Dilemmas and diapering
Baby E had been scheduled to be dedicated at our church service today, but we had to cancel because I was still sick. She'll be dedicated at the next opportunity in three months. I think I'm on the upward trend now, though. The girls are doing well today.
Tomorrow is Baby E's 2-month wellbaby check-up. I'm definitely going to ask about her continual stuffy nose. It did get better between when I cut out soy and when we all came down with this virus, so it may be the virus. But I'm going to ask about the possibility of reflux causing it, too. I definitely notice times when she urps a bit and then gets the rattly sound in her throat.
She is supposed to get vaccinations tomorrow, but I'm going to postpone them because I definitely don't want her getting multiple vaccinations when she is sick.
I'm agonizing once more over the whole vaccination thing at all.
I wonder if the kids really need all these vaccinations, and if the benefits really outweigh the risks, especially considering our family history which does have some risk factors of reactions to vaccines. I found a chart online which gives the likelihood of severe vaccine reactions compared to the likelihood of complications from the illnesses they're supposed to prevent--but what I'd really like to find is a chart comparing the likelihood of complications from the vaccinations compared to the likelihood of getting the illness and having a severe complication of the illness.
This pamphlet given to doctors by the CDC compares the risks from diseases with the risks of vaccinations. However, that doesn't to me seem a fair comparison. Vaccinated children have a 100% chance of getting the vaccination, but unvaccinated children have nowhere near a 100% chance of getting the disease. So, if 2 out of every 1,000 children can be expected to die if they contract diptheria, and 1 out of every 1,000,000 children can be expected to die from the shot, then I want to know what my child's chances are of catching the disease in the first place. If their chance of catching the disease was, for instance 1 in 2,000 then the chance of dying from the vaccination would be exactly the same as the chance of dying from the disease.
It's a complicated issue--especially considering how many parents feel their child's death, autism, etc. is a direct result of the shots, the fact that there definitely are vaccine reactions and we don't have good studies telling us exactly how likely that is, and the fact that vaccine reactions are almost certainly severely unerreported.
On another note, I think I'm ready to get started with cloth diapers.
Since I had diaper covers but only one prefold diaper, I experimented with a couple of lightweight flannel receiving blankets as diapers. After that, I decided to try purchasing some flat diapers to try. I like the flexibility of the different folds you can use, and the one-size-fits-all aspect, as well as the fact that they are easier to clean and faster to dry.
So, when I went out to buy Robitussin tonight (my doctor said I could take it while nursing, and I'm hoping it will help me actually get some sleep tonight), I picked up some birdseye flat diapers and some diaper flannel while I was at Wal-Mart. They're in the wash now; we'll see how they work. I also bought some regular flannel, and I think I'll cut it smaller to use as less bulky doublers.
I'll probably order some prefolds and a few other types to try too, to compare, since the flats aren't very expensive.
Tomorrow is Baby E's 2-month wellbaby check-up. I'm definitely going to ask about her continual stuffy nose. It did get better between when I cut out soy and when we all came down with this virus, so it may be the virus. But I'm going to ask about the possibility of reflux causing it, too. I definitely notice times when she urps a bit and then gets the rattly sound in her throat.
She is supposed to get vaccinations tomorrow, but I'm going to postpone them because I definitely don't want her getting multiple vaccinations when she is sick.
I'm agonizing once more over the whole vaccination thing at all.
I wonder if the kids really need all these vaccinations, and if the benefits really outweigh the risks, especially considering our family history which does have some risk factors of reactions to vaccines. I found a chart online which gives the likelihood of severe vaccine reactions compared to the likelihood of complications from the illnesses they're supposed to prevent--but what I'd really like to find is a chart comparing the likelihood of complications from the vaccinations compared to the likelihood of getting the illness and having a severe complication of the illness.
This pamphlet given to doctors by the CDC compares the risks from diseases with the risks of vaccinations. However, that doesn't to me seem a fair comparison. Vaccinated children have a 100% chance of getting the vaccination, but unvaccinated children have nowhere near a 100% chance of getting the disease. So, if 2 out of every 1,000 children can be expected to die if they contract diptheria, and 1 out of every 1,000,000 children can be expected to die from the shot, then I want to know what my child's chances are of catching the disease in the first place. If their chance of catching the disease was, for instance 1 in 2,000 then the chance of dying from the vaccination would be exactly the same as the chance of dying from the disease.
It's a complicated issue--especially considering how many parents feel their child's death, autism, etc. is a direct result of the shots, the fact that there definitely are vaccine reactions and we don't have good studies telling us exactly how likely that is, and the fact that vaccine reactions are almost certainly severely unerreported.
