Here is my handsome boy. I admit that I am quite partial to him. Check out his smile.
Take a close look at his belly. Guess what he is covered with…
Chickenpox! Can you believe it?
But of course, he has hardly noticed. He’s busy flexing gigantic muscles.
I don’t know where he picked it up and haven’t even heard of anyone getting them in years. Well… of course I knew my kids eventually could get them, with no vaccines and all… but it’s hard to realize that it really has happened.
I made the choice not to vaccinate Isaac about 5 years ago and super glad that I did. But I’ll be the first to admit that it hasn’t exactly been the easiest choice. Especially with all of the scrutinizing I’ve gotten. It’s a little embarrassing for some reason but I’m going to stand by my choice. I’m happy that it has happened now. It’s been good timing with the fall coming and everyone is still pretty little. My kids will have life long immunity without all those additives floating around their little developing bodies.
I’m now living with my decision. I was tempted to rush out and get Emma her shots so I wouldn’t have to pull her out of school when she got them. I guess once you’ve been exposed you have something like three days to get the vaccine and there’s a 90% chance it’ll work. But how in the sam are we suppose to know when she was exposed. I’d hate to get the shot and then have her still get them. I decided that getting a shot was “the easy fix” but maybe not the best fix. After a lot of debating, pondering and praying I decided that it was better not to rush into it.
There is a lot that goes into our decision but I just don’t have the energy to put it all down here. It’s a better choice for our family but it has been a hard choice. I will admit it. It will be interesting to see how the month turns out. We could be hibernating for quite some time depending on when the girls come down with the pox. Fun, fun, fun.
My name is Manda and I love creating 
Thanks for sharing this! We made a similar decision and it’s great to hear about how others are doing.
I want my kids to come over and get it!
I’m dating myself, but I was born before the vaccines for childhood diseases. Everyone I grew up with had measles, mumps and chicken pox. I’m sure it wasn’t a picnic for moms, but I only remember being able to wear shades (for your eyes when you had measles) in bed and all the 7Up I wanted for fever and dehydration and of course, my mom’s full attention. We even took baby aspirin! I survived and so did my classmates, sibling and cousins. My own children had chicken pox. TLC is the best medicine and I know your kids will get it! Hope the itches are gone soon and your other 2 do not get them.
If it makes you feel any better. My oldest was vaccinated for the chicken pox and she has still had them twice (last yr before school started and this year 1 week into the school year. So the vaccine didn’t help her. The only thing the vaccine did was that she only got 10-15 spots that didn’t itch to much and no other symptoms.
I would be interested in hearing about your decision-making process not to vaccinate your children when you have the energy.
I’ve looked at this issue carefully. But I’ve not found any reliable scientific evidence that “all of those additives floating around their little developing bodies” actually cause adverse medical outcomes, and certainly nothing to support the idea that a hypothetical risk outweighs their very demonstrable benefits. I am well acquainted with the anti-immunization movement, including many high-profile apologists like Jenny McCarthy and RFK, Jr., but I still haven’t seen any scientific evidence (i.e., pattern in peer-reviewed, double-blind studies) that supports their positions. In fact, from what I’ve seen, the studies unfailingly show an absence of risk. And contrary to what some people say, not all of these studies are funded by the drug companies (though even if they were, any respectable scientist would tell you that the protocol, design, and independent safety monitoring of a study are far more important than who is paying for it; moreover, if drug companies weren’t paying for safety studies, very few would be happening, so we should be thanking them, not faulting them, for paying for safety studies). I’m not trying to be strident; I genuinely would be interested in anything that passes the traditional scientific muster — as opposed to anecdote and emotion — that might tip the scales in the other direction.
It sounds like generally you may not be very comfortable defending your views, yet your conviction that you’re doing the right things is strong. Is that just because you don’t like controversty (although I know you’ve posted on this issue in the past) or because you have trouble articulating your position? You seem to suggest that you feel like you’ve had some form of spiritual confirmation that vaccinations are not right for your children — am I reading that right? I ask because it does seem that certain quarters of the anti-immunization movement maintain a kind of quasi-religious component to their position that I, to be truthful, find puzzling.
I assume that you already know to be very careful in exposing any of your children to adults (or to the children of adults, so yes, that means everybody) right now — particularly adult males. It seems that you do given your reference to hibernating. The consequences of the virus are usually minor in children, but are potentially life-altering for an adult who (like me) has never had chicken pox before. Because it is impossible for you to know which adults have and haven’t already been exposed, I trust that you’re being considerate of the fact that not everyone is as enthusiastic as Jessica about spreading it.
I think you’ve got the cutest chicken poxed little muscle man I’ve ever seen. And I totally admire you for following your instincts on your decision.
Wow! That guy was long winded! Now I want you to spread it just to spite the guy!
Let me know when he’s ready to play. Joshua’s been asking to play with him and I told him he has the chicken pox and he just looks at me confused.
Tiffani: Thanks for your thoughtful critique. I understand that not everyone likes words — especially when there are SO MANY of them (booorrriiing!!!). I congratulate you for making it through that interminable slog.
Of course, if you have anything of actual substance to say about my comment, I’d love to hear it.
If doing so with words seems too daunting, perhaps you can fashion something out of emoticons.
Wow we didn’t have vaccines when I as growing up and I STILL haven’t gotten chicken pox. Ok I got 1 when my siblings had it but nothing since then. (i have 5 siblings and have been exposed to 6 other children with the sickness) Hoping that means I’ll miss out!?!
)
I’ve recently started a blog, the information you provide on this site has helped me tremendously. Thank you for all of your time & work.
Hi,
Thanks for sharing.
Do you have any thoughts on vaccinating your children or yourselves against Pertussis?
http://www.soundsofpertussis.com/#/homepage