(baby sneezes...eeep!)
phoebe sue at 2 months is a such a funny little friend.
the most amazing thing in the world to her is her own hands, which she discovered this month. she spends all her free time looking them over...figuring out what they're doing there and that it is, in fact, her own finger that is poking her in the eye.
she is full of smiles and coos...bubble blowing and head lifting these days (and has kept that glare that i get such a kick out of). she has a love/hate relationship with my singing, is terrified by the noises that come out of sofie the giraffe, and has discovered a fondness for george from seinfeld.
(she'll stop eating so she can watch the tv and smile at him while he's ranting about things...like swallowing a fly)
baby girl is cool as a cucumber and has the most special bond with her max.
he's the only one that can truly get her to calm down when she's having a moment...he's got the touch. not to mention her dada...matt can get her to light up faster than anyone. she's such a lucky gal to have such guys. we both are.
so here we are at 2 months in, sitting pretty...finding routine and balance with this little light in our lives...and soaking up as much of this tiny baby stage as we can.
bee is growing and changing by the minute!
**********************************************************
on a more personal note: phoebe had her check up with the doctor this afternoon, and matt and i opted out of the vaccines (except for her 2nd round of hep). we want more time to think and research before we go all in with immunizing. i'm on the fence still, seeing and knowing the benefits of both holistic and modern medicine. max has had all of his shots...so this is new territory for me.
any advice or articles sent our way would be much appreciated!
Absolutely gorgeous photos!
ReplyDeleteThese are amazing pictures!! She is so adorable! x
ReplyDeletewww.momentsunexpected.com
how cute! She's perfect and getting more beautiful every day!
ReplyDeleteOn the matter of vaccines: there is a reason that thousands of Americans do not die of things like polio, mumps, and whooping cough these days, and it's vaccines. You should do what you think best, but when folks ask for advice on this, I suggest what our pediatrician told us, which is to put yourselves in the shoes of a parent of a child with polio 75 years ago. Those parents would have done just about anything for the vaccine. Also, would you forgo vaccines, if you were traveling to Africa or SE Asia? If you wouldn't, why would you risk your child not being immunized from dangerous illnesses, that can still be a real risk here in the US?
ReplyDeleteOn the matter of Phoebe: she is stunning. You are a very lucky mama!
AGREED.
Deleteand, agreed! what a doll.
I absolutely agree! Whooping cough is seriously on the rise and deadly for children, especially babies. Do your research...from valid sources and make your own decisions. I really love your blog and it is so much fun seeing B's updates!
DeleteI have to (basically) agree too. I have spent several years working with special needs children and I can tell a little about the "link" between vaccines and autism. It is still (at least as far as I'm aware) not scientifically proven, but I have worked with enough children to very firmly believe in what I am about to say.
DeleteMany parents will have a cheerful, friendly baby who gets their big set of shots and suddenly loses the smile, breaks eye contact, develops habits of repetitive movements, etc. While most people still believe vaccines themselves do not directly CAUSE Autism, many people believe that some people carry a genetic predisposition that vaccines can aggravate.
That being said, I DO believe in vaccines but I believe in spacing them out more. When the time comes for me to make the decision though, I'll definitely be doing a lot more research.
Kudos to you Katie, for both looking into it yourself and being open-minded to other people's opinions!!
Another yes for vaccines-- there is literally tons of scientific research out there that demonstrates no link between autism and vaccines {here is one http://cid.oxfordjournals.org/content/48/4/456.full just for an example}. What we understand as autism today was not seriously studied until the 1980s (before then, the term autism was used to describe a whole variety of illnesses, including schizophrenia}. Because autism, asperger's and other related conditions, are still "new," the tests etc used to diagnose it are evolving. The better the tests, the more diagnoses you get. Children that would have been diagnosed with mild ADHD, for example, in the 1980s are now being diagnosed with mild autism.
