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vaccinations - would you ever consider not doing them?


cameragirl21 wrote: i recently went to a chiropractic doctor who was very against immunizations and had a sign posted in his office that listed all the seemingly horrible things in a single innoculation. he believes that babies should not get shots and said his 4 year old grandson was never immunized. i said that schools will not allow students entry without shots and he said there is a way around that.
i personally, when i photograph infants less than 3 months old prefer to come to their parents's home because i feel before they have their shots they should not be out and about, or at least not unless it's absolutely necessary, like a trip to the doc's office so to me the idea of not immunizing sounds off the wall but i'm wondering if anyone has ever not immunized and thereby sees it the way the chiro doc does.
would you ever consider not getting the injections for a baby?

MyBrownEyedBoy replied: Not for Logan. With his heart condition, some "normal" childhood diseases can be fatal. If I can prevent it, I'm going to.

mom2my2cuties replied: This is a very touchy subject, because some feel very strongly both ways on this. But for me personally and my children, I choose to vaccinate. I have done my research on this subject, and I have decided that the protection my children will recieve from the vaccines are greater and far outway the possible risks.

ETA - Chiropractors are generally against most "medical" treatments if they require medicine. By profession, Chiropractors choose natural remidies before resorting to medicine.

jem0622 replied: If I knew then what I know now...yes. or, I would request thermerisol (sp) free vaccinations. And if that caused a reschedule of their appointments, then I wouldn't care.

luvbug00 replied: I personaly will not say my peace on this except that i got mya her vacc except for chicken pox and by Golly I'm still trying to get her to catch them and get the dumb things over with.

cameragirl21 replied:
is it an option to have the thimerosol removed from the vaccine? the chiro doc lists it prominently on his list of horrors that are in a shot but i recall thimerosol being in my contact lens solution some years back, at least i think that's the case because now my contact lens solution boasts that it contains no thimerosol.
so what is this thimerosol and what does it do?

cameragirl21 replied:
the chicken pox vaccine, assuming it's the varivax shot from the 90s is imperfect and is not recommended for children.
this is not meant to be a debate and if it is, it's a friendly debate, feel free to speak your mind, Nadia.

boyohboyohboy replied: I never even knew it was an option to not vaccinate until I started on this board and read from others who did not vaccinate on purpose. I always assumed if a person didnt vaccinate their child it was due to neglect on their part either for financial reasons or just neglect. I was not and am not still as educated as I should be as to why moms decide not to vaccinate.

I know that there are multi dose vials at some peds offices that do contain perservatives that they say can cause diseases and some fatal reactions...I always insist on single dose vials, and nothing with mercury.
I also have to make sure jake does not take anything with eggs in it.


Now my oldest son, had a reaction to the DTP it was tolerable, but he now has to have that one seperated to get it...

I feel in my own home, my kids will be vaccinated. It such a horror for those parents that have gone thur bad circumstances due to the vaccinations, but most dr's agree that the bennefits out weigh the risks.

I think its becoming more common though to skip some vaccinations.

boyohboyohboy replied: EDIT: I always assumed if a person didnt vaccinate their child it was due to neglect on their part either for financial reasons or just neglect. I was not and am not still as educated as I should be as to why moms decide not to vaccinate.


I guess I should also finish my thought here: I now know that there are real reasons that some parents do not vaccinate their kids. I meant to complete this thought with previously I had no idea that anyone didnt do it for real medical concerns...

coasterqueen replied: I'm not sure. I didn't educate myself on the subject til Kylie was at least 6 months and by then I had already starting doing it so I continued. I did not know, however, when it came time for CP vax that is what we were getting because I would have declined that immediately. Dh and I are both firm on that one, but she got it. We are letting Megan get it too since Kylie has. Not really a good reason, but that is what we are doing.

With Megan I did demand delayed schedule on her vax. She has a very sensitive nervous system and her body couldn't handle too much.

I think, at least in IL, it's law that the vax have to be thirmesol free as of July 1 of last year, BUT when I asked my doc about it he said he honestly had NO clue if they were free of it or not. He said they order such a huge supply that has to be gone through first be4 getting the t-free ones.

My sitter is adamant that if she ever does get to have a child, no child of hers will get vaxed.

I'm educated enough on the subject, but there's some fear of the unknown of not doing it that scares me. Once I see data on how the world goes round with so many not getting vaxed these days, then maybe I'll feel a bit more at ease.

ediep replied: no, I want both of my kids vaccinated

cameragirl21 replied:
well, Karen, the premise is that since the majority of kids get vaccinated, the few that don't are not in any real danger and they pose no danger to the majority that IS vaccinated.
BUT
if everyone stops vaccinating then seemingly eradicated illnesses will spread once again so in as much as i love holisitic and natural approaches to things, i don't think there is any reason for an outbreak of measles when we can in fact prevent children from getting it.
what is this thimerosol and what does it do? is it a preservative? and why is it so dangerous?

