It is amazing how many major decisions need to be made regarding raising your child. It goes far beyond how you are going to decorate his nursery, what cute outfits you're going to dress him in, and whether you should buy the Baby Bjorn or the Ergo baby carrier. And these major decisions come long before you are worrying about curfews, driver's licenses and girlfriends. From the moment your child is born, you are faced with difficult decisions that impact the rest of their lives. One of the most difficult that Scott and I have been faced with since Camden's birth in August is the decision surrounding vaccinations.
There is a great amount of fear surrounding this topic and you can barely turn on the news or watch the Ellen show without seeing a breaking news story or a celebrity speaking on the controversial issue. There is fear if you DO vaccinate your child - some studies show a possible link between vaccines and autism, the danger of aluminum and mercury in vaccines, side effects after getting shots that range from discomfort, fussiness and fever to seizures and even death! There is also fear if you choose NOT to vaccinate your child - what if your child catches polio or another horrible disease? What about the public health standpoint?
I have done a good amount of reading on this topic and still do not feel settled about it. If you are interested in learning more about vaccines, I recommend reading
The Vaccine Book by Dr. Robert Sears. Unlike many books regarding this topic, this is not an "anti-vaccine" book, but rather seeks to educate the reader so that they can make the best choice for their family. The author breaks down each disease and corresponding vaccine into a chapter and covers how common/rare (and how serious) each disease is, how each vaccine is made and what ingredients in it might be controversial, what the side effects might be etc... I found the book to be extremely helpful in answering many of my questions, and although I don't feel completely settled, I do feel more educated.
After much discussion with friends and family and a lot of reading, we have found a schedule that we are relatively at peace with. Dr. Sears suggests a schedule that gets children fully vaccinated, but does so in a way that minimizes the theoretical risks of vaccines. We just went to the pediatrician today, and Camden got two shots. It is so hard for me as a mother to see my baby smiling up into my face one second and then crying in pain the next. I know this process will never feel completely right and will definitely never be easy, but hopefully we have made the best choice for our family.
This post may seem random to many of you, but as parents of a small child it has been weighing on our minds for months now and I often feel better after I write about something that is difficult for me. It is my prayer that we can look back on these decisions down the road and feel confident in the path we took.
On a happier note, our little guy is growing like a weed and is already 15 lbs, 7 oz!!! That's pretty big for a 14 week old!! :) He is smiling, grabbing things, starting to laugh and is just the joy of our lives.