DeleteThe first signs of autism do not manifest until age 3-- no credible doctor would diagnose it earlier. What many folks think of as "signs" of infant autism (not being as engaged by parents or avoiding eye contact) are actually normal, as the baby begins to see itself as a separate entity-- but because it tends to happen around the time of vaccinations, some people have made a false connection. Here is a good history of autism http://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/history-of-autism
The problem is that scientists/doctors can not prove something is not true {no one can}. How could anyone prove that vaccines do not cause diseases? As a result, good meaning people are making accusations that could cause catastrophic results {as Sandra and others have noted}.
Your baby is beautiful-- protect her from illnesses she never has to have thanks to vaccines!
I have to agree. I can't specifically speak to your reasons for not wanting to get the vaccines but I must ask you to consider two points.
Delete1. Many people forgo vaccines for fear of a reaction or a condition (autism) that they think may be brought on by vaccines. While there is a chance of a risk, there is also a reason that we get vaccines. This generation has never seen polio paralyze it's brother or pertussis take the life of it's niece. We forget that there is real risk to these diseases because we just haven't watched anyone deal with them.
2. Some children have immune deficiencies that prevent then from getting vaccines that keep them safe from these diseases. When you choose not to vaccinate your child, you also choose to put these children at a greater risk. Of course your first consideration should be for your own baby girl, but please do consider the risk of a subset of the population forgoing these vaccines.
That said, it is of course your decision and you should do what you think is best for your child and what your research points to. Best of luck in your research.
And Pheobe is beautiful. That red hair...I die.
She is TOO cute!!! I can't get over it, lovely pictures of her. This is such a great way to see her grow.
ReplyDeleteOh the TOES in that one of her laying on the chair! I can hardly handle it.
ReplyDeleteBrewer's doctors are very "natural". he's never taken an antibiotic in his life and they are easy going on most things, but they recommend the regular vaccine schedule. i haven't done much research because i trust them so i'm not really much help.
ReplyDeleteon a lighter note, LOOK AT HER! what a beauty!!
She is absolutely adorable! I completely understand your conflict between holistic and modern medicine, but I STRONGLY encourage you follow through with her vaccines. There are so many preventable illnesses and deaths caused by lack of vaccination. Also, vaccines aren't just important for her health but for every child's health. While she may be healthy enough to survive a difficult childhood illness, she may interact with children who may not be so lucky - her illness could be another child's death sentence.
ReplyDeleteThis blog contains many pro-vaccination entries. His writing style can come across a little crass to me, but he definitely has some great points backed up by science and statistics.
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/tag/antivax/
She is such a delight! :)
ReplyDeleteAs far as vaccines go, I've been shocked recently to hear about many cases of diseases, some leading to deaths, occurring in North America that could have been prevented by vaccination. The problem isn't when one person decides not to vaccinate, but when many people decided not to vaccinate and entire generations of children loose their 'herd immunity' which causes previously defunct diseases such as whooping cough and tuberculosis to re-emerge. I think little Phoebe is unfortunately going to be among a large group of children her age whose parents decided to not vaccinate which could become a problem later on.
I have a friend who is a biologist who is very passionate about the issue, she was telling me the other day that the pivotal study that showed a relationship between autism and vaccination was actually falsified. The scientist who wrote the study had been paid by a company who was supposed to be developing a new 'safer' vaccine. At least I think that's how she explained it.
Anyway, I think the risks of vaccinating are actually very very small.
What a beautiful little doll! I love how you photographed her and the fonts you used, etc. Very cool!
ReplyDeleteGolly gosh, Phoebe is a little carrot top! Her hair looks exactly like my daughter's.
