To vaccinate, or not vaccinate, that is the question.

Days ago, M gave me an assignment: check the pros and cons of baby vaccination. He heard plenty of negative information, such as potential risks and side effects, of vaccine. He wants to have a balanced look about this topic and make an educated decision.

I totally agree with him.

The first thing I did was to go to Yahoo Answers and posted my question: the pros and cons of vaccinating the baby?

My questions are the following:

I heard after the baby is born, he/she will receive 12 vaccinations within 2 years!
1. Is it safe for infants to receive such large number of vaccinations?
2. Are they going to overwhelm infants’ immune system instead?
3. Can I say no and not do it to my baby?

Within 10 minutes, I received 6 answers from other members of the community.

One mother said, the vaccination won’t hurt the baby at all, and nurses will make sure that baby isn’t sick before getting the shot. She also mentioned a lot of schools and day cares won’t take the child if he/she isn’t up to date.

Another concerned mother said she was worried about this too, especially after her son got his first sets and was very sick for 2 days. She opted not to get the flu shot and chicken pox vaccines, but she warned that some doctors will tell you to find another pediatrician if you say no.

One mother said she was not against vaccinations all together, but she felt that doctors pump too many vaccines into babies too early. She worked with her doctor to come up with an alternate schedule for vaccinating her daughter: only giving her daughter one vaccine at a time (instead of up to 6 or so at once). She also delayed starting her daughter’s vaccines by 2-4 months to give her body more time to grow.

She also said it was your right to say no to vaccinations for your child or to request the vaccines be administered on a different schedule. But again, some states require having your child vaccinated in order to attend day care or to attend public school.

The fourth mother shared the same idea: only allows her son to have one shot at a time. She also worked with her doctor to come up with a schedule for her son.

There is one mother who is completely pro vaccination. She believes in home schooling, but all her kids were vaccinated.

The best answer, voted by members, gave me a pretty complete and balanced answer. Here is her answer:

I am worried too, but here is my theory:

Pros: your baby won’t catch deadly diseases
Cons: some side effects, such as fussiness and fever, but very small percentage of major side effects

1. Is it safe for infants to receive such large number of vaccinations?
Yes, there are no studies supporting otherwise… just be careful of mercury levels… but now, none of the vaccinations contain mercury. Make sure your doctor provides you with handouts each time you take your baby for vaccinations.

2. Are they going to overwhelm infants’ immune system instead?
No, but if it will make you feel better, split them out. I split them out for my son, with half at the 1st visit and then the rest 2 weeks later. There is no evidence it makes a difference, but my son had no side effects, and I felt like it was better on his tiny system to do it this way. The only shot you can’t split out is the MMR shot they get at age 1 year.

3. Can I say no and not do it to my baby?
Yes, it is your right; however, you are risking your child for possible exposure to deadly diseases. The risk in an unvaccinated child is much greater in catching a disease than the risk for a vaccinated child to get side effects. Besides, you won’t be able to enroll your child in any preschools or schools until the vaccinations are completed.

She also suggests me to read Dr. Sears’ book: The Vaccine Book: Making the Right Decision for Your Child , which explains each vaccine, ingredients, what diseases it protects from, pros and cons of each one.

Overall, I was quite surprised to find out baby vaccination was such a sensational topic nowadays among parents-to-be. Although I didn’t find a confirmative answer for my questions, I did get some idea about where to look for: I am going to read The Vaccine Book: Making the Right Decision for Your Child , and let M read it too. Then we will discuss about it and decide what will be the best for our baby.

Tags: From Lina, immune system damage by vaccine, Vaccination of baby | From Lina, Healthy Pregnancy | Lina | March 24, 2008 7:45 am | Comments (0)