Guest Mom Susan: Making the Right Choice

Guest blogger Susan Wells is the mom to two girls, ages 5 and 8. She is an active mom who hikes, photographs, crafts, lives green, volunteers and explores with her children. She works as a blogger and social media strategist for Steve Spangler Science, a Colorado company dedicated to helping teachers and parents get children excited about science. Susan is also the City Editor for Savvy Source and blogs at TwoHandsTwoFeet.com.

My oldest daughter was born in 2001 amidst the debate that “vaccinations cause autism.” I felt inundated with many claims and stories about the dangers of vaccinations. I began to question my rock solid beliefs that inoculations are a necessity in childhood.

The sheer number of shots a baby begins to receive at two months and continues through two years is unsettling to any new parent. Top that off with claims that the shots could be toxic and parents have a hard time understanding the right path to take.

The torment that both my daughter and I had to endure at each appointment was draining. Nurses handed me packets of information on devastating diseases along with a pages of possible side effects. I had to agree to let the nurses inject her sweet baby legs with what I hoped to be life saving vaccine and not a toxic mixture that would cause her problems down the road. I had to decide, which was worse, the shot or the chance she would come down with one of the life-threatening diseases.

I chose the shot every time.

Back then I was confused about the safety of vaccinations and outside of my doctor, I wasn’t sure where to turn for accurate information. Now that I have found the Colorado Children’s Immunization Coalition, I have a powerful resource to look to when questions arise about immunizations. I only wish I had a resource like CCIC back in the early days to help me sort it all out.

My daughter had some of the more mild side effects from the injections. She developed large welts where the shots were injected. She had fevers for two days following the shots. The first few injections were tough, but we learned to anticipate and treat the symptoms. I reminded myself over and over that a welt for a week or two was better than a hospital stay and a 101 fever was better than a 104 fever.

The immunizations gave me peace of mind that my baby would stay healthy and protected.

I have done my research and continue to do my research on immunizations. I keep my daughters protected from the potentially life-threatening diseases that are controlled through vaccines.

When H1N1 began making the rounds, I anxiously waited for the vaccine to become available to protect my children. I stayed up on the latest research and news about the safety of the vaccine. I read the CCIC website and I stayed connected to my doctor’s office. And my daughters both received the vaccine when it became available.

Throughout the last decade a lot of misinformation and publicity has surrounded the safety of vaccinations. It has catapulted a trusted and necessary part of childhood into an international debate about the safety of vaccinations.

The claims against vaccinations have led to state legislatures adding provisions that make it easier for parents to opt out of vaccinations on philosophical or religious grounds. With some parents opting out, the occurrence of diseases like measles is on the rise.

Getting your children vaccinated can be a traumatic time for both parent and child, but it is key to keeping your children healthy. I held my breath during those shots but I have never looked back. I believe it was the right decision.

My advice; do the research before you take your baby to the doctor. Organizations like the Colorado Children’s Immunization Coalition and talking with your pediatrician will help put your mind at ease and help you make the right choice in immunizing your child.

A Letter to Parents Who Vaccinate

Dear Parents,

Like me, you would do anything for your child. Like me, you can’t imagine a world without them and you would do anything you can to keep them from harm’s way. Maybe like me, you stood in wonder next to her crib and cried with joy the week you brought her home amazed and blessed with the gift of parenthood. You may have even thought naively (before you had your second…third…fourth) that you could not love anything or anyone more than this child – your child.

What I came to realize is that parenthood has its blessings and its burdens. It is the ultimate challenge of making the best decisions you can with the knowledge, skills and resources you have at your disposal at the time. I admit I’ve made mistakes. What parent hasn’t? I just hope I leaned from them, that I show myself compassion for having made them and that my daughters forgive me for them. I hope they know I do the best I can with the information I have at the time. I hope they can appreciate my process for making my decisions and the risks I am willing or not willing to take on their behalf.

The burden of decision-making and risk taking in the world of parenthood is the ultimate ante. The stakes are high. There are no rules of engagement…you’re on 24/7. Maybe like me you know the Calvary isn’t coming, at least not today (the grandparents live several states away). The funny thing is so many decisions come from your gut. Deep inside there is a response, a feeling, a knowing that you either know the answer or you don’t. When you hesitate you look around and seek out advice or information from friends, on the web, your parents, maybe your healthcare provider, someone you trust.

