Choosing not to vaccinate???

[Schmickers]

We have elected to not to immunise our children according to the schedule.

We will flat-out not give the MMR to them - it gets so much bad press, and even some researchers are accepting that there is some sort of link bertween the MMR and autistic-like conditions that affects a small percentage of children.

Some of the others you only need to give one of, rather than three, if you wait tunil they are older, and some of them you can get by without giving at all - for instance, the HIB vaccine is only offered up until the age of 2 because after 2 children can mount a sufficiently strong natural immune response to it.

I tihnk it depends on your circumstances - if your children are at home with you and you can control who they mix with, their risks of catching vaccine-preventable diseases while they are small are limited and the I think risks associated with vaccines are greater. If, on the other hand, they need to be in childcare and out of your supervision for extended periods of time, then perhaps the risk of vaccines is acceptable.

[Macca79]

Thanks for the advice. I chatted with a CHN today when DS had his 2 month check up and boy did she go off when I mentioned not vaccinating. Even when I said that I was just trying to make an informed choice and that DH and I had not reached any final decisions she said I was naive and then went and booked us in for his 4 month jabs on the 29 th of July, talk about presumptuous.

[The[cookie]Doctor]

Don't go back to her!
What a silly cow!

[aussienic]

While I am all for vaccinations.. I can understand your reluctance to go ahead with the 4 month ones

My DD had a mild reaction to her 2 month needles as well.. Well I think the Rotavirus vacc is the one that caused the trouble. She screamed on and off for a week. Her tummy was hurting.. After a discussion with the Dr and CHN we decided to go ahead with the 4 month ones and she was fine..

Good Luck with your decision

[Lulu]

Macca, you do need to be prepared for frustration when it comes to most medical people (def NOT all) when it comes to this. Even if you just want to discuss it and ask a few questions. There seems to be so many people that just Think Vacc and are not prepared to research it at all.
I have been questioned a few times by Dr's etc, they have been very insistent that I am wrong not to, but refuse (or have no answers) to discuss my concerns. I have brought up many VALID POINTS but have been dismissed. Even when I say "but xxxx worried me for this reason etc, I have NEVER been given a decent hearing. This forced me to find the answers on my own and I'm glad I did. In fact I ended up putting different articles (from medical journals etc) into a folder to throw at people when they started on me.

[Trish]

Macca, how bloody rude of your CHN. I would have asked her who's baby she was talking about. As this is YOUR baby it's also your decision. Don't let her bully you into a decision you are not comfortable with.

I think when you decide to step outside of the square everyone has an opinion, and generally it's not the one you want. I have decided not to vaccinate Abbey. She had her 2 month needles, none at birth though and from the extra research Ihave done I have made an informed decision. I won't say that my DP is overly supportive with it either. But he is one to just go along with the norm. As far as Dr's are concerned. In saying that, he didn't really support my HB's either but I had them

Good luck in your decision making. No one can tell you what is right or wrong for your child. It's YOUR decision to make.

[meow]

I fully support your decision eitherway- we read heapsand almost didn't vac at all but have decided to do some. Anyway, I just wanted to say the reaction sounds like the rotavirus vaccine which we're personally not doing so the option is there to do some but not all.