Sunday, March 29, 2009
What Are Your Opinions?
I have recently been thinking about different arguments relating to the treatments in pregnancy (namely being induced and having an epidural) and vaccinations for children. I have come across arguments for both sides that make sense to me. Now I would like to know what your opinions are. You can leave me a post or e-mail me directly. I would especially like to hear from Katie.
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6 comments:
I obviously don't have strong opinions about pregnancy treatments:) But I have a LOT to say about vaccinations. First of all I believe with my whole heart that vaccines can cause autism. I don't think that it always does, nor do I think that it is the ONLY cause, (It wasn't the cause of Ethan's)but I do think that it is related. (I know this is a big controversy, and there are other opinions about this too, however, until there is PROOF that it isn't the cause my mind is made up and no amount of debate is going to change my mind - If you want to know the reasons I feel this way I would love to share, however I won't do it in your comment section:) That being said I just as strongly believe that vaccinations are important. If we all start being afraid of them and stop getting them, then the things they protect us from will come back with a vengance. As you can imagine these strong feelings that seen to contradict themselves have caused me a lot of stress and worry trying to figure out how to honor both. So I have done a lot of research on it, read a lot of info, talked to a lot of doctors, and prayed a lot about it and here is what helps me sleep better at night. (Remember, this is totally MY OPINION.) I do think it is important to ask questions and do research, it wasn't too long ago that they started taking mercury out, and the fact that they now do is in great part due to so many people demanding answers. Bottom line, here is what I do: I do vaccinate my kids, it matters to me, and I would never forgive myself if they got something that could have been prevented easily. But I stick to one at a time. It takes longer to get it done, but I feel better about it. I also educate myself about each vaccine before hand. I want to know exactly what it does, and if I don't think it's neccessary we don't get it. (EX: I DON'T give them the chicken pox one, it doesn't even assure that they won't get chicken pox, and since it isn't life threatening anyway, I skip it.)I also ASK for no mercury. I know that they tell you that it is standard now, but they do still have a stock of the old ones, and so you do need to ask just to be sure.(I was told this by my pediatrician, so it's not just the rantings of a crazy lady:)Possibly the most important thing I do is I have Troy give the kids a blessing before they get vaccinated. Think what you want, but it makes me feel better if nothing else. Mainly I think it's important to be educated, find a doctor who takes your questions seriously, and who you trust, and then trust your gut. As the mom you get special inspiration, so take it, trust it, and even if it isn't popular stick with it, in the end you will know what's best. I don't know if that is the answers you were looking for, but that's the best I have. Good luck! (And if this doesn't make sense, or if you have additional questions feel free to ask.:)Sorry it's long.
Cassie,
I obviously don't have kids so my opinion probably shouldn't matter but, since I love you, I will give it to you anyway! :D When I was little my mom tried to have me vaccinated, I went into seizures and almost died. The doctor told my mother at the time that because of that, I will never be able to vaccinate my own kids. It's a genetic thing. Also, Natalie never vaccinated her kids and they are totally fine. I like what Katie said. Just do your research and spend the time because sometimes they vaccinate for things that are totally unnecessary. Also, Deborah Martineu could probably give you some good insight on vaccination in her family. Her oldest son has a form of autism and they directly relate it to vaccinations...so Janece tells me anyway. Love you!
okay.. SO I do have an opinion on both of these matters. Let me tell you a little bit about what I learned about vaccines while I was in nursing school. There was a study done 10+ years ago in Europe that "proved" vaccines caused austism. It caused a huge uproar in the medical community and MANY parents with children who had autism really caught on and there was a HUGE effort to eliminate mercury from vaccines. Which has been done in the U.S. It is actually against FDA regulations to distribute vaccines with mercury in them. ANYWAY... that is all besides the point BECAUSE the study later had to be recanted because the results COULD NOT be duplicated in any way shape or form. Still to this day there is NO conclusive evidence supporting it. The only thing that can be said is that there are vaccines that are not needed (just like your friend said) and there is NO reason to get them in large batches. Especially if you are not living in a area that is in danger of exposure. It is always wise to make a very informed decision about what vaccines you feel are needed for your children. I say this because I may feel differently about it than you. As a nurse I can be exposed to more diseases than people who do not work in medicine so I feel my children need that proctection in case I come in contact with something that is rare and for some reason I bring it back to them (rare, but it could happen :))I AGREE 100% that the chicken pox vaccination is not needed. I lived through it and natural immunity is better than vaccinated immunity (it has been proven). You may be interested in the theory heard immunity. It basically says that because the majority is immune (vaccinated) you are very unlikely to come in contact with it Google it. It would be interested to the rate of vaccination in Moab. So, to make a reall long drawn out explianation short I do vaccinate my kids, but I am selective and I do not batch them. I would regret whole heartedly if there was an outbreak or some sort of bio terrorism attack (I know rare) that I could have protected my kids against. I hope that all made sense..... To move on to the pregnancy.. I DO NOT use any pain relief. I do not belive it is needed or safe for mom and in some cases baby. The rate of meningitis caused by epidurals in the last 5 years is on a sharp rise. Hospital acquired infection from that sort of procedure has increased almost 10 fold since the year 2000. YIKES!!!! I saw a lot of this as a nurse and it scared me to DEATH!!! There are also serval studies that link difficulty breastfeeding(either from mom or from baby) to pain relief use during birth. It can cause a decrease in milk supply as well as lethargy and attatchment issues from the infant. There is also NO way for the medical field to prove that IV pain meds are not secreted in breast milk (YIKES AGAIN!) There is also evidence that states the majority of women with post partum depression had large amounts of pain relief during child birth. (Hello you are putting narcotics straight into your nervous system and bypassing the ability for your body to regulate those things) Do some research and pray about what you feel is right for you. There are hundreds of studies that can tell you info on the latest research. ALWAY ALWAYS validate research studies by looking for a study that duplicated the results or you cannot deam it reliable. I think that you are the only person that can dictate these kind of decisions. I think that I do not need to expose my body to anything (drug/vaccination) that is not needed. This is way long and I am sorry. I am glad you asked because I think every mom needs to think about it and make an informed and spiritual decision! Best of luck.
I was thinking of not leaving a comment, but some of these comments (please no one take offense to this) seemed to be doom and gloom. I know they are backed up by research and I praise you for doing this for us to read, I learned a lot from it thankyou. I think that you need to do what is best for you. for my first child I got a walking epidural and thought it was great because I had a little relief and the ability to focus on giving birth and the experience. I think the only feeding issues with my first child was just the learning curve, neither of us knew how to do it. With my second child I had a full epidural and that was a misserable experience. It was too much for me to be comfortable and I couldn't concentrate on the birthing process. I believe that if a mother is able to focus on the child while giving birth that it is a very special thing. If you can do it without drugs then I commend you for it. I don't have enough of a pain tollerance to do it myself. I would love to try natural birth, but I want to be functioning for my child when it is born. I think it is important for you to look at yourself, see what you need, and do what you feel is best for you and your family.
Cassie, here's what I think. The more natural you can go with birth usually the better things run. If you get induced your labor tends to be longer and harder. With that said, if there is a problem that puts the mother and/or baby in danger then you should definitely go with induction. That's my thoughts. As for vaccinations, research says there is no link vaccinations with autism. It is just a wivestale. If we stop vaccinating we are going to see a lot of serious problems. All those diseases that we have pretty much irradicated will come back. That's my opinion. Take if for what it's worth. PS, FREAKIN HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I've been thinking about you a lot. How the heck is life treating you?
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