Vaccination

I have had the dilemma of what to do about vaccinations in my mind for about a year. With Karis, I fully vaccinated her without looking into it at all, without any question. Then, I started realizing that there is reason for many people to question them. With Ethan, I did lots of research, only to be more frustrated and more confused. Every bit of information so far has been extremely biased one way or the other, and I won't even go into the amount of "sob stories" that I have read/heard about what those horrible vaccines can do to your child. I don't say that to be insensitive, it's just that to me, I need facts, not an emotional story.
So, I, with the help of my pediatrician, came up with a vaccine schedule that we could both be comfortable with. But, I still haven't been satisfied because I wanted more information, but in an unbiased manner. My pediatrician suggested that I read The Vaccine Book by Dr. Robert Sears. I finally picked up a copy, and I'm so glad I did. This is the best source of information that I have found on vaccines. He isn't anti-vaccine by any means, but he understands why parents are concerned about vaccines; he gives every bit of information possible, in an easy to understand way. At the end, he gives an alternative schedule so that you can "fully vaccinate," in a safer way. I haven't read a whole lot yet, but I'm already glad that I bought it.

Each chapter is broken up into bite size pieces. I will give this example by discussing chapter 1- the HIB vaccine.
It starts by answering the question of "What is HIB?" He then answers the questions, "Is HIB common?" "Is HIB serious?" Is HIB treatable?" "When is the HIB vaccine given?" "How is the HIB vaccine made?" In this answer, he gives the different brands and how they are each made. He then answers the questions, "Are any of the ingredients controversial?" "Are there any side effects of the HIB vaccine?" "Should you give your baby this vaccine?" He then discusses the reason TO give it, and the reasons why some choose not to. He discusses travel considerations, options to consider when getting this vaccine, and then a brief summary of his opinion.

All in one book, I have found what I've been searching for! J When I'm finished, I hope to be able to come back and write a summary of the book. We will see J. I will, however, come back and write my final alternative vaccine schedule so that you have an idea of where to start if you want to do it differently.