To immunize my baby or not?

Question

I know the answer will probably be seemingly obvious to most, but I've done a bit of research on immunizations, their ingredients, efficiency, side effects, etc and I'm still confused about what is best. I am pregnant with my first child and I don't like the thought of my baby being jabbed and injected with heavy metals such as aluminium at such a young age. I'm not "for" or "against" immunizations as of yet but I know that I'm not comfortable with it being done so early in the baby's life when they are most vulnerable I guess...

Moreover (and this is what led me to even consider against immunizing!) one of my doctors who I see regularly, has not and will not ever immunize her daughter who is now 1 and half, because of the known risks associated with them and their lack of efficiency.

Anyway, I would really like some informed opinions please (just to confuse me even more lol).

Thanks :)

Answer 1

You can wait as long as you want, or not do them at all.  I have two kids, who are not vaccinated at all, nor will they be.

If you are in the United States, all but two states have exemptions for school requirements to immunization.

http://mothering.com/discussions/showthr...

Some rebuttals to previous posters:  There has not been a single case of polio in the United States since the year 2000.  Between 1979 and 2000, the only cases of polio in the U.S. were actually caused by the live oral polio vaccine, which is not in use anymore.  So polio is nothing to worry about, unless you think your child is going to be the first one since 1979 to get it naturally--not likely.

Those people on the run in Australia for not vaccinating their baby for Hepatitis B--the mother had Hep B.  If the mother has Hep B, the baby needs to be vaccinated at birth, or it has a high chance of getting the disease.  Otherwise, there is absolutely no reason to vaccinate a baby for Hep B.  It is spread through s*x and intravenous drug use.  Vaccinating at birth for Hep B is a bizarre and dangerous public health experiment.

To meppa30:  The pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine does not prevent transmission.  It only prevents the symptoms in the vaccinated person.  So your children could be silent carriers of whooping cough right now, be spreading it around to infants, and you wouldn't even know it.  At least unvaccinated kids who get whooping cough know they have it so their parents can keep them home while they are contagious.

Answer 2

i have 2 boys, the oldest has had the shots the youngest hasnt they are now 10 and 9 .They are both well, the nine year old hasnt had any problems but if he does feel unwell or develops rash etc i start thinking that he has something and its my fault!

Answer 3

I have 3 children aged 7months, 3 years & 4 1/2 years.  They have all been immunised.  One main thing you need to consider is that when you child goes to either daycare or school they will not accept them unless they are immunised.  My son is about to start prep next year and I had to take the immunisation letter from Medicare to the school for them before they would even consider him to be admitted.  I would not think twice about it but you have looked into it more than i did. Good luck making you decision.

Answer 4

Your child may or may not get the diseases if you do not immunise, but what if he/she is a carrier and passes whooping cough on to a month old baby and they die from complications?  What if your child gets a disease and they are fine but end up with encephalitis and brain damage, but they get better from the disease, is this the same thing?

I have two nephews that have never been immunised, and the rest of the family has been, when ever I have a baby I worry that they will pass something on to my child that could kill or harm them for life.......not immunising isn't just playing with your own child's health but the other children in the playground or school that they have contact with.

Why do you think it is ok to not immunise? Why is it ok for polio to be coming back or whooping cough or measles just because people choose not to immunise. Hepatitis B is a shot given just after your baby is born......if your baby comes in contact with the virus they can die or have a high likelihood of dying or being a vegetable for their little lives.

I have come to the conclusion that my children have been immunised and will be immunised no matter what, I would prefer a few days and nights of an irritated child then lose them to a totally preventable illness. No parent likes to take their child/baby for an injection (or three) but we also don't want to lose our gorgeous kids.

Answer 5

I have five children and all of them have had their injections over the years and are in good health.  I know its hard when you see conflicting evidence on whether injections are a good thing or not, especially when you are a new parent but catching the diseases themselves is a far worse fate than the small risk of having the injections themselves.  In the world of scientific research, money to develop anything is very hard to come by and the epidemics caused by these diseases and the damage they inflicted on those that were infected was enough for the government to fund a solution!  It is obviously a personal choice but if enough parents refuse to have their children immunised then the risk to all will increase rapidly.  Congratulations on your pregnancy!  There will be many times when you have to make decisions that are difficult for your child, even when it comes down to whether or not they ought to have another chocolate biscuit (!!) or whether or not that extra bit of carrot has to be eaten for their five a day but the rewards are great and you eventually learn to go with the flow and recognise an important decision from one that doesn't really matter in the big picture. Best wishes.

Answer 6

What lack of efficiency?  Do you know anyone who has had polio that is under sixty?  Measles is so rare that it causes major scares whenever there is an outbreak when decades ago it was a common disease.  

I would avoid the chicken pox vaccination unless it was necessary for school, wait till they are 18 or so if they never get chicken pox.  Getting chicken pox as a child is not dangerous and provides lifetime protection.  If the vaccine you got as a child wears off when you are an adult you have a dangerous disease on your hands.

