Special Contributor to Real Mama, Inc.
I was at a dinner party last month and somehow the subject of immunization came up. When my dear friend quite casually pointed out that my children were not vaccinated, I surveyed the room for anyone who might have heard. As luck would have it, my friend, the nurse, was in earshot and turned to me with that look of both shock and horror. I braced myself for the inevitable debate that would ensue.
It’s not that I believe vaccines don’t work, it’s that I’m not convinced that a 10, 20 or even 30 lb body is equipped to process the long term effects of the more than 21 vaccines administered within the first 3 years of life. I have too many questions about the safety of vaccines. For instance, why isn’t there substantial concern for the possible MMR/autism connection ? Why do some countries delay immunization until a child is 2? Are the drug trials done on actual infants and toddlers? Why do we still have thimerosal in vaccines years after federal agencies have mandated that it be removed?
Those of us who have chosen not to immunize our children are constantly faced with a barage of negative comments and fear-based accusations. Yet, we have made this decision not out of ignorance but after endless hours of research and contemplation over what would be in the best interest for our particular child. The arguments for world-wide vaccination are compelling. Often, I hear the story about the 4 year old who had a chicken pox on their heart and died or the infant who could have been saved from 2 months of hospitalization if only they had been vaccinated for Rotavirus. These stories are both tragic and heartbreaking.
When my oldest son was born, I had planned to fully immunize starting at 6 weeks, just like most parents. I was a little concerned because Mathew had a cold at the time and when I voiced my concern to the doctor she tried to convince me that it was more important to stay on the vaccination schedule then to vaccinate a sick baby. It was then that I heard from my friend, a nutritionist, who advised me to postpone the vaccination until Mathew’s cold was gone. She said that I could also take that time to gather all the facts on immunization to decide if, when, and how I wanted to proceed. “Take time to gather all the facts,” I thought, “I didn’t even know I had a choice not to immunize.”
The decision to postpone Mathew’s vaccines sent me on a journey of holistic exploration. As I researched the subject as thoroughly as possible, I also embarked on a quest to strengthen my son’s immune system through natural methods — breast feeding, organic foods, homeopathy, massage, etc. The longer we postponed the shots, the healthier Mathew became. I started to notice that he could be in a room full of sick contagious children and not get sick himself. Every six months I would revisit the decision whether or not to vaccinate and what I noticed was that my son became stronger and healthier. After a while, it didn’t make sense to vaccinate — why infect a perfectly strong body with a foreign virus. It didn’t mean that he would never get a dreaded communicable disease, but if he did, I hoped that his body would be able to fight off the infection naturally.
The decision to not vaccinate is not an easy road. We have altered our lifestyle in many ways because of this. No daycare, no trips to Mexico or any international trips, for that matter. And we have invested thousands of dollars towards preventative health care which insurance does not cover. In spite of all the criticism, and doubts, the outcome has been incredible. We are training our child to take care of his own well-being, to be proactive with his health instead of waiting to be stricken by some ailment. Every month our son looks forward to seeing ‘Dr. Susan’. She is our holistic health care provider who practices chiropractic care, nutrition, acupressure and homeopathy to treat the whole person, not just an illness. As we leave her office, she presents him with a piece of fresh fruit from her organic garden. A confirmation that nature provides us with all that we need to keep our bodies healthy for life.
It is my hope that we, as a society, can take the fear out of healthcare. That both parents and doctors can be open to ideas of natural healing. That by using preventative and holistic practices we can trust our bodies to heal themselves just as we trusted our bodies to create a healthy baby. If we can stop judging each other, then we can accept that, as parents, we are all doing the best we can. And that any decisions we make are done with the best interest of our children in mind — always.
About the Author: Wendy lives in Southern California with her husband and two very healthy children. She is currently a stay-at-home mom who formerly operated her own public relations company.
