I never considered not immunising BiP, it was something that never crossed my mind. It wasn’t until met other mothers, in person and virtually, that I discovered that many parents we choosing to either delay or skip immunisations all together. I am in the process of collating information on the parents who choose to go down the non-immunisation route but I have to admit I am struggling.
The law in France
In France there are 3 mandatory vaccinations that children MUST have by law; Diptheria, Polio and Tetanus in order to attend kindergarten, daycare and school. Failure to provide proof that your child has been vaccinated is illegal under French law (and in Italy).
What are other Mummy’s doing?
So, when I asked some Mummy’s internationally why they vaccinate/delay vaccines or choose not to vaccinate their children here is what I was told (please note these views are not necessarily shared by MummyinProvence – i.e. ME!)
MummyinLondon says: “We choose to vaccinate, but more slowly than the UK’s schedule, I believe they do too many at once, and my daughter reacted very badly to one set of vaccines, which made me change how I view them. I think they are necessary, but we give too many too fast, and our babies bodies are too little to cope.”
MummyinMelbourne says:“We chose to vaccinate accoring to the normal schedule of vaccinations in Australia. This is because I believe it is safer to give a small amount of the disease in the jab, then to put your child at risk of catching something that could kill or badly harm them. There are also some childcare centres and schools that wont accept a child that is not immunised, so this did have some influence.”
MummyinIllinois says: “We chose to fully vaccinate according to schedule. I did prioritize vaccines though and try to spread them over a few weeks. I feel the risk of disease and sickness is much greater and more detrimental than the potential side effects. I vaccinate myself too (flu, h1n1, pertussus). My daughter is in daycare, thus increasing their necessity, in my opinion.”
MidwesternMommy says:“There is no credible medical proof to delay or deny vaccines and unless we want horrible childhood illnesses that were once though eradicated to return, vaxing is the way to go”
MommyinJAX says: “So this may make me an uneducated mommy in this regard, but technically I’m not educated in medicine so that is fine. I did not go to medical school, I do not have a degree in medicine. Therefore, I follow my doctor’s advice. Websites have made me more aware of controversies but for the most part has not changed how I parent. I will vax based on what my doctor suggests. I also have kiddos in daycare, this is one less hassle I have to deal with (getting exceptions for not getting my child vaxed).”
MommyinKentucky says: “We do the scheduled vaccinations. I researched on my own, but I do not have a medical background. I searched for a pedi that I trust, and since she is educated in this profession, we trust her judgement. I think it is important to have a pedi that is educated, and current on issues, and one that you can trust, and always be sure to discuss any concerns with them.”
MommyinSacremento says: “We are doing all the scheduled vax’s except we delayed hep b. Our ped said it wasn’t necessary and I didn’t want to do anything unneccessary at birth. I have to admit I’m a little worried about all the vax’s, but I’m hoping that the benefits outweigh the risks. I’m really just trusting my ped on this, after taking a lot of time selecting him. I definitely want to vaccinate Tommy against the fatal diseases, but sometimes it seems like an awful lot of injections. It’s definitely a tough one for me.”
MommyinTX says: “We delay some vax’s, like the Hep B. He did not get it at birth as there was no need for it; he just now got the 1st dose of Hep B at his 9 month appt. I don’t feel any need to justify our decision, it is what we chose to do & it is what it is. We will not do chicken pox (varicella) and we don’t do rotavirus. Those are not necessary. Catching chicken pox won’t kill him, nor will rotavirus.”
So that’s it for today – I would love to hear from other parents who are choosing to not vaccinate their children and their reasons why. I promise to have your voices heard!