Because of this, we are hosting a weekly series to try and get some answers to some of the most common questions.
Here are the topics we still have for future weeks:
So without further ado, let's get on with Week 10: To Vaccinate Or Not! Since I do not have any children of my own yet, I will be featuring a blogger each week and their expert advice on the topic at hand (:
To Vaccinate Or Not:
Vaccinate
After talking to some other moms + nurses in my family about this topic, I found that this is a more controversial subject than I had realized. Like anything else in this world, others have opposite opinions than I do so I am by no means here to judge or step on any toes whatsoever. All opinions are my own as well as what we think is in our little girls best interest.
Before Paisley was born, I did A LOT of research about all things baby and parenting. Then, the topic of vaccinating started popping up. I never really took into account that some moms wouldn't vaccinate their child because I just figured you had to and would want to. I began to educate myself on a lot of the pros + cons that come with vaccinating.
When you find out that you are going to be a mom, a million things run through your mind. Questions, concerns, the what ifs and precautions on how to keep your child safe and to give them the best life you can.
Let me say that after reading about both ends of the spectrum on vaccinating, I was a little unsure about both. In the end we made the decision to vaccinate.
One of the main reasons we chose to vaccinate was that I couldn't bear the thought of her living unprotected from serious and deadly medical conditions such as polio, measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, among many others. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) allows that diseases are becoming rare due to vaccinations BUT if we stop vaccinating for diseases that are almost unknown, they would stage a comeback and cause a widespread epidemic that could prove to be fatal for many. You can click here to read about what could happen if we stopped vaccinating for the diseases above.
Why Are Childhood Vaccines So Important?
Bulleted items below are directly from the CDC link above. Click to read more.
- Newborn babies are immune to many diseases because they have antibodies they got from their mothers. However, this immunity goes away during the first year of life. Also, young children do not have this "maternal immunity" against some diseases, such as whooping cough.
- If an unvaccianted child is exposed to a disease germ, the child's body may not be strong enough to fight the disease. Before vaccines, many children died from diseases that vaccines now prevent, such as whooping cough, measles, and polio. Those same germs exist today, but because babies are now protected by vaccines, we do not see these diseases nearly as often.
- Immunizing individual children also helps to protect the health of our community, especially those who cannot be immunized. These include children who are too young to be vaccinated (for example, children less than a year old cannot receive the measles vaccine but can be infected by the measles virus), those those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons (for example, children with leukemia), and thos who cannot make an adequate response to vaccination.
Like I said, I am not here to push this down your throat. I could change my mind about it all when nursing school is over and when I know more about it. I am a first time mom and I am just trying to do the best that I can for her. I have a blog friend who is a nurse and believes that Naturopathy is the best route for her little girl and it very well could be. I also agree with her on a post that she wrote about our country being over medicated and how she chose Naturopathy for her daughter. She gave me permission to share that post and you can read that here.
I would like to thank Kaitlyn for giving me the opportunity to share my opinions about vaccinating on her blog and thank you all for reading. I hope you come by and visit The Ashcraft Bunch! :)
Not Vaccinate
Before I get into anything I want to be clear about one thing: All of the things I say are my own opinions that I have formed after doing extensive research and talking to medical professionals I trust. I have made this choice because I feel it is best for my family. What's best for mine, may not be what is best for yours. The choice to vaccinate or not is an extremely personal decision and I like to apply the "live and let live" rule here. I don't think you're stupid/bad if you vaccinate your kid. If you do, that's awesome! If you don't, that's your choice. :)Whew. Sorry for the lengthy disclaimer, but I have firsthand knowledge of how heated discussions about this subject can get. I don't want to get into any arguments, because arguments are dumb. I'm just here to provide another view point for Kaitlyn. :)
Joshua at 2 months old
Back on track. My name is Jana. I blog over at Life Could Be a Dream, and my child isn't vaccinated.There are a number of reasons I have chosen not to vaccinate Joshua at this time. I'll share just a few.
1. Research shows that non-vaccinated children are healthier than vaccinated children. Children who are vaccinated show higher instances of autism, asthma, allergies, skin disorders, immune system disorders, neurological disorders, ADD, ADHD, other behavioral disorders, meningitis, dyslexia, hearing, and vision problems. These conditions are rare in non-vaccinated children.
2. The ingredients present in vaccines freak me out.In addition to deadened, as well as live stains of bacteria, viruses and their toxins, vaccines have been shown to contain traces of formaldehyde, mercury, aluminum, carbolic acid, borax (ant killer), ethylene glycol (antifreeze), dye, acetone (nail polish remover), latex, MSG, animal tissue that may be contaminated with animal viruses, and animal, bacterial, and viral DNA.
Do I want someone injecting those things directly into my infants bloodstream? Yikes! No way!
3. I want my kids to have natural and permanent immunity.Diseases that are contracted naturally are filtered through the immune system (i.e. skin and mucous membranes) and antibodies are created to fight that disease. Vaccines, however, are introduced unnaturally--directly into the bloodstream, giving bacteria, viri, and toxins access to all of the major tissues and organs in the body without the body's normal advantage of total immune response.
Only natural immunity lasts a lifetime, which is why vaccines booster shots have to be re-administered throughout life.
Happy and healthy at 7 1/2 months.
1. Joshua was exclusively breastfed until 6 months and will continue to breastfeed for at least a year. My antibodies are passed to Joshua through breastmilk--this will continue until his own immune system is fully developed, at around 15 months. Because I am exposed to the same environment with the same toxins, bacteria, and viruses as Joshua, my body creates "tailor-made" antibodies for the both of us.
2. All of Joshua's primary care givers have been vaccinated. He is rarely in contact with non-vaccinated individuals. Going back to the breastfeeding bit--because I have been vaccinated, my body has antibodies that are prepped to fight the diseases he would be getting vaccinated for. As he continues to breastfeed, he continually receives this immunity.
3. We live in an area with a high vaccination rate. In talking to my pediatrician, she informed me that 98% of children living in my area are up to date with their vaccinations. If I lived in an area where that number was low, I might feel more inclined to have Joshua vaccinated.
I don't think vaccines are evil--in fact, in many cases they save lives. However, I don't agree with the immunization timeline. In my opinion, and in the opinion of many health care providers that I trust, 2 months is too early to start introducing infectious diseases to a child. Will Joshua be vaccinated in the future? Possibly. There are instances in which I would vaccinate him. Joshua is actually up to date on one shot because one of those instances occurred. There was a pertussis outbreak in our community and several children at the junior high down the street from us contracted the disease. These kids go to our church building, so I decided the proximity was too close and we went ahead and had Joshua get his dTaP. I don't regret that decision, but I do plan on holding off on all of his other shots until he is older. Maybe even permanently.
Making the decision to vaccinate or not should involve a lot of research and an honest look at the kind of lifestyle you lead. If you end up feeling that it is appropriate to vaccinate your child, good for you! That is the best choice for your family. If you don't vaccinate, stick to your guns, because you are making the best choice for yours. :)
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