On the day you were born

Before my daughter was born, my husband got home one day with a book in hand called, On the day you were born by Debra Frasier. When I sat down to read it, far into my pregnancy, I got teary on the third page in where she writes

While you waited in darkness, tiny knees curled to chin, the Earth and her creatures with the Sun and the Moon all moved in their places, each ready to greet you the very first moment of the very first day you arrived.

And then, three pages from the end, containing my eagerness to meet our baby and pulled by the wave of mother nature preparing me to be a mother, I read the lines that today, on a difficult teething day for my seven month old daughter, bring me back into the moment. Even though she cries, tears making a tiny pool in her eyes, I am softened by the sweet person I see in front of me, her pseudo tender touches, and her eagerness to learn.

On the day you were born the Earth turned, the Moon pulled, the Sun flared, and, then, with a push, you slipped out of the dark quiet where suddenly you could hear…

… a circle of people singing with voices familiar and clear.

Just because we weren’t informed

My earlier post on vaccines really just scratches the surface and I can’t really leave it alone just yet. There is so much information out there regarding childhood vaccines. How do you indeed make the decision? I did say that I haven’t done any vaccines with my daughter. I’ve heard from a couple of parent friends that they actually did do some of the early vaccines just because they weren’t informed. Well, I felt like I couldn’t do any vaccines because of the same reason- I wasn’t informed. When my daughter was born, I allowed the doctor (at home, mind you) to administer the vitamin K shot and the eye ointment. Why? I wasn’t informed. I didn’t know what they were for, why they were given to every single baby in the US (unless you ask them not to) and that in many cases it is unnecessary. The vitamin K shot has some controversy to it. There are some reports that show a link between the intramuscular vitamin K shot and cancer. The other route if you decide not to let the administer the K shot is to eat foods naturally high in K, like collards and kale. I’m finding that parents choose to vaccinate for a number of reasons. Here are just some:

1) They think vaccines will prevent harmful diseases

2) They figure, “Why would my doctor recommend them if they are unsafe?”

3) They don’t want to get into an argument with their doctor (fear of their doctor)

4) There’s so much information out there they don’t know what’s true

5) They fear they would be blamed if their child got one of the diseases the vaccines are supposed to prevent

5) They are uninformed

Here’s another way of looking at things. Consider what type of medicine you subscribe to: Modern (allopathic) or Alternative (Osteopathic) medicine. I’m currently reading the Vaccine Guide by Randall Neustaedter. What the intro does is what might make this book worth your while. Neusteadter gets you thinking about the bigger picture of medicine in order for you to look at vaccines. What he explains about modern (allopathic) medicine is that there are a number of assumptions that are made which, in some ways, support the use of vaccines. One of these assumptions is that the body can be divided into its parts. In other words, your M.D. will treat the parts of your body and not your body as a whole system. Another assumption is that “diseases are bad and need to be combated”. What he suggests, being an Oriental Medicine Doctor, is that diseases and illnesses build up our immunity so they are, in fact, a good thing (in most cases). The way he sees it is that an imbalance in one part of your body connotes an imbalance of the whole body, which then is treated as a whole.

What I like about this way of thinking is that you really have to step back and analyze your belief system. It gets you into a frame of mind about medicine, not just vaccines. So, in effect, if you chose not to vaccinate your child/ren, you’d want to take other routes in order to maintain your family’s health. You wouldn’t just be treating the symptoms. You’d actually need to make thoughtful decisions about what kind of pediatrician you chose, who you saw as your primary care provider and how much you’d believe them when they suggested treatment.

Where does that leave us? More questions and more work to do. My husband and I are in agreement about vaccines but that doesn’t stop me from wanting to read more on the subject. I just feel I need to stay on top of it.

Vaccine update

I just received this article in my inbox. It refers to the results of a survey from non-profit organization Generation Rescue comparing occurrences of neurological disorders like ADHD and Autism between vaccinated and unvaccinated children. They copied the style of surveying from the CDC (centers for disease control) to make it comparable to their studies.

They basically found that vaccinated boys had a higher likelihood of contracting a neurological disorder. Vaccines, as is explained, are considered an “environmental” cause so when the CDC states that the higher incidence of Autism (and the like) could be due to “environmental” causes, they really mean vaccines. There are also camps that like to suggest that the increase of cases of Autism and ADHD are due to better diagnosis.