Boys r us replied: I've been assured by our ped's office when Braedon was getting his vaccines that they were all T-free. Therefore lacking the ingredient that everyone pointed fingers at for the bad effects.

All of my kids are vaccinated, I see far more harm in not vaccinating than in vaccinating.

Calimama replied:
I feel the same way.

~Roo'sMama~ replied:
Same here. For me the risks that come with not vaccinating are higher than the risks of vaccinating.

DansMom replied: Daniel's received all his vaccinations up until 2 yrs, including CP. I was told they were thimerosol-free. Since he is severely egg-allergic, he will not get the pre-kindergarten MMR or any further vaccinations that contain egg.

Jennifer, I don't think anyone answered your question about thimerosol. It's a mercury-based preservative. Some scientists believe there's evidence that this ingredient has caused autism---that vulnerable children were basically poisoned with heavy metal that caused neurological damage to their brain function, and that there has been a huge cover-up of this fact, alternative studies to discredit those findings and paying off of families that have been injured.

If I had it do do over again, I'd delay vaccines, do individual doses, demand thimerosol-free, and I'd determine the allergy status of my child before proceeding with the egg-based ones. I'd skip the CP as well.

cameragirl21 replied:
wow!!!! why the *F* are kids getting injected with mercury?!?!?!!??!?!?
sh*t, i remember when i was little, we still used the thermometers we brought to the US from russia, the ones with the mercury in them and when i dropped ours and it broke, my mom nearly had a fit when i reached for the silvery mercury to pick it up, she wouldn't so much as let me touch it, why on earth would anyone inject that into a person?!
the problem is, if you don't vaccinate an infant, what do you do? they have little immunity before 3 months of age and they are at tremendous risk if you take them out unvaccinated.
seriously, i'm in shock that there are laws that force you to wear a seatbelt (and just for the record, i am very pro seat belts and always wear mine and still would even if it weren't the law) but there are no laws saying you can't inject kids with mercury!
thanks for the 411, Tracy, pardon me while i pick my jaw up off the floor.

CantWait replied:
I agree, and for that reason all my kids will continue to be vaccinated until the risk of cons outweights the pros.

cameragirl21 replied:
remember, Marie, that i'm looking at it through the eyes of a photographer--i'm shooting babies at 2 wks of age or younger, if they come to my studio where another child/family/baby just was and that child/family/baby had been exposed to a cold or whatever and the 2 wk old or younger baby is not vaccinated....
or sometimes we shoot them in public places and there are lots of people around and they become curious when they see a photoshoot going on and get too close.
for this reason, i prefer to shoot infants in their homes so i'm not exposing them to anymore than what might be on me.
lol, i call it Jewish mother syndrome--if you see a pic of me holding my godson when he was born, you'd think i just had him--i insisted on putting a hospital gown over my street clothes because i was afraid i may be carrying germs on my clothes. problem is, i must have been wearing a very short dress or something because you can't see anything under my gown, so it looks like i just had a baby!
also, the preggo woman i shot yesterday was asking me if i could photograph her baby when she's born and we wanted to do a beach type shot but she won't take the baby to the beach before 3 months so that's why the thought is on my mind.
in principle, i'd be less concerned about taking a baby to the beach because there aren't as many germs there and it's out in the open but i do feel that a baby should not be exposed to many other children if it's not vaccinated.
maybe i'm old fashioned, idk, i never thought of myself that way but maybe i'm just not with the times.

jem0622 replied:

Your ped can get them, so demand them. Mine may not have them in large supply, but they can get them.

ETA: For those who say they were told that all vax's were free of it, I sure hope that you got it in writing.

CantWait replied:
I totally hear what you're saying.

I wouldn't say not with the times, and old fashion is a little much, but for lack of a better word, it hits it on the head tongue.gif

coasterqueen replied:
Jennifer,

Does it really shock you that mercury is in these shots? There's aluminum in our deodorants and more and more is being linked between that and cancers. There is so much crap in everything around us it's so scary and sometimes i wish I was oblivious to it. Depressing. sleep.gif

coasterqueen replied:
ITA on getting it in writing. Even my PED agreed that it can't be guaranteed even though it's law and he personally doesn't believe it 100% that they are. HE works in a huge clinic so it's not like he personally has the overall say about it.

punkeemunkee'smom replied: For anybody who wants to know the pros and cons in a very unbiased and medically informative way there is a book called Everything your child's doctor may not tell you about vaccines. In the interim I will say I recieved all my shots and have NO immunity to any componet of the MMR or Dip. or Pertusis. I was immunity tested after I was pregnant. So vaacines are no garuntee. I will also say that in this world of no medical liability acceptance in most doctor's offices there is a very real section of children that have been harmed-some even killed-by componets in our 'safe' vaccine system and until you have held your child in your arms while they suffer from a reaction and prayed that they will recover fully-please do not pass judgement on the parents who have chosen not to go down that road again! For those who have said they choose to vaccinate to protect their children-I applaud that,but please remember that some have chosen NOT to continue to vaccinate for the very same reason! sleep.gif

boyohboyohboy replied: what is the abreviation CP for a vaccine?

holley79 replied: I vaccinate and never thought twice about it.

