Vaccines

Without getting into all of the sordid details, I have a fear of getting my children vaccinated. I know all of the reasons for vaccines, but the bottom line is that the heavy metals scare the crap out of me. I've read pages and pages of research to support both sides of the vaccine debate and yet I still feel that rather than making a truly informed decision, I'm burying my head in the sand.

My five year old had about six vaccines, spread out over 7 months and only one dose at a time. We rejected any combination vaccines, and then when it was obvious to me at a year that he was speech delayed (he had no sounds at all besides Dada and Mama), we stopped completely and never went back.

The baby is almost 15 months and hasn't had one vaccine. She has been enrolled in an early intervention program since April that addresses her low strength issues. A PT comes to our home once a week for an hour long session, and although she is doing great and has made incredible strides, she is still not walking and so she qualified for six more months of services.

It seems risky to me to vaccinate kids that have neurological delays; it's like asking for trouble as far as I'm concerned. But on the other hand, now that they are both older and their immune systems are a little stronger, I think often about how nice it would be to know they are protected from something like pertussis.

We have a 15 month check in two weeks and I've promised myself that I will make a real decision before then. One of the ways I plan to do that is by finally reading the Vaccine Book by Dr. Bob Sears; a friend recommended it a few months ago and it's been sitting on my shelf ever since. Once I make a decision I know I'll feel confident in it.