Vaccinations - Santa Fe, NM

I would rather have my kids have autism than measles, or any other disesases thought to be caused by the vaccination. I did ask my ped about this and she said that many have thought it was the 18 month vac causing autism because that is when signs start showing;however, she said that there are proven studies that it is gene deriven and not caused by the vaccination.

I have heard so many different things about vaccines, but both my girls are fully vaccinated. For example, chicken pox vaccine, in my opinion, is better than getting chicken pox. I had chicken pox, and even though it was 40 years ago, I still remember how awful it was. And when they're young and at school with other kids that get sick, they're less likely to end up in really bad shape. That has been my experience. Also, most schools, even preschools, don't take children who haven't been vaccinated.

Hi A.,
My daughter is almost 8 months old and not vaccinated. I am considering partial vaccination, but still doing research. If you have not already, I suggest doing heavy research of your own and then make an educated decision.
As far as risk of vaccinations, bad reactions do occur. Horrible reactions do occur, and if your child is one of the few who is harmed or killed, you would hate yourself for doing that to her. As far as risks of diseases go, doctors and vaccine manufacturers only show you the worst of what can happen. Worst aspects of diseases are the rarest, just as bad reactions to vaccines.
As a child, I had hep A or B, so am naturally immune for life and my daughter has temporary immunity since i breastfeed. You cannot pass on immunity from a vaccine to your child. I had chickenpox as a child and did not suffer the worst side effects from the disease, now my daughter has temp immunity to that as well. I never had a HIB vaccine as a child as HIB came out just as i finished my childhood vaccinations. I never got HIB. My great grandparents probably never saw a vaccine in their lives, and they lived to raise my grandparents.

I still believe that autism may be related to vaccines, of course nobody is going to tell us otherwise. They only want us to hear good things about vaccines.
It is important to remember that vaccines are not 100% effective. Suppose your child has a bad reaction to a vaccine only to contract the disease later....double whammie.
If you practice healthy eating, exercise and hygeine habits, I think you will be safe.
A lot of bad diseases come from places that have lower standards of living and cleanliness than we do in the US.
Once you give your child that shot, you can never go back.

We only give our babies/kids one vaccine at a time. My husband is in healthcare and wants them eventually vaccinated b/c he is not sure what he'll be exposed to, but he also does not feel like tiny bodies need to have five vaccines at once.

You CAN participate in school and other activities if you choose not to. We submit an exemption form required by our state whenever asked for records.

As her parent, you get to decide what works for your family. I know families that do not vaccinate at all, those who spread them out and some who wait until their child is much older and they feel their systems are ready for it.

My oldest never had any reactions. My other child is a little more sensitive and would occasionally be in pain and get a hard lump and small fever and refuse to walk b/c of the pain. It can vary. Good luck and please do what feels right to you!

I have always been a firm believer of protecting your children at all costs. My children have gotten all their shots when needed at the same visit, and had only a slight fever some of the times it didn't happen with every shot visit. My fiance is also in health care and works for the hospital and has seen the not so good cases that come in.

Yes it is your choice, your children, your life, however you must use wisdom in making choices for your children since they know no better. You are your child's voice and first line of defense. What you do now will affect your child in the near future. You may very well be able to submit a form that excludes you legally from having to give your child vaccine shots, but at what cost to your child? Educate yourself first, your baby is young and you have time to get all the knowledge you need to make an informed decision.

Find out about all the diseases and what they can do to your child's body if your child is exposed to it. And the quality of life it will leave your child with if ever exposed to any of those diseases. What you find will be hard to look at and take in but at least you will have the knowledge and be informed of what your decisions will cost you if you ultimately make the wrong choice.

As parents we are never perfect and make mistakes, I have made several in raising my kids on what works and doesn't for my kids, but i've also had to explain that mommy messed it up badly and now we have to work together to correct what ever it was that i messed up that time. As a new mom you want to protect your child and give them the best possible. In order to do that you need to educate yourself on the situation you find yourself in, it could be the very thing that saves you and your child's life one day.

Congrats on your new baby and good luck in what ever your decision will be on getting shots.

Hi A.-
I would recommend reading the book "What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Children's Vaccinations" by Stephanie Cave. This particular book is a lot less biased than many of the other books and gives you the pros AND cons of all the different vaccinations. The author is an MD and gives her own reccomendations on all the different shots.

I have several friends who have chosen to not vaccinate. I also have friends who were never vaccinated themselves. ALL are perfectly healthy!

Personally, I have chosen to do most vaccinations but on a delayed schedule. The leading ingredient that causes problems is the mercury, which IS still in most vaccinations. The main problem with it is that a baby's system is immature and can have difficulty breaking it down. My husband and I have chosen to do one shot at a time to avoid pumping too many toxins into our baby at once. We have tried doing several shots at once and it made our daughter very sick for about a week. She has not had any reactions since we started doing one at a time.

We spoke with her pediatrician about our decision and he was great about it. He agreed we are making an informed and intelligent decision. I would suggest reading that book as well as any other information both for and against vaccinations so you can make a decision that you are comfortable with.

If you have any further questions about it, please feel free to ask me!

All of my kids have been vaccinated and are just fine. My oldest even had the vericella vaccination just after a case of the chicken pox at the age of 6 months, just to make sure her blood titre was high enough that she didn't get another case. (Her initial case was pretty minimal.)

