Question About Vaccination

If it makes you feel better, our boys have had all the vaccines, one to kindergarten and the other is done until kindergarten, both with no problems. However, in the light of the government paying this family last week to avoid a lawsuit over autism/vaccine links, I'm debating on my next one (Due July). We probably will end up going with vaccinating since we are moving to a part of Italy where most of the population has never been vaccinated for anything. When our first was born, our doctor told me that in his years of practice in NM, he, himself, had treated children with every disease we vaccinate against. I don't know how that would compare elsewhere in the US, but that did make me think, thus our kids are vaccinated. It's a tough decision. Only you can decide what is best for your child. Just remember, the decision you make now is the one that you felt was best with the information you had at the time. New information is always coming out, so don't let yourself double guess yourself once you have made a decision. Sometimes it's worse to start the vaccines and not finish than to never have started the routine.

Hi S., I'm glad your doctor didn't bully you into vaxing when you are not ready. It sounds like you have a great ped who will listen to what you say and then give her advice without being pushy. I had a horrible experience when I told my doc I wasn't ready to vax and wanted to delay - I left in tears. I think that vaccinations can be an important part of public health, but I agree with you that there are too many! All of the vaccines on the schedule are not necessary but they make you believe that they are. Many of diseases we vax for are not life threatening if your child gets them and we have great resources to treat them.

If you want to do some reading, I suggest Dr. Stephanie Cave's What You Dr. May Not Tell You About Vaccinations, its a bit technical in some parts and she devotes a great deal to Thimerisol, which I think has been dealt with, hopefully the book has had some updates since I last read it. Dr. Sears Vaccine Book, both this and Dr. Cave's book have delay schedules. And for an interesting history on vaccinations, Vaccine: The Controversial Story of Medicine's Greatest Lifesaver, the first 2/3rd or so is purely history and the last part - well you can tell from the title.

Good luck!

My son is 9 now and has had all of his vaccinations without any problems. There is a lot of research out there but nothing has really proven any link between vaccinations and autism or other diseases. In my opinion, the benefits outweigh the risks in this case. It is comforting to know that my son will not get the childhood diseases that once killed people on a regular basis.

I struggled with this as well and to make a long story short decided on vaccinating her. My ped. explained that the mercury in the shots is actually used to make the vaccine and then is washed off. The amount of mercury in all of the vaccines combined is miniscule and amounts to less than the content in a serving of tuna.
We have set up an alternant schedule for not getting so many shots at a time because this seems to be the culprit more than the scary ingredients.
Make sure to list your questions and talk with your wupette's doc before he gets the shots. If your doc ant answer your questions well enough to ease your fears then get a new doc because that is their job.

Vaccine Ingredients:

Thimersol (mercury disinfectant/preservative)

Aluminum (additive to promote antibody response)

Formaldehyde (disinfectant)

Phenol (disinfectant, dye)

Ethylene glycol (antifreeze)

Benzethonium chloride (antiseptic)

Methylparaben (anti-fungal, preservative)"

Hope this helps!

I see that your son was scheduled to get his vaccinations yesterday but I decided to answer anyway. This is a very personal decision that can be scary no matter what you do. My husband and I decided not to vaccinate our 2 girls who are now 15 & 11. I just couldn't justify putting all of those foreign substances in their little bodies. Also, I breastfed them which gave them some immunities. I no longer think about the fact that they are not vaccinated. They have been really healthy. My oldest daughter has been to the doctor twice in 15 years for an illness and my youngest has been once. They both had the chicken pox and came through it just fine. If you would like more info on the pros and cons of vaccinating you should check out Mothering Magazine. You can find it on the web at mothering.com. Good luck with your decision.

Hi, this is a difficult decision. I have two children my first is 11 and I had all the vaccines. Then I read more and researched a lot. With my second now 5 1/2 I have staggered his vaccinations. Giving only one at a time. We choose NOT to do the Hep B series because we felt that it wasn't useful in this age group. Nor have I had the trivalent MMR given. When and if I do have him get the MMR it will INDIVIDUAL Measles vaccination and individual Mumps ect.. you can get the individual vaccines verses the multi vaccine. There is a lot of research to support a slower and individual vaccine schedule. Even opting out of some vaccines that seem not necessary.

Also please know that in Colorado you have a right to opt out of any or all vaccinations and still have your child in school. :)

C.