DansMom replied: CP = Chicken Pox. Abbie, I so appreciate your comments. Even though I remain on the fence, I know parents who don't vax for the very reason that they are caring parents committed to the health of their children and all children. One of them advised me to read a book called Evidence of Harm. Frankly, I'm afraid to read it!

jcc64 replied: Jennifer- you can't be all that surprised about the FDA's protection of big pharma, can you? Corporate greed and its intoxicating influence over our elected officials will always supercede the gov't's responsibility to protect us and especially, our kids. We're on our own, and I conduct my life accordingly. My s-i-l's dh works for a major pharmaceutical company, and his job is to "interpret" research data so that it benefits the company's economic interests. When he told me that, it took me a few minutes to take my jaw off the floor. How can they get away with that???? I really don't know how anyone can argue against the direct corrolation between the rise in Autism spectrum disorders and the rise in the rate of vaccinations. When you and I were kids, we got a small handful of vax, when my 14 yo ds was a baby, he got maybe 10- and now, my dd- my god, I can't even count how many they wanted to give her. You might be surprised to know that I do, in fact, vaccinate, though I do so on my own schedule- slowly, and one at a time. Corey, 4, just got her MMR a month or so ago- she was supposed to get it at 15 months, I think. I guess my philosophy is- cross my fingers and hope for the best. I do still believe that vaccinations help much much more than they harm, but that is from the vantage point of a parent whose children were not irrevocably harmed by one. I certainly see the rationale behind not vaccinating- am even sympathetic to it, but the argument on the other side is more compelling to me for now. In the end, I am seriously resentful that I, a very unscientific lay person, am left completely on my own to make sense of all of the information/misinformation available and/or unavailable. Another tragic instance of the gov't not protecting our children..

Nina J replied: We vaccine, we never considered not doing it.

Hillbilly Housewife replied: To be perfectly honest, I don't kow which ones my kids got and didn't get... I ust know that Zach was about 2 years behind, Emilie was about 1 year behind, and Naomie got her 2 months vaccines she was about 1 year old.

They'll get them, eventually I guess.... but I'm not worried. To be completely honest... if my kids catch whatever's going around, chances are more in their favor that the hospitals can treat it with no lasting effects. And, then, the kids will actually be immune against getting it. Not just supposedly immune.

Oh well, whatever.... tomAYto tomAHto

sparkys2boys replied: It was a debate in my household and with the docs for my kids. DH is allergic to all vaccinnes and was fataly ill from them as a child. So, in the end Logan has had them all but Cameron(problem child..lol) is very far behind because of his allergies and severe skin allergies, but is only behind on orders from a skin specalist and our ped doctor. He's four and is yet to have all of his 2yr old needles, every time he has them he has a severs skin breakout that I deal with more months to clear up which means usung a skin cream on him that can actullay thin the skin if used to much. It's all a guessing game with him and we get needles as we can but I do hope to get them all. He starts kindergarten in the fall and it worries me that he does not have them all but I can not do anymore but try.

cameragirl21 replied:
put him on a daily dose of evening primrose oil and he won't get skin breakouts or if he does, they'll be much milder. i'm a huge fan of EP oil and find it works for everyone and is even safe for babies.
the cream that thins skin is a cortisone cream and yeah, it breaks down the collagen building complex which is how it thins skin.
i detest cortisone creams of any kind and avoid them for myself for this very reason.
just fyi, my cat gets a lot of skin allergies, it's rather funny actually--i'm a vegetarian and she's allergic to nearly all kinds of meat, the only meat she can eat is duck so it figures that she'd end up being my cat but anyway, i used to give her cortisone pills and/or shots and my vet said regular use of them, even in the short run can take an entire year off her life so needless to say, i'm no fan of cortisone creams for children.

3_call_me_mama replied:
I totally agree... Most vaccines that they say thermisol has been removed still contains trace amounts.
I woudl LOVE to see any Dr guarantee or put in writing that they guarantee that teh vaccine they administer are 100% thermisol free.


