Vax Info?

[Mommel]

Okay, I'm a first-time mom-to-be and I've been hearing SO much from both sides on the vax/anti-vax debate... and I need help. Anyone? 

Is there any vax specific info? For example, is there any "this one's okay, this one is not and here's why" type info out there?

On the anti-vax argument, I'm not buying the whole "vaccinations cause autism" theory ... I've done a lot of external research on autism and its link to mercury and other vaccine ingredients, AND I've looked at the originally published theory and was not impressed with its scientific significance it in the least. Are there other reasons not to vaccinate? What are they?

On the flip side of the coin, I am not convinced that all vaccines are entirely necessary either, and I'm not sure I buy the vax argument that kids in developed countries who are not vaccinated are the root cause of the supposed upswing in vaccine preventable diseases like mumps and measles. Especially because the same people that have talked to me about the necessity of all vaccines, also talk the necessity of circumcision to prevent disease and infection, and I DEFINITELY don't buy that argument!

I'm on the fence and I need to know more to be able to decide... because even NOT deciding is a decision that I may or may not want to make.

[Earthylady]

I would suggest you get some books and start reading.  That's what I did.  I have a book called What Your Doctor May NOT Tell You About Children's Vaccinations by Stephanie Cave.  I like it because it not only talks about each individual vax, but it also tells how to deal with the disease itself if your child gets it and the odds of your child getting it.  There is also the Vaccine Book by Dr. Sears that I've heard lots about, but I haven't read it because we've already made up our mind before it came out.

We don't vax.  At all.  Mostly for religious and philosophical reasons.  I just don't think it's right to inject all of that junk into our bodies. http://www.informedchoice.info/cocktail.html

Also, even if you don't buy into the autism part of the debate with vaccines, it is still becoming more and more talked about with auto immune disorders potentially being caused by them.

With our first kid, I knew I didn't want to do all the vaccines and talked to our ped about it and she agreed to only do the necessary ones.  Well, at 6 months, my child was fully vaxed.  She hadn't skipped or delayed anything and I HATED that they wouldn't even let me hold her or comfort her while she got them.  She had to lay on the table, alone, while the nurse jabbed her.  Sometimes twice in one visit.  I hated it!  I think I cried as much as my daughter did.  Also, she got sick every single time.  Fever for days.  (which I've learned is a vaccine reaction and can potentially be bad if it turns into brain swelling and seizures) So, finally I started doing my own research and telling the doctor we were not vaxing because I didn't agree with the ingredients and she argued that the MMR did not have aborted fetal tissue in it.  So I had her go get the insert from the box and showed her the ingredient.  Which sold me even more to do my own research, that most of the peds work for the vaccine companies and don't know what they are putting into children either.

[scsigrl]

The autism study was a load of....junk.  They Dr. who published it was actually in trouble for the entire thing.  That said, there are many other reasons people don't vax.  As stated, autoimmune issues and stuff like that.  There is a lot of info out there pro and con and it is a lot to sort through. 

Dr. Sears has a vax book, I know many people love the Sears family and trust them for information.  I have read Dr. Cave.  The forms here have tons of information but you are mostly (from when I read them with DS 4 years ago) going to be anti-vax.  You go somewhere like BabyCenter and you'll get mostly pro-vax info so really, I wouldn't count on places like this for most info ;)  I think Dr. Sears has a delayed schedule listed in his book (I haven't read it either).  Also, things like chicken pox, the vax was invented when Mom's were reentering the work force and couldn't/didn't want to take a week off to be with sick kids.  Vaxes like that, I am not interested in AT ALL.  I have gone back and fourth with both kids, and I am sure I will question myself again with this one but I obviously didn't question my decision enough to change it between the two ;)

We still have auto immune issues in our kids.  Neither one is vaxed and one has the issues and one doesn't.  So while it couldn't have caused the issue for DS, I wonder if things would have been worse if we had.

ETA:  I am not saying there isn't SOMETHING in vaxes that is causing autism/autism like issues, just that the "infamous" study was proven bad news.

