*Disclaimer*
These are our reasons for vaccinating, whether you agree or disagree, please read with an open mind. If you do not agree with our view point, we understand, we can still be friends :)Vaccinations
Why vaccinate?
The #1 reason: Vaccines have saved millions of lives over the years and reduced the threat of many diseases that used to be common.
There is a lot of debate out right now on whether or not to vaccinate your babies. We didn't have to think twice about our decision...we ARE going to vaccinate our children. If you don't vaccinate, you are not only endangering your children, but all of our children as well.
Our first reason for vaccinating is for the safety and health of our kids. There are so many virus' that used to kill millions of people every year. For example: Smallpox. Smallpox killed an estimated 300 million people during the 20th century alone. After successfully discovering a vaccine to stop smallpox, the disease has been eradicated since 1979. That right there is enough proof for me to get the smallpox vaccine.
Another vaccine that is so important is the DTaP vaccine. This covers diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis. Diphtheria has been eradicated in the US (because of the vaccine), but not yet in all countries. It is recommended to get booster vaccines, even as adults, especially if traveling to a country where the disease is not eradicated. The fact that the disease is eradicated is comforting to me. Through our knowledge of medicine we have been able to completely destroy these specific diseases which used to be so deadly.
Pertussis (whopping cough) has been showing up much more frequently, this is due to children not getting vaccinated. In fact, each year the press publishes stories of disease outbreaks in under vaccinated communities across the United States. We are currently experiencing the highest whooping cough rates in decades. It is incredible to me that parents will not get these vaccines for their children. Watch this video about a family who did not vaccinate their baby girl, and she developed whooping cough. It is very sad. Whooping Cough
And just to clear the air on the subject of Autism. Listen, this is very important!
Medical science has proven NO link to autism due to vaccines.
Ok, moving on!
Another very important vaccine is the Rotovirus vaccine. Rotovirus is a common viral infection among young children that causes severe diarrhea. This infection kills thousands of children worldwide every year because developing countries do not have access to the vaccine. We should be so proud and thankful to live in the United States of America where we have the most advanced medicine that can help and treat our families. We can prevent so many diseases and save our kids' lives because of these advancements. Our country is desperately trying to share these life saving vaccines with other countries so that their children can grow up and live long healthy lives. Please watch this video to see how getting a simple vaccine can save the lives of thousands.
I know that there are so many people out there sending conflicting information about the safety of vaccines. Please, do the research. Search the internet on reputable websites, talk with your doctors about your concerns, and make the decision to do what is best for your children.
This website has so much great information on vaccines. Read up on some real life stories from parents whose babies lives could have been saved had they given them the vaccinations recommended to them. This web site also answers almost any question you may have on vaccines.
www.vaccinateyourbaby.org
Thank you for reading! I hope and pray that you decide on the best choice for your family.
6 comments:
Moriah, thank you for posting! Man, vaccination conversation is all over the place right now! I can sympathize (slightly) with people who choose not to vaccinate and, as you said, don't feel like it is a topic that should end friendships either :-) However, I wholeheartedly agree with you! I have friends that work with autistic children and have done a lot of their own research coming from a place of just wanting to know the truth or get as close to it as possible and make an education decision and they have still chosen to vaccinate their children. It's not to say that people who choose not to vaccinate have not educated themselves in their own right, but to me, the overwhelming evidence supports vaccination. Just wanted to tell you I enjoyed this post, even if there weren't any cute pictures of Camden :-)
Also, as with any medicine or medical intervention, a good doctor will tell you about the risk/benefit. Aspirin has the upside or thinning your blood, but it also a downside risk when you get a cut and cant stop bleeding. Advil helps inflammation but it horrible for your kidneys. On the other hand polio was once rampant and is now rare in this country. So theres no questions that there are risks--The actual, real life question is will you take the side effect risk of childrens immunizations for upside benefit for the life of your child? I'm glad my grandson is being vaccinated.
Luke and I love hearing other people's point of view on vaccinations.
