On January 20th 2016, my husband and I had a doctor’s appointment for an ultrasound to find out the gender of our baby. It was all we could think about. We lived in an Idaho town at the time, so our doctor was part of a little family practice office. The ultrasound started off great: our […]
It was 1998, and the chickenpox vaccine was just coming out. At that time–the chickenpox vaccine became available in 1995—my daughter was four and completely up-to-date on all of the recommended vaccinations. However, I didn’t see the point of taking her in to get that one—I mean, chickenpox was no big deal, right? I was […]
In recognition of National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW), Voices For Vaccines is participating in a blog relay to discuss the critical role vaccines play in protecting children, families, and communities against vaccine-preventable diseases. NIIW is sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). You can follow the NIIW conversation on social media using hashtag #NIIW. I have […]
I have always been pro-vaccine. My father worked in International Development, so I grew up and traveled all over the world in my youth, meeting children my age who had suffered from diseases that most of my friends back in Canada were lucky never to have even heard of. Later on, when I was going […]
Measles is running rampant in California. It’s all over the news—and not just local news, national news as well. As a parent of an immunocompromised child, I had, of course, been concerned. But, since I do not live in California, nor do I plan to visit there any time soon, I thought I was safe […]
When my son was 3 years old and my daughter 5 months, a woman emailed a local mothers’ listserv and revealed that her son had pertussis. He was unvaccinated. The mother brought the child to a strip mall where many children who were too young to be fully vaccinated, including my daughter, were present and […]
When I had little babies I was involved in many different parent/mothering groups, including a baby-wearing group and nursing mother’s group. A few of these groups were popular with mothers who chose not to vaccinate their children. I vaccinated my children and tended to keep my opinion to myself—I figured it was that their decision […]
Prior to our son’s possible exposure to measles, I did not think about how my choice to vaccinate my children affected anyone but my own child. But when measles was brought close to my son Ben, my insulated view was shattered. My decision about vaccination could impact anyone my children would come in contact with […]
It might seem like a simple thing to most people. You bring your child to the pediatrician, he or she say it’s time to get your child’s scheduled shots. You get those vaccines and leave. To me, that is what was always done. That is just what we did. I have three children. My daughters […]
I need your help. “Herd immunity” or, as I much prefer, “community immunity” is not just a vague idea for my family: it is literally what keeps my kids from getting sick. Let me explain. We have four sons. Their names are Harrison (13), Holden (9), Langford (9)—yes, they are twins!—and Davis (8). Harrison, Holden, […]