Vaccination Nation

Riley will be headed in for his 4-month appointment soon and all I can think about is the next round of his vaccinations. We had his 2-month vaccinations without even a second thought, mostly because I didn't know there was a thought to give. However, the talk about vaccinations seems to be all around me, and although it's probably because it's on my mind that I'm noticing the buzz, I can't help but think I should listen to what's being said.

I know vaccinations are a positive thing and have kept many a child alive and well. However, there are a lot of people who say a lot of things about the negatives of these chemicals that we are pumping into very tiny babies. Much has been said about the levels of mercury and aluminum and even more has been said about the heavy doses of vaccines that our babies are receiving at one time. I don't want to be alarmist, but I don't want to be hasty. It seems silly to blindly do it just because every other parent does.

So... I have about a week and a half to figure out my answer. I've been reading a lot about an alternative vaccination schedule developed by Dr. Robert Sears and written about in The Vaccine Book. It isn't an anti-vaccine approach, but rather anti- "all the vaccines at once." Instead, spreading them out a little bit more over a number of doc visits. More co-pays, more shots and saddness, but less chemicals at once.

This might be my compromise. I'm going to spend the next week-and-a-half researching pros and cons of recommended vaccines and hopefully my pediatrician will be receptive to my decision. Maybe it's not a big deal at all, but I think we owe it to our son to at least do a little digging on the subject.

Here's hoping I make the right decision.... If you have any insight, please pass it my way!