I watched the 2nd episode on the Doctors show today regarding autism, and knew as it started (along with more info. I've been recieving the past many months from other research) that I would make my final decision.
I am officially deciding to make some changes and "avoid" even more vaccinations/immunizations regarding Corben. This whole debate is unanswered and I firmly believe it's better to be safe than sorry as Autism continues to increase. Adison has been perfectly healthy and incredibly smart (amidst her public shyness :) without any trouble from her vaccinations other than a few welts where they were injected. But as Autism is more noted in boys and due to Corben's health not being quite as flawless as Adi's has been, I'm still bothered. This is an irreversible decision and I can't put my child, a human, on the line of possiblity. We can't protect one another from everything, but we do have minds with problem solving skills that shouldn't be ignored. There is no "right" or "wrong" choice here involving moral obligation, because this isn't a "moral" dilemma. It's an issue of doing what we feel is best as individuals. No one is or should be judged for choosing to follow through with our nations increase of vaccines if there is no reason not to. And we did it all with Adison, and started them with Corben as well. But also within our own case scenario here and personal circumstances, I would rather not make a choice I feel there's a chance I could regret. I am tired of being nervous about this and of course want to find peace with this whole debate. I also want to protect my baby boy from anything that's potentially questionable as to how it could affect him. It's not a lack of trust in God, but trying to use this mind of mine that He created as well as discern His guidance through this choice. I guess, unless I feel peace 100% to continue these shots (which, I don't), I'm discerning that it's ok to be cautious. Waiting until he's a little older to get what he'll skip for now, does no harm to anyone except frustrate the medical order of procedure of where no one has an answer....
It definately makes no sense to shove all these diseases into such little, new lives we treat as fragile in every other way possible. And as one doctor on the show said, defending Jenny McArthy and the link between autism and vaccines, we know how to treat these diseases we have vaccines for whereas no one really knows how to diagnose autism well let alone treat it. And if there's a link between the shots and this hard to deal with diagnosis of autism, it's really not worth trading polio, rotavirus, etc. for. They aren't life long either....
Here are some sights with interesting info.:
http://www.thedoctorstv.com/main/show_synopsis/198?section=synopsis
The synopsis above left out the heated argument that occured on live TV, as well as many other great points/thoughts.
Below, links you to many varying thoughts and opinions. Many people also list some of their own resources to support their opinions, so you can see other possible sights to check out as well.
http://www.thedoctorstv.com/forums/157-May-6-2-9-Jenny-McCarthy-on-Autism/topics/4060-Reply-ONLY-if-A-B-C-
When you read some of the personal stories from the sight up above, you have to wonder 'what are we doing to our kids!' What is causing this extreme turnaround from a normal happy baby to an unresponsive one! It's heartbreaking to think that something is affecting them and the rest of their lives, and could have possibly been prevented! And if true, why is autism more dominant in our country than all the others!? Even auto-immune disorders are becoming more common here as well. It makes you almost wonder about chemical warfare, and that it may not be as farfetched as we think.....
(I sound like a hypochondriac, don't I? :)
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I say good for you for taking a stand. I have to admit I have not done one single vaccine for Gavin. There are way too many unknowns about vaccines. And I don't like the idea of injecting my little boy with harmful substances. He has been sick only once and is a very healthy happy boy. I will say that not getting vaccines is frowned upon by most people. My opinion is is that most people get scared into doing vaccines. I think more people need to get educated rather than just going along with it because it's what we are told we should do. Thank you for putting up this post. And I'm not saying people shouldnt vaccinate, I think it's just better to wait till the kid is older and can handle it better. (maybe)
ReplyDeleteI appreciated the post. My daughter Elizabeth is 9 months old and getting her shots so of course we are thinking about this issue too. Blessing to you and your family.
ReplyDeleteHeidi
Jaime, you're right. Not doing the vaccines IS frowned upon. But as much as they make people feel out of the norm or "crazy," other people do it all the time, and I think it's becoming another norm as answers to autism and other difficulties are not yet found. I agree that it's "safer" to wait...and glad Gavin is healthy! Way to be firm! Adison had her vaccinations and has been healthy. But, she's also a girl? Whether or not that makes a difference...She has done well, even with the vaccines, BUT Corben hasn't been as lucky whether or not his issues are vaccine related. So for his scenario, I'm not sure we'll be as lucky going through the MMR!
ReplyDeleteI'm at peace now with this decision, finally...:)
Heidi, RESEARCH! You are one of the smartest people I've known, so I'm sure you'll do what you feel is best. God's protection on little Elizabeth!
And Gavin...
Hi Robyn,
ReplyDeleteYou don't know me but I'm Heidi's sister and followed her blog listing here. As I'm pregnant, this issue has come into the forefront of my mind. Especially given my coworkers story that I thought I would share.
My coworker Beth recently quit to take care of her now almost three year old twins. She was pregnant when we first hired her. She had fraternal twin little girls, Bella and Annie. Bella was the outgoing smiling baby and Annie was well... kind of a bully and fussy. Annie was held more by all kinds of people because she was so fussy. Before their first MMR, Annie caught a cold, so the doctor decided to hold off on the MMR for a month or two. Bella got the first MMR as scheduled. After the MMR, Bella shut down from the outgoing baby she used to be. It scared Beth, so Annie has gone without any vaccines. They are now almost three and Bella has been diagnosed autism where Annie has the full vocabulary and terrible twos. I'm not sure what it all means, but it made me take notice when two fraternal twins had very different treatment schedules.
Hana,
ReplyDeleteThank you for posting this! I am so sorry I just saw it as I don't get notifications, and hopefully you'll see this one day too.
What an awful thing to go through and/or witness. These kind of stories are SO disheartening to hear and I hope the family is doing ok in the midst of it all. It's gutwrenching when something affects your child that could have possibly been prevented. But who would know? No one is at fault and there are no answers...
But I'm sure regret and/or guilt is somewhere in their minds irregardless. It's truly awful...and I hope the family is coping well.
Thanks so much for sharing this and once again, it's more confirmation of my decision to wait. I've gotten a notice of an "audit" that occurred at my kids doctors office due to files showing vaccines that aren't up to date. I don't regret my decision at all, but I really don't get the rush either. He will be up to date by preschool/Kindergarten age which is what matters most. That's another reason they probably encourage them, because they get in trouble for not following medical guidelines by the state. We're at a point regarding so many things in society where we have to decide what's more important; in this case - a good record, or good health. Sometimes rules or guidelines have to be changed if they aren't quite working or benefitting the point of why they are made in the first place. ~