Vaccinations

Vaccinations are a hotly debated baby issue. Mostly doctors suggest following a specific immunization schedule. On the other side there are parent groups who advocate delaying shots, suggesting vaccines may cause autism and create catastrophic reactions. It's an issue that most parents don't think about - they follow their doctors advice and immunize according to the schedule. Before my daughter was born I did some research on the topic but was frustrated at a lack of supporting evidence for parents who delay. 

Today I delayed my daughter's 4 month shots. I have a few reasons for delaying. After her 2 month visit (and shots) I noticed a personality change, more than the 2 day "illness" they tell you to expect, and I blamed it on her shots. She may have been due for a temperament change that just happened to coincide with her shots but I'd like to feel confident it's not the shots. I also think since vaccines are tiny doses of disease, they're bound to have some negative effect on an infant. And I believe in a gentle parenting approach and a shot in each thigh of a 2 month-old is not particularly gentle.

So if you decide you want to delay your child's vaccinations, how do you go about it? Many parents I know simply cancel their appointment. For me, it's still important to visit the doctor regularly for well-being check-ups so I don't want to dodge those appointments. I decided to openly discuss my concerns with my doctor. Although it's your right to delay immunization if you want to, it can be difficult to take a stand when your doctor is advocating something else. My doctor was less resistant than I expected but still wanted me to know the vaccine was very unlikely to have caused my daughter's personality change. 

Ultimately I think the more parents raise concerns with their doctors and openly object to the immunization schedule the more likely that research will be done in the area.