Vaccinations - Ford City, PA

Hi...I am very passionate against vaccines myself...so if you get any good info. Please contact me.

Thank you.

With my pediatrician's approval, I decided to stop my son's immunizations right before his 12 month shots. He is now 2 and has not had any since. My reasoning was that his speech was delayed, and I felt he could easily be one of the few who was vulnerable to the regression seen in some austistic children. I didn't feel comfortable stressing his system at this point in his development. Once he is more fully developed (perhaps by age 4 or 5) my pediatrician says we can give him the immunizations that are "really necessary" (?!). I don't know which those are, but I felt even more justified in waiting if they aren't all necessary. She did point out that she thinks the immunizations are important overall, especially once he starts school, but is willing to go with my instinct on this. I hope that helps. Good luck!

can they go to school with out being vaccinated? I do think that being vaccinated does cause autisium.

A little about me: I am a older mother of three and own my own daycare and married to a wonderful man for 17 years.

Sixty years ago when I was born there were no vaccinations. I contacted measles, chicken pox, rubella as did all of my sisters. When I was twelve, the polio vaccine was administered. More kids got polio after this vaccine than before. My one sister even had whooping cough and survived, believe it or not--and my other sisters nor I got it! Today, I would rather have my grandchildren get chicken pox, for example, than the shot. First, I know that it is "natural"-not some chemical form of chicken pox. Second, the medical community today knows how to take care of children with these diseases as they did back in the 50's and 60's. I think so many parents are scared of these diseases--to me and my family, getting the diseases was a natural rite of passage from infancy to adolescence. We all survived and are healthier for it.

Yes, this is a "personal" decision, but it is also a decision that affects more people than just your child. Some of the diseases for which children are vaccinated are NOT gone or are just a plane flight away in other countries. There have now been outbreaks of pertussis (whooping cough) in schools - particularly in unvaccinated children. These children will probably live through it without much of a problem, but they have the potential of spreading the disease to someone who is elderly or a newborn - 2 groups who cannot tolerate a bout with the disease. I guess most people these days only think of their own children when they make decisions, though.

You really are relying on the greater community now to keep your children healthy. Fortunately for you, most parents still have their children immunized.

The global community is fighting to have their population immunized & here we are taking for granted a system that has saved thousands, millions, from getting sick or dying from diseases that are now relatively unheard of. Not because they were "naturally declining" - they are still out there in great numbers - we just happen to be lucky to live here where our popluation has been immunizationed.

The autism link? I don't buy it for reasons that others have already mentioned - the widening of the definition of autism, the increase in awareness & diagnosis, & also the fact that autism tends to present itself just at the same age as children are immunized - that makes what could very well be a coincidence look too much like cause/effect.

I am also writing this as I care for a newborn preemie who was born with a compromised immune system. Thank God I had my older 2 vaccinated!! In fact, my 16-year-old daughter is going back today for some boosters - not reaally to protect her, but for the sake of our new little guy. She is out in the school system & I can't have her bringing anything home to him because he can't handle it. When he is able, he WILL be getting his vaccinations.

Yes, it is a personal decision, but keep in mind it could also affect your entire family as well as any community in which your children live. I must add, though, that isolating the vaccinations with an alternate schedule is a new idea that seems like a good one.

Wow- I can't believe all the responses you got. This is obviously a very passionate subject for many people. If you can stand to read one more response- I wanted to let you know that whatever decision you make, you are obviously doing it because you love your children and want to make the best possible choice for them based on your own decisions, not what someone else thinks is best for a child they don't even know.
My husband and I have decided not to vaccinate any of our children. This is a very personal decision; ours was based both on religion & research. No one can tell you what to do, you need to make the decision on your own- then stand firm in your choice either way. Don't let anyone bully you into doing something you are not comfortable doing. One of the books that I found helpful was 'What your Doctor may not tell you about Vaccinations'. I'm not sure who the author is as I've lent my copy out- but I see someone else also recommended that book.
My only recommendations if you decide to continue with vaccinations is to ask your doctor to only do one vaccine at a time, and make sure you ask for the vaccines without thimerosol(spelling?) Remember, even the combined vaccines of DTP & MMR can be broken down into their individual vaccines before being administered. This way, if there is an adverse reaction, you know exactly which vaccine it was caused by.
Also, personally, I have very strong feelings against chicken pox vaccine, hepatitis vaccines & the new HPV vaccine. The chicken pox vaccine has really only been around for about 13 years. Therefore there is not much data on how long the protection from the vaccine lasts. It is far more life-threatening for an adult to get the chicken pox disease than for a child. As for Hepatitis & HPV vaccines- these are both designed to vaccinate against sexually transmitted diseases. Why are we vaccinating children for this?
One last little note- I just have to comment on the folks who think that my unvaccinated kids are dangerous to their vaccinated kids. Your kids are the ones carrying around viruses in their bodies- so I should be more worried about my kids coming in contact with yours. And if my child does get a virus- if your child is vaccinated- what are you worried about?
Anyway- just a few of my thoughts.

Have a great day!
A.

I would never opt out of vaccinating my children. The reason why most of these childhood illnesses are virtually extinct is because the general population vaccinates. But so many peopld travel abroad that they could bring back some of these diseases that are still rampant in developing countries and bring back polio or whooping cough or any of the others. I would seriously research it before I made any decisions. Years ago people had 10 to 12 children because many of them did not make it through childhood due to these illnesses, think about that before you make your decision!

Just an opinion here: They have most of these vaccinations for a reason, mainly because of disease and death due to not vaccinating children who contract these diseases that can end up fatal. Why take a chance? The chances are so minimal and low that anything will even happen with vaccinations. Why put your children through unnecessary risk of disease? I felt kind of like you did but did a lot of reading and talking to my brother who is a PA and we decided it was best for our son not to be at risk. Do what you feel is right for your child not what you think is right for you. Good luck and hope you have a great day :0) Things (environment, health risks...) are so much different now than they were back when we were kids so keep that in mind too. :0)
Chris

Hi - having a medical background, I'm equally passionate about GETTING your children vaccinated. I'm sorry if this sounds harsh...but I think it's incredibly foolish and irresponsible for parents to do this. One additional thing to consider -many school systems will not allow your children to register if they are not vaccinated. That's fine if you home school, but it also often applies to summer campus, pre-schools, and yes -even colleges.

Please don't get caught up in the hysteria - remember that we would be losing our children to polio, measles, mumps, and many other diseases that have been nearly eradicated because of vaccinations. The Gates Foundation has spent billions in Africa on vaccinations, and the infant mortality rate has decreased signficantly. I understand your perspective as a parent, and respect your right to make those choices. But I truly, fundamentally believe it is the wrong decision. That being said ....best of luck, and best wishes for your children's health.

With all due respect -

I am not a scientist. I am however: a woman, a mother, a wife, a birth advocate, an avid reader, a curious research investigator, an informed consumer, a free-thinker, and open-minded & intelligent (at least I'd like to think so). And ask anyone who knows me, I do not have the herd mentality.

I believe there are times when "we" choose to accept the findings of science when it is in line with our opinions/philosophies. Of course, when it does not coincide with our beliefs, we choose to ignore it or cast it off as flawed. However, science is not always accurate.

I need to make a point, so please allow me to state the following here:

The evidence shows that Whopping Cough, Diptheria, Measles, and Polio practically disappeared and were no longer epidemics when vaccines were introduced by medicine. It gave the illusion that vaccines were responsible for the disappearance of these diseases/illnesses. Additionally, Scarlet Fever is practically non-existent, and there was never a vaccine. And Typhoid Fever is also an extremely rare occurance, and there was never a widespread vaccine that caused it to diminish.

