I have a confession to make…my kids don’t get all of the vaccinations recommended by the CDC.  *gasp*  Recently, Amanda Peet made a statement in Cookie magazine that parents who don’t vaccinate are parasites.  It sounds like there was a half-hearted apology made yesterday, but since I don’t really give a flying flip what some celebrity mom thinks of my parenting decisions I just rolled my eyes and moved to the next article at E!Online.

I want to start by saying I do think vaccines are (in general!) a good thing.  I do, however, think that the CDC schedule is way too aggressive and there are too many given and too early in life when a baby’s system could be overwhelmed by the components of the vaccines.  I know this is a touchy subject, especially here in Sanford where Wyeth manufactures the Prevnar vaccine.  But with a baby due in January when germs are rampant, I have to admit that I am re-evaluating my delayed/selective vaccine plan.

In order to do the research on the most recent vaccines and the issues surrounding them, I bought a copy of The Vaccine Book by Dr. Robert Sears.  (Yes, he is a medical doctor.)  It presents perhaps the most non-biased look at all of the current vaccines.  I’ve read other books, on both sides of the issue.  But I really feel like this one gives you ALL of the facts and lets you make of it what you will.  I actually feel more comfortable about giving some of the vaccines I previously avoided completely (Prevnar being one of them) and I think I may reconsider the delayed and selective schedule we used with my youngest.

I am lucky that I am able to be a SAHM, so my children are exposed to fewer germs as babies.  I also breastfed my 2nd child to the age of 2, so he received protection there.  Obviously these things factored into my decisions.  This baby may be in part time child care (in a home setting, but still exposed to other children) and though I plan to breastfeed again, that can only do so much.  Those are just a few of the many things that will weigh into our decision…there’s also the reaction my oldest had after receiving 4 shots at once as a 4 month old, the fact that there is a history of allergies and auto-immune disorders in the family, and the risks associated with skipping or delaying certain ones.

For example, the hepatitis B vaccine is typically given in the hospital to all newborns.  Nobody in our household has Hepatitis B.  I do not expect my newborn to be having sex or sharing needles.  So we’ll be skipping it, unless there is some reason the baby might receive a blood transfusion.  Even then, we’ll have to weigh the risks of this particular vaccine (and yes, this is one of the more concerning ones) vs. the risk of getting Hep B from a blood transfusion.  Unlikely, but possible.  We may choose to give it to our kids as they get older and reach an age where they might engage in risky behavior.  We may not.  Regardless, our kids will be well educated on the inherent risks involved in unsafe sex and drug use.

There are some that we would never choose to skip…DTaP being one, despite the fact that it’s considered to be one of the more reactive vaccines.  I am pretty scared of pertussis and it is still relatively common.  If I can provide my child with some immunity to this one, I’m all for it.  I’m definitely not opposed to all vaccines!

Another consideration for me is the fact that I’m not immune to rubella, despite the fact that I’ve been vaccinated for it 4 times now.  The rubella component of the MMR vaccine is a live virus and contact with someone who’s recently had the MMR vax could infect me.  This is not a big problem…unless I’m pregnant.  Rubella causes severe birth defects.  So when I decided to delay MMR until my youngest was 2, I didn’t think I would be pregnant when the time came.  Surprise!  So now we have to put that one off at least until after the new baby is born.  I may try to order the components of this one separately.  There is a pharmacy who sells them individually and we might consider giving the measles and mumps vaccines but waiting on rubella.

All of this is to say that you have options.  And you should educate yourself about all of the risks, whether you choose to vaccinate fully, not at all, or somewhere in between.  An educated decision is the right decision, no matter what you choose.