Forums » Hot Mamas

• Brandi

  
   

  June 11, 2009 9:17:03 AM PDT

  I know this can be a very touchy subject for some parents, I am not trying to start a debate about vaccines at all ( i brougth this up on a parenting site forum and it turned into a full blown debate/cat fight and my questions was not even addressed). My 2nd daughter is 15mths, she should have gone for her shots at 12mths, but at the time my husband and i were both working and were not able to take her, then finally when I made the appointment our entire family was sick (all at different times) for about 6wks. I reschedualed and the appointment is coming up in less than a week. my oldest daughter (2 and a half) has all her shots up to date (excluding the infulenza shot, my husband and I personally do not feel comfortable with that vaccine) and has not had any problems, my 15mth old has all her shots up too date (excluding her upcoming 12mth shots) the only problem she ever had was irritability and a mild fever. I know some people believe the MMR vaccine (which is one of the ones she issupposed to be getting) causes autism, but studies have not found any evidence to prove this theory true. I have done alot of research on the vaccines, autism as well as the vaccinated illnesses. The only thing I found is that it can cause autism like symptoms, which i am not exactly sure what that means. I just have this nervous, uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach when I think about her getting this vaccine. Normally I listen to my gut feeling (most of the time there is a reason for these feelings), and do not question it but this time I am because it is regarding my childs health. I personally have felt that getting my kids vaccinated is this right thing to do for our family ( but I believe everyone has the right to make their own descions and if one chooses to not vaccinate their children that is tehre choice and nobody elses. Everyone needs to do what they are comfortable with and what they feel is best for their family). I felt a bit uneasy when my 2.5 year old was going for her first MMR shot but after researching and talking to a public health nurse I felt fine, I dont feel like tha this time, i am not sure why. Any advice is appreciated.
  
  Thanks,
  
  Also just wanted to add that again I am not trying to start a debate and I do not think that there is a right or wrong when it comes to vaccinations I beleive you have to do what you feel is right.
• WhalleyWench

  
   

  June 11, 2009 11:50:15 AM PDT

  Well, I have had all the shots myself, and I am fine. I think its all merely coincidental. There are more people in the world now than ever before, thus making me think that you will ahve more autistic people than ever before. I personally believe that due to the fact that they are finding way for people to live longer, and more cure for more diseases, that more bad genes get passed down thru bloodlines. It's a mean way of thinking, but at the heart of everything I am a Darwinist. People who perhaps would not have lived 100 years ago due to natural causes, are living longer now, and having children, and thus, passing on a genetic code. But don't let that make you think I don't support people creating cures for these things, but we all must remember that everthing has a price.
  
  
• Deleted Member

  
   

  June 11, 2009 12:22:09 PM PDT

  First off, kudos for you doing research into this and keeping an open mind. In the interest of full disclosure, I don't have kids myself, however I've had a number of discussions on the subject with close friends who have children. Coming from a science-academic background I realize I'm biased towards the research side of things, but for me it all comes down to looking at the supporting evidence for one side or the other. And as you stated, studies have not shown any evidence of a link between the MMR vaccine and autism. The one study that gets quoted by the anti-vaccine side is a study 1988 by a researcher called Andrew Wakefield, that claimed a link between autism and the MMR, but the this study has come under intense scrutiny as a result of the MMR debate. Some of the funding for the research was shown to have come from trial lawyers looking to establish a link to benefit their clients' litigation. After the funding disclosure, 10 of the original paper's co-authors retracted their support for the published findings. What has occurred in the meantime, is measles, mumps, and rubella rates have gone up as the vaccination rates have gone down.
  You are probably feeling more uneasy this time around, because with "celebrity support" the anti-vaccination side is in the news a lot more now, and sadly it seems that you have to attach a Hollywood name to any news item these days to get any sort of public interest.
  Yes, this is an individual decision, but it affects not just your kids but all the other kids around them. These decisions have to be made as *informed* decisions, based on facts not Entertainment Tonight sound-bites. Regardless of your decision about this or any other subject, an informed decision should always be respected, even if it's not one that you agree with.
  
• Annie Temple

  

  • 8 posts
   

  June 11, 2009 12:28:20 PM PDT

  I always love reading cassini's posts. *sigh*
  
  I've had my kids vaccinated because I actually worry about having them around kids who haven't been. I think everything happens for a reason. So if my child has autism, then that is the journey we're blessed with.
• WhalleyWench

  
   

  June 11, 2009 12:46:20 PM PDT

  ^^^^exactly.