at 3:47pm

[kathymuggle]

Originally Posted by WildKingdom 

I think in exactly the opposite way.   I can't withhold something so safe from my children, and I will do anything to strive to allow them to live the healthiest life possible!  That includes fully vaccinating them.

Vaxing does not equate to allowing them to live the healthiest life possible.

The diseases vaccines are available for are generally rare, benign, or not very effective.  

Vaccination may have contributed to diseases being rare.  Indeed, you can vaccinate as a way to support herd immunity.  

I would not go into vaxxing thinking it was going to protect my individual child and make them healthier - because they question is :  protect them from what???

DPT - D and T are very rare,  for P the vaccines is quite ineffective.

MMR - all 3 are benign-ish in children.  Measles may be the exception.

HIB  (ok - not sure - must look up, lol)

Edited by kathymuggle - 3/13/11 at 3:32pm

[SilverFish]

i definitely vaccinate. we were slightly delayed, because i was hearing a lot of people saying they weren't vaccinating - people whose other parenting decisions i very much respected, so i was convinced that there must be some strong evidence to support not vaccinating our children. i dutifully read all the research these people were pointing me to, and i literally couldn't find anything that was conclusive enough to make me not want to vaccinate. so at 6 months i started my dd on the regular course of shots (we're in canada too, so a different schedule)... we are still not quite caught up, but our wonderful ped has been very relaxed about it.

i am actually quite embarrassed that i was so easily swayed by a handful of people. i grew up in a third world country too, where the reality of a largely non-vaccinated population is right in front of you all the time.