Our Choice to Vaccinate

I've been meaning to write this post for awhile and have been asked about them a few times recently. Baby is asleep so I decided I'd try to write it while I have a few spare minutes!
I consider myself pretty crunchy in that I cloth diaper, breastfeed, natural birth, believe in keeping boys intact, bedshare, make my own cleaners, try to eat little processed foods, etc. There are a few things that set me apart from being all out granola though--I refuse to give up my razor. And I vaccinate.

I believe in the science behind vaccines and Mike and I both agreed that we want Hazel fully immunized. However, the CDC schedule freaks us out a bit. We didn't like the idea of giving her several vaccines at once for fear of her having an adverse reaction and I still don't understand why the same dosage is given to a baby and a full grown man.  We declined Vitamin K and Hep B (and eye ointment) at birth because we felt they were unnecessary and I didn't want anything injected into my newborn. We got a LOT of crap from the on call pediatrician who made us feel like we were killing our child if we didn't vaccinate right then and there. At her 72 hour weight check the pediatrician offered to bring in the head of the infectious disease department to talk to us, again making us feel like we were jeopardizing her life, which was ridiculous. We were pissed that we were treated this way but we had done our research and felt confident in our decisions. Hazel still has yet to have her Hep B. We will likely have her immunized against this once she starts school.

As I said, we want Hazel to be fully immunized but have chosen to spread them out a bit. This gives her immune system a little more time to mature and we have elected to do no more than two vaccines at a time (this makes it easier to figure out any issues should she have any negative reactions) no more than one aluminum containing vaccine at once and no more than one live virus at once. This means more trips to the pediatrician's office in between her well baby check ups but that's not a huge deal. So far her pediatricians here have been okay with her alternative vaccine schedule, even if it confuses the hell out of them. Good thing I keep good records and know what I want her to have and when!

Dr. Sears' Vaccine Book was a really helpful resource while making this decision. He breaks each vaccine down and lists the pros and cons of each, the ingredients and explains the disease. He also offers several great alternative and selective vaccine schedules. Vaccines don't have to be all or nothing. I have many friends who choose not to vaccinate at all and while I disagree with them, I respect that it is their decision to make. I know that once I vaccinate her I can't "un-vaccinate" her and if Hazel does ever have an adverse reaction I will never forgive myself. BUT Mike and I both feel that the risk of a reaction is the lesser risk compared to all the scary diseases of the world. All you can do is research and decide what is best for your child and family.

Misfit.

I do not belong in Alabama. (Neither does my husband for that matter but this is my blog so it's all about me, right?) We've been here two months and the only positive thing we've discovered so far is the fact that he will not have to leave me and Hazel any time soon--and in the military that's HUGE. Not only are we in the middle of nowhere, it has been incredibly hard to meet people here.

Before I became a mom I always thought, "Just wait until I have a kid. It will be so much easier to meet people then!" Wrong. Know why? Because Moms are judgey, myself included. It's hard enough finding people you mesh with on a personal level but when you throw parenting into the mix it's a million times harder. The Mommy Wars are hell.

I went to two playgroups this week for kids under one. I was one of two people who showed up on Monday. The other woman and I chatted for a few minutes while waiting to see if anyone else showed up. It was awkward. I am not good at chit chat and never have been. I got asked if Hazel was sleeping through the night yet and a very surprised look when I said she wasn't. Why is it a surprise that my three month old, exclusively breastfed baby still eats a few times a night? I don't mind it at all. We hung out for about 15 minutes and decided to leave when no one else showed up. Playgroup fail.

Today I went to another playgroup. I was a little more hopeful about this one because the moms who said they were going were from the Crunchy Moms group here. (Only a little more hopeful because the Crunchy Moms group here kind of sucks compared to the one at our old duty station. They don't get together or chit chat. I was actually scolded for trying to post off topic things in the group when I first moved here. I wasn't trying to cause problems, I just wanted to talk to and meet up with some other like minded mamas.)


I should have known I would be uncomfortable as soon as I pulled up and saw the Gadsden Flag flying. I was the only newbie there and the other ladies talked as if I wasn't there. The hostess handed out invites to her kid's first birthday party to everyone but me. I get it--I'm the new person. She didn't have to invite me but did she really need to do that then and there to make me feel even more excluded? All their husbands are flight school students and we were talking about their choices in duty stations. I started talking about Lewis and how much I liked it there. They all agreed it would be a nice place to be stationed were it not for all those, "Obama lovers..." I kept my mouth shut. Sigh. I really hope we meet some nice people here or it's going to be an even longer two years....

That's it for now. I have a crabby baby who got two vaccines today. One of these days I'll be sure to blog about our Alternate Vaccine Schedule and why we decided to go that route. 


P.S. Despite the beautiful baby in my arms, I'm afraid I will always be the bitter infertile. Hearing other women talk about their incredible fertility and the ease in which they got pregnant still makes me twitchy.