When I had my first child in 1996 I had absolutely no idea that I had a choice about vaccination. I was a very uninformed new mom. I have since learned that there are many choices when it comes to vaccination.
I am not writing on this very controversial subject to start a debate. I am writing so that all parents realize that they do have choices. I also would like to make it clear that no matter what you choose you must be educated about the risks either way.
Questions for everyone:
* Do you know what the diseases are?
* Do you know the symptoms of each disease?
* Do you know what to do if your child were to get one of these diseases (whether they are vaccinated or not)?
* How common are the diseases today?
If your child is receiving shots:
* Do you know what the ingredients are in each shot?
* Have you read the inserts that come with these shots?
* Have you checked the VAERS report associated with this shot?
* What are the side effects of each shot?
* Is your child allergic to any of the ingredients in the shot?
* Will you follow the CDC’s recommended schedule?
* Will you delay until your child is older when their brain and immune system are more mature?
* Will you select the vaccines that you feel are most beneficial and not give the rest?
* How exactly will you vaccinate?
This is just a small list of questions you should be asking yourself. I would hope that this is enough to make you realize that we need to be on the ball when it comes to vaccines.
Like I said earlier, I had no idea that I had these choices. I also did not know what to do if my child got a VPD (Vaccine Preventable Disease) that he was vaccinated against. I didn’t even know that vaccines aren’t 100% effective.
I have educated myself on vaccines and VPD’s since that time. What I learned about vaccines made me sick! Most of it I wish my parents had taken the time to learn. I also wish that I had someone tell me to learn more about vaccines while I was pregnant. Maybe then I wouldn’t have followed the herd so blindly.
Please take the time to follow the links below to educate yourself for the sake of your child.