Throughout history, science has made claims and declarations only to have another scientist come along later to dispute, challenge and discredit the original findings. How many times throughout modern history have we as a nation trusted science and scientists, only to later pay the extreme costs of disease, illness, disfigurement, and death?

I think that most Americans know that corporate money comes from deep pockets and goes a long way. It is a fact, that many, many studies of all kinds have been influenced by those with vested interest. It is not a secret that research today has a money trail. Some trails take "independent directions" and travel far, wide, wind, twist, circle back, and even appear to dead end ... but ultimately, more often than not, the money is provided by those who desire specific outcomes. And when the expected or wanted outcome is not realized, the research becomes "flawed", hidden, discounted, and rejected.

There is a percentage of individuals who might see or hear or read information and believe it to be truth without further investigation. But, I also know people are not "blind." People don't have to be told to read between lines.

I beg to differ on the assessment and the claims of others that evidence does not exist which indicates a possible link between autism and vaccines. There are studies, there is research. And there are hundreds, if not thousands of anecdotal stories that can not easily be ignored. "Proof" sometimes comes in forms other than science and research.

Yes, it's true that some recent studies are indicating that vaccines do not cause autism. But there are things I know about science. There are things I know about vaccine ingredients. There are things I know about multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical corporations with unconscionable profit margins. And there are things I believe in that are not tangible.

It may very well be true that vaccines do not cause autism, vaccines may not even trigger autism. I just ask myself a few simple questions though. What has changed? Why has autism increased? Why are we seeing increased numbers of children with mental health diagnosis? Why do we have so many children being diagnosed with behavior problems now more than ever? What has changed? Why are there large groups of human beings around the world without the same physical and emotional disparities as those found in our nation? What has changed?

Could it be the food additives and preservatives we poison our bodies with? Or could it be herbicides, pesticides, vaccines, "legal" drugs, or chemicals poured into our drinking water? The truth is science can't provide definitive findings to satisfactorily answer my questions.

So I ask myself a few more questions. Am I willing to take a chance on some of the claims of science, especially in light of real and tangible events within our society? What kind of chance AM I willing to take on the lives of my children?

I agree that parents should weigh the risks and benefits of vaccinations and decide for themselves. But they can't make an INFORMED decision without information. Everyone deserves to have information. Even when there is no "science" behind it. Science provides a mere piece of the equation - intuition, common sense, and logical thinking has a place too.

With all that said, I want to say this as well - I love to look at research. I love to see the evidence. I am a very analytical type... I want to know the how and why of things. It is part of my inquisitive nature. I question everything.

I have provided a few web sites that are worth examining. Enjoy!

HealthSentinel.com

Vaccine Links To Autism?, Study: Mercury In Vaccines May Have Risky Effects On Some Children - CBS News
Deadly immunity - Salon.com

Interesting article - worth reading:
http://thinktwice.com/ploys.htm

New study links mercury to autism
www.vaccinesafety.edu

www.gotmercury.org/

www.educate-yourself.org/vcd/

www.chetday.com/novacarticles.html

www.beinghealthynaturally.com/childrenbabyhealth/dangersv...

www.mercola.com/forms/vaccine_teleconference.htm

www.nccn.net/~wwithin/vaccine.htm

www.v.mercola.com/QA/Every-Pregnant-Woman-Needs-to-Know-T...

www.nexusmagazine.com/articles/VaccineResearcher.html

www.nvic.org/

Here is a tidbit from a very recent article :
Friday, February 22, 2008
Dr. David Ayoub Calls Out the AAP

The AAP has played an important role in perpetuating the misconception that current research refutes the thimerosal-autism link. Three key papers have been published in the AAP trade journal PEDIATRICS-Madsen (Danish epidemiological study); The Verstraeten study, of Simpsonwood fame, and Fombonne (Quebec epidemiological study). The editor-in-chief Dr Jerald Lucey received numerous, substantiated criticisms of each of these studies, but has created an effective roadblock in disallowing any criticisms to be published in the letter-to the editor section of the journal.


And yet another:
Sunday, February 24, 2008

Study Implicates Mercury In The Development Of Autism

The American Journal of Biochemistry and Biotechnology has published this study on Autism and Stress out of Rutgers and UMDNJ that exposed mercury to animals and found "neurobehavioral alterations" such as impaired social interaction, cognition and motor behavior. They also found that they improved when given vitamin E, suggesting that oxidative stress is at work in this process.

This is no surprise to any of us who have been treating our autistic kids for mercury toxicity and oxidative stress for years, but the big surprise in this study is in the credits.

The shocker is that this study is brought to you by Autism Speaks.

IMHO Autism Speaks has finally said something worth saying.

So... will we see this article in the press? Will the AAP recognize it and start looking at Vit. E as a helper for their patients with autism? Will CDC start taking another look at vaccines? Will Autism Speaks start coming around now that their own studies are implicating mercury as a factor in the development of autism?

Or will they all continue to proffer the lie that there is no convincing evidence linking vaccines to autism, while ignoring all the studies that are piling up on the hard drives of parents across the country?

Submitted by admin_huliq on Thu, 2008-02-21

L. Leavy, CD, HCHI, CHt.
ALACE Birth Doula / Hypnobabies Childbirth Hypnosis Instructor
Founder Mothering & More Birth Network
State Coordinator Operation Special Delivery, PA, NJ, DE
www.MotheringandMore.org
www.MySpace.com/Hypnosis4Childbirth

Here is some info I give parent who contact me about vaccinations. I have a child with autism that came on right after his MMR. I don't think the MMR caused it but it was the icing on the cake for his body. Being a preemie, his immune system could not handle the shots at birth and they were well over the EPA limit of safety. We currently use DAN! (Defeat Autism Now) with him.

Boy there are be some mean people here. I guess they are so mean because they don’t have sick children. I like the one who say she wouldn't want her kids near yours but don’t worry that will change when Big Pharma comes out with an ignorance vaccine. Sorry couldn’t resist.

You can send your child to school not vaccinated with a medical or religious exemption. Each states law is different and you can find that here:
http://www.909shot.com/state-site/state-exemptions.htm

I would caution just giving boosters as well. Run a titer check on your child and if they have immunity then they do not need a booster. It’s about safety for your child. We ran a titer on our son and he has immunity 100 to 1000 over the norm. Did you know that over 22,000 girls (I think that was the number) have died from the “I want to be One Less” shot already? I can’t quickly find the info on that or I would post the link.

I would also suggest reading "What Your Doctor May Not Tell You about Children's Vaccinations by Stephanie Cave.

This 1st link will tell of which vaccines currently have thimerosal (49% mercury by weight) in them, as of 3/2008:

www.fda.gov/cber/vaccine/thimerosal.htm#t3

Here are sites for educating before vaccinating:
http://www.tacanow.com/medical/danprotocol. htm
www.909shot.com
www.safeminds.org
www.taap.info
www.autism.com/ari
www.naa.org
http://www.generationrescue.org
http://insidevaccines.com/wordpress/
http://www.thinktwice.com
http://www.nmaseminars.com/index.html
http://www.educatebeforeyouvaccinate.com/
http://www.evidenceofharm.com
http://www.prisonplanet.com/archives/vaccines/index.htm
http://www.vaccinationnews.com/
http://www.ageofautism.com

Best Wishes.

