Anyone feel like weighing in on the whole vaccine debate? Or is that just opening a can of worms?
I'll tell you where I stand: I am vaccinating my kids. But that's not to say I'm not keeping myself informed about the issue. I love my pediatricians, and I trust them completely, but they are definitely of the "vaccines aren't proven to cause autism or anything else" variety. That may be true, but they also haven't been entirely ruled out either.
After doing a ton of reading about it over the last year, here's what I'm thinking. I don't want any vaccines with thimerisol in them. Most vaccines are thimerisol-free, but from what I understand, the flu shot still contains it. (And all four of us had that shot last year...this year I'm going to ask for Flu Mist, which is thimerisol-free.) Also, if I can stand my ground in the face of an annoyed pediatrician, I'm only going to allow the babies one vaccine per month. They have a 15-month check-up on Friday, so I think I'm going to call the office to see what's on the agenda for them. If there's more than one, I'm going to ask that they only receive one. I've asked Michael and my mom to back me up on this one (my mom because she is the one that goes to the twins' appointments with me) even though I don't think they feel nearly as strongly as I do about the situation. I tend to back down when I feel embarrassed or outnumbered, so I really want to stand my ground if the pediatrician tells me I'm being ridiculous. (She might be totally onboard with it -- who knows!)
Further complicating the matter is the fact that my father and sister are both highly-respected and brilliant physicians. Clearly they know more than I about these matters, so their opinion and expertise means a great deal to me. I have no idea where they stand on vaccines--we've never really discussed it --but sometimes when I question Western medicine, I feel like I'm questioning them directly. Almost like if they had issues with public education, I would feel like I had to answer to it. Does that make sense?