Edited by scsigrl - 5/11/11 at 7:37am

[mistiblue02]

I think that Dr. Dear's is a great resource for information. My son was vaccinated completely on schedule. I didn't know about any other option back when he was born. My daughter (she is 3) has done a delayed vax schedule and omitted certain vaccines that we didn't find necessary. With this new baby, we are going to to a delayed schedule, and omit a few that we don't find necessary as well. I think a big part of my issue with the way they normal vax kids is how much they do so soon and so many together. I'm just not comfortable with that at all. And honestly I can see why people would choose not to vax at all as well. It's a difficult decision that you have to weigh the pros and cons and decide what's best for you. Unfortunately no one can tell you the absolute right or wrong answer.

[goldenwillow]

I enjoyed reading this book as well as the Dr. Sears one.  We do not vac at all. 

http://www.amazon.com/Vaccine-Guide-Benefits-Children-Adults/dp/1556434235

[JessiFish]

I love the Dr Sears vax book (although I'm not a huge Sears fan in general). After reading it, my decision was to fully vax on schedule. Not because the book told me to, but because it gave me the info I needed to make a decision. Most of my friends read it as well and many of them are non- or delayed vax.

[Yodaeyes]

I have a wonderful pediatrician, who you may or may not have heard of as he is often referred to in to whole vax/autism debates. His website is http://drjaygordon.com/

Although he is often qouted as anti-vaxine, this isn't actually the case. He is totally against the schedule and amount of vaxines given at one time. Even if you choose to vaccinate, I would look deeply into the practice of vaccinating children with so many vaccines at such a young age (birth!)

That said, Dr. Jay has asked that I bring in my almost 12 year old for the chicken pox vaccine because she hasn't had the chicken pox and he feels that at this age it gets a lot more complicated if they do get it, especially because she has started puberty. He said that in his opinion, the chicken pox vaccine is one of medicines greatest failures. It was so totally unnecessary. When my oldest was born, the on call pediatrician at the hospital told us if we didn't get the chicken pox vaccine right away (2-3 hours old!) that we would be putting her at risk for the flesh eating virus ebola. This is the type of fear-mongering that you have to be ready to deal with, even when you plan on vaccinating but just on your own schedule. 

I know this is a tough decision, good luck with your research.

[cparkly]

The MDC Vaccination sub-forum is wonderful resource. All different perspectives can be found there to help you make the decision(s) that are best for your family.

[Mommel]

Wow! Thanks for all this information and direction on this, ladies! I now feel armed with more focus with which to direct my research, and with more questions for my midwife when I start researching pediatricians too. I'm lucky that I'm planning a home birth (and if it doesn't work out that way, my midwife will advocate for me while I'm in the hospital), so no issues with immediate postpartum vaccines, I hope. I'm hoping that the naturopath that I saw for my ultrasound (who is also a pediatric naturopath) will also take the state insurance we'll be using. The midwife will be covered by my state plan, so there's a good chance that the naturopath will be too. I'm worried that if it doesn't, I'll have more issues with less support. I'll keep you all posted. Thanks again!!

[kathrineg]

Realistically, the forums here aren't a great source for pro-vax information.

I personally am really pro-vax and stay out of those forums entirely because I don't like getting into fights with people. There are different (and common, and reasonable) approaches to thinking about vaccinations that simply aren't allowed to be mentioned here. So you really won't get a well-rounded viewpoint in the vaccinations forum.

[cparkly]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kathrineg 

Realistically, the forums here aren't a great source for pro-vax information.

I personally am really pro-vax and stay out of those forums entirely because I don't like getting into fights with people. There are different (and common, and reasonable) approaches to thinking about vaccinations that simply aren't allowed to be mentioned here. So you really won't get a well-rounded viewpoint in the vaccinations forum.

I have to respectfully disagree. The Resource section is designed to help parents make informed decisions; to not vaccinate at all, to selectively vaccinate, to make an alternate schedule with your child's pediatrition, and all other possible combinations. It is an overwhelming subject with no one size fits all solution.