My husband and I have chosen not to vaccinate our children. We currently have a 19 month old little boy. It was NOT an easy decision, but I do feel it was the better choice. I would recommend that every parent read Childhood Vaccination: Questions All Parents Should Ask by Tedd Koren. It also helps me to know several other families in our area who have chosen not to vaccinate. Two families I know about have older children in high school and college who are all very healthy!!
We also go to a chiropractor who keeps us extremely informed about all things natural. A Shot in the Dark by Harris Coulter is another good read on vaccine mandates. Please contact me for any more information. Like you, I am very passionate about this subject because of my background in education as well as the research I've done!
Best wishes,
M.

We have not vaccinated our 3 year old son at all. I am allergic to many medications and I find the idea of exposing my son to any excess vaccination/medication scary. I have a lot of faith in the immune system and I believe that it is strengthened by exposure to illness. I saw a naturopath about our decision and he told me to take 3000 mg vitamin C daily while I was breastfeeding to strengthen both my and my son's immune systems. It was not an easy decision not to vaccinate and it is still scary. We travel quite a bit and there is a measels outbreak here (in australia) now. Still I think it is better not to vaccinate.
Good luck

Hi. I understand and respect your position on vaccinations even though my three children have had all their "shots". I have one question for you though...what are you going to do when it comes to school? In PA they have just revised the mandatory shots necessary for school enrollment & continued enrollment. How do you get around that? The state is considering making the cardacil (sp?) shot manatory for girls over the age of 13 and I don't want my girls to have it based on lack of long term testing, as well as other reasons. If you have any info about that I'd appreciate it if you could send me a note here at Mamasourse. Thanks & best wishes!

My brother is autistic so vaccinations are a huge issue in my family. Although they have not 'proved' they cause autism, we are at least going off a delayed schedule for vaccinations. We did, however, get our son his Hep B vaccine because my MIL has Hep B(she's from Korea and they think she got it from her mom had it when she was pregnant/born).

I also feel very strongly about not having my son vaccinated. We had to go through some paperwork and I hear that there may be some trouble with getting him into school because of it, but my doctor understands our problems with it and is very supportive!

As long as you have made an informed decision, you are doing better than a lot of mom's who just 'accept it' as the way it is.

Good for you!

**EDIT**
Your child cannot be refused the right to go to public school for not being vaccinated! Just have the waiver. I don't go to church, but my mom's priest understands and said if that were ever an issue, he would sign the religious waiver for me. You could probably find someone similar for you!
~meg

I have a 7 month old baby girl and had done research prior to her birth about not vaccinating. A great website is vaclib.org with lots of info. Even though not everyone understands our decision, my husband and I are confident that we have made the right choice for her and our future kids.

A. F.

I think it is completely up to you whether or not you vaccinate your children, the only thing I am going to say is that most public schools will not allow your child to attend if they do not have the shots that are needed (and yes, unfortunately that includes the chicken pox shot). So if you plan on sending your children to public school, you may want to look into this so they are not getting all of these shots in a short period of time anyways.

We have decided to do an alternate vaccination schedule as outlined by Dr. Sears. He has a good book to use as a guide.

It's frightening how many vaccines are given all at once. My husband and I are also worried about the effects of all of these vaccines on our baby. So far he has only had 1 Hep the day after he was born and 1 DTAP. We did not get any live virus vaccines, and we are only going to do one vaccine at a time. The doctor said that we are "going to fall behind in vaccines." We're not too worried about it. Well, little nugget is crying! gotta run!

I too was worried about the vaccinations.....I decided to go with them because when the children hit school age they will need to have their vaccinations....my daughter is 14 months, I want to get her started in preschool soon and I beleive they have to be vaccinated to go......something to think about, but I totally understand your precautions with the vaccinations

All I can say is, do your research! There is so much information out there for and against vaccines. Doctors will tell you that your kids MUST get them, but naturalists will tell you they're dangerous.

Here is a YouTube video with Larry King Live that you may be interested in:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=lOkH9TGovOY

If you do decide to give vaccinations after this video may I suggest you wait until your children are at least 12 mos old and then only give 1 at a time.

Take a look at the ingredients in vaccinations at the site for the Centers for Disease Control. You may want to opt for a vegetarian vaccine.

My children are fully vaccinated and I don't regret any of it. I have a background in science and have a good understanding of how vaccines work. I do respect your decision to do as you feel best. I just caution you that a lot of the 'research' you read and published articles are biased - on BOTH ends of the spectrum, both for and against vaccines. It is so hard to distinguish between what is right and wrong, what sources to believe? I know as a scientist that they can twist the results of any study and make them say what they want to. It's very hard to find ones that aren't biased in one way or another, it's quite sad.

I do not personally believe vaccines are responsible for the rise in autism or many other disorders. My children did have delays, but are mostly caught up now, I attribute that to many other things, like our environment, chemicals they put in children's clothing to fire proof them, chemicals in food, etc. moreso than vaccines. I do believe in herd immunity and do realize they are not 100% effective. The risk you face not having your child vaccinated does pose a risk to everyone, but mostly your own child, other unborn children, the elderly, and immune compromised.

Best of luck with your decision what ever it is, the right one is the one you are most comfortable with.
A. S.

My daughter is 13 months old and we have had her vaccinated regularly so far. But I too was concerned about this since before she was born. It is such a controversial topic and the negative and positive things about vaccines are both very compelling. I feel like we are in the midst of seeing some major changes with the vaccines because they have been attributed to many dangerous side effects, and there are so many court cases pending against the drug companies. I also feel like doctors (at least our doctors) don't do enough to explain both the positives reasons to vaccinate but the risks involved and grey areas as well... it almost seems like they have deals with the drug companies to keep things quiet. I would really recommend going with your instincts, doing research, asking questions, and standing up for what you believe in. It really is a difficult decision to make.

I've read most of what other people have responded. The only thing that I'd like to offer is that in order to get around the issue when it comes to schooling is to state you have a religious exemption. I homeschool two of my kids and send the oldest to a private school and either way, I've had to give proof of vaccination or have a religious reason for opting out. We have been very cautious with our own children's vaccinations. We don't give more shots than necessary at each doctor's visit and we delay the start of them from immediately after birth to at least two months. Hope this helps your decision.

I would wait until after 3 years to ensure development isn't altered as much from the vaccines and spread them out if you do decide to get them...it is controversial and should be an individual decision, but i think the above method increased your safety!!

I am sure you will get lots of opionions, what we did was seperate them. They never got more than one vaccine at a time and we got the meseals, mumps and Rubella seperated. Now we had to go to the county health dept to do it and paid out of pocket for them, however too many of my friends kids had adverse reactions to vaccines. And yes autistic behavior within days is one of them. I know the hugh controversy, however I have never been more happy that i did it, than I was a month ago. We saw on TV ( NBC or one of the major broadcasts) that multiple vaccination do harm a % of the kids but the child has to be prone to it to begin with. How can you ever know if your baby is prone to Autism? And to all of those critics, I don't believe everything I hear, however a mother has to go by her instincts and do what is best for the child. My kids have all of their shots, it just took a long time to get them all. Today they are both happy and healthy!
good luck with your decision.
diane

wow...I am so confused with all of the passionate people that are against vaccines verus the people that are for vaccines. So maam I hope that you got help with this advice seeking for support for your desion to not vaccinate. I am one of those parents I guess that the people that choose no to vaccinate would say "I don't love or care for my children because I vaccinated them" When my son was born 12years ago you really didn't here about Autisim the way you hear about it now. I am afraid to not vaccinate my children but I don't want to potiental cause a problem for my children (particularly my 1year old). I hope that you and your husband and all of the people that don't vaccinate their children will not have to regret the decision as the same as those of us that do.