We no longer vaccinate. I've stated long posts on several occasions as to why.
Cameron was fully vaxxed until 2 years of age, no CP vax, but got teh CP at ag 2 yrs 3 mos.
kathleen had selective vax due to a bad reaction to her DTaP shto at her 2 month visit. She did no get eth CP shto.... but had teh CP at 6 mos old
Graham is 100% vaccine free adn will remain that way unless he chooses differently as an adult.
From myown re4ading adn research adn findings i truly beleive that teh RISK of Vaccinating FAR outweighs the disease. I have friends that have lost their child to vaccine related deaths. I have had friends that have had kids with reactions that have cause significant delays in their life. (I'm no even touching the autism debate here) And after seeing my own child suffer what was a bad reaction to a shot I'll never put another child through it or try to advocate to anyone that vaccines are safe and needed. It's an uphill battle that is nevre going to be won on my part and when someone comes to me for advice on it I gladly give it. I will not justify it to those that don't agree anymore as I believe if they feel they have researched adn are comfortable with their decision then so be it. When they come crying after the fact and have had a bad reaction I simply console them adn help them understand why. (this being based on a true incident when a friend vaccinated despite my advice and lost her DD less than 1 week later due to brain bleed that teh Dr said was a rare side effect of the vaccine)
Read around other parenting boards and you will see I'm not makign it up and my friend is not alone. I know as parents we all do what we feel is best at teh tiem for our child, and as long as you can live with your decisions as parents then that is your business. I will not tell you not to vax nor state that anyone is wrong for vaxing, and I respect that others can do the same for me. I do however suggest that everyone read and research all over teh net and in medical journals and everywhere each shot individually before they inject anything. YOU CAN ALWAYS DELAY~ but ONCE YOU PUT IT IN YOU CAN"T TAKE IT OUT! Read those littel inserts that come with the shots and look up those ingriedents and find out what they are made of and wha tthe side effects are adn how they work when combined with other things (since most shots aren't gven alone...)
I'll stop there.. adn as I've offered befroe ... anyone that wants advie or help figuring the whole shot thing out... or jus twants reassurance feel free to PM me.. i can send you to different sites tha thave a wealth of info and knowledge to aid you in your research.

3_call_me_mama replied: oh and to clear any possible confusion...
a vaccine will not build a child's immune system. So a baby out and about witth catch the same viruses/colds/germs after their first shots as the would before their shots. If anything vaccines temporarily weaken teh immune system as teh body tries to reject/fight off the foreign matter injected. (whch is why babies get fevers from it)

Old Mom Hubbard replied: If I had another child, if I could, there is NO WAY I would get any vaccinations. Too much risk and as another poster said, the big pharm industries pay whoever will take their drugs to sell to the patients and pay big money to politicians and FDA to cover up the truth of the dangers of many drugs just so they can make the profits from the sale/use of.
Years go by, suddenly a pocket of problems shows up, like a sleeping dragon rearing up it's head from a deep slumber, and good luck proving at that point it had something to do with the drugs. I have known MANY families with children who have kept their children free of vaccines and they are healthier than most kids I know who have had them. IMO there needs to be better monitoring of drug manufacturers and LARGER FINES for attempts at cover up with regards to side-effects and dangers of the drugs being made and sold.

DansMom replied: This morning before work I was at the gym, and the woman working out next to me struck up a conversation. We started talking about parenting issues, and I brought up the topic of vaccines. She then told me how a good friend of hers lost her child---a horrible reaction to the dTaP. Since that experience, the woman next me said, she has chosen to delay and spread out with her children. They are much less vulnerable to the bad effects as older kids. My mind is made up. If I had it to do over, I'd delay the shots and use single doses. If my pediatrician couldn't support that, I'd find another.

my2girls replied: Both of my children have NEVER been vaccinated. They are now 9 and 11 years old. They get a cold about once a year and have never had ear infections.
Yes we homeschool, but my children are around public school children everyday ( they play with the nieghborhood children everyday), they attend classes at our local library , have martial arts classes, and they push the shoppoing carts also (after we wipe them down).
I do not give my children medicine to bring down fevers( nature does that all by itself) when they did complain about a ear hurting ( the last one was 4 years ago that accompanied a cold) we use a sock filled with rice that was heated in the microwave and the ear stopped hurting within hours.
I have seen first hand what those "side effects" do and I vowed that if I had children I would not put them through that and I've kept that vow. So many people were againist it but now we have met alot of people that feel like we do.
FYI- ALL States have some sort of opt out that allow children to attend public/private schools even if they are not vaccinated. They (school) have it on file and when a outbreak happens your unvaccinated child(ren) can not attend classes.

michmom replied: We vaccinate ours. I can respect someone's decision not vaccinate, but I will continue to vaccinate mine.


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