Scarlett had her two month appointment yesterday and she is doing beautifully! She weighs 12lbs, 14oz which puts her in the 90-95th percentile for her weight. Also, she's 24 in long which puts her in the 95th for her height! Such a big girl! Her doctor always jokes that her momma makes some good milk - go Momma!
She was also due for her immunizations. I haven't fully decided where I stand on vaccines. There's something about them that just doesn't sit right with me. There are double the recommended vaccines now then there were when we were babies. We all survived and none of us got a crazy disease. I know that there are no scientific facts to say that vaccines cause disabilities, including autism. But why is it that now 1 in every 91 kids will be diagnosed with autism? If it isn't the vaccines, then what is causing this scary rise in numbers? I'm open to possibilities that it could be something else, but vaccines seem to reason I keep coming back to. How can I live with myself if I chose to give a vaccine and possibly give her autism? But then, how can I live with myself if I chose not to have her vaccinated and she gets a life threatening disease? These are the questions that I as a mother struggle with.
The doctor was very understanding and said that there were some that perhaps we didn't need to give her. Diphtheria being one of them, there hasn't been an outbreak of diphtheria since the 40's. I believe the others that he said we could hold off on were polio and hep b. I could be wrong on that, as I was crying my eyes out and it was hard for me to focus. He highly suggested getting the one for pertussis (whooping cough) and the two for meningitis. He said that we could split them up and just do one a month. Some are saying that splitting them up to just one vaccine at a time can cut back on reactions.
I think a reason that I'm so concerned is because Lorelai had such a bad reaction to all of her vaccines. A fever that lasted almost a week, swollen leg at the injection sight for about 2 weeks, and of course crankiness and lethargy which lasted several days. I hated knowing that I did that to her and I don't want to put Scarlett through the same "torture". And after her vaccines I would watch her like a hawk. I was always afraid of SIDS and any developmental delays. I would constantly be watching her for signs of autism. I remember one time shortly after being vaccinated for something that I can't remember she was banging one of her toys on the ground over and over again. I panicked that this repetitive action was a sign of looming autism. Perhaps I'm neurotic, but that's me.
Why must being a parent be so difficult? I am praying for guidance and wisdom that we will do the right thing for our babies.
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