You look for confirmation of what your gut is telling you. Maybe, like me, you ask questions, talk about experiences. Maybe, like me, you look to incorporate the latest research and science about a particular topic whether it is immunizations, soy formula or sleep schedules.

Choosing to vaccinate is one of those tough decisions. Made tougher still by conflicting advice, various beliefs, and the temporary discomfort of a needle poke, but rest assured you made the best decision. You can feel confident in that choice. Be confident that you made an informed decision backed by rigorous scientific methods. You made the best choice for your child’s health. Really, for ALL children’s health and I applaud you.

And you don’t stand alone. Over 80% of us parents have made that choice. It is a choice for health and well-being. Thank you parents! There are no instruction manuals, warranties, or guaranteed satisfaction when making parenting decisions but choosing vaccines is one you can feel confident and assumed was the right one.

Sincerely,

Melanie

Guest Mom Andrea: I’ve Read All the Research and I Vaccinate

This is a guest post by Andrea Clement-Johnson who lives with her husband and three children, Breanne, 12, Hayley, 9, and Caleb, 7, in Wellington, CO. She is the Health Education Supervisor at the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment in Fort Collins, CO.  The whole family loves music, hiking, sports and animals, including our two yellow labs Jackson and Archie.

When I was a child, my cousin, Nadine, died in our home while she was visiting us. She was only two. Later we found out she had died from complications of Haemophilus influenzae, type B (Hib). Years later, I learned that a vaccine had been developed for Hib and could have saved her life.

Though I did not really understand vaccination at that point, I remember being struck that my cousin’s death could have been prevented if she had received a vaccine.

After college, I happily entered the health education field.  I got married and had two beautiful daughters. We were so happy when our son, Caleb, joined us and became the icing on the cake. However, it was quickly evident that Caleb was different from my girls. I noticed that he tantrumed very early and he was always difficult to soothe. However, I dismissed the differences as unique qualities of my son.

As a toddler, the communication and behavioral differences became more pronounced. I took Caleb to his pediatrician and insisted that I needed someone to tell me what was happening. Once Caleb was fully evaluated by a team of experts, we received the official diagnosis of autism.

I immersed myself in reading everything I could about autism. One of the first websites I stumbled upon indicated that vaccines were a “likely culprit” contributing to the high rates of autism. I was initially surprised. I had remembered hearing other moms talk about a fear of poisons being injected into their children. I remember thinking at the time that this was silly, recalling my cousin’s tragic death. I had no idea how pervasive the autism and vaccine debate was or how much this would impact my life.

I started looking at more information about autism and vaccination.  I read stories that parents shared about their typically developing children who, following immunization, were diagnosed with autism. This was perplexing. I didn’t want to doubt any parent of a child with autism. I investigated thimerosal, schedules, and I even learned how immunizations worked.

I read all the research, listened to the concerns from parents who are looking for an answer. Through my research, I began to see there was no evidence to support vaccines causing autism or any other childhood developmental disorder.

I understand that because of the complexities surrounding autism, and the variety in onset and degree of severity, it’s difficult to accept unknowns. I learned that my thoughts, though based on extensive research and good intentions as a mom, are not always enough to sway those people who see things differently, but I continue to make my feelings known about vaccination. I’ve come to learn that if I don’t convince a parent to see things “my” way, so be it. At least I may encourage those parents still weighing their options to consider talking to their provider or to learn more before delaying or avoiding immunizing their children. Through my experiences as a parent of a child with autism and a health educator, I feel I can confidently say that I have looked at the issue through both lenses. I strongly support immunization as one of the best choices a parent can make for their children.

I became so impressed with immunization that I eventually took a position as a manager with the Wyoming Immunization Section. My appreciation for and belief of timely, appropriate immunization across the lifespan has continued. I’m so fortunate to continue working in immunization in my current position in Larimer County as a Health Education Supervisor.

Like most parents of a child with special needs, I often take a path that has many uncertainties, which can create fears. One thing I don’t fear is that vaccination causes autism. The fears I have related to immunization are fears that choosing a delayed schedule or choosing not to immunize could cause a child to become infected with a preventable illness, causing unnecessary suffering or death for them and other vulnerable individuals.

