When in our society did we stop looking out for the greater good of all? It has become an all about “me” world. There are proven and documented studies showing that vaccinations keep the population safer than not. Although, I realize with all the negative info regarding vaccinations out there it’s tough for a new parents to subject their newborn to these shots. But logic must take precedence over any fears in order to keep these diseases at bay.
I have vaccinated all three of my kids. I did hesitate on one…HPV. When I discussed my concerns with our pediatrician she plainly stated, " it’s a cancer vaccination." If I can eliminate my children’s potential to get a cancer, I’m on board. To put it in perspective, if as an adult a doctor told you they had a vaccination that would avoid the possibility that you could get a certain cancer… would your say, nah…no thanks???
Please, please, please vaccinate your children. Don’t take the chance of losing them to a disease that should not be a death sentence. Do your research but think with your head not your heart.
“Some parents apparently would rather have their children die of cancer than have premarital sex.”
Some parents apparently would rather have their children die of cancer while pretending that the kids will never have premarital sex. Plus, apparently, HPV is more contagious than we though it is. And it is a pretty darn sturdy virus:
There is an HPV commercial which runs a young man’s life backwards and ends with him asking if his parents had realized what not getting him vaccinated could do. The last boy in the commercial, who’s about 12, is a dead ringer for my H at that age and every time I see the ad, I freak out. My kids are all vaccinated, including all 4 boys for HPV, except that the 2 oldest and the youngest had chicken pox (the 2 oldest before the vaccine came out) so didn’t get the shot.
My D used to have anti-vax leanings. Her brothers (all 4 of them) told her that if she ever had a kid and didn’t vaccinate it, they would kidnap the child and take it for shots. One of them even said he’d take her to court to sue for custody! After doing more research, D has reversed her stance on vaccines, but, unfortunately, she still isn’t interested in having children.
To be fair, sometimes anti-vaccine is conflated with the views of those who would rather spread out or delay certain vaccines. This is what I see more often on the “liberal” side of the anti-vaccine movement.
Here is an example where you could argue that the liberal actually does “know better” - I do have friends, and I did this as well, who delayed the Hep-B vaccine until a few months of age, rather than have it at birth. The reason to give it at birth is the fear of not seeing babies again and losing the chance for universal vaccination. I knew that my children would be going to the pediatrician every few months in infancy, and that their exposure to Hep-B was nil between zero and say, six months old. I did not need to follow the “usual” rule for that.
Similarly, I knew that I did not have gonorrhea and that I would not be exposed during pregnancy, and I declined the erithromycin ointment for my sons’ eyes at birth (and would have declined the silver nitrate which was being phased out when I had my oldest). Again, in this case I do “know better” for my own family than the usual guidelines for public health.
A concern is that this kind of thinking, when coupled with disingenuous sources (viz. the Drs. Sears in CA) and inaccurate written sources as well, can lead people to reject vaccination in general. Vaccination has saved untold lives and is good science. We are all morally obligated to vaccinate against communicable diseases, don’t get me wrong on this point.
I’m all for vaccines in general, but it does pay to be an educated - and sometimes even a skeptical - consumer of healthcare in general including vaccinations. The medical community has many missteps over the years when it comes to infants. Some issues I’ve had in the past with the medical community have been a recommendation of circumcisions, circumcisions without anesthesia, pushing of formula, overuse of caesareans…I could go on. The vaccination schedule recommended for current newborns is much more aggressive than what was used for my own kids 20 or so years ago. Like @fretfulmother above, I’d do my own reconnaissance and might modify if I was having children now.
Speaking of vaccinations, I hope all of you are keeping up on the adult ones! I am getting a shingles vaccine this week and asking about the pneumonia one. I am up to date on Pertussis and tetanus.
My daughter received a pneumonia vaccine last week and days later her arm is still swollen, with horrible pain that radiates all the way into her armpit. Awful, but not nearly as bad as the three bouts of pneumonia she had in the last two years. She doesn’t regret getting the shot.
@romanigypsyeyes, given your autoimmune issues, perhaps just an abundance of caution? They wouldn’t want you to get any of those diseases while pregnant!
It seems like a good idea. This way, if you don’t have immunity, you can decide if you want to be immunized before you get pregnant. There was a measles outbreak in NYC when my oldest was a baby. I wound up having to get him vaccinated on his first birthday, which was 3 months prior to the recommended date because my mom couldn’t remember if I ever had measles. I was born in the 50’s and was not vaccinated for measles as a child because the vaccine didn’t exist. Anyway, I had to get him the shot because I got the blood titer and it was inconclusive. I worked in the city and couldn’t take the chance on contracting measles and giving it to my baby and I was already pregnant with my D so I couldn’t get the vaccine. I got him the shot and then got one myself when my D got her second MMR at 6 months. I also have an autoimmune disease (RA) so I understand your concerns.
I wonder if I’m the only one here vaccinated against rabies…multiple shots but no weird reactions, unlike tetanus which caused a lymph node in my groin to swell up like a walnut. Not fun. Hoping I don’t have cause for a repeat of either any time soon.
My mom had to be vaccinated against rabies during the Depression. It was a series of shots, once a week, in the stomach. It impacted her enough that we NEVER lived anywhere that dogs were allowed, were never permitted to visit anyone with a dog unless it was locked up and were dragged across the street whenever a dog approached. Till her death, my mom refused to be anywhere near a dog and would fall into a hysterical state if one got within 20’ of her… Based on her experience, I hope that you never have to undergo another series and that nobody else does, either.
@techmom99 and @nrdsb4 I’m just trying to figure out if it’s standard for all pregnancies or if just high risk people get it. I’m hoping that it’s standard. I’m quite active in vaccine conversations and it didn’t even occur to me to ask.
(On the flip side, I’m glad the amount of bloodwork I had was NOT standard for everyone. This blood draw was the most vials I’ve ever had taken in one sitting… and that’s saying something! lol)
On the bright side, I now know that I am indeed “immune” to chicken pox. I had cpox very, very young an I don’t think I have ever been tested to see if I had the antibodies for it or not.
Rabies vaccine is generally recommended for domestic dogs, cats, and other mammals, veterinarians and other animal handlers, or those who may have been bitten by an animal with rabies (bats are the usual example).
Someone I know was vaccinated for rabies recently. They’re going to another country where they’re going to be living in close proximity to dogs which may or may not be vaccinated so it was recommended as a prophylactic measure.
Having a prenatal exam isn’t all that common, so it is hard to say if having the titers is normal or not. Most people just get pregnant (some not even on purpose!).
I think if you have taken the step to have a prenatal appointment, the doctor knows you want to be in the best position possible with your help. I think for most people who don’t know their exact immunity and vaccination history, the ‘belts and suspenders’ doctors will run the titers and vaccinate appropriately.
My last child was born 18 years ago, so I don’t know if running blood titers is the new normal. I remember wishing that I had done it before my second pregnancy when the measles scare came up. I had some blood work for my first pregnancy because I have RA and ulcers and H underwent genetic testing but I wasn’t able to apparently because I was already pregnant. Oldest son is 27. When i was pregnant with S17, the cystic fibrosis test came out and I wanted to get it because D had a close friend with CF but it was $1K and insurance didn’t cover it unless you had a risk, so I passed on it. Now, I think it’s a routine test. I personally believe that more testing leads to more knowledge which imparts more choices.