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Margaret Forum Rookie
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Posted: Oct 16 2007 at 9:45pm | IP Logged
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Do you have your children vaccinated? If there are any that you do not have done, which ones are they?
Thanks-
Love,
Margaret
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kingvozzo Forum All-Star
Joined: March 28 2005 Location: Maine
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Posted: Oct 16 2007 at 11:00pm | IP Logged
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We pick and choose, based on the Children of God for life list. My problem with vaccines is using ones that contained aborted fetal cells. That's why I use the COG list.
The 'tainted' ones are primarily chicken pox, and the MMR vaccine, although I do Mumps and Measles in a single-vaccine dose, which is a bit tricky to get.
__________________ Noreen
Wife to Ed
Mom to 4 great kids and 10 sweet ones in Our Lady's arms
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afranciscan Forum Rookie
Joined: April 23 2006 Location: California
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Posted: Oct 17 2007 at 12:54am | IP Logged
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We are selective for health reasons. We have done T and D minus the P for all kids. Our son with weak lungs had some of the others based on our experience with having whooping cough. Yes that's reality of it. Four of us, myself included, had whooping cough (pertussis) while living in 300 square feet next to the home we were building. It was pretty intense. Think 2 months of coughing to the point of vommitting, and coughing ribs out of place at night. We didn't have any "complications" just a straight forward case. I can see why they developed a vaccine for it! For busy homeschoolers too I might add that it is very inconvenient as was chick pox which we also had. Both of those were when my children were fairly young. I sometimes think how much more difficult it would be to go through one of those childhood illness when I have more kids committed to more activities and we are stretched thinner in general. I revisit the vaccine issue in general every so often and inconvenience is a factor that is now weighed in with the obvious questions of risk to the children etc. I take each disease and ask what would it be like if we actually got the disease, what are the symptoms, what are the chances of actually getting it? Fortunately we had a doctor who was willing to tell us which ones he really urged us to get and why and he was understanding when we were selective and he ordered individual vaccines for us if we didn't want a whole group. I've never felt completely at peace about it and I know I wouldn't feel at peace if i just went with whatever the current recommendations at a given time might be. I've watched that change a lot over the last 14 years and I don't believe the drug companies have my children's health as their primary interest. It's so hard to know what to do.
__________________
http://tippettfamilynotes.blogspot.com/
Jennie Lou
Married my prince charming in 1993, ds 94, dd 97, dd 00, ds 02, twin ds from Liberia 03, dd 04, dd 08
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Stephanie_Q Forum Pro
Joined: Aug 25 2007 Location: Nebraska
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Posted: Oct 17 2007 at 1:26pm | IP Logged
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We are also selective about vaccination. We do not do the one for chickenpox because we feel it is better for our children to contract the disease and build a life-long immunity to it rather than be subject to receiving booster shots throughout their lives so that they don't contract it when they're older and the disease is more life-threatening.
Of the scheduled vaccines in America we also have not done MMR or Hepatitis B. I am not opposed to an individual measles vaccine and would vaccinate my girls against rubella if there was an individual vaccine for it that did not utilize aborted fetal cells. Perhaps by the time they are in their child-bearing years they will have one. As for Hepatitis B, it is probably a vaccine they will have to get when they are older. I just don't feel it's necessary to inoculate them as babies.
I have only vaccinated my first-born with the pneumococcal vaccine because I was working full-time, she was at a babysitter and my ability to nurse her was severly limited. Now, since I homeschool, we can be more selective and vaccines like the pneumococcal one aren't necessary. That said, I think it is important to revisit our decisions about vaccinations as our kids grow up and our circumstances change.
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msclavel Forum All-Star
Joined: July 26 2006 Location: N/A
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Posted: Oct 17 2007 at 3:28pm | IP Logged
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I just heard a report this morning (on NPR) about how widespread use of the pneumococcal vaccine has now caused a strep-pneumo super "bug" to emerge. They are seeing cases of it the Rochester, NY area. Basically kids are getting ear infections that just don't respond to any medications except high doses of antibiotics intended for adults. When they first brought out this vaccine years ago I remember being told how convenient it would be, less ear infections. I also knew at the time that some experts already worried that if they tried to eradicate the "run-of-the-mill" strains that it was possible some very resistant strains would come along. None of my children ever received it.
I go back and forth on this. My oldest 3 got everything on time, except chicken pox and pneumococcal. The next 2 I know are missing some of the boosters they were supposed to get when they were a little older. My almost three year old and my one year old have none. I am really torn, as I am getting pressure to get back on track. I will read this thread through as I need advice from both sides to help us sort this out.
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WayTruthLife Forum Rookie
Joined: Feb 01 2007
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Posted: Oct 17 2007 at 3:40pm | IP Logged
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We also follow the Children of God for life. We don't do any vaccine that is used from aborted babies. We also don't do the pertusis in DTAP. My baby had a reaction to it (high fever, body rash). As much as I would like to say that I am completely comfortable with our decision, I still worry that we made the wrong choice to withhold certain vaccines. I think if you vaccinate or not, you will always have those parental worries!