ReplyDeleteShe really does put the Bee in "The Bee's knees" ; )
I can't even handle how adorable she is. Think about this - if there was a whooping cough outbreak in your town, would you want her vaccinated? Or would you want her to be one of the unvaccinated kids who passes it to a newborn who dies or becomes seriously ill? There was an outbreak where I live the week my son was born and I was truly terrified he would catch it since he was too young for shots. A lot of people probably won't agree with this, but to some capacity you do have to think of the community as well since this is a decision that can impact every person she comes in contact if (GOD FORBID) she ever caught one of those diseases. Take it with a grain of salt - obviously you and Matt are the only ones who can decide what's best for her and her gorgeous little face :)
ReplyDeleteyou take beautiful photos! your bee is truly the cutest. about vaccines it is completely a personal choice but for me the thought of my little ladies getting whooping cough or meningitis scares the holy moly out of me so i got both of them vaccinated. whooping cough is so bad and in an adult it will just seem like a little cold then boom your little one gets it and it's horrific! and meningitis will kill them. hope this helps you in someway. thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI love love you blog. I've been following you for a long while! I am SO excited to hear more about bee as she grows. And max too, of course!!!!!
ReplyDeleteOne word:
V.a.c.c.i.n.a.t.e!
beautiful pictures..I can't believe my eyes she already sits that well on the chair!
ReplyDeleteSo gorgeous. No advice about vaccines. So glad that I did not have to think about that when my boys were little.
ReplyDeleteshe is absolutely precious and beautiful.
ReplyDeleteand we have something in common: a mutual love for george costanza.
xo,
andrea
Oh goodness. That sneeze is too precious. I don't have kids yet and still have not decided what route we will go with vaccines, but I found a great article here that presents both sides of the argument pretty fairly: http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2011/02/the-thoughtful-parents-guide-to-thinking-through-vaccinations.html -- and they have another article with books and resources that I will look into when the times comes: http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2011/03/the-thoughtful-parents-guide-to-thinking-through-vaccinations-pro-vaccine-and-cautionary-resources.html
ReplyDeleteBut ultimately, she is your baby and you know what is best for her. It has to be a hard decision, and it's awesome that you are taking the time to research it!
I vaccinated both my kids, statistics show not vaccinating causes more harm than if you do vaccinate. Here are some articles that I thought were interesting:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/02/03/gupta.gates.vaccines.world.health/index.html
http://www.vaccinateyourbaby.org/
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/unprotected-stories.htm
The wonderful thing about vaccinating is it's your choice, you will never be forced to get them. There is the HPV vaccine that I don't plan on letting my kids get when they are older. It's all about reading and educating yourself, good luck! Your baby is beautiful!
what a cutie! happy 2 months phoebe :)
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWe liked The Vaccine Book by Dr. Sears. It's really difficult to find information that's not either completely for or against vaccines. I think this is a good resource for those seeking a happy medium or just trying to figure out where they stand because it's full of facts and research not just opinions.
ReplyDeleteher little flared out toes in that one is too much :)
My daughter is 10 and un-vaccinated. She has been extremely healthy her entire life barely ever having even a cold. She has been exposed to Whooping Cough twice (once as an infant and once recently) and didn't catch it either time. I don't know if she's just super healthy or if it's because she wasn't pumped full of vaccines, which in the doses they give to children I consider poison, but either way I am grateful to have a healthy and very smart kid.
ReplyDeleteMy main reason for not immunizing is that I don't agree with the two, three, four diseases they cram into one vaccine and how many shots they give to babies and children at each appointment. Now that she is older though I have started to think about slowly getting her immunizations done just in case she ever chooses to want to travel or study abroad in college. I don't want to hold her back from something like those options because of my beliefs. Plus I feel the risks I believe in are smaller now that her body is much more developed than it was when she was a tiny child.
I will tell you though, not immunizing your kids is a hard road to go down. You are constantly talked down to by anyone who discovers the choice you've made and especially by doctors. Thank goodness we hardly have to go to the doctor since she is so incredibly healthy, honestly I think she's been to the doctor about 6 times in her entire 10 years. Also, getting them into school and daycare is a bit harder. Lots of waivers and whatnot to jump through.
