November 9, 2007
What's so hard, Mama?
In our last cross blog conversation Carrie Lauth asked me “What’s the hardest thing you’ve had to do as a Mom?”
Gosh Carrie, this is a tough one. It took me a bit to search my mind and heart for the answer to this.
After some thought I’m fairly certain the hardest thing was deciding that we wouldn’t vaccinate Nick any longer and the baby (and any future kids) wouldn’t receive vaccines either.
This isn’t a decision that should come lightly in either direction. If you’re thinking about vaccinating then you should do your research well before you go forward with that. And the same should be true for not vaccinating as well.
My husband and I both came to the decision that this is the best for our kids and our family. After much, much, MUCH research on the topic (on both sides of it) we decided it was actually more of a risk to vaccinate them than not to vaccinate them.
However, it still isn’t an easy decision either way. It is a big deal for most parents and either way you go you might worry from time to time if it’s the right decision. I don’t necessarily think we made the wrong decision…in fact, I know we made the right one.
But, when you are told “it’s something you do when you have a baby” it’s hard to get out of that mindset. It seems to be pounded into your head that everyone should vaccinate their children … it’s just what you do. So when you go against the grain it can feel uncomfortable.
The good news is that we both feel quite confident in our parenting now. Only this year have we felt this confident about how we parent, how decision, and plans for the future. And the confidence extends to our vaccinate choice. It was a harder thing to feel comfortable with in the beginning, but the more we read, the more stories we heard, and the more we searched our own thoughts on the topic the more confident we felt.
Carrie, tell me about your natural births. Why did you decide to go that route? Are you happy with the decision to go natural? What exactly did “natural birth” look like for you?
Comments on What's so hard, Mama? »
In which I ask Nell about tough decisions and talk about birth | Natural Moms Talk Radio @ 1:46 am
[...] was her answer: not vaccinating. Then she asked [...]
great response! I can definitely see both sides but I honestly believe parents should not make their decision until they have researched both sides and make the best decision for them and their children.
Great post Nell. I have often pondered this issue, many many times. My son ended up in the hospital after his 1 year visit - literally the next morning he became totally congested and was having serious problems breathing. The MDs say it had nothing to do with the vaccines, but I know better.
Unless it's a religious belief, it's the law here in NJ to get the vaccines. I dont want to he a hypocrite and play the religion card, so we've worked with our pediatrician to set up our own schedule. Now he gets vaccinated on his own schedule - one shot at a time, 2 - 3 weeks apart. His immune system will never be inundated with several vaccines at once again. I also request preservative free vaccines for him (why should I have to?).