__________________ Wife to dh
Mother to 6dc 8yr 7yr 6yr 3yr 1yr 8mon
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Ruth Forum All-Star
Joined: Nov 04 2006 Location: Virginia
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Posted: Oct 17 2007 at 4:37pm | IP Logged
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We have chosen not to vaccinate our youngest 5. But I did question our decision 3 1/2 years ago, when the youngest 5 got whooping cough. This was very terrifying. They were sich for 4 months. Our youngest was 1 1/2 at the time. Three months after that they all got chicken pox, with one of them getting very sick.
This is a very tough decision, and now that our baby is coming, I need to read all my books again, while at the same time remembering what we all went through with them.
__________________ Ruth
mom to 7 miracles
My family blog
Loreto Rosaries
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doris Forum All-Star
Joined: April 24 2006 Location: United Kingdom
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Posted: Oct 17 2007 at 5:27pm | IP Logged
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Dh is a doctor, and we enthusiastically vaccinate our children. However, in the UK we don't vaccinate for chicken pox. Also, I've only just got clued up about the use of aborted cell lines in vaccines -- and there's no alternative to some of them, at least in the UK, plus using the alterntives where available involves a lot of extra expense, whereas the regular ones are free. (Vegans are allowed to request vaccines derived from non-animal sources but Catholics can't make the same request about using ethical vaccines... don't get me started!) So I'm not sure what we'll do about the next round of boosters that are now due -- there's a useful Vatican document on the subject, which we'll have to ponder.
__________________ Home educating in London, UK with dd (2000) ds (2002), dd (2004), ds (2008) and dd (2011).
Frabjous Days
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Lori B Forum Pro
Joined: March 24 2006 Location: Canada
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Posted: Oct 17 2007 at 8:40pm | IP Logged
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We do, but no combos. We get each vaccine seperately, and our doctors have all been fine with it.
I had both mumps and scarlet fever as a child, with lingering health problems, so I feel that it is important to prevent what we can.
__________________ 22yod, 16yod (Asperger's), 14yos (dyslexia, APD, ADHD), and 11yod (JXG, glaucoma, legally blind)
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dollylima Forum Pro
Joined: Aug 31 2007
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Posted: Oct 18 2007 at 8:09am | IP Logged
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WayTruthLife wrote:
I think if you vaccinate or not, you will always have those parental worries! |
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Oh,this is so true.
My son has allergy-induced asthma. Because of this, it is recommended that he receive a flu shot every year. He has so far gotten one every year since infancy. (He was part of an ear infection/flu shot study at Childrens Hospital as a baby.) We make a special request for the mercury-free vaccine.
Every year I have the debate with myself over again.
It is so nice to be participating on a message board where people understand that every mother believes she is doing the right thing for her kids and that even if we come up with different answers, we are all doing our best for the sake of our children.
I cant tell you all how pleased I am to have found this forum. It is unlike any other message board Ive ever read.
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mary theresa Forum All-Star
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Posted: Oct 18 2007 at 7:21pm | IP Logged
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Ruth wrote:
We have chosen not to vaccinate our youngest 5. But I did question our decision 3 1/2 years ago, when the youngest 5 got whooping cough. This was very terrifying.
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There was a year whooping cough went all through our small town when I was in my teens. My siblings and I all had it -- the older vaccinated ones and the younger unvaccinated ones. Families who had taken every shot and booster available got it. Some families who didn't vaccinate didn't get it . . .
It seems that you just can't be sure you are getting the immunities/ And just because you aren't vaccinated doesn't mean you are GOING to get it. This is what the whooping cough year taught me.
FWIW
__________________ Mary Theresa
mother to 3 little girls --March '06, Dec '07 and Jan '10
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Philothea Forum All-Star
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Posted: Oct 20 2007 at 2:27pm | IP Logged
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We selectively vaxed oldest DS for purely ethical reasons using the COG for life guidelines to know which ones to skip (and also skipped a few we just found plain unnecessary, like Prevnar and Hepatitis B).
I have since come to question whether his ongoing allergy issues are due to the vaccines he did receive. I doubt we will vaccinate this second baby at all. Vaccines are only tested on healthy children, and baby #2 has a kidney issue, so I don't know how his body would process the toxins in the shots compared to his perfectly normal older brother. I just can't wrap my mind around dumping heavy metals, preservatives and multiple viruses into a body with a "broken filter."
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vmalott Forum All-Star
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Posted: Oct 22 2007 at 7:47am | IP Logged
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I think the medical community is just now discovering that there is a need for ANOTHER pertussis booster sometime into the teen years or beyond. Also, I think I read somewhere that there may not be a natural immunity built up once a person has had pertussis
Several of my children came down with what we eventually figured out was whooping cough a couple of years ago. I (vaccinated eons ago) had some symptoms, more cold-like than anything. My oldest, who was fully vaccinated as a baby, was the only one who didn't have any symptoms. The next oldest, who was only partially immunized, had some symptoms but not severe. The four youngest were affected the greatest, and it was about 6-8 weeks until they were fully recovered.