Although autism would not have been the path I would have chosen for Caleb, he has been my greatest lesson about truly meaning it when you say you only want for your child to happy and to have a place in the world.  My son makes regular, fabulous progress and he is a beautiful, loving, wonderful child who is still the icing on my cake!

Herd Immunity: We’re all in this together!

I love the community I live in. I choose Colorado because of the mountains, the four seasons of outdoor fun, the friendly people and fresh air. I raise kids, work and volunteer in my community. I feel a sense of responsibility to the people in my community.

Whether attending a school board meeting, joining in the St. Patrick’s Day parade, attending worship on Sundays or going to the club for a workout, I am aware of my community what it gives me and my family and how we give back. I look around at the playgrounds, kids clubs, schools, church nurseries, sports complexes and bike trails and think “I’m glad I live here and can be a part of it.” These people are my family, friends, and neighbors, it’s my herd. Being a member of a herd has it privileges and responsibilities.

One of these responsibilities is to help protect the herd’s safety. I can do this by choosing to vaccinate my children. My children have a strong immune system; they have no allergies to medications or vaccine ingredients, and appear to respond well to vaccines. By protecting them with vaccines, I protect others in my herd that are too young to get vaccines , have severe allergies to vaccine ingredients, have a medical condition that prevents them from getting vaccinated, or that small number of kids who are unable to build immunity even when they get vaccinated.

A child who cannot get immunity through vaccines relies on us to protect them. They rely on the herd to protect them! If my child is immune to measles, she can’t infect a child who is too young to vaccinate. But if my daughter never got the vaccine, she can not only get measles herself, she can spread it to others who are not immune. She could spread measles to my medically fragile nephew or to my colleague’s premature daughter with compromised respiratory system and asthmatic complications or to my neighbor’s new born who at five weeks won’t be eligible for his first set of shots for three more weeks! My herd is vulnerable.

Herd immunity only works well when those who can do vaccinate! It has been proven time and again that once healthy people choose to stop vaccinating disease rates go up.

Although vaccines have been very successful in preventing disease, we have not eliminated these nasty illnesses. Without the protection of a highly immunized population, disease will begin to rise. Risk remains.

Think about your community, who needs protecting? What choices can you make to ensure protection?

Vaccines: Not just for Kids!

As National Infant Immunization Week wrapped in April, I couldn’t help but wonder how many parents thought about their immunizations.

Did you know that another way to protect your child was to be sure your Tdap – which stand for tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (whooping cough) – vaccine  is up to date? That’s right! Parents need vaccines, too! Why? It’s important to vaccinate the whole family because anyone can be carriers of the disease and expose our children.

Parents should get vaccinated with Tdap every 5 to 10 years to protect themselves and their children against these diseases. Women who are planning to get pregnant can get vaccinated right before pregnancy or right after birth to protect their new babies.

Not only did my husband and I both get our Tdap boosters, but we insisted that our child care providers be vaccinated, too.

Yes, it was important to me that they follow her schedule – we worked hard to get on the sleep schedule. Yes, it was important that the center be clean, well lit, ventilated, and developmentally appropriate for my baby. Thankfully, we got all that.

I wanted to know, that the staff members caring for my yet-to-be-fully immunized baby were vaccinated. I’m glad to say we got that too!

Whooping cough is making a come back. Cases of pertussis have steadily risen since the 1980s, and in 2008 there were more than 13,000 cases of whooping cough, 18 of which were fatal. According to a 2003 study published in the Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, tragically, 90% of pertussis-associated deaths have been among babies less than a year old.

Babies less than 6 months old are particularity vulnerable because they cannot be fully immunized for pertussis until they are four years old. In fact half of the babies with pertussis are infected by their parents.

Immunization coverage is not just for kids! Parents, get your Tdap booster and encourage your expectant friends, first-time grandparents, and care givers to be sure they have their too!

SOUP! a Delicious Success

For over a decade, the Colorado Children’s Immunization Coalition (CCIC) has worked to increase childhood immunization and as a way of thanking its partners and supporters, the nonprofit hosted its third annual SOUP! (Shots Offer Unrivaled Protection) fundraising event April 27.

Colorado Lieutenant Governor Barbara O’Brien accepted CCIC’s highest honor, the 2010 Big Shot of the Year award, for her dedication to creating healthy changes for Colorado’s children.

