Dont want to immunise, but.....(Micheal??)

[Liz]

Flowerchild - maybe it's because she was 34 weeks? Perhaps she was 'old' enough to not be as susceptible? There's quite a difference between a 28 weeker & a 34 weeker. What immunisations were they giving? I'd be scared giving vax's to a prem too.. it would be a very hard decision tho I think.

Our kids are so very rarely sick, and at most they have a bit of a temperature and sniffles. DS recently had bronciolitis (treated as asthma in the hospital, but GP disputed that diagnosis) and that's the worst he's ever had.. even then he wasn't that 'sick' just his breathing was quite laboured. Maybe our kids aren't sick because there's no way our house & garden are too clean, too tidy or sterile LOL.

There's anecdotal evidence to support both sides of the argument, just as there is for formula & breastfeeding & illness. And it's quite hard to sift through it all.

TOTALLY agree with the antibiotics thing. DH & I hate antibiotics, and I cringe when I hear of people getting antibiotics every time they're sick. I think I've only filled in one script for Tallon, for an ear infection, he didn't get a script when he had bronciolitis. And I never fill in the scripts for me LOL. Oh.. except when my tooth was infected.. I dug up an old script & filled it and then told the dentist that's what I did LOL. Saved me a dentist visit where they would have sent me away to get rid of the infection first!

ETA: Forgot to say:

Until I could be assured that my child would have no long term ill effects I would not inject her...

I kind of feel the same but opposite - until I can be assured that my child won't get these immunisable diseases, in a dangerous form, then I'm more inclined to inject.

[Inanna]

No Liz it wasn't just my baby. All babies were immunised before they were transferred out or discharged. All babies that were 8 weeks and over that is. So your baby not being a tiny prem probably was discharged prior to being 8 weeks old. This would be why immunisation wasn't given.

Whilst most things in a prems life go by "adjusted age". Immunisation, solids etc go by birth age. So this will be why your little one didn't get jabbed prior to discharge.

I just reread the India thing I wrote. To be clear. In travelling to India it was clear why immunisation is needed in those living situations. Poor hygeine, diet unclean water all add to risk factors. Whilst many white Australians do not live in these poor conditions perhaps the risk of illness is less.

It is hard to know which comes first the chicken or the egg. I have studied vax for years. I still come out shaking my head and being a fence siter that doesn't immunise!

I just cannot inject my pure little bubbas with a substance that is not proven not to cause long term ill effects. I have personally seen dreadful reactions to immunisation. I have a friend that had a perfect little bubba that post immunisation couldn't hold his head on his own... He is profoundly disabled now. Nope it can't be PROVEN that it was caused by the immunisation. It cannot be PROVEN it wasn't either. I like a previous poster feel I have more control over my child contracting a communicable childhood illness than I do over weather or not they will be adversely affected by the immunisation. I choose to keep my kids at home when they are sick or runny noses, I teach them about handwashing, about good eating habits, rest, sleep, vitamins etc. At least I know if they do catch one of these illnesses they are strong and resilient. For me it is the lesser of the two evils. As I cannot wve the "DO NOT IMMUNISE" banner - but I could not wave the "YOU MUST IMMUNSE" banner.

I do believe very very ardently that we immunise our babies too early. I don't believe their little bodies can cope with the onslaught of antibodies that is artificially implanted with immunisation. I think children should not be jabbed until they are at least 2 - and I also know that most deaths due to these illnesses occur in the first 12 months and that is why early immunisation is practised. Just my learned opinion and one that I follow. I immunise my kiddies when they begin preschool which is 4 years old here... 5 for my first two kids.