To Vaccinate or Not
Please excuse me, no spell checker tonight!
Please excuse, no spell check tonight.
Today Brady and I took the girls to their 4 year old and 2 year old "well" check-up. This included height, weight, eye, ear and a plethra of fun exams for the girls. The not so fun part was of course their SHOTS, something I still remember as a child as "the dreaded shots!" I needed to get some paperwork in for Mags preschool so I opted to see a different doctor at our regular clinic resulting in a prompt appointment.
I'll set the scene. After the headlines recent info regarding the Federal Governmants first court ruling acknowledging the possible link between Autism and thymerisal in vaccinations I was loaded with questins for the doctor. Here is one of hundreds of links http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-kirby/government-concedes-vacci_b_88323.html.
I have always had questions but after the latest headlines I have been losing sleep over our decision to vaccinate, so I was patiently waiting to do what everyone recommends including myself "talk to your pediatrician; they will know best."
The last time I questioned Maggie's vaccinations, my trusty doctor made some great points.. he stated that there was no research that backs the specs and that anyone under 40 takes vaccinations for granted, insinuating that if we didn't vaccinate we would become what most third world countries struggle with: children dying of unnessesary diseases...point well taken.
In the meantime I can't help but keep my eyes and ears open to all of the news regarding links autism/vaccines as well as personal testimonies from parents of autistic children that would bett their life on the link.
I can not imagine what it must be like to hear your child speak, to see their little personalitly begin to blossom, to know your child one way and -if the link is true- live with the decisions made to inject my child with a shot that could take all of that away.
Having said all of this, I am totally on the fence and had a lot of questions for the doctor.
Obviously I am still a sceptic but after todays appointment I am fired up.
Here we go...
...Did this "substitute" doctor answer my questions patiently? No. Did she listen to me and try to show empathy for my recent findings? No. Did she accuse me of getting my info from shows like House and ER? Yes. Come on give me a little credit. Does she have children? No, which Brady and I both believe is a very valid question. When I asked her about the recent Fed. court rulings she looked at me like I was crazy. She said she didn't believe there was such a case. I asked her which shot was "the" rumored autism shot. She said if there was any truth she thought parents were talking about the MMI shot. All these "no's
and atleast she knew what shot I was talking about. She denied my implication that she could possibly be frustated with the rising questions from parents, she denied that there was any such rise. Leaving me to feel as if I was the only parent asking questions. I am not suggestioning a consipiracy from the drug companies, I am not a conspiracist. I am a sceptic. I am not quick to believe that just because "they" say it is "ok" then it is, I am aslo not a big rebel. I know simply that drugs are constantly being researched and new findings are always made. For instance: the fact that no pediatrition in his right mind would give or could give legally the "old" DTP shot. That there is a new version the DTaP shot that is the legal vaccination for children "these days". But, before research proved the shot to be unsafe for children it was a main stream vaccination. Things cahnge, don't look at me like I am crazy or a disturbance for being a forward thinker, I am not neurotic or obsessive. It is obvious that our medical system is advancing daily, yearly...urg!
Anyway, after all of this I was reasured that the shot Mimi received was a second dose shot which means we have already scene any side effects that she could have sufferred from. And that Maggie was simply out of the red zone for autism, being that she is 4.
I signed the paper work, unsettled; it was like slow motion. And then we proceeded with the shots, after Brady put an end to our little debate.
It never really got heated I simply needed information from a professional. My impression of her. Not a professional at all, zero people skills, and an extremely uniformed pediatrition. I am ranting I know.
It seems that I am in the clear with the girls and their age but I have another little one on the way. Another little one that I have to choose to or not to vaccinate and I am still less settled than before, if not more. Any imput from all of you parents out there?
Comments
I am so glad that Aaron had already had his shots when all of this new info came out. I would like to think that if the situation was different I would go ahead and do what I could to protect my child from diseases and put the rest in God's hands, but I just don't know. I will be honest I am more worried about different diseases becoming more abundant now that we have so many illegals coming from different countries and they are not vaccinated and the countries they are coming from have these diseases. Plus working in the medical records dept of a hospital I see so many things. I think you and Brady should just pray about it and the answer will come.
As a neonatal nurse, I have been hit with this question alot lately with my collegues and parents. I have still not come to a conclusion for my own child, but I become more skepitical everyday. I know your routine pediatricin and I would talk with him more in depth. He is very good at researching and completly understands a parent's point of view even though he does not have children of his own( I don't think he does yet?) Pray about it and ask him about possibly waiting to vaccinate your new baby. By the way, look me up when you guys come to the hospital.
Megan Rhodes Miller
I'm as skeptical about all of this new information as you are, Danielle. With Harlee already having a lot of the vaccinations prior to this information coming out, I am still concerned about the new baby. Unfortunately, children aren't allowed into daycare unless their vaccinations are current so, that of course, is one of the major deciding factors for our family concerning vaccinations. I, would like to believe that everything will be fine for our children but in the back of my mind, like so many other parents, is the thought that something perhaps preventable, such as autism, could occur because of an attempt to protect our children from diseases. It's a toss-up, actually, and I'm on the fence with you, and a lot of other parents, I'm sure, on this. As a parent, this is just one more issue to lose sleep over.....