Generation Rescue has a great point, one that Dan Olmstead (a UPI Senior Editor) has been writing about for some time, that the public needs more studies done comparing vaccinated and unvaccinated children.

Vaccines… What to do? What to do?

“No batch of vaccine can be proved safe before it is given to children.” — Surgeon General of the United States, Leonard Scheele, addressing an AMA convention in 1955

I’m currently reading Dr. Paul Offit’s book, What every parent should know about vaccines. This is the second book I’ve read so far on the subject of vaccinations. It swings in the opposite direction from the first. The first was Dr. Mayer Eisenstein’s, Don’t vaccinate before you educate . I’ve also scoured online looking at site after site just trying to find some answers. First off, if you aren’t sure about vaccinations and/or don’t want to be told what to do (or even are ambivalent) read Dr. Eisenstein’s book. He will leave you with more questions (although he does suggest you say NO to Hep B and the Flu Vaccine) than answers, stating that there aren’t enough studies and reliable sources discussing vaccines. Second, always question the doctor who gives you a fear-based line about how you and/or your child will get really ill (and/or die) if you skip a vaccine. In fact, there is little proof that a vaccine will keep you away from the more severe reactions to an illness. When it comes to the Varicella vaccine (Chicken Pox), although there are rare bad cases of the illness, if you were to get vaccinated, you set yourself up for getting chicken pox when you are older- when it can be more harmful. How many of us got chicken pox from sitting at our sisters bedside wishing we got the pox so that we could have all the gifts they had gotten for being sick?

Dr. Offit is pro vaccine. It so happens he receives money from Merck- a big pharmaceutical company-to develop it. He also receives money from the pharmaceutical industry to go around “educating” doctors on the safety of vaccines. He has a patent on a rotavirus vaccine so he is not unbiased. There are other doctors who are in the same position, receiving money and even holding stock in Merck, so who can you believe? In Offit’s book, he explains how vaccines are made- some with formaldehyde. OSHA classifies formaldehyde as “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen”. This goes into your body with the vaccine. He also explains that other vaccines are made by injecting the virus into a chick egg and then repeating this process 12 times or more to “dilute” the illness. Dr. Eisenstein’s book explains that these pharmaceutical companies also use aborted fetuses for this purpose- as with the Chicken Pox vaccine (Varicella). Merck admits to using “diploid tissue”, but how many people know that this means human tissue?

There is a lot to research and at some point you have to go on your instinct. If something seems forced on you, double check it. Remember that your doctor advises you based on their own beliefs. (That’s also why you need to shop for a doctor you can work with.) They accept what they want to accept. Is it based on the money they will make? Do they have vested interests, like stock in Merck? Who is to gain? Would your doctor be able to promise you that you will be under no harm by getting vaccinated? If they have kids, what vaccines did they give them? Someone asked a doctor which were the safest vaccines. The doctor replied and the patient asked why the others were less safe. The doctor didn’t have an answer.

Basically, I doubt that the “benefit” of some vaccines outweighs the illnesses and because I doubt, I have to continue researching. I doubt I will find an answer that’s state clearly that we should or shouldn’t give vaccines to our daughter. We haven’t given our daughter any vaccines yet. You do have a choice. Don’t avoid talking about this with your doctor out of fear of your doctor. If they are as smart as they think they are, they should be able to have a conversation about the pros and cons of vaccines. You do have an out (most do, anyway)- check out http://www.909shot.com to find out how you can be exempt from vaccinations. There is a map that’ll show you, by state, what the laws are. In the United States, if you write a letter stating that you/your child will not be receiving vaccines based on medical, religious, (and in some states) philosophical ground, you can avoid vaccinating. This is helpful when your child starts to go to school and in some cases can save you when you’re in college. (some universities require everyone to get vaccinated before the start of a semester)

You can also check out these websites (not to be a complete listing):

Tons of forums talk about vaccinating- Mothering.com’s forum is a personal favorite

Quotes on vaccines from Vaclib.org shows an educated voice

American Association of Pediatrics pro voice

It’s a lot of work, I know. My question to you is: What have you heard and/or read?

by the way

Sí voy a escribir en español. La cosa es que la majoría de nosotros leemos bien el inglés y el español o sea que veremos que sale en que lenguaje. chao

I am fond of my wiggly baby

First posts are overrated, I’m sure, so I will keep it short. I also have a sleeping baby who is bound to wake up soon. I won’t astound you and I probably won’t make you think but you may still enjoy this. These are our adventures. Living with a baby.