I looked up the definition of "dilemma" and found it to mean: a situation requiring a choice between equally undesirable alternatives. I thought it was the perfect adjective to describe the choice parents have to make concerning vaccines. Do we vaccinate and pray that our child has no adverse reaction or even die ..... or do we choose not to vaccinate and pray that our child does not end up with a horrible disease? Hmmm? However, I have learned that there IS another alternative.
My heart goes out to new mothers who have to make that decision. They are often made to feel ignorant and selfish when trying to voice their opinions or concerns. It goes farther than the vaccine issue. I know from experience that there is STILL opposition in breastfeeding among the medical community. There are some doctors that insist on a new mother (who is exhausted and is struggling) to bring their baby to the office every week and have a weight check "just to make sure" that the baby is getting enough milk when the mom has decided to breastfeed. At the hospital some nurses are not as supportive as they should. I remember when I had my first baby they gave me a "nursing support" diaper bag with FORMULA inside "just in case" I needed it!!! Anyone who has nursed knows that there are times in the beginning when you just beg for a bottle just once. However, chances are that if you give the baby a bottle then you will likely do it again....then you will likely mess up your milk supply (unless you are seasoned and know how to do it properly). It's not exactly what a new mother needs for "support".
What prompted me to write this post was numerous friends and acquaintances who are either pregnant or have newborn babies have approached me about this subject. They just don't know how to stand up to doctors. I wish I could go to the office with them. It just takes a couple times and you learn how to deal with their looks of disapproval and words of disdain. I have to warn you that you will feel like dirt the first time you try to "discuss" vaccines with your pediatrician. They will give you all kinds of statistics and say that there is no evidence that vaccines cause injury. However, when you bring your child in to be vaccinated they won't hesitate to pull out the release form for you to sign basically stating that they are released from all liability resulting from the vaccine....and they can't guarantee nothing will happen...AND basically they can't be sued if something does. You would have to rely on the "vaccine compensation" program and it's there for that purpose.
Let's discuss the vaccine compensation program for a second. Theoretically it's there for parents in case there is an adverse reaction after a vaccine is administered. If your child has a reaction immediately following the vaccine then your case is probably easier to prove. However, if you don't notice the reaction or if it's not reported within their two-month "window" then it will probably be a lot harder to prove. You will also have to have documentation of any "reaction" or else they will say you haven't proved any "damages" and you're out of luck. Don't count on the doctor to help you either. They will likely not remember and if it's not in their records then there is nothing they can do. I have already discussed the things you must look out for in a previous post so I urge you to read it if you haven't already. It's entitled: "What do I Really Think About Vaccines" and it was posted on Sept. 26th.
Most parents are under the impression that they either have to vaccinate according to schedule or not vaccinate at all. That is not the case. The laws vary from state to state, but if you can get a Religious/Philosophical Exemption then that is your best bet. You can write down which vaccines you don't want your child to get and it doesn't have to be an all or none proposition. It will also protect you against any other vaccines that might come up in the future. Right now the HPV Vaccine is one that is very controversial and I am sure many more will follow.
I have also discussed vaccinating on a different schedule than the CDC suggests. Let me explain to you why the CDC suggests the current mandated schedule. There is a lot of money invested in vaccines. However, there is also another dilemma. The government wants to make sure that low-income families and those that are more prone to drug abuse or neglect are covered. That is why Hepatitis B vaccine is administered to newborn babies, for example. The government knows that the majority of American mothers are not going to have Hepatitis B, but because there are those FEW people that might then they want to make sure that the vaccine is covered under the Federal guidelines and keep babies from being affected. The irony of it all though is that we are potentially harming millions of babies in order to "protect" the minority. Since the government can't "discriminate" then they have to mandate it. Does that make sense to you?
Another example is the flu shot. I was shocked when I read that in children five and younger the flu shot did not reduce the numbers of hospitalizations. This is according to the CDC!!! So why are pediatricians pushing for it? Makes no senses to me. Read more about it: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_70107.html
Parents need to question the need for certain vaccines and the timing for sure. Why do twelve year-old girls need the HPV vaccine? Because in low-income families and minority groups there is a higher incidence of teenage pregnancy and sex. I heard a doctor say once on television that the government has to mandate certain vaccines so that it can be available to low-income families. In other words, so that they can go to the County Health Department and have tax dollars pay for their vaccines. That's it in a nutshell.
This is a wonderful website that is full of information on vaccines and VAERS and anything else you can think of. http://www.909shot.com/Issues/Intro_Message.htm I urge you to visit it. I found answers to a lot of questions. It can give you the ammunition you need to face doctors.
If you are pregnant then begin by making a labor plan that includes what vaccines, if any, you want your child to receive. I personally did not give my newborn a Hepatitis B shot and I made sure that they knew. I had my husband follow our baby after he was born, and we prevented the nurse from "accidentally" giving it to my baby. Another thing you might want to do is discuss your wishes with your baby's pediatrician. It's important that the doctor knows your beliefs and that they are respected. Throughout your pregnancy you were careful about what you ate, medicines you took, and what toxins you were exposed to... right? Well, this is just a continuation of that same care you took. Would you feed your newborn baby tap water not knowing what it's in it? Well...would you inject anything into your baby without knowing what is in it? Here is a good link showing all the things in vaccines: http://www.fda.gov/CBER/vaccine/thimerosal.htm It's from the FDA themselves. I did not make this up! (It is truly unbelievable the stuff they put in vaccines.)
After your child is born, the pediatrician will try to urge you to start vaccinating right away. I urge you to consider waiting at least a couple months. If you are breastfeeding then you can wait longer. Your breast milk will have all the antibodies and nutrients your baby needs. When you decide to start vaccinating, then work out a schedule that you feel comfortable with. I would advice starting with just one vaccine at a time. If you have a reaction there is no way you can know what caused it if you had multiple shots given. It could be as simple as an allergy to eggs for example, but how would you know?
Now...the following is based purely on MY theory and thought process, and I have no link(s) to back it up. I think that the most critical time is when the brain is developing. Much of the brain development occurs the first three years of a child's life and therefore are very important. That is when you should try and limit the amount of toxins and allergens they are exposed to. If your child is not going to be in a daycare environment or preschool then you really have more options. It's important that you prepare yourself mentally as well as physically for whatever decision you make. It helps to prepare from the very start. Write it down if you have to, discuss it with your spouse, and come prepared when approaching the subject with your pediatrician.
I wish you all the very best and hope that my information will help you. It's just a difficult subject for me to talk about because I often get angry. I have learned to remain focused and put my children first. That has given me more courage and conviction than anything else in the world.
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Courage comes from a place deep inside
the soul. It's locked away until you
find the key that unlocks that door.
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