Am I the only one?... but it seems that just as Handsome was born with him came the "Mother Guilt." That if I do this and such and such happens then it is my fault, or if I do the opposite and such and such happens, then it is still my fault.
Thankfully I have the added knowledge of prayer. I think Heavenly Father knew that Mothers would need A LOT of guidance with raising his children here on earth. I have turned to prayer so much with all these decisions, and had such peace and comfort with decisions, and at other times I feel I am left to figure some things out on my own,.. and I'm faced with decisions... and on comes the "mother guilt"
Handsome was born and immediately...
Do we circumcise? Thankfully that one was answered with prayer.
Do we immunize? ... that one was a LOT harder
Having a nephew with Autism, and having worked with many children with Autism I have seen only a glimpse of what life is like for their family, which I would not want any family to have to go through. I also heard many mothers say.... "he was a normal boy until....Vaccines."
But all the doctors tell you it's safe, and really how many children received vaccines and are just fine?
Is it genetic? If so, having a nephew with Autism does that mean my children may have the gene?
Doing a lot of study and prayer I came up with...
Some vaccines are unnecessary for my kids, like Hepatitis B! Really they are not sexually active as babies, I think we're safe there!
And the chickenpox, I got the chickenpox and survived, there I feel like the benefits do NOT outweigh the costs.
So I decided to only do a select few and to wait until the child is older, and only do one shot at a time.
That brings me to our last doctor visit. Prior I prayed hard to know if the vaccines I had chosen to have Handsome and Gorgeous have was safe and OK for them to have at this time. No answer, so I went ahead with what I had planned to do.
It was Handsome's 4th DTAP shot and Gorgeous' 1st DTAP shot (although she had just the Tetanus shot prior). All is going well, until at night when they change I see a HUGE red lump on Handsome's leg, and a few red dots on Gorgeous. I circle them with a sharpie to know in the morning if they are getting bigger or smaller.
In enters Mommy guilt. I chose to vaccinate, and now I may have caused harm to my child. (Of course if they had gotten sick with one of the things that the DTAP vaccinates for and I didn't do it, I would have the same "mommy guilt")
I called the nurse, and of course this is "normal." Really? did you guys see this too with your kids? Handsome's lump went away after 2 days, Gorgeous spots got bigger and bigger until they were/are a big lump. And I was told it is "normal" for it to last 1 to 2 weeks. Really?
And then the lingering question. How come the company that makes the vaccine, also tests the vaccine, and then can not be held legally responsible if there are problems with the vaccine?
Some accountability should be there. I understand that if they were always getting sewed, they wouldn't make the vaccines... and we do need them. But don't the same companies make drugs, that then are pulled because they are causing harm and then are sued and held responsible. Why is it different with vaccines?
3 comments:
You can sue anyone you want to. :) I get a large red bump on my arm every year from the flu shot, but nobody else in my family does. It just is my reaction, but I'd much rather have that than the flu (diarrhea and vomiting, anyone?).
I agree that all aren't necessary, but I am worried about the current trend of so many to decide against all vaccines. Everyone I know in the medical and pharmaceutical industry (including my pharmacist sister) -- especially those who have been to countries where kids aren't vaccinated -- BEG for parents to vaccinate their kids. Yes, some have reactions, but in comparison to the "reactions" (esp deaths) from diseases that are prevented, a bump on my arm isn't a big deal.
I agree -- so glad we have inspiration for decisions. If you weren't supposed to have done it, you would have known. Trust Him, even if the outcome isn't exactly as you expected. It usually isn't. :)
Actually you can not directly sue the company that made the vaccine. From Wikipedia;
"the Office of Special Masters of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, which administers a no-fault system for litigating vaccine injury claims. These claims against vaccine manufacturers cannot normally be filed in state or federal civil courts, but instead must be heard in the Court of Claims, sitting without a jury. The program was established by the 1986 National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act (NCVIA), passed by the United States Congress in response to a threat to the vaccine supply due to a 1980s scare over the DPT vaccine. Despite the belief of most public health officials that claims of side effects were unfounded, large jury awards had been given to some plaintiffs, most DPT vaccine makers had ceased production, and officials feared the loss of herd immunity."
So you have to go through a differnt court and if awarded money it is from a special fund set aside (not from the company that made the vaccine). The money comes from those who pay for the vaccines, a tax is on each one, just a few pennies, but it goes to the fund for the claims that win.
Thus the companies are not held accountable for problems with the vaccines.
I didn't say you'd win, but you really can sue anyone you want to. :) That's what I meant. Just like a friend in college always told me I could apply for multi-cultural scholarships -- I'd just never get one.
I see commercials all the time for group lawsuits against drug companies, so it must be done often enough. Thank goodness, though, I've never needed to look into that.
Post a Comment