Vaccines 1: Intro

A few years ago, I heard that a mother of six typically opted out of some vaccinations for her children and spaced the shots over time. I also recall reading on a message board that a woman was checking out pediatricians for her unborn child, and she asked about vaccinations. The Dr. rattled off something about how the CDC recommends shots at such and such an age, etc. The mother was going to accept the Dr.'s opinion at that but decided to ask the Dr. what she did for her own children. "Well, I skip this one and space these two out..." or something along those lines - it wasn't what the CDC recommended or mandated. It was intriguing.

Fast forward to the present day. Ryan and I would like to have children someday, and I recall hearing about vaccines a little more recently. If we have children and we do nothing besides what the doctor's office routinely administers based on CDC policy,

• What injections will our children receive?
  
• What are they?
  
• Why are they given?
  
• How many diseases are contained in the shots?
  
• What are the side effects?
  
• What warrants each vaccination?
  
• Is there a neurological or developmental affect on the child from the shots?
  
• What are the dangers of the diseases themselves if they are contracted?

I was struck with the need to look into this more and do some research and decide if we would refuse or put off some vaccinations for our children. I've done some reading online, have talked to some friends who have done careful research, and I am reading a couple of books (this and this). There can be too much information on the Internet, and there can also be false information. I hope Ryan and I will be able to make the right decision for what we will do in our family. So far, if we had to draw a line in the sand, we are leaning towards selective vaccination and are not against all vaccinations. In short, what is "recommended" seems to be too many, too soon.

My intent is to blog periodically about what I learn, and there is a two-fold purpose for it. I'd like to sort my own findings and thoughts as Ryan and I work through this, and I'd also like to provide that information to encourage those who read my blog who have young children or may have children someday to consider their understanding of vaccines. I wondered at one point if it was too "early" to look into this since we are not parents-to-be, but I don't believe it is. We'll need to make this decision someday, and I have resources now which can help us. This can be a sensitive subject and I don't intend to tell you what decision to make regarding your family. I will probably ask a lot questions and leave many unanswered, mainly to raise them for consideration. We are looking at this from a Christian perspective, that our kids will be entrusted to us by the Lord but belong to Him, that God has redeemed us unto salvation and gives us wisdom to make decisions.

Stay tuned.

Photo credit.