Answer 7

Both my children are "up to date" on their shots. Where I'm from schools will not let my children into school without them. I haven't really researched them like you have but I guess if there is a measles outbreak my kids wont get it! lol

Answer 8

do it

think of all the international travelers we have every single day and where they come from and travel too; chances are they are not properly vaccinated if from a poorer country

now, think of population density

next, ppl can be contagious before they ever show symptoms or know they are sick or have been exposed

then, u have all these freaked out ppl NOT vaccinated their children properly...

are you willing to let your child possibly suffer a debilitating or deadly illness out of irrational fear?

my ped is very up to date at all times, i trust him extremely, we talked at length about these scares and he said they are NOT any legitimate controlled studies that even show a strong correllation between autism and such and vaccines...and most studies are old; vaccines have had no mercury traces or such in years...

i am NOT willing to risk my child touching a toy in a store and sticking her hand in her mouth, or me touching a doorknob and inadvertently transferring that to her pacifier...

so YES, get the freakin' vaccines...:)

Answer 9

I am a firm believer of baby immunisation, i think the risks are so small compared to the devastation to my baby and family by not being immunised.

Have you heard the story on the news today about a family in victoria that is on the run from the police and docs, because they refused the hep shot at the hospital.

And like amanda my son would not have been able to attend school if he had not had them.

Answer 10

I felt the same as you and decided to immunize late.  Instead of her first shots at 2 months, my daughter was 4 months old.  I only noticed a bit of crying while the shots were being done, and a bit of soreness at injection sites for 2 days or so.  The second time around, I used a numbing cream and gave her Tylenol 1 hour before the shots.  She was fine as soon as her dad picked her up.  I gave her tylenol every 5 hours after, until her bedtime and she slept a full 11 hours that night.  I only gave her tylenol twice the next day.  She is due for her third set next month and I have no more concerns.

As for choosing shots, I (with my doctors advice) decided against the flu shot and am postponing the MMR and am planning on getting the shots done seperately.  I live in a port city and the olympics are coming here in 2010 so I felt that with all of the people coming here from all over the world, better safe than sorry.  

PS  I think that polio, meningitis, hep, and whooping cough are the most important ones (in my opinion of course!)

Answer 11

The decision is entirely yours.

I think you should spend time researching both sides and see what works for you.

Most have been around for a long time and whilst they do have their risks, they generally speaking do good as a society.  However this doesn't help if anything goes wrong.

Be aware that many pre-schools, schools and the like do have bans on unimmunized children.

Look into alternatives (such as alternative therapies).  This doesn't solve your ban on non immunised children, but may ease your mind over the other concerns.

Answer 12

It is your choice either way.Just research it & go with your gut feelings about it.I decided myself to hold of on everything for now.I just cannot & will not ignore my mommy instinct.The person or people who said that your child cannot go to school or daycare is misinformed..All you have to do is get an exemption if you decide not to vaccinate.Like I said either way,you know what is best for your baby & only you can make this decision.Best of luck..

Answer 13

My daughter is 18 months old and her immunisations are up to date. I never considered not having her immunised. The risks associated with diseases like measles, tetanus, whooping cough and polio are so much greater than the tiny risk of complications from a vaccine.

My mum's friend contracted polio as a child, spent her childhood in calipers and still has difficulty walking unaided.

Unfortunately many people today have forgotten about these devastating diseases and don't want to have their children immunised. As a result, diseases that were close to being eradicated are appearing more and more each year. Those most at risk are babies who aren't old enough for the vaccines.

Rather than looking at scaremongering information about the risks from immunisation, find out about the effects of the diseases. Go and talk to some elderly people who remember the crippling effects of polio and the fatalities from tetanus, diptheria and whooping cough.

Regarding chicken pox, my friend's daughters hadn't been immunised and recently contracted the disease. The 8 year old had a really bad case and almost needed to be hospitalised. She had spots all over the outside of her body and through her insides as well. They were in her ears, nose, mouth, eyelids, oesophagus, a**s and v****a and she was in terrible pain!! While both girls recovered, my friend regrets not taking them for an immunisation that would have prevented the weeks of suffering.

Regarding the age at which a child should be immunised, young babies are still protected by the antibodies they received before birth. If you are breastfeeding, you are providing even more protection. Your baby may be more vulnerable later.  

Answer 14

I wish I had your doctor!  My third baby has had two reactions and I've decided not to vaccinate anymore.  I'm having another baby in a couple months who won't get any.  

A lot of parents are choosing to delay.  If you're going to vaccinate, that would be the best way, I think. And don't give the combo shots!

http://www.mothering.com/discussions/for...

Answer 15

In the early decades of the 20th century, thousands of infants and children died every year from diseases such as diphtheria, whooping cough (pertussis), and measles. About twenty thousand children caught polio each year, resulting in deaths and permanent disability. I could go on, disease by disease. The fact that these diseases are no longer front and center in the public eye points to the success of immunizations.

So, ironically, what now has the public's attention is the side effects of these vaccines. Yes, they do occur, and they may have serious consequences, but the benefit to risk ratio is strongly in favor of the benefits of immunizations.

Mercury containing preservatives have been removed from most vaccines. Immunizing late is better than not immunizing at all, but you leave your infant susceptible to pertussis at a time s/he is most vulnerable.

Answer 16

Its in the paper as of yesterday that measle cases are on the rise, just because people aren't vaccinating. Polio, too.

What would you rather chance, the slim risk of side effects from vax or life threatening and/or disfiguring diseases?

Choice of course is up to you, but if you decide against vax then please don't move to my town.

Answer 17

ask yourself this..could u look at your child in the face while they can choke to death from whooping cough,or forgive yourself if they catch something that could of been prevented?theres a good reason why we have immunisation,plus theres a risk in everything we do in todays world but the safest thing for your child is to IMMUNISE.if its to hard 4 u to watch then maybe get grandma or an aunty or friend to take bub in for them.my daughter was 6wks old and had to have blood tests done every week in her little arms and still has them done now at 3mths old,it breaks my heart watching them do it to her but i know within myself that its for the best.