My best guess as to how they contracted it was from exposure to my MIL who supposedly had bronchitis. FIL had said she was coughing so hard, she was vomiting, so I think the doc just diagnosed it as bronchitis since she had been vaccinated for pertussis (nursing home office staff).
I did start a heavy-duty sodium ascorbate (vitamin C) regimen for all of us, and that seemed to lessen the severity of the symptoms. But now with a new child due, I'm rethinking the pertussis vaccine...it was a really LONG 6-8 weeks, with not a lot of sleep, and I'd rather not repeat it.
So, yeah, I reevaluate from time to time, depending on circumstances and ages of my children.
VAlerie
__________________ Valerie
Mom to Julia ('94), John ('96), Lizzy ('98), Connor ('01), Drew ('02), Cate ('04), Aidan ('08) and three saints in heaven
Seven Times the Fun
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chicken lady Forum All-Star
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Posted: Oct 22 2007 at 7:59am | IP Logged
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I was fully vaccinated and I got pertussin 3 yrs ago. My dc have not received any vacs. we treated them homepathically for prevention and they never got it. We got it from a family of fully vaccinated children.
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5athome Forum Pro
Joined: Oct 01 2005 Location: Texas
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Posted: Oct 22 2007 at 8:16am | IP Logged
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My dh went to the top medical school in the nation (please understand, I say this definitely not to brag but to stress that we did not come about this decision lightly - he was definitely taught immunizations are vital). For years he has towed the AMA party line on vaccines; yet within the last 5 years he has come full circle. We started questioning things about the same time (he had just returned from a conference with a Houston immunology expert who told him he would never let his family get the flu vaccine). It made us begin a journey of research, worry & more research.
Our sixth is the only one without any vaccinations. Our others have a smattering but I do not vaccinate them further or do well child check ups. We will not do any vaccines unless there is a major outbreak of something in our area or the children reach maturity & no longer have immature developing immune systems.
I do enjoy the book ( I loaned it out so it is not handy titlewise) called something like How to Raise a Healthy Child in Spite of Your Doctor.
__________________ Margaret
ds '93, dd '96, ds '99,
ds '01, dd '04, ds '06,
ds '08
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LisaR Forum All-Star
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Posted: Oct 22 2007 at 10:17am | IP Logged
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we follow the Children of God recommendations, we also vaccinate starting at a year or older, and only one vaccination at a time, with at least a 45 day space before another.
My christian homeschooling Dr is totally fine with whatever we choose to do- I love having no external pressure!!
My 4 boys all had chicken pox- it was honestly, for us at least, much easier than the stomach bug or a bad cold!!
__________________ Lisa
dh Tim '92
Joseph 17
Paul 14
Thomas 11
Dominic 8
Maria Gianna 5
Isaac Vincent 9/21/10! and...
many little saints in heaven!
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vmalott Forum All-Star
Joined: Sept 15 2006 Location: Ohio
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Posted: Oct 23 2007 at 7:48am | IP Logged
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5athome wrote:
How to Raise a Healthy Child in Spite of Your Doctor. |
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Yes, that is the title, and I was very much influenced by it early on in my parenting journey. I wish I still had my copy to loan out to my newest neighbor. She freaks out every time her daughter has even the slightest fever, and then is baffled when the fever keeps coming back despite dosing the poor child w/Motrin. (And she's a nurse...you would think she'd know these things). But, I'm getting off the topic.
And Chicken Lady....what homeopathics are used for pertussis? Like I said, we did the high dose sodium ascorbate, and it had a very positive effect on those who already were showing symptoms.
Valerie
__________________ Valerie
Mom to Julia ('94), John ('96), Lizzy ('98), Connor ('01), Drew ('02), Cate ('04), Aidan ('08) and three saints in heaven
Seven Times the Fun
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mary theresa Forum All-Star
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Posted: Oct 23 2007 at 12:03pm | IP Logged
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Valerie,
I think for most specific illnesses there are homeopathic nosodes to treat each one. Same principle as other remedies: taking an extremely small portion of the pathogen/germ/toxin -- they are sometimes called "homeopathic vaccines."
Is that what you were talking about Molly?
__________________ Mary Theresa
mother to 3 little girls --March '06, Dec '07 and Jan '10
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Syncletica Forum Pro
Joined: June 11 2007 Location: Canada
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Posted: Nov 06 2007 at 12:48pm | IP Logged
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I no longer vaccinate, I believe it is a conspiracy to make us unhealthy. Our government does not want us to be healthy. Lots of info here:
http://www.prisonplanet.com/archives/vaccines/index.htm
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Maryan Forum All-Star
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Posted: Nov 06 2007 at 2:34pm | IP Logged
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We do all the recommended vaccines except:
1. Heb B. - not necessary for my little ones not in school or day care.
2. Chicken Pox - heard better immunity if we get it
And last Sunday we were exposed (unintentionally) by our neighbor cousins to chicken pox, so now we're playing the waiting game to see if we get it. And PLEASE come now, and hurry, so it MIGHT be over by Christmas or by the time the baby comes.
__________________ Maryan
Mom to 6 boys & 1 girl: JP('01), B ('03), M('05), L('06), Ph ('08), M ('10), James born 5/1/12
A Lee in the Woudes
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