Sneaky - posted on 04/05/2011 ( 61 moms have responded )
1,170
33
So I have been venting in another group - I'm freaked out that there has been a measles outbreak in my state (NSW, Australia) and my baby hasn't had the MMR vaccine yet because she is too young. I might be more than the normal amount of freaked out because my husband caught measles when he was a baby (too young for the vaccination) and almost died. I did think that that was a realistic thing to vent about, but today I get this:
AH - posted 7 hours ago
"So, i posted most of this on a different thread but this one clearly needs a dose of reality....
I really find it disturbing that people who choose to vaccinate try and force everyone else to do the same just because they do. And the thought that we should be forced to have viruses injected into our newborns is insane. Over the years i have found that those who choose to follow the cdc's vaccine schedule and not question what their doctor says are the same people who have never read research studies,product inserts and investigated documented vaccine reactions. It is almost always the people willing to put in the legwork do their homework and make informed decisions that choose not to vaccinate their children. there are actually several people on these threads saying "i don't have the time to sit down and research this stuff for my kid" ..really?? then maybe you should change your priorities.
You also don't have to get your kids their shots on anyone elses schedule you can do what you feel comfortable with. My husband and i decided to wait until we felt we had done all our research before starting any vaccines (which happened to be when she was 20 weeks old.) i had done an entire research project on childhood vaccine safety and efficacy in nursing school only two years before but even in that short amount of time more studies came out and so did new vacine recomendations so we wanted to make sure we were up to date on our info.
People seriously have to stop grouping all children into the same risk factor catergory.Before our daughter recieved her first DTaP shot we literally kept her either at home, spent lots of time out in the open air on walks, or at family members houses who were illness free (her grandparents and father and aunts and uncles all got their TDaP boosters as well to protect her). Any one who touched her washed their hands before they did so she was not around other children or large groups. It is not other people's responsibility to protect your young infants...that is your job as a parent and one i took seriously. That meant not taking her grocery shopping or going out to dinner for about 6 months but it was a small sacrifice. She was also breastfed for almost 2 years and got antibodies for every disease i am immune to everytime she ate so she wasn't at much risk for most communicable diseases we vaccinate for anyway. I also stay home with her durring the week and work on the weekends so she has never had to be in a daycare setting. My child simply does not have the same risk factors as a child whose parents pass them around to anyone,take them out to crowded places stick them in daycare and throw them a bottle of formula.
You have to make the decision for your family and your child..not whats right for other people. If something doesnt sit right with you and you don't feel as though you have enogh info to make a decison then wait...but realize that it does put your child at an increased risk and act accordingly. I am writing this as i sit next to my daughter who is working happily on her workbook and is about one week into the chicken pox (gasp!). No problems and almost zero complaints with over 250 spots....i am so glad she got them as a child and now has lifelong immunity and isnt gonna have to worry about getting 3 shots for it before she is 13 and then boosters for the rest of her life. She has recieved some vaccines that i felt were important.... but vaccinate her for normal childhood illnesses meant to be had in childhood that RARELY have complications when they get them at a young age....not a chance.
For the vast majority of children (and people who vaccinate seem to love statistics since they are always quoting how safe and effective they are) measles, mumps chciken pox ect pass without any problems whatsoever. Is there the occasional problem ..of course...are there occasional problems with vaccine side effects ..absolutely (and with these live virus shots most of the vaccines serious side effects are exactly the same as complications from contracting the disease naturally)
So enough with the scare tactics please...it is just rediculous. We all make tough choices for our kids everyday and have to live with them. My child has not been in contact with any other childern who had the chicken pox...she did however play with two children who had just had their pox vaccine a few days before..our doct thinks those kids most likely shed the live virus and gave it to my child. Many docs forget to mention to parents that with the live virus vaccines (think chicken pox measles mumps rubella and rotavirus) their children are able to spread that disease to other children for a certain amount of time and while most parents have common sense to keep their child home when they are ill most don't have the knowledge to be responsible and keep them home for awhile after getting these shots ...so in this case it was the vaccinated children spreading diseases cuz their parents chose to ignore the fact that their kids could infect others with the virus after being immunized.
I have gotten nasty looks...the bad parent speech and had to change doctors bc i chose to do things differently and think for myself....do i care..not even a little. I made the right choices for my family and they may not be the right choices for yours but educate yourself and realize their are two sides to every argument. "
So I guess my question is - am I a stupid, scare mongering mother for getting my daughters MMR done a few weeks early (with the doctors permission of course)?
Can we debate the finer points of the 'response' I got - I think I take issue with the "My child simply does not have the same risk factors as a child whose parents pass them around to anyone,take them out to crowded places stick them in daycare and throw them a bottle of formula" statement for a start . . .
61 Comments
View replies by