Good luck on your decision! Make whatever one you feel is best for you child :)
Oh yeah, that's true, I'm ALWAYS hearing people say "Well they can't go to school if they aren't vaccinated," but that's of course not true.
DeleteI would be livid if my parents chose not to vaccinate me because of their beliefs and then held me back from traveling abroad. Going to Africa was one of the highlights of my life.
DeleteShe is so, so darling. Love the updates and all the yellow. It's one of my favorite colors. So cheerful.
ReplyDeleteWe have been reading the Dr.Sears Vaccine Book. It's had a lot of helpful information for us.
I did some research, and opted to do homeopathic vaccines instead. My local naturopath provides the homeopathics
ReplyDeletePerhaps you have a naturopath locally who can do the same? Or mine might ship them out to you. Www.drjohnabdo.com The concept of vaccines is rooted in homeopathy: like treats like. But vaccines have escalated to include too many other ingredients and too high a dose of the illness. Of all the things I read, there were a few deciding factors. First, SIDS risk is highest between 3-6 mths of age. This makes no sense since babies this age a restring! They can hold up their head, do pushups, roll over, and maybe sit up. It doesn't make sense they would randomly suffocate in their crib bumpers, blankets, or by laying on their tummy. They are too capable and strong. What does happen at this age is lots and lots of vaccines. Hmmm, there were too many reports of SIDS within days of major vaccinations for my liking. Second, your liver and intestines have to process all those toxins an illness that comes in the vaccine. Your liver and intestines are about 60% of your immune system. My family has several people with various auto immune disorders. Why would we want to overload the tiny, sensitive digestive and immune system of a baby with so much illness all at once? I didn't want to do non vax though, which is why we went the homeopathic route. My son takes three doses, two weeks apart, of one illness at a time. It will take him a year to complete the traditional vaccine program, because it is one tiny dose at a time, with time for his body to process before adding the next one. My naturopath said he can't count how many kids he has treated with vaccine created problems, from anxiety to seizures to schizophrenia to auto immune like lukemia. He begins treating them by giving them the homeopathic antidote to the vaccine, and helping the liver and intestines heal. Also, I've been following you a couple years now, but never commented. Your photography is better than many pro photogs I follow, and congrats on such a beautiful family. I would LOVE to hear your birth story some time. I delivered my 10.4 lb son at home with a midwife and it was amazing! (and painful, but so amazing).
ReplyDeleteOh my, 10.4!!
DeleteI have never even heard of homeopathic vaccines, thanks so much for sharing this!! I've bookmarked this for future reference and am so grateful to have heard about it!
oh my, she just melts my heart! if i remember, i'll try and email you tonight about vacinations. it was a tough call for us too ;) in fact, i took stacks (and i means STACKS) of paperwork and research into my doctor.
ReplyDeletei'm not a big blog commenter, but i've been reading your blog for a while now and absolutely the magic and wonder that you bring to your family. you are such a beautiful and inspiring mother!
ReplyDeleteas for vaccines, my almost 6 year old son is unvaccinated. he has always been super-healthy and never has visited a doctor because he has been sick. i attribute that to the fact that he is unvaccinated and his little immune system hasn't been working over time with all the vaccinations most children have.
personally, i believe that now they give children too many shots, too soon. and the ingredient lists are absolutely horrible!
and like some one else commented, if you do decide not to vaccinate, be prepared to face all kinds of opinions from other people. a few weeks ago, my best friend of nearly 20 years told me that my son and i were not allowed to be in the same room with her almost one year old daughter because my son is unvaccinated. we live 6 hours apart and were planning a visit to meet her daughter. it has completely broken my heart!
i highly recommend the book vaccinations: a thoughtful parent's guide by aviva jill romm. it's such an informative and helpful book. also check out the mothering.org forums. there are separate ones for those who vaccinate and those who choose not to.
vaccinating/not vaccinating is a topic that people have such strong feelings about! just know that whatever choice you make for your family, is the right choice for your family!
This article might sway your decision.
