Why did you choose to vaccinate your child?

[Schmickers]

Good evening, everyone.

It has been brought to the attention of the moderating team that one of the articles on the main site is very anti-vaccination. While some people have no issue with this, there are others that object because they see it as innappropriate.

I would like to write an article that attempts to contrast both sides of the vaccination debate fairly. It is really hard to find unbiased information out there, and if possible, I'd like to try and create a resource that could really help new parents to make one of the hardest decisions in their young child's life.

In this thread, I am looking for comments from parents who chose to vaccinate their children, with regards to why they made that choice. Please note that any comments you make here will probably be used in the article, but if you desire, I will make you anonymous.

This thread will be moderated and any flaming will be removed. This is not a discussion thread. Do not debate the choices others have made.

Thank you.

[fromscratch]

We chose to vaccinate our children for a few reasons
Because we knew a lady who struggled with Polio and didn't want our children to struggle the way she did.

Another reson was due to a friends baby who died from whooping cough. The babe was too young to be immunised but it was an awful time.

Our two biggest reasons.

[Little Chicken]

Why? Because I have seen to much. I have seen the devastation of pneumococcal meningitis, looked after a two week old with whooping cough. I can't count the amount of babies with very severe dehydration caused by rotavirus gastroenteritis that i have cared for. My grandmother just survived diphtheria. My aunt has post polio syndrome. Thankfully I have only seen videos of children with epiglottitis caused by HiB. I never want my children to have to go through that, or anyone else's. It never, ever occurred to me not to vaccinate my children.

[Rach83]

A girl I went through school with died of meningococcal when she was 16.

Also I could never forgive myself if my child died from a preventable disease.




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[Nai]

I had rubella as a child, gave it to my nanna and nearly killed her. If my child contracted a preventable disease, gave it to a child too young to be vaccinated and it died, I couldn't live with myself.

[feeb]

I have seen to many sick children from preventable diseases, if my child infected someone else wither too young to be vaccinated or with a decreased immunity due to illness or age, I could not live with the fact that I could have prevented that.

[Meercat]

My gram had a child that died of a disease we now vaccinate against and I hadn't even heard of. I decided that the benefits far outweigh any risks and that as her parent it is my job to make the hard choices for her.

I did research, I asked friends and family and I agonized over it every time she was due for her next dose. In the end though I would always think of how awful it would be if she got sick and I could have prevented it, or someone else's baby caught something off her.

[Jellybean29]

Because it works. We have almost wiped out some pretty nasty stuff in Australia with the help of vaccines. Yes they might not be perfect, yes some children may have had adverse reactions, but when I weigh up the risk verse reward, vaccination wins out for me.


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[anney]

I also did not consider not vaccinating. Perhaps I did not think about my child enough but I did not vaccinate for her, I chose to vaccinate to help ensure those many awful diseases don't become prevalent in this country again.

[*Ang*]

I decided that the benefits far outweigh any risks and that as her parent it is my job to make the hard choices for her.

I did research, I asked friends and family and I agonized over it every time she was due for her next dose. In the end though I would always think of how awful it would be if she got sick and I could have prevented it, or someone else's baby caught something off her.

Pretty much sums it up for me too.

[Winter]

Because it works. We have almost wiped out some pretty nasty stuff in Australia with the help of vaccines. Yes they might not be perfect, yes some children may have had adverse reactions, but when I weigh up the risk verse reward, vaccination wins out for me.

Same here.

[krysalyss]

Well we did delay vaccinations but we have caught up with most because we plan to live in a less developed country in the near future and don't want to give all of the vaccinations that we consider necessary for this area all in one go.

[Feijoa Mum]

For us it was never an option not too. They have been proven time and time again that they work and I wasnt prepared to risk my childs health over something preventable. Leaving it up to other people to vaccinate their children so that mine doesnt get sick because I chose not too? No thanks, thats too big a gamble for me!

[helle]

For us it was never an option not too. They have been proven time and time again that they work and I wasnt prepared to risk my childs health over something preventable. Leaving it up to other people to vaccinate their children so that mine doesnt get sick because I chose not too? No thanks, thats too big a gamble for me!

Ditto.

[Bella29]

We have vax'ed our first born but may do a slower version for our second. We do believe in vaccinations. DH's mum has a shrunken arm due to polio when she was a girl..... We don't want see it come back into Australia. I want to read. The dr sears book about vaccination. I think it may have some suggestions on how to make modern vax schedules safer for our baby. We want it to be safer for her, and we want to be informed. But we do want her to be vaccinated. Not just for her, but to protect the weak in our community who need us to vax to protect them.

[Cranky Kitten]

For me it was the knowledge that whilst cases of serious communicable diseases are rare in Australia now, they are still prevalent in other countries. People travel more than they used to, therefore the chances of these diseases making a comeback if vaccination rates fall is real. Thousands of children still die from complications from things like measles in developing countries because they do not have access to the vaccines we take for granted here.

I have also seen firsthand the result of a pregnant woman contracting rubella in the first trimester - my cousin is now profoundly deaf and suffers a degree of mental retardation as well. I could never imagine taking the risk of that happening to one of my children when there is a safe, reliable vaccine available.

[WannabeMum]

I never considered not vaccinating. Not seriously. While there are some negative effects in individuals, I believe vaccination not only protects my child, but also the wider community in contributing to herd immunity. Some people disagree with this, that's their prerogative, but I don't want my kids suffering preventable illness! My brother had whooping cough as a baby and my mother says it was one of the scariest experiences of her life.

[*LittleMissSummer*]

Why not? Like others have said I never once considered not vaccinating. I was as a child. I know what i am doing, like many other families is the right thing.