I ve just seen the title ‘Parents Who Have Not Vaccinated Their children’ and I am unsure what you are supposed to write in it. Then it suddenly occurred to me that 8 years ago when I took that decision not to vaccinate I had absolutely no information and I would really have loved to talk to someone who had been through it and come out the other side. So here is my story.
My first child Sean was born eight years ago and given I was 38 years of age my main concerns were that he would be a healthy child. My first purchase as the proud Mum were the mandatory nappies and a large bottle of CALPOL. Luckily for me (in hindsight) my brother came to visit before I had reason to use the said CALPOL and gave me a present of a book called ‘How to Keep Your Child Healthy in Spite of Your Doctor’ by Robert Mendelhson(available on this website). Prior to reading this book if I had a headache I went to the doctor. I took their prescription drugs and never once read the label. Why would I these were the professionals.
Where previously I had assumed I would head straight for the vaccination centre I wanted to know more. I dug deeper and deeper and I was not getting straightforward answers. I felt I could not put something into my child’s bloodstream when I didn’t know anything about it. So I stalled (reluctantly I might add) as I questionally worshipped at the altar of medical science at this point. For the first two years of my son’s life ,as well loved as he was, vaccinations hovered in the background. Measles , whooping cough, mumps I worried every night that he would get them, every little sniffle was the onset, yet I could not bring myself to inject him. Maybe instincts were at play but I knew that I could not do this to my son.
At the age of 2 years he developed a throat infection. I called the doctor for a diagnosis, Strep Throat and he prescribed an antibiotic. My nephew had had the same diagnosis and had been given an antibiotic and as a result it had recurred yearly finally resulting in his tonsils being removed. I decided not to give the antibiotic(my bible by Dr Mendelhson said without the antibiotic he would recover after 4 days). I drew the curtains terrified the doctor would return to examine my child and haul me before the authorities because I was endangering his life. Well My child recovered (never to get the throat infection again, he is now 8) the doctor never came back to see how he was(which begs the question how he knows what impact his prescription has) and I was empowered with confidence that my instincts were right. It also left me with little trust in the medical profession. My final confirmation that I was doing the right thing came at his creche when I was warned to be careful as there were 4 children out with whooping cough. They told me that one child in particular was very lucky as he had only received the whooping cough vaccine the day before. As a result he only got a very mild dose and if he hadn't been vaccinated it was unthinkable as to what might have happened. It never occurred to them that maybe the vaccine actually gave him the whooping cough.
My second son Dan was born a year after my eldest (Irish twins!). Neither has ever been treated with any medication and both are very healthy. Illness is not an issue in our house and I can honestly say the best thing I never did was vaccination.
Really, this is written for the young mother with her new born who is terrified by the unknown. Is she doing the right thing. I can only speak for myself eight years down the road, but it truly was the best decision we ever made. I compare myself to my friends who have probably spent the first two years of their child’s life visiting doctors. Sad thing is because it is so common they think it is normal. Just bear in mind being different can sometimes be a lonely place to be.