ReplyDeletehttp://arstechnica.com/science/2012/08/widespread-vaccine-exemptions-are-messing-with-herd-immunity/
oh! so adorable :)
ReplyDeleteOh man! That is one beautiful baby. Bee, I think (I know) I like you. Those big eyes and saweeeet hair. Vaccines - that is a messy one, ain't it. I'm 21 and not planning on mothering soon, but I've already done a lot of research and remain oh-so-totally torn.
ReplyDeleteAhhhh! I can practically hear the slobbers from her sneeze! The cutest. Love following along with your pretty lives here. :)
ReplyDeleteshe's SO adorable! lovely photos!
ReplyDeleteOh, My
That sneeze! Too darn cute. And her tiny toes all spread out in that photo, oh my gosh! To be truthful, I am a weirdo I guess in that I'm not usually way into babies like most ladies are (I love kids, obviously I work at an elementary school, but with babies I'm usually like... grow up a little so I can talk to you! haha) but I think baby Bee is just tops. Her expressions kill me! And I love that she's a Costanza gal. ;P
ReplyDeletetoo cute! very adorable!
ReplyDeleteYour Bee looks like a real "character" as they say in my family, which is a good thing! Love those expressions. We live in one of the five boroughs of NYC and I had to return to work very early...which meant my daughter had to attend day care. I could not take the chance of not vaccinating her...and unfortunately, to this day, I believe she developed a severe respiratory reaction to the MMR shot. I did not give her the booster...Instead, I have been giving her titers...which measure the amount of immunity in her blood. So far, so good. So, she didn't need those boosters after all, which is interesting. I also opted out of Chicken Pox (which me and all my family had) and the Flu shots. However, my brother who lives not too far from me is choosing not to vaccinate my niece and they have received a lot of backlash, although they did find a "patient" doctor. The choice is yours. I lean towards Dr. Sears delayed vaccination schedule. I don't know if I could live with my child getting a horrible disease because I didn't take the steps to protect her due to fear. There are many books, forums, and information on the internet, but ultimately, it's a risk we all must take one way, or the other. Keep us posted. Happy Two Months, Phoebe!
ReplyDeleteWhat a sweet dot your little bee is!
ReplyDeleteMy little guy is due for his 12 month shots. He is up to date with all the others but we have just paused for some further thought with these ones. Its part of what we do as mama's, take all the information at hand and make the best choice for our wee ones. Both options have merit, so we feel a little torn. My love and thoughts are with you as make the decision.
happiness...
what a cutie pie!
ReplyDeletexo,
kristyn
Oh, Phoebe... you are the most precious. And that red hair is glorious! :)
ReplyDeleteMy mama works in holistic medicine so vaccinations have always been a huge topic of discussion. I would check out Dr. Sears and all of his research on the matter (my mom has known him since I was little and he's such a nurturing, brilliant pediatrician!) - he has a lot of wisdom about it and gives great advice on which vaccinations are okay and which ones you should really think about. (he even has a book called The Vaccine Book)
xo.
her sneeze! what a sweet little angel!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful pics of a beautiful baby! :-)
ReplyDeleteHi there! I usually don't ever comment, but wanted to share a little with you. First, I really enjoy your blog. I grew up in Dayton, my family is still there, and you make me savor the best parts of it. You have a great eye for seeing beauty in the simplest of things, which is rare and awesome talent!
ReplyDeleteSecond, I am a mama and consider myself to be the sort-of crunchy, attachment parent type. I worked many years in the healthcare field, have done a ton of research into the vaccine debate, and these are my thoughts: I have seen first hand what the pneumococcal bacteria can do, so that is one vaccine I would not skip. The HIB and, then thirdly, the DTaP are pretty important in my book, too. I think going into fall and winter, with another child that attends school, you risk exposing your baby to certain illnesses that her immature immune system can't fight off (even if you stay at home and breastfeed). Vaccines are actually one of the greatest medical advancements ever, however I do believe in knowing what you are immunizing for and why. Holistic medicine has it's place and I believe in is strongly, but if I were in a in car accident or had cancer I wouldn't expect it to heal me.
