Vaccination Debate

Hello ladies,

I am a lurker from the August09 PG but I am having a very hard time coming to a decision for my son.

His 2 month appointment is coming up and I have been doing research about vaccinating and not vaccinating just can't seem to make up my mind. My fiance is very pro vax but he also hasn't done any research on it. I am more non vax.

I would really appreciate some strong points on both. Even if some of you have strong points about certain vaccines I would LOVE to hear them. I tried doing my own research for everything but I am new at this and just want to make the right decision.

I am so worried about SIDS, Autism and other possible effects these vaccines could have on my son. But I'm very scared of him getting sick too. I've literally been in tears over this these past couple days I need some advice.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Also he is breastfed or gets pumped milk. He hasn't had any vaccines yet.

Currently we don't vax. I'm not sure we ever will unless there is a serious outbreak of an illness. For me the major thing it boils down to is that I just can't put those toxins in her body. I spend every second protecting her and my gut tells me that isn't the way right now. We also have religious objections to several vaccines that utilize cells from an aborted fetus. I have lots of other reasons and they only increase with more research. (which I continue to do. I started with the vaccine book and have expanded from there)

I would urge you to keep researching. Take your time and don't do anything until you are very informed and at peace with the decision. Don't let your fiance pressure you without him having done research. If he wants to advocate these vaccines he needs to show you why he thinks they are safe.

Keep on breastfeeding. Consider extended breastfeeding. It really is an amazing immune boosting tool.

Oh and this isn't vaccine related, but it helped me navigate some of the sids fear: http://www.askdrsears.com/html/10/t102100.asp

<<Then I learned that the vaccine does not offer very much protection at all until several shots are administered. By the time the protection kicked in my little one would have been out of the "danger zone" anyway.>>

But even if he/she still caught it, isn't it likely to be less severe than if they weren't vaccinated at all? To me, avoiding a severe case (one that can develop complications) is as important as avoiding the disease at all, which is part of why we choose to vaccinate. We use a spaced schedule, though, so that our little ones don't have to get so many shots all at once. You're right that it's important to find a supportive pediatrician. They might be able to work with them on an alternative vaccination schedule, one that is delayed a bit, more spaced out, and perhaps eliminating a few vaccines altogether (such as Heb B and varicella).

Please read this:

http://insidevaccines.com/wordpress/vaccine-efficacy-how-often-do-vaccines-work/dtap/

http://insidevaccines.com/wordpress/2008/02/14/pertussis-yo-yo-stats/

http://www.medscape.com/druginfo/monograph?cid=med&drugid=149818&drugname=Diph%2CPertus(Acel)%2CTet+Ped+(PF)+IM&monotype=monograph&secid=6

Quote from last one: A single IM dose of DTaP does not provide protection against diphtheria, tetanus, or pertussis; a complete primary immunization series with the age-appropriate preparations is needed to induce optimum levels of antitoxin antibodies that provide protection.