Your Child, Your Choice
When it comes down to it, the buck stops at your feet. You are ultimately responsible for providing your child with the best possible future, and you are ultimately responsible for creating the safest surrounding so your child can thrive to her highest potential. All that doctors and the government should do is support you in this effort. No one should tell you what to do.
If you elect not to vaccinate your child, there is a chance your child can get sick from any of the vaccine-preventable diseases circulating in the community. The most common infections that are still prevalent in the United States are whooping cough, rotavirus, and influenza, and there are sporadic measles outbreaks. You can protect your child without resorting to immunization by minimizing the exposure to infectious diseases. Home schooling would be recommended until age twelve, daycare is out of the question, and any participation in group activities with other children should be avoided. Crowded public places, including the supermarket, the library, and public playgrounds, are breeding grounds for germs, and so these places must be avoided whenever possible.
Essential
If you choose not to vaccinate your children, you must breast-feed for at least the first twelve months to transfer additional chemicals from the breast milk that can be critical in protecting your baby from germs. If you are unable to breast-feed for the first year, you should seriously reconsider your decision not to vaccinate.
If you still cannot make up your mind about immunization after reading this book, what else can you do to prepare yourself for this daunting but important decision? You need to keep an open mind and arm yourself with knowledge — not information from anywhere, but reliable information. Be wary of what you read on the Internet and see on the television. What do they know about vaccine safety? How do you verify the source of the information?
The best and most reliable information is from a trained health professional you can trust. Don't settle for any doctor; shop around and find one who is willing to listen to you and answer your questions. If a doctor starts telling you that you must do this or that without giving you the information to let you make up your own mind, you need to find another doctor. A good doctor is one who will take the time and understand your perspective. A good doctor understands that the most important ally in providing the best care for your child is you. A good doctor works with you. Your job is to find such a trustworthy health-care ally and make the decision together for your child.
