<div class="quote-container" data-huddler-embed="/community/t/1397348/leaving-the-anti-vaccine-movement#post_17609861" data-huddler-embed-placeholder="false">Quote:
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by <strong>ss834</strong> <a href="/community/t/1397348/leaving-the-anti-vaccine-movement#post_17609861"><img alt="View Post" src="/community/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style=""></a><br>
<p>When I had my first baby 5 years ago, I asked my aunt about vaccines and she gave me a huge folder full of info she had researched. She has never vaxed her 4 kids and I was pretty sure I wasn't going to vax mine either. All of her research settled it for me. I didn't vaccinate my son for 2.5 years.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It wasn't until he was starting to run around and play outside a lot that I got kind of freaked out about tetanus (we live on a farm, and we have goats, which are known to carry tetanus and contract it rarely, but with enough frequency that I'd encountered stories about it.) At first I wanted tetanus only, but my ped didn't do that. So I finally took my son and got just 1 DTaP and didn't go back for a year even though he had no reaction whatsoever. I was just freaked out about shots.</p>
<p>About a year later I got into a debate where I was defending non-vaxxers even though I was still sitting on the fence myself. Through the course of that long debate with a gentle, well-informed, pro-vaccine med student, I realized that <em>most</em> of the information that my aunt had given me was wrong. Within a week I had an appointment to finish the DTaP series and get the other shots my son needed by that time (he was too old for Rota by that time, and didn't need the full Hib or PCV series).</p>
<p> </p>
<p>After this whole experience, I even disagree with delayed schedules that aren't medically warranted. I'm somewhat thankful that DS got to skip a few of the shots. Yet, I think it's more risky for a few reasons. Very few pediatricians (or nurses, who usually give the shots) have the experience they need to follow custom selective/delayed schedules--- not to mention there is no <em>science</em> whatsoever to support these alternative schedules and its possible that they can interfere with safety <em>and</em> efficacy of vaccines. My ped wanted to catch up with a bunch of combo shots, and wasn't careful to check which ones were appropriate for my son's age since he was outside of the normal schedule. I didn't have any experience with any schedule, so I wasn't really prepared to counter some of his assumptions, and my son ended up getting a combo MMR/Var vaccine despite precautions against using that vax at his age. And he had the reaction that younger kids have an increased risk of (febrile seizures). There are obviously good reasons to delay for some kids, but when it's purely fear-based it doesn't make sense to me anymore.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>So anyway, I feel like I've been there. I've made most of the standard non-vax arguments myself, before I had the info to see why they were wrong. The corresponding thread on the INV forum (about this article) is so frustrating. People change their minds, and naturally want to talk about that change of heart on such an emotional topic. It's strange that that is taken as a propaganda move by evil pro-vaxxers.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I'm really sympathetic towards a lot of the arguments that are critical of vaccines, honestly. I still am. I think a lot of these lay people's hypothesis are very interesting and would love to see more of them studied (or at least explored by someone with the background to provide more details about why they are or aren't valid) if it were at all possible. Yet, I am seeing more and more frequently that no matter how interesting and compelling some of the theories can be, they often just don't stand up against the science when it is available. Also, I'm a lot more aware now of how badly the science is intentionally distorted by some people involved in vaccine politics. I'm sorry I ever made some of the arguments that I did, but I just didn't have the information even though I regarded myself as very well informed.</p>
</div>
</div>
<p> </p>
<p>Thank you for sharing, I've really enjoyed reading all your responses here on mothering thus far. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>As far as I'm aware, I think you are the only somewhat regular who was once non vax who is now pro vax. If you feel comfortable sharing, I'd be really interested in hearing more about your experience and what evidence ultimately changed your mind, which non vax arguments you used to support and why you don't anymore etc. You could start a new thread here, if you want. Again, no pressure! I just find these kinds of stories really interesting/enlightening. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>I'd also love to see a link to your blog! (if that's something you don't mind sharing)</p>