That being said, I am a believer in Dr. Sears, and also chose to spread out some of my kiddos' vaccines just to make sure all was good (and it has been so far). I encourage you to read his book even though it is a bit outdated now. In my opinion, the benefits of vaccinating for certain illnesses and diseases far outweigh the risks. I hope you come to a decision you are comfortable with! Your daughter is precious! :)
CA-YOOOOOT! :)
ReplyDelete-Lindsey
such a cutie!
ReplyDeletewww.romanticallychallenged.net
I'm slowly moving to the "spread out the vaccine" camp. I whole heartedly believe our kids need those vaccines, as is apparent in the recent outbreak of whooping cough. However, I think we give them too many all at once! Spreading/delaying vaccines gives me a happy middle.
ReplyDeleteBesides that she is just ADORABLE! And I love the pics. She's very photogenic!
We vaccinated fully, but chose a delayed schedule to spread them out more.
ReplyDeleteBaby sneeze! Ack-Too much cuteness!
ReplyDeleteI had to call my husband over to come take a look at precious little Phoebe. I don't even know the babe, but she's quickly become one of my very favorites!
ReplyDeleteshe is deeeelicious. i love the little pants.
ReplyDeletevaccines. girl. wondering what to do about them has kept me up at night. i'd love to share a grrrrreat article with you, but i'm reticent to post its link in any public forum. they can be such a hot button topic. email me if you'd like the link? bridget.c.hunt@gmail.com
Hey Kaite!
ReplyDeleteI vaccine, but I do an alterte schedule and don't do all of the vaccines. I go in once a month for one shot and have elected to not get certain shots like roto virus (which is just bad diarrhea) Some vaccines have been know to just be economical so I leave those out. Others I wait a while to give. I just got my 2 year old her MMR. I feel it gives my child's body the time and maturity it needs to accept the vaccine. People weren't meant to get 4 to 6 diseases all at once so even though it's in small dosages in vaccines, it just doesn't feel right giving little babies 4 -6 vaccines and then watching them get fevers and feel sick for days as after affects. If you are interested, I can send you our schedule of vaccines =)
- Sarah
agirlintransit.blogspot.com
So awesome that she loves George. ha!
ReplyDeleteAbout vaccines...well, I have three children and we do not vax at all. Just know that even talking about it you might get some back lash. It's a very hostile topic for some people. My advice is follow your gut. Do your research. Hold fast. If you choose to vax I HIGHLY suggest to wait till at least the age of 2. That is when the blood brain barrier is fully developed and it will stop any metals etc from the vaccines getting into the brain...ok, I could ramble on and on but the NVIC.org is a great resource. I know they are against but at the same time allow you to get your hands on solid facts and information.
As you probably already know, not vaccinating doesn't mean just NOT doing something. It comes along with a holistic lifestyle, eating well and building immune systems the natural way (we use essential oils). If you ever have any questions or just want to talk about it I promise I am an open book and I won't judge. I have friends on both sides of this issue. My email is risenhooverfamily@gmail.com
Good Luck!!
Love red hair. It's so adorable!!
ReplyDeleteLove her gorgeous red hair! And you wanting comments about this issue is a big help to me. My son is three and his dad and I have had a hard time deciding what to do.