We are in a bit of a minority that is torn both ways. Parker has not been vaccinated for anything yet, because we think his body is to young for it. There are also some vaccinations that we will not be getting for him for what your dad said as the risk to benefit- does the disease pose more threat to the child than the side effects etc.
We have to be SO careful with Parker because he has turned out to have serious food allergies, and other allergies we are finding out on a daily basis. With that in mind we have to take very close looks at what is in EACH vaccination, what the disease is, how treatable it is, how fatal it can be, what the side effects are and make a decision on each individual vaccination.
Sometimes it isn't black or white, and I think you can be on either side of the debate or in the middle and still be doing the right thing for your child. The important thing is that you (the parents) make the decision together, and make it after educating yourselves on both sides. No one can tell you what is right for you or for your family, it is a decision you have to come to together and prayerfully.
Thanks for sharing where you stand :-) Love you!
Thanks for posting Moriah. Such a hot topic isn’t it? I too am pro-vaccinations and I just "love" when people assume that I "haven't done the research" when in fact I have researched far and wide and came to the pro-vaccination conclusion. I also love how people assume that medical students are non-thinking, gullible, unintelligent individuals following the pro-vaccination brigade. I bet that drives you even MORE crazy. ;) Also not sure that my hours looking through medical journals and online resources can compare to YEARS of medical research done by more qualified individuals than I, but that's just me!
Even though Kaiden's ped is very pro-vaccine, he gives out a really informative 10-page handout on vaccinations which CLEARLY lists the risks and gives statistics on BOTH sides of the argument. It even lists all the resources used by anti-vaccine folks just so we can read it ourselves. AND even though he is pro-vaccine, he did NOT recommend the H1N1 vaccine because he said there simply wasn't enough research to make him feel comfortable offering it in their office (although he did say that if we wanted it anyway, we could go get it from Walgreens). He was very careful to listen and answer every question we had before we proceeded with vaccinating Kaiden, thoroughly explaining every detail on the research done in the last few decades. I just think it's a false assumption that Drs don't really care how a parent feels and has some agenda to reach. And really, it’s not like they make commission off of shots. What is in it for them when you vaccinate? They encourage it because they care about the health of your child!
And when people DO vaccinate, it only affects their child, but when people DON'T vaccinate, it could potentially affect everyone around them especially all the infants who are still too young from some the vaccines, which is why a lot of peds require it in their office. If a non-vaccinated child gave my infant the whopping cough, I would be LIVID!!
Ok well, sorry I wrote a novel! ;)
Karilee
Moriah, I am so glad that you posted this! I was just talking with Lori about this and we got into a debate at work over this very issue. How funny that now I read your post! I too am a big advocate for vaccines! Many devastating disease processes have been eradicated due to vaccines and immunity built from them. The way I see it is children that are not vaccinated will be piggy backing it on the children that are vaccinated. This will prevent the spread of some of these diseases for a while...but eventually with more and more people not being properly educated on the reason for vaccines, outbreaks will happen. Unfortunately lives will be lost and people will ask one question: why?
I think getting your children vaccinated is the best thing that you can do for your child! The risks and benefits of a vaccine in my medical/professional opinion outweighs the risks/benefits of being vaccinated. People need to quit listening to the celebraties advocating and falsely spreading the concept of vaccines with autism. You are right, there is absolutely no evidence that the two are linked. Talk to your pediatrician, find out what the risks are, ask the tough questions. Doctors and nurses are always willing to educate and clear the air with misconceptions.
Things have changed a lot over the past decade or so. Vaccine schedules have changed, and there are many options available for potential allergic reactions. So the best advice I can give, is talk to your doctor and don't listen to Jenny McCarthy or whomever else preaches "no vaccines"!
Thanks for your post! It is a great discussion topic.
OMG I HEART VACCINES!! (I even have a t-shirt that says that)...ok I don't have a t-shirt that says that but the science nerd in me wants one so bad. I saw a baby with whooping cough once and it's so heart breaking. Seeing a baby with any preventable disease is heart breaking. The benefit so outways the risk, in my opinion. I think you guys have made a very wise decision and I just love you! xo
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