by Janelle (Kansas, USA)

I will be having my first baby in February and would like to know how you feel about child vaccines.

Thank you,
Janelle

Answer:

Hi Janelle,

I firmly believe that every parent needs to take the time to research the issue of vaccination in-depth. Each vaccine should be carefully considered for each child in your care.

Having said that, for my family, the right choice has been delayed and selective vaccination.

I do not get any vaccines for my babies. I personally feel the risks outweigh the benefits. My family tends to stay home a lot – we're not around large groups of people terribly often. Our children are all home schooled so they're not around a lot of other school children. We eat a healthy diet. All of these things help to lessen our risk of vaccine-preventable diseases.

So my babies are not vaccinated, and there are some vaccines we never get. For instance, my oldest three children have had the chicken pox because I declined the vaccine.

I also feel strongly that I can care for most vaccine-preventable diseases at home.

But again, I urge you to do all the research it takes to help you decide for your baby.

Two excellent places to start are:

The Vaccine Book by Dr. Robert Sears. Dr. Sears is considered a “pro-vaccine” doctor but his book is really, really well written. It's very balanced and truly informative. My midwife has a copy in her lending library and it's always being checked out.

The second book I recommend is How to Raise a Healthy Child in Spite of Your Doctor by Dr. Robert S. Mendelsohn. This classic book will give you a lot of confidence in your ability to care for your own child – no matter what the medical issue is. I really like it and I find myself turning to it any time I feel any self-doubt. So far I've kept my kids healthy and happy with Dr. Mendelsohn's advice.

Best of luck as you make the choices for your baby. Let me know if you have any further questions.