Hi .. I can appreciate not wanting to have your kids vaccinated, I felt the same way! However, my dh is military and THEY REQUIRE vaccines unless you can prove it is against your religion. Well, that way was not open to me. So .. I just put off having the vaccines until they were older .. and when I got there I'd have them only do one shot per visit (if I could .. military personnel don't like civilian dependents telling them what to do!) For the most part I was successful in postponing their shots, and that seemed to make a difference. Neither child had any adverse rxn to any shots. Just my two cents .. you have to do what you feel is right.

Making the decision for not vaccinating your children is a hard choice, and only you can make this choice. However, I must say that when your children get to be of school age the school may not let them in due to not having their vaccinations up to date.

There are no pros to not giving the children their vaccinations. The reason vaccinations are there are to help the child's immune system build a defense against things like chicken pox, rubella, etc.

My daughter is 7 and she has had every shot under the sun, including the Flu virus. She has had no known set backs from being vaccinated.

Good luck with your choice.

A. C - Hanover

This a very personal choice for your child and no matter what doctors try to push on you.....do what you feel best. I am not anti vaccines BUT I have a child on the Autism Spectrum who feels that vaccines in general contributed to his delays. I'm with most parents for feel that the vaccine increase is ridiculous..In 1982 the average child received 10 vaccines by 3 yrs of age....now it's 38!!! Yes I am not bull sh*tting you. I have most of my childs shots but will not allow any more. IF>>>I ever had another child, I was going to delay the vaccines until he/she were older. It's NOT JUST AUTISM on the rise, ADHD, Sensory Processing Disorder, Speech Delays, Asthma, Allergies......have been semi linked together.
I'm currently looking into vaccine injury court for my childs injury. He is slowly recovering for 2 yrs now.
Personally as a parent I am pushing the goverment to search for a safer alternative. Look at the spike in all these illnesses vs 1980's.....it's ludacris.
You are your childs best advocate.....Best wishes

N.

Please ignore the ones trying to be hurtful on here. This is YOUR child and YOUR choice. Just because your child isn't vaccinated doesn't mean you are going to hurt anyone else. Their child is vaccinated so they shouldn't have anything to worry about if these things work how they should.
When it comes to school you can do a religious waiver so they don't have to get them.
My younger two aren't vaccinated at all. My oldest is and my daughter has some. I started doing research when my daughter was little before she got all of hers. I decided it wasn't in my childrens best interest to continue. I have two major concerns. One has to do with being Christian and against abortions. Some of the shots have live cells that originated from aborted babies. If you look on the information papers about the shots they are called human diploid cells. This is very upsetting to me. My second issue is with what else is in the shots. They expect our babies bodies to handle 25+ vaccines before age 6. My third child is special needs and I worry that he would have bad reactions to them.
I can't remember off hand when but look for a vaccine study that was done using information from the Amish families. That is a real eye opener to.

I am having trouble responding to this request. I think it is because I am unsure why you have decided to stop vacinations? If it is due to autism then there are other things you can do. We, for instance, only let our children get one vacinne at a time. If it is because of allergies, there are other alternatives as well. I feel if you do not vacinate your child, you should try your best to shelter him from other children completly. The children that have been vacinated for measles for instance, could have come in contact with the measels virus....Since they were vacinated they are safe. Meanwhile if they come in contact with your children, who are not vacinated, your child would certainlly get it. I would fear for the health of my childen if I did not vacinate. So, if you are doing this for the health of your children, I think you should do more research. I think if you weigh the possible side effects of the vacines against the diseases they could get if you don't do it....It seems to me to be a no brainer. Good luck in what ever you decide. I know you were looking for moms to agree not to vacinate, but I just do not think that is the well informed choice to make. Please reconsider, I just would hate for your child to get into the college of their dreams and find out they have to go get a lifetime of vacines in a month's span to get in, or worse yet get rejected because they are not vacinated.

This is a topic close to my heart. I am a FIRM believer in vaccinating (protecting) children. This is why you do not see people in the USA walking around with Polio and crutches, like in the old days. This is why you don't see and hear about people dying of Whooping Cough and other diseases, like in the old days. You may be hearing about some coming back. This is because of the small group of people who are opting out. The risks of getting the shots are FAR FAR FAR lower than if a non-vaccinated child was to actually get the disease. It's unfair to the rest of the public to have unvaccinated children who can be carriers. No, the drug companies don't make "fake" vaccines to make money. Yes, they make money. It's their business. But if the vaccines didn't work, you wouldn't have seen a HUGE drop in these diseases over the years. I just don't understand this idea of not vaccinating. If you're looking up info off the interest, you can find all cans of stuff for pro and cons. Go directly to reputable medical web sites, like the center for disease control and what not, and read the benefits of vaccinating. If we worried about that one in a zillion chance of having a problem with having a vaccine, why have children? There are more risks of giving birth and having a problem, than a problem you may have from a vaccine. There's side effects from taking aspirin, if that one millionth person took it and had a problem. Please don't let that small group of radicals scare you into not protecting your child.

K. B
mom to 5 including triplets (age 3 - 21)
all fully vaccinated

We held off on some of the vaccines for our two 16 month old twins (boy & girl). The more I hear and read about autism, the more I belive the link between the two. I also have a close friend who works with autistic children and she belives this passionately, too - after what she has seen! I think it is safe to start giving the vaccines after they are two - but I would check on that!

There is a lot of information out there - some of it is a bit sensationalist (usually from the anti-vaccine side) and some of it is more solidly based in evidence and science. The scientific evidence clearly indicates that vaccines in and of themselves do not cause autism. Further, not getting children vaccinated can put children at-risk of contracting infectious and contagious diseases, some of which have serious consequences. As a parent, I acknowledge that even the chance of a link between autism and vaccination is a very scary prospect. However, before making your decision about vaccinations, don't just listen to other people - do some research and look at the scientific evidence for/against this link. Some places to start are:

http://www.chop.edu/consumer/jsp/division/generic.jsp?id=...

http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=10997#toc

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/autism/comple...

Good luck.

We are waiting until our child(ren) are 2yo before any vaccinations, then getting the 'famous 4' (polio, tetanus, etc) as separate.

Our decision has nothing to do with autism.

Good luck and feel free to ask me any other questions :)

We limit and select which ones we want. We also seperate and put off many of them. Medication is never one size fits all why should vaccinations be. We have a right to make those health choices for our families. I say kudos to you mama for at least taking the time to research and learn! We see Dr. Michael Webster and he knows I do my homework and is ok with my laid back vaccine schedule.

I know people who have chosen to isolate all shots instead of getting the vaccinations in batches, as generally done.

I think it comes to gut instincts. We have vaccinated our son for everything but chicken pox (my gut tells me no on that one, and I feel like it's no big deal if our ideas change later). I have actually become relieved that we did agree to the rotavirus after close friends had a heart-breaking experience with their newborn. So, it's really a personal decision that you have to feel good about.

Personally, I think every child is different and the general vacc schedule is not appropriate for every child.

Good luck to you!

I have decided not to vaccinate my children anymore - I do have them vaccinated up through 2 years (I did not know any better at the time). We have many issues with my 2nd boy - however I strongly believe it is because I myself was vaccinated a couple of weeks before he was conceived. I've done tons of research on it. Read Dr. Sherri Tenpenny. She is a regular MD doctor who used to believe in vaccinations until she started researching - and all of her research comes straight from the CDC - they have to provide documentation that she asks for. She has made videos that are great and explains the risks with each individual vaccination and she points out that vaccines did not lower these diseases - the diseases were naturally on the decline prior to the vaccinations being introduced.

