Micah's 2 week doctor appointment is coming up next week, and that means round 1 of the dreaded vaccines! I have always been real skeptical of vaccines in America because of all the talk of their connection to autism. But now that my decision of whether or not to vaccinate Micah is right around the corner, I am cramming in the research on both sides of the topic.
The anti-vaccinators argue that despite what the FDA and other agencies say, there is a strong correlation between vaccines and occurrences of autism, due to the mercury-containing compound called themirosal that is in some of the vaccines, particularly the MMR vaccine.
On the pro-vaccination side, it is of course a necessity to protect our children from dangerous diseases. When we vaccinate, we are helping our children's immune system build the necessary defenses to fight anything that may come our way.
And in the very middle is where I find myself. I am definitely not thinking that not vaccinating Micah is an option. But I am also thinking that if anything would have a chance of harming my baby, I do not want to even take the risk! So what do I do? There has to be some middle ground...like spreading out vaccinations, and breaking up bundled vaccines such as MMR.....I just don't know.
I am starting to worry about this issue, and was wondering if anyone else has done any research on the subject. Here are some resources I have found:
Anti-Vaccines: http://www.thegreenparent.com/2009/02/05/the-vaccination-decision-vaccines-and-autism/
Pro-Vaccines: http://www.thegreenparent.com/2009/02/17/court-rules-no-link-between-vaccines-and-autism/
Jenny McCarthy's organization: http://www.generationrescue.org/vaccines/vaccines
Jenny McCarthy's Story: http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Mothers-Battle-Autism/
But I just wanted to know if anyone else had any wisdom to share before I take the vaccine plunge....
Here is my issue with vaccines: It is the AMOUNT they give those little bodies at one time. It is (in my opinion) a lot for their little bodies to handle -- it's quite a toxic load. We do a delayed vaccination schedule. It is the Dr. Sears delayed vax schedule. He wrote The Vaccine Book. He is a doctor who is pro-vaccine but is also in favor of limiting the toxic load on their little bodies at any given time (he doesn't just have a problem with toxins in vaccines but also in food, the environment, etc - he has been a lot of help to me on what I feed my baby as well). He suggests giving them extra vitamins before and after vaccines, helps you to understand any reactions they may be having to a vaccine, etc. Check out his book or google him for more info: Dr. Sears (I think it is Dr. Bob Sears), author of The Vaccine Book.
ReplyDeleteHope this helps! This is an incredibly controversial topic so these are just my opinions and I won't hate you if you don't share them. :) I can't wait to see you at our new moms class in a couple months!!
in school i heard they pretty much ruled out the connection btw autism and vaccines. i never personally researched the subject, but i did take a class on autism.... so.... my suggestions would be to ignore celebrities and read boring scientific, peer reviewed studies... if you can stay awake :)
ReplyDeletein my case, i will make my husband do that. he'd probably rather look into that, than breastfeeding, right?