How do you keep from feeling nuts?

[Ninetales]

Every so often I go on a research bender almost trying to convince myself to at least do a few vaxes, but I always come back to the same conclusion to not do any.

I know so few people who agree with me or even understand my reasoning. Sometimes I start doubting or second guessing myself because if everyone else thinks I'm wacko, maybe it's true? Could everything I find actually be wrong? I know in my heart it I'm right but it's hard to keep fighting sometimes.

How do you keep strong in your decision? What do you do to tune out the propaganda?

[Chicharronita]

It helps to find like-minded people to be friends with. I'm blessed to belong to a small community locally filled with non- or selectively vaccinating AP parents.

But when I'm out and about or with the in-laws, I choose my battles. For the most part it never comes up, since the people I know who vaccinate apparently don't think about vaccines outside of their doctor's office.  

[kathymuggle]

For most VADs, getting real clear on the prevalence of diseases helps.  The chances of getting most VADs is really, really low for most people in wealthy countries.  

For the few VADs that are left, looking in an in-depth way helps.  

Rota - very rarely fatal in wealthy countries, less severe in those who are breastfed, less severe as kids age.  Apparently 95% of people get it by age 5.  If my kids had it, it did not even register.  

CP - not fatal or even severe in the vast majority of kids

Flu - vaccine is not very effective, you have to risk it (whatever that means - as figuring out the real risks of vaccination is impossible) on a yearly basis.  Flu is common, but you are still looking at a 95% chance of not getting the strain that is in the vaccine on a yearly basis.

Pertussis.  Pertussis is complicated.  I do not want it.  I do not want my kids to get it.  I certainly do not want an infant to get it.  The vaccine, though, is not highly effective. The reasons are complicated, but that is the bottom line.  Pertussis is common, but not as common as some people think.  It really depends where you live.    In my area about 1/14 000 people come down with pertussis yearly.  I think someone from Australia worked out her numbers and it was 1/1000.  

Knowing how to cut the chances of getting the above diseases has helped settle my mind.  Knowing how to treat the above helps as well.

I doubt you are wacko.  Most non-vaxxers I converse with are not.  Some people like to paint us as wacko though:

1.  They truly believe in vaccines.  Painting others as wackos may help turn a few fence-sitters against non-vaccination, which is a good thing in their eyes.  Ends justify the means and all that.

2.  They truly believe in vaccines.  They think they are smart, sane people (and hey - most of them are!) and cannot believe that other smart, sane people would come to a different conclusion than them.  Therefore - someone who decides differently is neither smart nor sane.

3.  They mostly believe in vaccines.  Perhaps they have a seed of doubt. Painting non-vaxxers as whackadoos helps them to justify their own decisions.  

[emmy526]

I stay away from mainstream media news regarding vaccines, as it seems to be pharma's way of promoting the issue.  WHen in doubt, look at the science of it, weigh that with your own beliefs, morals, and values, and don't let emotion rule over your normally rational thinking, just because all of a sudden, there's another outbreak of a vaccine induced illness, painted to look like nonvaxers are to blame for it.  When you want disease stats for your own area, call the health dept for them, and don't rely on the local paper to print the truth.  

[Taximom5]

Once you've had a child who has had a really severe reaction, you become "immune" to marketing propaganda. You see it for what it is--crap--and resent the fact that you believed it, resulting in injury to your child.

[emmy526]

Originally Posted by Taximom5 

Once you've had a child who has had a really severe reaction, you become "immune" to marketing propaganda. You see it for what it is--crap--and resent the fact that you believed it, resulting in injury to your child.

this is very true...once your child has had reactions that were dismissed by the dr, a parent tends to look at the issue a little different to a lot different, than a parent who never had to go thru the experience.   Some parents would vax siblings-others wouldn't depending on the child.  

[Ninetales]

Originally Posted by Taximom5 

Once you've had a child who has had a really severe reaction, you become "immune" to marketing propaganda. You see it for what it is--crap--and resent the fact that you believed it, resulting in injury to your child.

*hug* I really appreciate parents like you who have seen and experienced first hand and speak out. It does help. I feel so lucky that I learned about this stuff before I had kids and it's because of you guys that I did.

Thanks for the replies. It's a powerful enemy we face.

[Minerva23]

I know how you feel as I am always getting back to restudying, second guessing my decisions too. But I myself suffered from a bad vaccine reaction, though I did not link it to the vax at that time, it makes it easier not to fall for the propaganda.
 

[lilblueberry]

I do this A LOT too. ESP when I go to the doctor and get blasted by him...I go home to
go through my research and know we aren't doing them at least right now...my husband decided we would wait until we felt 100% confident in a vac to do it and so far we do not so we are waiting. It took the pressure off me as well because if I ever feel one is necessary (We live in China. In the US, I wouldn't consider any at all), we will feel ready, but if we feel mixed abt it, we wait. So our baby has not gotten any.