Our biggest problem was the pediatrician. We were forced to leave the practice. But I did find a wonderful pediatrician who understands and will work with what I want and feel is best for my child. Don't let anyone tell you you can't get into school without being vaccinated (at least in Pennsylvania). It's a big scare tactic. You can sign off on a religious/moral waiver. That was easy. I filled out the form and gave it to the school nurse when I registered him for Kindergarten - no problems whatsoever. Also read www.mercola.com - he has some great information on vaccinations also. Good luck!!!

Hi! I commend you and your husband on putting your children's safety first. I only hope that in the future, more people will defend their right not to vaccinate their babies. www.marytocco.com is a very good site to research, and also www.mercola.com is an excellent source for accurate information! My son, Adam was diagnosed with autism in Nov 2005, at almost the age of 4. I cannot begin to tell you of the regrets, agony, sadness, etc that I go thru. My Adam's sentence of autism is a life long one.
Are you in PA? A worker at an elementary school here in Lancaster county was so very proud to boast at me saying "You better get your son the chicken pox vaccine, it will be required soon". I felt like screaming at her, but I walked away. On Marytocco.com, she tells you the disgusting ingredients in some of the vaccines. Bovine fetal lung serum. Hmmm, that sounds important, doesn't it?
I am sorry to ramble, keep doing the research and be insistant. We are the only ones who actually CARE about our children!!!
Take care and best wishes,
~V.

With my first child, I waited until she was two and a half to give her only a mercury free DTP, however after two shots, I backed out and decided to never do anymore. I just knew in my heart that I should honor what I already felt...not to vaccinate. I now have two more children, 3 1/2 and 19 months, both who have no vaccinations, and never will. Not sure where you are located, but our chiropractor, Jeanne Ohm is the guru of vaccination issues, and has 6 kids, who are all grow now, who have never been vaccinated ever. Here is a link to her site.

http://www.ohmchiropractic.com/

I know she is having a vaccine talk in June. Good luck and congrats on honoring yourself and what you feel is best for your children!

Also, after reading the next responseS, I feel oblidged to say a little more. Vaccines are not normal. The diseases are grown in monkey dna cells as well as aborted fetus tissue. They have toxic chemicals such as aluminum, formaldehyde, and many others. Our bodies have been built to perfection and are fully equipt to battle off any sickness or disease. Sometimes when we have a fever or diarrea, we say oh I am so "sick", but really our body is doing that to clear something any make it balanced again. My three children have never been sick. We go to the doctor 1x a year for our yearly check up. Sure they get a few colds a year, but as far as keeping your children away from anyone, no no no. You can go and live your life to the fullest without being vaccinated. There are three exeptions, medical, religious, and philosophical, which allow you to be legally exempt for public school, if you are interested in that. We are normal people and are so lucky to be surrounded be tons of non vaccinated friends, young and grown. Where we are it is rare to find many who do vaccinate. Again, congrats on trusting yourself. Congrats! Congrats! Congrats!

Wow- if there is a topic that gets moms more riled up than feeding and sleeping, it's vaccines! OK, here's my take, and just for background sake, I'm one of those "scientists who change their minds all the time" as well as a mom. There is a middle ground here. We vax, but we only do one or two shots at a time. Why do we vax? Because a.) it is the best protection I can give my baby with the least risk and b.) because we have a social and moral responsibility to do what we can to protect YOUR family from getting sick. My baby is healthy and could probably withstand pertussis-- neighbor's child who is imunocompromised probably could not. Since vaccines are not a hundred percent effective at preventing disease in the INDIVIDUAL, we rely on herd immunity to protect everyone, but especially the most vulnerable. Are there risks to vaccines? Of course. There are also risks of wearing seat belts. Do the risks outweigh the benefits? I think you know my answer.

HOWEVER, is it possible to reduce the risks? Like many of the non- or selective- vaxers, I have concerns about what is in some of the vaccines. So we vax slowly, one at a time, with at least a week apart. Do I have any evidence that it makes a difference? No, but if something goes wrong, I can live with the fact that I did the best I could for my child-- and yours.

I'm sure someone else has recommended this, but check out Dr. Sears's _The Vaccine Book_. Good luck with your decision.

I agree you need to do what you think is best, and in the child's best interest. My children are vaccinated, my son had a skin reaction at the shot area when he was a baby, so the doctor and I have held off all shots till he was on the older end of them. He is almost 6 and will get the 3 shots he needs before kindergarten and possibly the chicken pox shot. I personally, do not believe in the chicken pox shot, I used to work in a daycare and saw the shot cause chicken pox and thought it was stupid to get, however, my daughter did get it before she went to school, I will have to talk to my doctor about my son getting it, I am not sure yet, that I want him to have it. I have not had my children get any "extra" shots, we don't do the flu shot, or anything like that. Knock on wood, my kids are very healthy, have not been sick all year, and they are exposed to lots of children in different places, so I am happy with their health at the moment.

I wish you luck on your decsion, it is a tough one. Good luck.

I can understand how frustrating it is to have a child with developmental issues. My daughter (3) is speech delayed. It is very common to want to blame something when this happens to your child but the vaccinations are not the cause. It may be the luck of the draw or maybe genetics (my daughter has an abnormality on her 9th chromosome though the geneticists can not say if this is the cause of her speech delay). What is the cause? Who knows. Maybe it is the food additives, maybe it is chemicals in the water or on the play surfaces, maybe it is the plastic in all of our toys, maybe it is random, maybe it is better diagnosis and awareness that leads to the diagnosis, maybe it is the spike in obesity? The only thing that is certain is more studies need to be done about other potential causes for autism since the vaccine link has been widely disproven.

Vaccinations are done all over the world now in many countries and these countries have NOT seen a rise in autism rates. It is only here in the US that rates of autism have increased. Instead of checking out the various so called experts, why don't you check out the World Health Organization website? (http://www.who.int/vaccine_safety/topics/mmr/mmr_autism/en/)

For all of you mothers out there who don't believe in vaccinations, why don't you read up on the diseases you ARE NOT protecting your kids from (see below). ALL of these diseases are still out there and YES children and adults still get them.

As one letter writer pointed out, you are not only being irresponsible to your children, you are putting other children and adults at risk. What will you do if your child's friend gets leukemia and has a compromised immune system? If your children play together, this little being who is fighting for their life will now be at risk of exposure to deadly diseases because you did not immunize your children. I know, my friend's daughter went through leukemia (and is now in remission after three years of chemo). How will you live knowing what you are exposing this child too just because you of your choice? What about Grandma who is on chemo and radiation while she fights lung cancer? Your unvaccinated children are now a danger to her too.

In case you think "this can't happen", my kids won't get sick I can tell you from personal experience it can. My children have had all of their shots. Due to the scarcity of the varicella (chicken pox) vaccine, my little boy (18 months) just received his chicken pox shot at 16 months. At 16.5 months, his father got shingles. (Shingles is caused by the chicken pox virus. Anyone who actually got chicken pox can get shingles as an adult. The disease can be very painful and extensive. The chicken pox lies dormant in your body until something triggers it and it comes back as shingles. Shingles spread along the nerves causing rashes and intense pain. If you have shingles, since it is an active chicken pox infection, you are now contagious to anyone who has not had chicken pox or has not been vaccinated against it or who is immune suppressed. So your unvaccinated child can now easily get chickenpox.) How do I know the unvaccinated children can get chicken pox? My son did. His vaccine did not have enough time to establish immunity in his system since he was exposed to chicken pox only weeks after having been vaccinated. His sister, three, did not get chicken pox since her immunity was built up from the vaccination. So all of you mothers of unvaccinated children I ask this: Are you willing to risk exposing your children to these diseases?

