Sunday, September 14, 2008

Ugh.

Four month appointment tomorrow. I'm trying to figure out how Mady and I can get away with spending the whole day in bed with the covers over our heads. I'm at a loss.

Actually, I plan to inform her ped that we will now be following a delayed vaccination schedule, so maybe she'll only be getting one or two shots instead of three or four. I have been studying the ingredients and side effects of each vaccine and the facts are incredibly disturbing. Although I don't want my daughter shot full of metals and aborted fetus tissue, I understand the importance of vaccinating, but I still don't know where I stand on the debate.

If her Doctor gives me a hard time about a delayed schedule, I honestly don't know if I'll just say "screw it, give her the shots", or "eff you, I'll find a new doctor". I imagine I'll shed some tears either way.

As I said, I'm at a loss.

If I allow them to give her all the shots, and all on time, and she has some awful reaction, how would I live with myself? If I delay the vaccines, or opt out of some of them altogether, and she is exposed to some child who also skipped shots, this child with rubella, how would I live with myself?

She'll be getting her shots tomorrow.

Maybe.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey there - I posted this on BBC, too, but wanted to try you here as well ...

Hey - don't know if you'll get this in time ... but I just wanted to encourage you ... DO NOT BACK DOWN if you're uncomfortable with the regular vax schedule! It is YOUR right as the parent to decide how and when to vaccinate your baby.



There is a TON of evidence out there of the potential harms of the current vax schedule. You are NOT crazy, and you should not be made to feel bad about it.



Even if you don't know where you stand yet (and I encourage further research), it is wise to follow your gut and delay the vaccinations until you know what you want to do or until you feel more comfortable. Don't do it out of feeling pressured.



I did the same thing with my son (my 2nd). My first was vaxed on schedule (I was clueless about the issues then), but by the time he came around, I had become aware of some of the potential problems and didn't feel comfortable.



Still, b/c I wasn't sure of my "plan," I went ahead and let him get TWO full rounds of shots (at 3 mos and 5 mos) ... and I TOTALLY regretted it. He did have a reaction to the first round (totally changed his digestive system to where he became completely intolerant of milk in my system within 24 hours of the shots ... had NEVER had a problem up to that point). It made me crazy to think that whatever they were injecting in him caused his digestive system to change overnight!



Still, when his next round came up (at 5 mos ... we were off by a month on both b/c of an insurance change), I did it AGAIN ... b/c I felt helpless and didn't know what else to do.



By the 6 month shots, I knew better. I just said NO. Did my doc give me grief ... oh yes. They make you sign papers that make it sound like you're killing your kid (and everyone else's) by not vaccinating. But, I held my ground and delayed. And ya know what, it was empowering. I'm the mom and I know my child best.



I went home, researched some more, found a delayed schedule I was happy and comfortable with (check out Dr. Sears The Vaccine Book ... he's not too extreme in any direction and has several alternate schedules to follow - it's great). I went back in at 7 mos and began his alternate delayed schedule. Doc still wasn't happy, but they complied. I am soooo much happier w/ my decision. My son is happy and healthy. He will eventually be fully vaccinated (I'm not anti-vax at all), but slowly and carefully, reducing unnecessary risks.



Anyway, sorry - didn't mean to go into all of that, necessarily, but I really hope you don't make a decision you're uncomfortable with out of feeling pressured. If you're not comfortable, I encourage you to skip this round of shots altogether and go get a couple of books or start researching more online. It's doubtful that your child is considered "high risk" for any of the diseases she'd be vaxed for anyway - 2 or 3 (or even 6) months w/o a giant dose of chemicals is not going to harm her. (Could she be exposed to something, sure, but if you research, you'll find that very few of the diseases we vax against so aggressively are life-threatening in most cases.) Filling her tiny body up w/ chemicals most certainly can be harmful.



Just some thoughts as you "face the day" tomorrow. I wish you luck, and strength. Just remember - there will be LOTS of uncomfortable and difficult decisions as you go through life as a mommy. You have to do what YOU feel is right for your little girl.


Blessings,


Shannon

Megan said...

That's funny, I was just talking to George about this the other day. I'm stopping Mason's shots too. I wish I would have read about it all sooner.

Let me know how it goes so I know whether or not I need to be prepared to tell some doctors to eff off in two weeks.