There was one thing I failed to mention about Soluna's 1 year appointment.
Don't call CPS on me, but when the Dr. told me to go straight to the 11th floor after our appointment to get Soluna the 4 scheduled vaccinations, I didn't do it. Instead we went downstairs, paid for parking, got into my car and headed home. I am not that hippie mama who decides her kid needs no vaccinations, but I got nervous and a little scared. Since Soluna was born, I felt this need to make things as natural as possible. In earlier blog posts I write about wanting to buy organic, choosing not to wear deodorant, and just saying "no" to formula. Vaccinations are just another unnatural thing that they tell us are good for our children, but just doesn't feel right to me.
Soluna is due for 4 vaccinations. Well it's 4 shots, 6 vaccinations: Mumps/Measles/Rubella, Hepatitis A, Flu and Chicken Pox. It's the last two that made me raise my eyebrows and sent me home to ask my husband what he thought about it first. We both had the flu plenty of times and know that we both had the chicken pox, but hardly even remember it. Why are we vaccinating ourselves for sicknesses that, for the most part, aren't so serious that generations of people just dealt with? Apparently, I am not the only one who questions this.
In a recent article in the New York Post explores the world of mamas who forgo some vaccinations and decide to have chicken pox parties to expose their kids to another sick kid. Kids fight off the chicken pox and gain good old-fashioned lifetime immunity.
What it boils down to is that, folks that trust "the system" are fine with vaccinations. They stay on schedule and don't think twice. But, when you come from a family and community that has often been screwed over by "the system" you start to question things and, often, aren't given good enough answers to ease your worries. Soluna has and will get vaccinations, because I know about some of the possible public health ramifications. But chicken pox and the flu? Are they really necessary?
1 comment:
We skipped the hep a vaccine too but i just broke down and decided to do the flu shot 2 weeks ago after his well visit appt. I'm wondering if it was the right thing to do at all. I don't feel at ease with the decision and am kind of upset that I did it without feeling 100%. Our pediatrician is great and doesn't make any judgements-at least openly- about us skipping certain vaccinations nor does he put any pressure on us to do it but after I elected to do the flu shot, he said, "I think you made the right choice. I've had to hospitalize several babies this past week from a really bad flu going around." That made me feel good only temporarily. It's mercury free still at this age but I think next year they don't use the same ones so I'll have to be better informed.
Sigh.
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