I am guessing many of you are younger and have no first hand experience with these diseases. I am in my forties. Back when I was a child we were thankful for any vaccination because we saw what these diseases could do. Older siblings of my playmates and older cousins got these diseases. The oldest brother of one of my playmates was in a wheelchair and later on crutches because he got polio (before the vaccination was available). The boy, now a man, was crippled for life but lucky to be alive since polio KILLS. Would he trade his disease for a vaccine? Yes he would. His children have all been vaccinated. I had chicken pox. Three weeks of fevers, chills, itching, rashes and misery over Christmas when I was four. Now of course I can get shingles at any time. My cousin had mumps, my mother's best friend's daughter had measles. These are real diseases with real risks and consequences. I also find it interesting that back when I got my vaccinations, nobody was worried about thimersol or mercury in the shots. Yet autism did not rise when these vaccines were widely used in my generation. Yet my generation is without a spike in autism. Hmm ... I wonder why we weren't affected by the so-called immunization - autism link?

Do you want to know more about these diseases - the ones your children can now get becaue you didn't get them vaccinated? Probably not but here is some information anyway. (This information is directly from the World Health Organization.)

MEASLES - Measles remains a leading cause of death among young children, despite the availability of a safe and effective vaccine for the past 40 years. An estimated 242 000 people, the majority of them children, died from measles in 2006, the latest year for which figures are available.

Measles is one of the most contagious diseases known. Almost all non-immune children contract this respiratory disease if exposed to the virus. Measles is an acute illness caused by a virus in the paramyxovirus family. Measles virus normally grows in the cells that line the back of the throat and in the cells that line the lungs. It is a human disease not known to occur in animals.

Vaccination has had a major impact on measles deaths. From 2000 to 2006, an estimated 478 million children aged nine months to 14 years received measles vaccine through supplementary immunization activities in 46 out of the 47 priority countries with the highest burden of measles. These accelerated activities have resulted in a significant reduction in estimated global measles deaths. Overall, global measles mortality decreased by 68% between 2000 and 2006. The largest gains occurred in Africa where measles cases and deaths fell by 91%. Measles is often an unpleasant mild or moderately severe illness.

Children usually do not die directly of measles, but from its complications. Complications are more common in children under the age of five or adults over the age of 20.

The most serious complications include blindness, encephalitis (a dangerous infection of the brain causing inflammation), severe diarrhoea (possibly leading to dehydration), ear infections and severe respiratory infections such as pneumonia, which is the most common cause of death associated with measles.

POLIO - Polio (poliomyelitis) mainly affects children under five years of age.
One in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis (usually in the legs). Among those paralysed, 5% to 10% die when their breathing muscles become immobilized.
Polio cases have decreased by over 99% since 1988, from an estimated 350 000 cases then, to 1997 reported cases in 2006. The reduction is the result of the global effort to eradicate the disease.
In 2008, only four countries in the world remain polio-endemic, down from more than 125 in 1988. The remaining countries are Afghanistan, India, Nigeria and Pakistan.
Persistent pockets of polio transmission in northern India, northern Nigeria and the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan are the current focus of the polio eradication initiative.
As long as a single child remains infected, children in all countries are at risk of contracting polio. Between 2003 and 2005, 25 previously polio-free countries were re-infected due to imports of the virus.
There is no cure for polio, it can only be prevented. Polio vaccine, given multiple times, can protect a child for life.

Poliomyelitis (polio) is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus. It invades the nervous system, and can cause total paralysis in a matter of hours. It can strike at any age, but affects mainly children under three (over 50% of all cases). The virus enters the body through the mouth and multiplies in the intestine. Initial symptoms are fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness in the neck and pain in the limbs. One in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis (usually in the legs). Amongst those paralysed, 5%-10% die when their breathing muscles become immobilized. Although polio paralysis is the most visible sign of polio infection, fewer than 1% of polio infections ever result in paralysis. Poliovirus can spread widely before cases of paralysis are seen. As most people infected with poliovirus have no signs of illness, they are never aware they have been infected. After initial infection with poliovirus, the virus is shed intermittently in faeces (excrement) for several weeks. During that time, polio can spread rapidly through the community.

DIPTHERIA - Diphtheria is an infectious disease spreading from person to person by respiratory droplets from the throat through coughing and sneezing.

The disease normally breaks out 2 to 5 days after infection.

Diphtheria usually affects the tonsils, pharynx, larynx and occasionally the skin.

Symptoms range from a moderately sore throat to toxic life-threatening diphtheria of the larynx or of the lower and upper respiratory tracts. Diphtheria is often complicated by diphtheric myocarditis (toxic damage to heart muscles) and neuritis (toxic damage to peripheral nerves).

The disease can be fatal - between 5% and 10% of diphtheria patients die, even if properly treated. Untreated, the disease claims even more lives.

Untreated patients are infectious for 2 to 3 weeks.

Unless immunized, children and adults may repeatedly be infected with the disease.

TETANUS - Tetanus is caused by the bacterium Clostridium tetani, the spores of which are widespread in the environment. The disease is caused by the action of a neurotoxin, produced by the bacteria when they grow in the absence of oxygen, e.g. in dirty wounds or in the umbilical cord if it is cut with a non-sterile instrument.

Tetanus is characterized by muscle spasms, initially in the jaw muscles. As the disease progresses, mild stimuli may trigger generalized tetanic seizure-like activity, which contributes to serious complications and eventually death unless supportive treatment is given.

Tetanus can be prevented by the administration of tetanus toxoid, which induces specific antitoxins. To prevent maternal and neonatal tetanus, tetanus toxoid needs to be given to the mother before or during pregnancy, and clean delivery and cord care needs to be ensured.

It is your choice but you should be armed with real knowledge and not hearsay.

I do a delayed schedule with my kids because of the severe reactions my first child had with his shots. I also refuse some shots (hep A&B and Chicken pox, all my kids have had chicken pox,). In PA, there is a philisophical exemption for school. All you have to do is state that your decision is based on a firm belief that risks outweight the benefits for your child. period. I have been filling out this form for years for my kids, and never had a problem.

Many of the "outbreaks" of disease are amongst the vaccinated population, not the unvaccinated. Some of the vaxes, like diptheria, only protect you from showing symptoms, but you are still a carrier and can infect others if you come in contact with someone who is sick.

There really is so much info out there, it is hard to make any choice once you start researching. Mothering.com used to have a great vax forum with tons of research. I belong to a private board that has a lot of links to peer-reviewed studies about vaccines. If you want an invite or any of the links, message me here.

And yeah, ignore the haters. You child is what is important here, not their opinions about your choices.

ME ME ME!!! Same issue! My son had his first shots, and my daughter(2) had all of hers. Even though my doctor insists there is no risk-the most recent reports and statistics I have just seen have me totally convinced other wise. My daughter is fine, but I know the risk is more often in boys. I told my mother that I wasn't going to get the rest of his shots and asked how she felt about it-she's a nurse. I found out her whole side of her family thru her husband home schools and since they don't have to have the vaccinations, they don't. Their families are huge and none of the kids have them. The families who have kids who travel to do missionary work in foreign countries get them when they are teenagers with the belief that at least their bodies are stronger. You're not alone! My son isn't having the rest of his, and I'm figuring out how to deal with school etc later and keeping my ears open about the causes of the skyrocketing Autism. I don't know what else could possibly be causing it if not the mercury in the preservatives in the shots, as stated in that latest news case.

My husband and I have struggled with the who vaccine issue. We are getting our kids vaccinated but we wait until they are one year old to start and then they get one shot every 3-4 months.

I don't blame you for stopping -- my Dr. only gives his kids a few vaccines. I can't recall which ones they were though.

