Vaccinations

Since we had Kaine and before, when we were pregnant, we considered vaccinations. I read "What your Doctor May Not Tell You about Vaccines" which lead me to want to boycott all vaccinations. I had a conviction that avoiding all vaccinations just "wasn't right for us". But I would be dammed if I was going to follow the Florida Schedule of Vaccination or "Baby Shot" Schedule! Here it is for reference: (From this link)

Birth
Hep B
2 months
DTaP, Hep B, Hib, IPV, PCV, Rotavirus
4 months
DTaP, Hib, IPV, PCV, Rotavirus
6 months
DTaP, Hep B, Hib, IPV, PCV, Rotavirus, Flu
12-15 months
MMR, Varicella, PCV, Hib, Hep B
12-18 months
DTaP
15-18 months
Hep A
4-5 years
DTaP, IPV, MMR, Varicella


Looks pretty harmless. Although, that is not usually what you get. I don't remember there only being ONE shot for my newborn! Do you? Then, at the birth I was pretty out of it and Matt came to our son's rescue when the nursing staff was trying to give him a bunch of junk. He did get the vitamin K, after informed consent, because I read that babies are not born with that and only need it if they go through a traumatic birth and are displaying bruising, which he had, on both accounts. So, I said yes to that (I was glad I was previously informed, mind you, no one gave me any information about it). Plus, it helped that he had a supportive staff that would not make negative comments, they would just put it away and let us know we would have to sign a form so they would have it on file that we were the ones that refused care and not that they did not offer it. We were happy to sign.

Anyway, the point of this post is the fact that we didn't follow the vaccination "recommended schedule" . We had a modified one. I would only allow one shot per visit. Not the six that they wanted to give my 2 month old that was barely old enough to hold his head up! That is too much for a little one to try and fight off! I was seriously uncomfortable with it. I would also only allow another shot, as long as, it had been 2 weeks from the previous one and there were no reactions to it. (Most of my motivation was the research between Autism and vaccines that is constantly being backed up!)

Let me just say, that I am not a rebel. I wanted to work with my pediatrician, who is on board with our schedule and has never given me any grief about it! I am not necessarily apposed to vaccinations, I just don't believe in the schedule. Or some of the vaccinations such as, the Hep B and the Varicella (chicken pox)  vaccines, which could cause more harm than good.

So, what is bringing this issue up now? Well, Kaine is going to start school in the fall. They need him to be up-to-date on all of his shots. If not, no school. We have agreed, with pediatrician approval, that we can wait until the age of five for the shots we have refused. However, the schedule is what they want to see in his school folder. I seriously doubt that my pediatrician will give me a written exemption for this too. So, what are we to do now? I have been researching ways of getting around making him have a bunch of shots in the 2 months before school. We would be living at the pediatricians, because he is not a the schedule and would have to start new shots while also trying to keep up with the other shots he has already had. The only option I have seen, however, is to stop vaccinating altogether. Go here for Florida Exemption Information. It kind of freaks me out, to be honest. Even though a part of me also believes that maybe we are buying into a corporation that just wants us to fear something that is no longer an issue and is a major money maker for them. The truth is just not out there on this issue. There are also, major, documented side effects that the "people in the know" are not wanting you to know about. What do you do? Do you take the risk in order to avoid the slight risk of diseases that have been extinct for years or even decades?

I am on the fence. I believe that vaccines have there place. I believe that vaccines have saved a million lives. I also believe that we are overpopulating the world and that natural selection is being toyed with. Not that I advocate people dying from horrible diseases. I just believe that things happen for a reason and for the greater good. God knows what He is doing, maybe we should just have faith. Trust me, it was going to happen no matter how many shots you have given yourself or your children. Ever heard of super bugs? That is because we are overusing our technology and abusing what is suppose to be helping us. I think we should just use it in emergency situations and not be required to take drugs that we do not have illnesses for.

I think, either way, we are going to get the religious exemption. Even if it is so we can stay on our current plan and our own personal vaccination schedule. Still on the fence.  Here are some other sites for you to paruse:

K.N.O.W Vaccines - Your Rights to Avoid Immunizations
State of Florida Site on Vaccinations