THis of course is a extremely hot topic. I think it is clearly a personal choice however it seems to be a divided discussion in your own home. Do you have anyone in your family with autism or know of anyone that has had a bad reaction to vaccinations?
I just read however that measles is on the rise again, due to non vaccination, which puts you at a high risk. Can you afford to be seriously ill at this point in your life?
There is a risk with everything having to do with vaccinations in children. The research is extensive that there is a slight chance of autism however everyone in the medical field has concluded you are putting your child at a higher risk of serious disease or illness not vaccinating.
I was vaccinated, even as an adult I got boosters to protect myself as I am a single mom and cannot afford to be sick with a serious illness. I got tetnus that had the DTP combination shot recently. My children are vaccinated. I worried like you, I sat on the fence before they were born, however the alternative for me wasn't even an option when it came down to statistics. I don't ever recall anyone I grew up with that had a reaction to being vaccinated, no children I have ever known has had autism due to being vaccinated. That doesn't mean it doesn't happen either.
I do know it can happen. There is a small percentage of children that do have a tough time, can spike fevers have an allergic reaction to something in the vaccination. Same with the first time you have to truly treat your child with an anti biotic, there is a risk there.
It is just for me weighing the percentages. Your child unvaccinated has a greater chance of getting whooping cough, mumps or measles now more then they have a chance of getting autism. Study that most vaccinations now no longer carry mercury which was the main reasoning behind associating autism and vaccinations.
My children get the flu vaccine every year too. In public schools allowing them to be so suseptible to illness and exposure how awful would I feel if they developed serious respitory complications due to not being vaccinated and be put in the hospital. Just not an option if I can prevent something so large scale and so much more likely to happen.
More research has been done to say that those children that had bad reactions to vaccines had genetic makeup that caused the autism more then the vaccinations themselves.
There are many options, delayed vaccinations so your child is older, strong and more able to handle them. I think however choosing to never vaccinate not only puts your child at risk, it puts you, your family and the public in general for these deadly illnesses to now rear their head again. Delayed vaccination may pacify you and your husband. Not having a huge combination of vaccines at once I truly think can help lower any chance of any bad reactions. A lot of parents choose this route now.
Whooping cough is horrible, can lay up a healthy adult for weeks, put you or your child in the hospital. My friend got it two years ago and was laid up for three weeks, in quarantine through the city in her home and bruised three ribs from the coughing. She was exposed to a child that wasn't vaccinated. Since the vaccination debate this illness has risen yearly and is now something more common then not. Pregnant women that are exposed to whooping cough can put their unborn fetus at risk. I had to avoid a good friend for several months during my pregnancy with my son due to her choosing not to vaccinate her children.
You can think conspiracy theory with the drug companies just trying to make money, however I truly feel like we are blessed to be in a country to where the medical field is trying constantly to improve the overall health of our children. Vaccinations, like penicillin and every other drug that has come into play throughout history isn't fool proof, there are mess ups, there are risks. Just have to decide what risks are greater then others.
Children were dying of epidemic numbers then there were vaccinations invented to prevent them. Measles, Mumps, Polio, Ruebella are all illnesses you can talk to any senior citizen about how devestating they were when they were children before vaccines came into play. They lived through the horror of how many children died or were left crippled.
I say talk to a few professionals, pediatric professionals, talk then to someone believing in holistic healing and weigh your odds. What is truly the risk of them getting a illness vs what is the risk of them contracting autism. It is tough being a parent, every day we have to make huge decisions for our children and pray we make the right ones.
I am not going to preach vaccination, I just think because of the fear factor in the media and all the debates have really brought about serious illnesses back again that now expose everyone again in society not just children. You are at risk yourself now. It is a deeply personal choice. You and your husband should research the pros and cons together so you both get the same set of facts and go from there.