On Monday I shared how my husband and I formed our vaccination decisions for our family. It’s been quite a journey – and that was just with Big Brother. How did we decide to approach vaccines once Little Sister was born?
For starters, we declined the Hepatitis B vaccine when she was a day old in the hospital. I waited for massive protests from the hospital staff, but didn’t hear a word. Whew.
We fully intended to start her on Dr. Sears’ recommended alternative vaccine schedule at her two-month well check. We went to our pediatric practice and saw a different doctor, who immediately questioned our decision. Unlike Big Brother’s two-month visit, though, this doctor wasn’t confrontational. She wanted to know our concerns and answered all of our questions. We were there quite a long time, and by the end of the visit, Little Sister had all the typical two-month vaccines. So much for an alternative schedule. It was a huge relief when she didn’t have a single side effect.
Two months later, though, when she got another full round of vaccines, she reacted to the DTaP vaccine with a high fever, mild seizures, and inconsolable screaming for several hours. It was terrifying. The entire time, I thought I had ruined my precious baby girl. Several days later, she acted like herself again – however, I decided to return to the alternative schedule. And, because our family moved right around that time, we were able to find a new pediatrician who encouraged the alternative vaccine schedule; it was such a relief to not have to fight for that choice.
Fortunately for our family, Little Sister hasn’t had any additional vaccine reactions.
Since changing physicians, we have heard that our original pediatricians now have a strict vaccine policy – parents choosing an alternative schedule are asked to leave the practice.
Making sense of vaccines
So where do I stand on vaccines?
To be honest, I don’t really know.
On the one hand, I’ve watched my children experience some considerable side effects – yet not nearly as awful as some children have endured. And for this reason, I know vaccines can harm a healthy child.
Yet if we didn’t vaccinate, I know my children would have a chance to catch a preventable disease and might not be able to fight it off fast enough.
Even though I talked with several doctors and read about the issue, I didn’t fully understand vaccines until last fall. It was then, through hours of research and questioning, that everything finally clicked:
A vaccine doesn’t prevent infectious diseases. But a vaccine does introduce a weakened antigen (a germ that is a form of the bacteria or virus that causes a disease) to your immune system. Since the antigen is weakened, your white blood cells have an opportunity to create antibodies (proteins that destroy toxins) to attach to the antigen.
When you’re exposed to a bacteria or virus you’ve been vaccinated against, you might get sick – but your body revs up the old antibodies that were created after your vaccination and your immune system starts fighting right away. In other words, by getting vaccinations you help your immune system quickly generate a response to future attacks. If you refused a vaccine and were exposed to the bacteria or virus, it would take your body seven to twelve days to begin to build antibodies, then fight. In that time, the sickness could quickly progress and cause harm, or even death.
Vaccines aren’t truly immunizations, because a fully vaccinated person isn’t completely immunized – he or she can still contract the disease. However, many medical professionals believe vaccines are beneficial and that it’s better to prevent a serious illness than treat it.
Any vaccine decision is risky. It’s a definite risk to vaccinate, and it’s a definite risk to not vaccinate. But this risky decision doesn’t go away – each parent needs to make a choice.
What’s next
Now that I’ve shared my family’s story and you have a better understanding of where I’m coming from, I still have more vaccine tidbits to share with you. I’m going to make you wait until Monday, though. I promise I’ll wrap up my vaccine stories next Wednesday. Any questions?
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Good for you for putting yourself out there. And good for you for trusting your gut and making an informed decision. Vaccines are hard, and you are right, the risk goes both ways.
In the end, it was my grandmother contracting whooping cough after a bout of pneumonia, and a whooping cough outbreak at a local school while I had a newborn at home, that drove me to vaccinate. We started delayed, and then by the time they were 15 months we were caught up with the standard schedule. I decided the risk to my child was worth it, as we were protecting the community at large. And though we did have one reaction (to the rotovirus vaccine, which we then stopped all together) we have been lucky to have no serious complications.
I totally agree with you. These have been such a hard decision for my husband and I too. Our 16 month old is on track, however we have declined any other optional/seasonal vaccines. I thought the nurse was going to croak when I told her that she wouldnt be giving my baby the flu vaccination and she promptly went and got the doctor to try and sway me saying that everyone who leaves the office without it comes back for it…so far we havent been back :) These are such tough decisions and you just want to do whats best for your babies! Thanks for sharing your story :D
I find it hard as a Christian to give vaccines made from the cell lines of Aborted Fetuses. Such as MMR, chickenpox etc. God is not going to let that one go. What do you think?
Thank you for your prompt reply. Jesus loves the little children, and he warns against those that would hurt them. If we take the warnings of God serious about that, then to profit of the unjust murder of ‘healthy fetuses’ is surely the most abominalbe thing. As the fetus’ are healthy as they would not use one that was terminated for disease or deformity. Not only this but also the whole web of lies around vaccines, the use of children third world to test them on so that WE in the western world can have ‘safe’ vaccines.
My own journey to my current view of vaccines began like yours with various vaccine reactions. These were paraded as normal. Until one of my children got a case of the measles from the MMR. After 10 weeks of Doctors visits I was told that I could not be helped anymore. My child also a few years later got a serious autoimmune disease. When I studied the vaccine inset for MMR I discoverd that this disease is listed as a possible side effect, given the risk of measles and this disease, I would take the measles.
For me the whole vaccine thing is ‘not in the light’. Also when anyone trieds to shine upon it, they are torn down and vilified. I know many people whos children seem to be OK with vaccines, but how ok are we really?
People who’s children have adverse reactions are counted as ‘collateral damage’, I have even heard the saying ‘you have to crack a few eggs to make a omelette’. When its your child its different.
Also we must not be sucked into the ideas of humanism, socialism and collectivism, we are not a herd, we are all individuals as Gods created children, and we are all not the same.
Sorry to rant.
In Jesus
I agree that there’s a HUGE conflict of interest in Christians vaccinating with vaccines made from cell lines of aborted fetuses. (I’m not sure if you’ve read this post yet: http://accidentallygreen.com/a-vaccine-truth-thats-stranger-than-fiction/
I also think that many parents have no clue that aborted fetus cell lines have been used in a few vaccines – I certainly never did. It’s not a fact that doctors are quick to disclose. And, aside from the Catholic church, I don’t think many churches speak up on vaccines or the cell line issue.