I am still torn by this one...I didn't have any of my babies vaccinated in the hospital. I waited with all of them until four months old to start vaccinating. None of them have had the chicken pox or the Hepatitis vaccination. (Read up on shingles...) You can get a phylosophical exemption for whatever vaccine you're not "comfortable with" when they start Kindergarten. I totally understand where you are coming from...I switched pediatricians a few times because of the "you must be retarded" look they gave me when they found out Eden was born at home! I finally found one who would listen to my questions and at least act like I wasn't crazy!
You have every right to question everything. You have to watch out for the alarmist websites out there...but I agree with the comment of "just pray about it."
Having worked with autistic children in the past, no one wants to have to go through what the parents of those children struggle with on a daily basis. To put your mind at ease, girls are less likely (actually by quite a wide margin) to have autism than boys.
Just "educate yourself." My mantra on birth and everything else!
You're a great mom!
Danielle, I don't know if you remember me or not, I used to Beth Stovall back at UCA and was an Alpha Tau - I think you pledged to me. Anyway, I saw this post, and just had to comment. I am the mother of a 5 year old with autism. Sam is the sweetest, most loving, most beautiful little boy you'll ever meet. He is the song of my heart. But around the age of 18 months we began to notice him descending into this far away place. He no longer responded to his name, stopped speaking and just appeared to be in a fog most of the time. It was terrifying. I would hope no other parent would ever have to face what we've been through. But the truth of the matter is that they are and the statistics are staggering. As a mother dealing with the daily struggles that are autism, I am absolutely convinced that there is a link between vaccines and the rising autism rates. You are wise to question your pediatrician. Unfortunely, alot of docs will address you in the same manner you received. I, too, am not a conspiracy theorist, just an advocate, unfortunately, by neccessity. I am definitely not trying to scare anyone at all. I just wish more people were educated on the research that has been done. Try reading "Evidence of Harm" by David Kirby. As for your girls, they are precious, and as someone else mentioned earlier, being girls, they are at much less a risk, than boys. Something I think you may be interested in though, for your new baby is an extended vaccination schedule. It just makes so much more since than the one currently in use. Google Dr. Stephanie Cave, she is an expert on it. As for my newest addition - Georgia (3 months old), we have chosen to not have her vaccinated at this time. And that's not a decision that I made lightly. If we do at some point later decide to vaccinate, we will definitely follow an extended schedule and spread out the shots. Its just too much for an immature immune system to handle. Autism is not the only link being made to vaccines. There are studies also showing links to juvenille diabetes, Altheimers, etc. So, there's my two cents worth....sorry to get on my soap box, I'm just a concerned mommy living the fear that every parent dreads....kudos to you for asking the important questions and being an advocate for your kiddos. As for Sam, I wouldn't trade him for the world, and he continues to improve all the time. But I would give the world to hear his sweet little voice. We, too, have a blog www.kevinbethsam.blogspot.com - you can see for yourself what a sweet little guy he is. We are so proud. Good luck on your newest addition.
Here is a link to a table put out by the CDC that lists the thimerosol content of all the common vaccines by manufacturer/tradename. There is at least one manufacturer for each type of vaccine that your child will recieve that contains no mercury (thimerosol) at all. You can cross check this list with the vaccines your pediatrician carries and request only the ones that contain no mercury. It took me about 2 years of questioning and doing my own research to find this table. I hope it helps!
http://www.fda.gov/cber/vaccine/thimerosal.htm#t1
Hello - I am a friend of Josh and Brooke Verdell's (I work with Josh) and enjoy looking at their blog and their friends' blogs. I think we met at one of Jackson's parties. I took my youngest daughter Savannah to her 1 year check up today. I too had several questions for our pediatrician (Dr. David Weed at Central Arkansas Pediatric Benton/Bryant) who is absolutely wonderful. He listened, was very patient, noted that there is no proof of any link, however; he said that bottom line, she is my daughter and he completely respects my decision. He also pointed out that Measles is virtually extinct and there has been no case in Arkansas since 1998. He also noted that the mumps virus is much more dangerous for boys since it can cause sterility in males and that Rubella is very dangerous for pregnant women due to the birth defects it can cause an unborn child. Which means that these diseases pose little risk for my 1 year old daughter. So he said there was no problem waiting on the MMR vaccine until she was a little older and that is what I decided to do. I did not worry about all this with my oldest daughter (Lexie will be 5 in May), but as I explained to the pediatrician - every few months a medication that was thought to be "safe" is proven "unsafe" and I just want to make sure I use all the information at my disposal. Anyway, great thoughts and great topic. It may be something to consider with your next one. Get the vaccines that are not so controversial and wait on more information or at least until she is older to get the ones that are currently in question. I would love to check in on your oldest daughter's blog from time to time if you don't mind sending me the password. I totally understand if you don't feel comfortable since you don't really know me. Have a great day and congratulations on your new house and the upcoming birth of your third daughter... Aren't girls wonderful? Also, interesting that the word required to post the comment is "risk..."
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I am so glad that Aaron had already had his shots when all of this new info came out. I would like to think that if the situation was different I would go ahead and do what I could to protect my child from diseases and put the rest in God's hands, but I just don't know. I will be honest I am more worried about different diseases becoming more abundant now that we have so many illegals coming from different countries and they are not vaccinated and the countries they are coming from have these diseases. Plus working in the medical records dept of a hospital I see so many things. I think you and Brady should just pray about it and the answer will come.