ReplyDeleteWe chose not to immunise our daughter, who's almost 3. (And healthy as a horse - never needed to go to the doctor/hospital before.) At first, I didn't feel too strongly about it, but I went along with it on the advice of my naturopath Dad. But since then, I've done a lot of research and I have started to feel really strongly against it. (I completely respect other parents decision to immunise - although I don't understand when they just accept the vaccination without any thought.) Obviously you can make your own decision, but here are two interesting facts. Many commenters have been talking about whooping cough. Here in Australia there has been a huge outbreak of whooping cough in the past couple of years, and what came out recently, is that 85% of people catching it (and most of these have been immunised) are catching a new strain because the disease has mutated into something else now, something that's not prevented by the vaccine. And that HPV/cervical cancer vaccine gardisil - not sure if you know about that one, but it was discovered, tested, and put out on the market declared as "safe" over an extremely short period of only a couple of months. There have been a slew of reactions, even deaths, and in some countries it's been pulled completely. Did you know that when they test vaccines against a placebo, the company legally has the right to choose the placebo - and in the gardisil case, they chose (I can't quite remember) some kind of aluminium or something that is KNOWN to cause seizures and other effects on the brain ... so at the end of the study, they were able to accurately report that the vaccine causes no less seizures than the placebo. AND, apparently when there are problems with a vaccine, and people start litigation, it is more profitable for the drug company to pay the money but keep the drug on the market. Screwed up or what? Phoebe is truly divine. That sneeze! Kellie xx
ReplyDeleteI too live in Australia and my 16 month old son has not be immunised. Just wanted to say thanks for the stats on whooping cough - I often feel in over my head in the whole immunisation debate, especially when the whooping cough outbreak is continually brought up by family members.
DeleteI hadn't thought of going down the naturopath path, but will be looking into it now :)
So thanks Kellie (and Katie for posting!) - Analise x
Katie, I respect your decision to slow down and think about it ... so much! Good for you!
ReplyDeleteYou know, when they are so little, breastfeeding and by your side constantly, I believe there is really no reason to start the vaccines. We just made our first appointment for immunizations and my son is going to be 9 mos (which is earlier than I intended, but he just seems so big and healthy now, that I don't mind).
I hate talking about vaccines, actually. It's SUCH a 'Dammed if you do, Dammed if you don't' kind of thing. (because I definitely understand the other side: if I'm not vaccinating my kid, I'm relying on the rest of society to vaccinate theirs). UGGGH! no easy answer!
So, just know that you are not alone in this! It is so hard to be a mama and know your child's body is in your hands.
DEFINITELY get the Sears Vaccine book. It's objective! I swear by it.
AND most importantly (as exhausting as it might be) find a dr. you can trust. I'm actually not sure where you live, so perhaps it's harder there than here (austin), but I found a list of N0-Vaccine-friendly Drs on a doula website. SO, you might try the same (calling a local doula or midwife)- they would be a great resource to have.
ALSO, you might want to check out one of my favorite blogs: peaceful parenting (drmomma.org). I always find good articles about healthy, happy parenting there.
Good luck mama! you are doing a great job! hang in there. Your beautiful pictures always brighten my day! Thank you for that! <3
I vaccinate Jacob, but am selective on which vaccines we give him, and delayed them for over a year. We did give him his first round of vaccines at 2 months, but I felt very rushed into it. After that, I found a pediatric naturopath that I love, and we went over different vaccines and schedules. If there is one thing I could stress is to find a doctor that will give single vaccines instead of combination vaccines.
ReplyDeleteDTaP actually saved my daughter's life. she contracted pertussis (whooping cough) and since asthma runs in my family she was already predisposed to breathing problems. the ER dr. said that if we hadn't vaccintated, we could have expected the worst : /
ReplyDeleteI keep coming back to this post to see baby sneeze pictures! Love it! :)
ReplyDeleteDear Katie,
ReplyDeleteI just saw this post and thought I would share a little bit on the vaccine issue. It most certainly is a personal choice. I was vaccinated as a kid but my husband is a third generation without vaccines. We made the decsion not to vaccinate our childrena nd they are 14, 12 1/2 and 11 and all very healthy and no medical issues. I also wanted to pass along the name of a chiropractor in Englewood that is very knowledgable on the subject, Dr. Robert shaffer. He practices at Shank Chiropractic Clinic. I am so glad that people were kind with their opinions and advice. This can be a very sticky subject indeed. Your little Bee is so precious!!!