I say follow your mommy instincts and faith. My son is four. I had some concerns with having him vaccinated, but did not have enough info to option opt at the time. He went to daycare at 18 months and had to have his shots. I recently learned that most states will allow you to opt out for religious or philosophical reasons. Babies receive vaccinations for a sex-related disease when they are 1 day old. Why is it needed at day 1?

I heard Dr. Oz state that his wife did not take his kids to be vaccinated until they were 6 months old and only allowed 1 vaccination at a time. He also stated the only reason that the medical profession crams all the vaccinations together in a short period of time is because they know that they won't see many of the mothers again if they don't.

There is a slow awakening to the link between autism and vaccinations. Many of the parents of kids with austims testify that their children were talking and hitting all milestones and suddenly stopped after being vaccinated between 18 mos and 4 years old. They believe that some kids have a condition that may be aggravated by the vaccinations.

Holly Robinson Peete who has a 10-year-old son with Autism was part of a class action suit against one of the drug companies, but the suit was dropped following 9/11 because a new law went into effect that protected the drug company. She also stated that her mommy instint asked the pediatrician -- Are you going to give him all those at once and was told that it was okay? -- she followed suit and her son withdrew and stopped talking afterwards.

As parents, we have to do what is best for our children. We cannot wait for drug companies and our governmental agencies to tell us what is safe. Cold medicine was pulled from the shelves last year for children under 2 and may be pulled for children under 6, because it was not tested as safe for these age groups. Toys were pulled due to lead-based paint. Red dye, which is harmful to many children, is still found in food.

I applaud you for standing up for your child!
P.S. I do agree that if you are going to be traveling outside the country that vaccinations are probably warranted or if you interface often with people who travel in and out of the country.

All three of my children are or have been vaccianted. My two older ones have had the chicken pox one and then found out that they need to have it done again. I have the shots that are needed for school. I have opped not to have the one that is Hept. A ( bad water)I look at what is need and what they are being proteced from when they are given the shots and make my choice form that.

But it is getting harder and harder to let your child get the shots when they are trying to link for learing disabilites to them. Talk to you doctor. Let them know your concern.

Hi,

I've chosen to delay vaccinating my 1 year old son, and I'm not going to do all the recommended vaccines. It's hard to feel strong in this decision when most of the world doesn't understand, but I'm not 100% sure vaccines are safe at such an early age. Why give a hep vaccine to a newborn when you only contract it through sexual activity/IV needle use? I'm still breastfeeding my son, I'm taking a really fantastic liquid supplment and I don't put him in day care, so I'm still protecting him as best I can. Here's a website that has been helpful:

http://generationrescue.org/vaccines.html

Also, check out the book, The Vaccine Guide by by Randall Neustaedter. It goes in depth to each vaccine.

Keep up with your search, and following what you believe is right.

Thanks for posting this question. I've very interested in this topic and I'm grateful for the moms who've provided links for us to do the ourselves.

My 2 1/2 has not had any. My adopted 2 year old had them before we brought her home at 4 months. We have not continued. I will say Giannas imune system is much stronger than her sisters. Because of vacc? I don't know but she seems to not get sick like her sis, and her sis still doesn't get too sick while the children around them are always catching something. There are some vacc we are considering, but we wanted to wait til they are older. I have a great cd that explains the various types of vaccs, what the diseases are, vs the side effects of the vacc. The girls father is a chiropractor so I have always trusted his judgement on this, and the cd is info given to him from a fellow dr. I would be happy to lend it to you, All information is valueable & you have the right to make your own choices. Let me know & good luck, its really a tough decision.

PS I stopped all vacc in my 3 dogs too. The average dog in "the old days" used to live into their 20's. Now they are lucky to make it past 10. I only do required rabies vac.

Your children are very fortunate to have such caring parents. I know there is some risk to vaccinations, but as the mother of four I think the benefit far outways the risk. As a nurse, I think it's far better to take measures to prevent an illness if there's something available. Vaccinations have obliterated some diseases throughout the world. I'm sure you want to keep your children safe. This is one way you can. Good luck with your decision!

Hi-
I did vaccinate my 3 1/2 year old and he today is in a special services preschool for speech delay and sensory processing disorder/ possible mild autism. They want him to have a mandatory flu shot in the fall and I refuse to give him anymore. All vaccines are voluntary, which no one wants you to know, but the pharmaceutical companies will not take any responsibility if your child has a reaction so for that reason, all shots are voluntary. do not feel bullied into doing it.
I also have a 16 month old baby that I gave his 2 and 4 month shot and he had a severe eczema reaction where he had raw spots on his head and looked like 2nd degree burns on his face. He also has severe food allergies to soy and egg which are in the shots. He is hyper allergic to everything so I have a medical exemption for him and I intend to not vaccinate him.
anyone who says vaccines are safe are crazy. they should read the list of ingredients (you can google it) that are in them and see if they would voluntarily inject themselves with the poisons that are in them. Do more research on line and listen to Jenny McCarthy who is extremely knowledgeable on the subject. There is a rise in developmental delays and autism and all of these moms can't be wrong.
If anything wait until your child is 3 years old and split them up. I think in years to come, people will see they actually do more harm than good.
Your body is a natural immunity builder. It knows what to do NATURALLY when you are exposed to a foreign body.
Good luck to you!!

I feel like I could've written this same request! We too have stopped with the vaccinations. My 2 1/2 year old daughter has almost all of hers and my 15 month old son is way behind of the schedule. I tried presenting my pediatrician with an "alternative" schedule (which included most of the vaccines spread out over time excluding MMR)and he accused me of thinking I know more than the medical professionals and that other parents (that vaccinate) must not love their children as much as I do. Unfortunately he is still our Dr. but I've stopped taking them in for their well baby visits (which I hate doing). I'll be following your request and wish the best for your family. Thanks for posting your important question!

I know a lot of parents that have choosen not to vaccinate there children. I think it is a choice that you have to make on you own and think seriously about. I have worked in the autism field for many years and there is a theory a lot of parents have about a link between vaccines and autism, but you have to be educated on the risk factors. I vaccinated my own daughter and will continue to do so, my brother-in-law didn't with his daughter and she ended up getting a very bad case of whooping cough. You can alway look at individual vaccines and choose to only get the ones you think are most important. It is a hard choice, I don't know what the policy of your local school districts are etiher but many of them require vaccinations before a child can begin school, i would check it out if you decided against the vaccines

This is something I have thought about only in the last 2-3 years. I have 5 children from ages 3 to 16 who all have been current with their vaccinations. I have mixed feeling on this topic. As with any medical intervention, there are risks and chances being taken when they are used. The only down side to not being immunized is the fact that very rare diseases in our country may make a come back in the unimmunized and possibly develope into a strain that can be passed to individuals who have been vaccinated against them.

Ultimately, the choice is yours. Research the topic and continue to get opions from everyone on both sides of the issue in order to make a complete and better informed decision.

That is tremedously dangerous. You are not helping your child. Any child not vaccinated, should never be let into a school. I hope you plan on homeschooling. I would not want my kids going to school with children who could infect them with diptheria. I will keep your child in my prayers.

I'm sure you will get a lot of responses to this question. I have issues with some vaccines. I refused the chicken pox vaccine for my second daughter (due to issues that my first daughter had with it) and I got so many, "how could you do that." responses from people/doctors.

I would say that you know what is best for your child and if you feel that vaccines are not right for your children, then go with it. You have a right to decide what you feel is right for your children. Believe me, I have issues with vaccines. My daughter had a severe reaction to the chicken pox shot and I have told 3 different doctors about it and not one told me how bad of a reaction it was. The only reason I knew it was a sever reaction, was because I did the research. The doctors don't tell you everything.

