[blparent] immunizing.

Wed Jan 21 04:18:51 UTC 2009

I don't know about other states, but NM daycares do not have to accept 
children that are not vaccinated. V
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jo Elizabeth Pinto" <jopinto at pcdesk.net>
To: "NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, January 19, 2009 5:19 PM
Subject: Re: [blparent] immunizing.

> Hi, Shannon.  Whether or not to immunize a baby is a controversial subject
> that has been a source of contention on this list before, so hopefully it
> won't be this time.
>
> I had heard about possible dangers to immunization, and Gerald, in
> particular, was on the fence about it.  There were two things that
> eventually helped us decide to go forward with the immunizations on the
> schedule recommended by our pediatrician.
>
> First, Gerald and I both had pertussis (whooping cough) a few years ago. 
> I
> gave it to him, actually, after having contracted it where I worked on a
> college campus.  For months, we both had coughing fits that were so bad we
> would end up gasping for air--or "whooping" which is where the name of the
> cough came from.  We would wake up at night feeling like we were getting
> suffocated.  I coughed so hard I pulled an abdominal muscle, and I cracked
> three ribs, two on the left and one on the right side, so then I was 
> wearing
> a tight bandage around the middle because the coughing hurt like hell.
> Eventually, the cough subsided, and Gerald and I were none the worse for
> wear.  But I could easily see how a cough like that would be deadly for a
> young child or an elderly person.  A baby would just tear its little body
> apart coughing.  A friend of mine said she got pertussis when she was nine
> years old, and she remembers throwing herself to the floor and sobbing
> because she was so sore and tired of hacking her lungs out.
>
> The second thing that swayed Gerald and I toward immunization was our
> pediatrician.  He was passionate about immunization, and not in an "I'm 
> the
> doctor and I know best" kind of way.  He told us that he had worked at the
> children's hospital in Denver for fifteen years, and he had treated many
> children and seen some of them die needlessly because their parents had
> chosen not to have them vaccinated.  It was heartbreaking to see children
> with their lives cut short when there could have been a way to save them.
> Some of the diseases for which babies are vaccinated, once almost 
> eradicated
> in this country, are making strong comebacks.
>
> I don't know if vaccination is completely safe.  It's been wrenching to 
> see
> Sarah get so many injections at once each time, usually three or four 
> shots.
> I've been worried about autism or allergic reactions every time Sarah has
> gone in for her shots, especially when she was a tiny and vulnerable
> newborn.  I don't presume to judge anybody else for making a different
> decision because it would be tragic if immunizations harmed their babies.
> But especially having had pertussis and seen how serious it could be--and
> it's one of the more mild diseases on the vaccination list--I'll take a 
> deep
> breath and let the nurses give Sarah the injections in her thighs when she
> goes for her next pediatric visit at a year old.  To me, it seems like the
> best way to keep my baby safe, and all I can do is weigh the options and
> make the choice that I think is most wise for Sarah.
>
> I did enough research to find out that if you decide not to vaccinate, you
> need to get forms from your pediatrician or your county health department
> that say you didn't give your consent for immunizations.  Those forms can 
> be
> used in place of the proof of vaccination when a child enters daycare or
> public school, though I don't know if all daycare centers have to accept
> unvaccinated children.
>
> Jo Elizabeth
>
> It is easy--terribly easy--to shake a man's faith in himself. To take
> advantage of that to break a man's spirit is devil's work. Take care of 
> what
> you are doing. Take care.--George Bernard Shaw in "Candide"
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Shannan Zinck" <shannanzinck at gmail.com>
> To: <blparent at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Monday, January 19, 2009 1:44 PM
> Subject: [blparent] immunizing.
>
>
>> Ok, here is an area of major conflict for me especially. I am visually
>> impaired as a result of Rubella Syndrome so you can imagine my dilemma
>> here.
>> To immunize or not that is the question. There is endless controversy on
>> this subject. I know 2 kids that are Autistic and it seems to be a result
>> of
>> their 18 month needle yet if people don't immunize then the risk of
>> Rubella
>> comes back and could potentially kill countless unborn children. I have
>> also
>> heard that there is a connection with needles and SIDS. Man I know that
>> you
>> can't buy into everything that is said but, who is right here anyway.
>> First
>> they say that needles are great and now doctors push for them and you're
>> faced with ticking them off because you don't know if want to get it done
>> or
>> not. Docs around here make it sound manditory so it's hard to argue with
>> them about it. They don't seem to give you the option of not doing it.
>> It's
>> funny but, I can see how getting it done could be harmful considering you
>> are pumping small amounts of disease into your kid yet the later affects
>> can
>> be potentially fatal as well. I hate making these decisions. UGH.
>>
>> -- 
>> Shannan Zinck
>> Survival is letting GOD take over!!!
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>
>
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