On another note, I think I'm ready to get started with cloth diapers.
Since I had diaper covers but only one prefold diaper, I experimented with a couple of lightweight flannel receiving blankets as diapers. After that, I decided to try purchasing some flat diapers to try. I like the flexibility of the different folds you can use, and the one-size-fits-all aspect, as well as the fact that they are easier to clean and faster to dry.
So, when I went out to buy Robitussin tonight (my doctor said I could take it while nursing, and I'm hoping it will help me actually get some sleep tonight), I picked up some birdseye flat diapers and some diaper flannel while I was at Wal-Mart. They're in the wash now; we'll see how they work. I also bought some regular flannel, and I think I'll cut it smaller to use as less bulky doublers.
I'll probably order some prefolds and a few other types to try too, to compare, since the flats aren't very expensive.
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Posted by purple_kangaroo at 8:01 PM[Permanent link]
4 Comments:
I got whooping cough and chicken pox as a child, both severe cases. I have to say that I'm totally for vaccinating Muffin Man to keep him from getting similar diseases.
Re: Autism. It seems from many articles I've read that it's the multi-dose packages of vaccines (the ones that can give shots to 3 or more kids on a tube) that pose the risk. These are no longer given in the US.
German Measles used to be a serious scourge. Especially dangerous if a woman was exposed to it when she was pregnant. Caused deafness in babies in utero.
You need to remember how many children didn't survive their first 5 years before vaccinations came along.
I'm with liz on the issue of vaccinations, if I can prevent my children from getting the illnesses that my mom or I had, then I'm all for it. Plus, we do not home school, so vaccines are necessary for school.
Please keep us updated pm the cloth diaper issue. I am seriously considering trying this to avoid the cost of buying diapers for two. Plus, as jo(e) mentioned in you earlier post it helps with potty training. That sounds like a nice benefit.
Also, the fewer children who are vaccinated, the more likely that these diseases will begin circulating in the population again. With whooping cough, it's already happening in places like Boulder, where there are substantial anti-vaccine populations. And measles is circulating in the UK again, after a drop in the percentage of people getting the shot.
One of the reasons why I never went to a La Leche League meeting in my area was that I heard from a friend and group leader that there were a lot of anti-vaccine folks in the group, and I didn't want to risk exposing my infants to their unvaccinated kids. Very young infants are only protected from these diseases by the immunity of others. (The technical term is "herd immunity.")
Do you read Corndog? He comments on my site occasionally. He lost an infant daughter to a sudden pneumococcal infection. There's a vaccine for that now -- how much do you suppose he would give to have had that vaccine available a year or two earlier?
If you have a family history of adverse reactions to vaccines, then there is good reason to be cautious, of course. And I'm willing to argue about the utility of, say, the chicken pox vaccine. But as to the greater public good of most vaccines? If you had any idea what the toll of those diseases used to be, you'd thank God that we have vaccines today.
Vaccinations have been something C and I have been trying to figure out as well.
On the one hand, it is quite obvious that certain diseases have been nearly eradicated through the use of vaccines. It is also obvious that certain population groups where we live are more vulnerable (immigrants in particular) because of their lack of access to healthcare and our kids could be exposed to something nasty. We actually knew somebody whose kid got pertusis and *could* have exposed Reuben to it.
On the other hand, there is so much misinformation and ignorance among the doctors we've talked to regarding vaccinations in general, that I am not quite sure I should trust their judgment without doing our own research. This is especially noticeable when talking to doctors about vaccines produced using cell lines from aborted fetuses. We've heard A) that isn't true and my friend who lectures around the world on vaccines told me that. B) It may be true, but go figure out for yourself which ones use it. C) Yes, it is true, but go figure out for yourself which ones use it. and D) Now that you've figured it out, we can't find any non combined vaccines that separate the ethically produced vaccines from those produced using aborted fetuses. The last response was the most recent and it took me less than 10 minutes of surfing the internet to figure out A) A manufacturer B) a particular vaccination name. With a little extra time I also found a supplier so our pediatrician can have no excuses for not ordering it up for us. These people are supposed to be freaking healthcare professionals, and I can figure out in 10 minutes what they claim is impossible. I don't even have access to Merck's webpage on vaccines (healthcare professionals only).
With R we waited until one year to give him anything and put him on an extended schedule using only vaccines produced without thimerosal. Kids seem to us to be better able to handle vaccines when they are older (at least a year). I think we'll do that again with A. We were thinking about vaccinating A sooner, but this latest round of misinformation on the part of our doctor has put us off for now.
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