Do your own research (i'm sure you have already) and make a descision based on that. Don't worry about what others say. You know what is best for your children.

Good for you!!! I am sitting here half laughing, half terrified to hear people so adamantly supporting the medical community and/or "reputable medical websites". I guess they forgot that 14 years ago, the American Pediatric Assoc. only recommended nursing babies for the first 6 months because, "there is no nutritional benefit to be gained beyond that point." Um, yeah, right - that's why they now recommend minimum of 1 year and the World Health Org recommends TWO YEARS... because somehow doctors know it all?!! As if!! They change their minds CONSTANTLY. Back in the 50's, they swore smoking was perfectly safe and your DOCTOR might even be the one smoking a cigarette as he gave you your exam. THINGS CHANGE and I believe in my heart that 50 years from now, moms like us will be saying, "I absolutely cannot believe they used to vaccinate and put all of those toxins into their babies' bodies! What were they thinking?!"

I had my first two sons immunized fully - and my step-son, too, because I didn't know any bettter and hadn't even considered that I had a choice in the matter. The white coat intimidation was strong and I'm sad for my boys but thankful they appear to be okay despite being vaccinated.

For my 4th son (almost 2), I started down the vaccination path, but he had a bad reaction to his 12 mos. shots and I started really reading up on it. I decided against any further shots and will continue to do so until he is 18 years old and decides for himself whether or not to get vaccinated.

And to those (my sister included) who say it's irresponsible or that we're just counting on moms who *do* vaccinate to keep the population healthy, etc., I say phooey! Do you think it's possible that if my son developed measels, mumps, rubella or even polio today that he could be treated by better hospitals, higher technology and improved medicines than existed 50 years ago (pre-vaccine)? Yeah, exactly. Not only are the odds slim he'd get any of these, the FEAR mongering of him dying is ridiculous. Nevermind that the CDC's website reports less than 0-5 cases of heptatis where we live and my toddler is neither sexually active nor engaging in needle sharing with drug addicts.

Next baby of mine will be 100% vaccination-free.

Don't let the naysayers scare you (and that is what vaccinations are all about - trying to scare you into doing something far from natural and possibly harmful to our kids). You're making what I consider to be a great choice!! Congratulations!!

P.S. to the mom who kept using "protecting" her kids to imply you are somehow NOT protecting yours, I think that's just ridiculous. We each do our best armed with the information we have (and sometimes just with the instincts we possess) to protect our kids. Your way may not be our way, but it by no means implies we are failing our children in any capacity!

By the time my eighth child was born, I had finally mustered the courage to say "No" to all vaccinations. He is almost fifteen and the first shot he got was before leaving for camp two summers ago because they insisted on tetanus so I said OK.
I was worried about that shot and asked a friend who is a homeopath. She said that his immune system is probably healthier than those of the children who have been immunized,and that the tetanus shot would not harm him.
For school, I had to write letters to the school district each time he started a new school (middle, high) stating that he is not immunized due to my "philosophical convictions" and that was not challenged at all. The threat of them getting seriously ill is ever looming, and a huge responsibility on your shoulders. Every time he had an ear ache (something I was prone to as a child) the doctor suspected meningitis!!! So it is good to find a doctor (naturalist or homeopath) who supports your views. I believe that a healthy start is critical, and I nursed him for at least two years. He has had antibiotics maybe twice or three times in his life. He has asked me why he is not immunized as if he feels I love him less. I tell him "you weren't circumcised either" :) It's our own little joke.
You are brave to choose this route. Good luck!
N

Hi,

First I highly recommend that every parent read this: http://www.naturalnews.com/022955.html

We also stopped vaccinating our 4 children after we found out that 2 of them have mercury & aluminum poisoning from the metals in their shots (blood, hair, and urine tests can confirm this - http://www.greatplainslaboratory.com/ ) . Thousands upon thousands of children are becoming ill from their vaccines, because of the toxins found in them, and from receiving SO MANY at once. The amount of adjuvants in just one vaccine is enough to put some children over the edge and have reactions, and become sick, but most kids get way more than one in a single visit to the ped. There is also a myth that unvaccinated children "spread disease" while vaccinated children don't. This is scientifically unvalid - not only do vaccinated children carry illnesses just like anyone else, but vaccines do not mean that you are "immune" to the disease you got a vaccine for. Vaccines don't work for everything they are designed to (says this on the label). And with that vaccine comes more than the virus - mercury, aluminum, formaldahyde, ether, aborted fetal tissue, animal tissue, the list goes on and on.

I encourage anyone to research the issue of "greening" our vaccines, as well as pushing for a better schedule. Here is a site that offers alternative schedules that many knowledgable peds will recommend, its just a matter of finding a doctor who knows their stuff. www.generationrescue.com

Also, there is a "green vaccines" march headed by Jim Carrey and Jenny McCarthy this coming June 4th in Washington, D.C. (check out www.tacanow.org for more info).

Hope this helps you feel more supported in your decision. One more thing - nowadays with hospitals and current technologies, if your child comes down with something that is vaccinated for, the chances of mortality are very much reduced.

Meg

WOW..i just finished reading most of the post to this question and i say it's up to you and your husband and your beliefs.
But i feel with how society has become it's better for me to get my children their shots(i have a 13year-old that is behind on shots now even though i have followed everything down to a period).And i have a daughter who WILL get the shot for the cervical cancer(b/c i'm dealing with that now).Some of the shots(IMO)out weight the risks for them getting sick(because of something i could've prevent)...

Do i conmend you for what you believe in...
YES!!!
Would i allow our children to play together even if your children don't have their shots??
YES!!!
Do i believe that no matter how much we protect our children they can still get sick??
YES!!!!

Do i think this is a subject that no matter what ther are going to be people who get their children their shots and say you are wrong for not doing it or(not say you would or anyone on here would)people who opt for their children not get shots...say thoses of us who opt to do it are wrong...
There's no right/wrong in your belief.Just stand strong...
Good luck to you and your family

I generally like vaccines. My children were vaccinated many years ago before there was any controversy about autism. You need to do research and lots of it. When my mother was a young girl, she knew classmates who died of polio. I was vaccinated in the 1960s against smallpox, a disease that has been eradicated barring any terrorist sort of situation. When my children were small, chicken pox vaccines were not required, and so we didn't get them for our kids. They ended up catching chicken pox, lived through it, and don't even remember it today.

Some of the things that you want to research:

The defining parameters for autism have been widened, therefore, more children are classified as autistic these days. So is there a rise in autism because of vaccines, or a rise in autism because more children fit into the definition of autistic.

How many new cases are measles are being reported today, 20 years ago, 50 years ago. Diphtheria? Mumps? Polio?

How many children die of those diseases today, 20 years ago, 50 years ago?

I have to say that I think vaccines have decreased the child mortality rates around the world, and generally made us healthier. But, I also know that vaccines are big business. In recent years, there has been a real push by pharmaceutical companies to get vaccines on the market. It can't be denied that they make lots of money with vaccines. Think about it. If your company makes a new vaccine, peddles it to the FDA and gets it approved as a "required" vaccine, even if that vaccine is a $5.00 shot, multiply that x every child in the US. It's big, big business. Do we really need vaccines for diseases that are rare? Will lack of vaccines bring these diseases back? I don't know. You'll have to do the research. Take that small pox vaccine that I received back in 1965. No one is required to receive it anymore, and small pox has not returned to wipe us off the face of the earth.

I can't give you an answer. You have to think this through, research and decide. You will find strong opinions on both sides of this argument. Don't take the opinions at face value. Ask for statistics, and then ask who did the statistical analysis, who paid for the statistical analysis?

Good luck.