I absolutely understand a parent's concerns with vaccinations, but I'd be more likely to share them if any of the studies I've read showed a clear correlation between the vaccinations and autism. They make leaps of logic that are just too broadly sweeping.

For me, the risks of NOT vaccinating far outweigh the risks of vaccinating. Particularly if my children grow into adults that travel overseas or into countries where these diseases and conditions are still prevalent.

Oh, and my mom is a nurse and my husband a med student. I wouldn't get away with not vaccinating, even if I were so inclined. =)

hey Audry,
I had a friend, when my kids were little she didn't believe in shots or sunscrean.
you can send them to school if you tell them it is against your religion.
i personally don't get flu shots and i don't believe in the new immunazation for hpv. you should do what ever you are compforable with.
The only thing is, if you child is that one in a million that gets polio or something you would be mad at yourself. the old immunazations are safer then the new ones i think.
CherylP.S. Are you snowed in too?

i don't know of anyone that has problems with vaccines. you need to get your child vaccinated it could be a problem for your child if you don't your child will not be able to go to school if you don't... you would be putting your child in danger too!!!!!!!!!

There is no way that I would ever NOT vaccinate my daughter. I've heard and read both sides of the debate and came to my own educated decision. There have been no negative reactions and my daughter is in perfect health. In 1998 a British gastroenterologist by the name of Andrew Wakefield, along with several collegues, did a study to "prove" the link between the MMR vaccine and autism. This scared a lot of people, but the study was widely discredited among those in the medical field. A lot of people believed the study because autism shows up around the same time the vaccine is given. A couple of years ago the individuals that conducted the study admitted that there was no casual link between the vaccine and autism. The illnesses prevented are almost nonexistent because the majority of the public is vaccinated, however, if more people stop vaccinating, it's entirely possible for these illnesses to come back. Let's say your child's (non-vaccinated) schoolmate goes overseas, to a less than healthy country for vacation. Let's say that your (vaccinated) child has yet to get a certain vaccination. Let's say that the schoolmate returns to school with a disease contracted while overseas, a disease that couldn've been prevented had that child been vaccinated. Now that child is ill, and your child is at risk because her appt for said vaccine wasn't until next week. Ultimately, you have to make your own decision, but I highly recommend vaccinating your child.

A.,
Vaccinations are so very important. You can tell your Dr. to split them up though. My daughters have never had more than two shots at a visit. You might have to take her to one or two more visits, but it's better because they are not getting so much at once. My doctor is excellent and this is what he does with all of his patients.

First off, the main ingredient THOUGHT to trigger the autism (the jury is still out on that) was removed from vaccinations quite a few years ago.

Second, if you don't get your child vaccinated your child will not be able to participate in most organized activities. Not just school, but even dance lessons, swim lessons, etc. are requiring proof of immunization before you can even put them on a list to sign up.

And thirdly, the diseases these vaccinations are preventing are MOSTLY eradicated, but some are making a comeback!!!

I'm glad to see most mothers agree with me. I am currently in school to work in the healthcare field and we have already covered the dangers of not immunizing. Because of irresponsible, panic happy mothers we are soon to see a reoccurance of diseases that have been wiped out. It is totally ridiculous not to have your baby protected. I also get a kick out of mothers who don't immunize and try to make things as natural as possible, but as soon as their child does get sick they run to the emergency room looking for doctors to do anything to save their child. The risks of not immunizing far outweigh the risks of side effects (which are as minimal as possible.)

I always vaccinated both my kids but with some hesitation. I would NOT rather have my child be autistic.
I did not get all the vaccinations lumped together- I spaced out the timeline- does that make sense? I stay at home with them so they were not going to be exposed to a daycare atmosphere and I don't think there is any good reason to lump vaccinations all together, except for convenience. So you have to make a couple extra trips.
Also one of the main things to look for is that they did not use thimerisol(mercury) as a preservitive. That is what they have linked to autism.

Also- wait to give vaccinations if your child is ill with a cold or something, it just wears their immune system down.

Best wishes and feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions.

S.

The risks to your child if you do not get him/her vaccinated far out-weigh the risks of the vaccine. Do you really want to expose your child to the risk of Measles, Polio, Rhubella, Mumps, etc.?

I can't believe that there is such a debate over this! Please, get your child vaccinated! My daughter was 6 weeks premature and I have still gotten all of her shots on time. She has never had any adverse reactions. She even had a flu shot at 8 months old, still with no reaction. As many other mothers have stated, the Autism risk is unfounded. All other diseases are now making a comeback because of people not wanting to vaccinate their children. This puts my child and everyone else's at risk to practically erradicated diseases! Do you really want to take the chance of your child becoming paralized because of Polio? We are lucky enough to live in the United States where these risks are slim to none. Take advantage of preventing these detrimental diseases.

Children must be vaccinated!!! My three girls get sick after getting there shots, but you have to think of the alternative. Would you rather have your baby get what seems to be a cold or so ill that she has to be hospitalized for days because she didn't get her shots. Sometimes children have a negitive reaction, but it is still not as bad as getting the disese they are getting the shot for. Your best bet is to call the doctor if she has a negitive reaction and they will tell you what to do. You have to think about what could happen. I have been told that I am a paranoid mother and I would much rather my girls(4,3,6 months) get sick then be on the verge of death. I know that seems harsh, but that is the reality of it.