The event held at the Cable Center raised funds and treated guests to samples of soup from ten of Denver’s premier restaurants: Coral Room, Dazzle, Il Posto, Jax, Le Central, Lola, Red Tango, Root Down, Sushi Hai and Table 6. Guests voted for their favorite soups; Root Down walked away with the Best Soup award and Lola was awarded Most Creative Soup.

CCIC Executive Director Lydia McCoy was grateful for the community’s support in furthering CCIC’s mission to increase childhood immunization rates and awareness. “The strength of our Coalition lies in our members, community partners and advocates. We engage our supporters in all that we do, and their participation is invaluable to our success.”

Root Down with thier Best Soup award

The evening celebration drew 188 guests which included Colorado’s pediatricians, physicians, nurses, educators, legislators and public-health experts and raised $21,000 to fund CCIC’s programs.
Among those who enjoyed fine food and networking were Presenting Sponsors Gay & Lesbian Fund for Colorado’s Jo Palmer and Colorado Capital Bank’s Amanda Fein. Dr. Robert Brayden spoke about the progress of vaccines, and CCIC board member Dr. James Shira presented Lt. Gov. O’Brien with the 2010 Big Shot of the Year award. Also in attendance were past Big Shot of the Year award recipients CDPHE Medical Director Dr. Ned Calonge and Dr. James Todd.

Read the fun tweets from the event and see more photos on our Facebook Fan Page.

Fabulous blogger friends Suzanne Bastien, Russ Dale and Laura Neiman. Courtesy of Suzanne Bastien

Lt Gov Barbara O'Brien accepting her Big Shot of the Year Award. Photo by Suzanne Bastien

Special Invitation To A Tasty Evening

The Colorado Children’s Immunization Coalition invites YOU — the moms, dads, doctors, health care professionals and community members who champion for childhood immunizations — to join us at our 3rd annual SOUP! (Shots Offer Unrivaled Protection) event on Tuesday, April 27.

This fun, heartwarming event will raise funds and awareness for childhood immunizations and give guests a chance to sample soup, wine, beer and desserts from some of Denver’s finest restaurants. For busy moms, dads and professionals, SOUP! is a night away from it all – the perfect opportunity to celebrate your choice to keep Colorado’s kids healthy, sample delicious food and enjoy great company!

At CCIC, we think it is incredibly important to speak up for your belief and your choice to vaccinate your children. A recent national survey shows that 88% of parents vaccinate their children and according to a statewide survey 79% of Colorado parents vaccinate their children. The majority of parents do give their children the gift of immunization. That is certainly something to celebrate!

In today’s world of social media and online forums, it can be intimidating and hard to speak up for your choice. CCIC is fortunate to be part of a community of moms who support and believe in the benefits of vaccination. Our favorite mommy bloggers share their daily joys, challenges and even their personal decisions with readers and followers from across the globe. They inspire readers through their honest, humorous parenting stories, and assure other parents that immunization is the best choice for kids’ health. You can read about their personal experiences with childhood vaccination, including the tears, concerns and triumphs here:

• Casual Perfectionist – “There is No Vaccine for Fear, and it’s Contagious“
• Lalagirl – “Vaccines Prevent Diseases”
• Loose Grip – “The Necessary Evils of Vaccines (And when I say evil, I mean THANK YOU)”
• Paren(t)hesis – “Sick Baby (and Why You Should Vaccinate)“

Thanks to our community of immunization supporters, we are nurturing healthy, happy children who will not have to experience the horrible, disfiguring, and sometimes fatal diseases of generations past. Join CCIC in celebrating our efforts and accomplishments, and reward yourself for making the healthiest choice for Colorado’s children.

For more information about SOUP! or to purchase tickets, visit www.childrensimmunization.org/soup

Getting the Chickenpoxs is Not Cool, Trendy or Fun

My six-year-old daughter was invited to a friend’s birthday party recently. It was an ambitious party plan of going to a performance at our local children’s theater. I think the mom probably deserves a medal for herding 10 bubbling kindergarteners.

A week before the party the hosting mom called to ask if my daughter had been vaccinated for chickenpox. I said “yes” and asked why. She told me that another child’s mother called and said that her son had been exposed to the chickenpox and wanted other children who plan to attend the party to know this.

What scared me about this was that the boy’s mom wasn’t calling to see if it was okay if he still go to the party, but instead she was calling only to inform others that her son would possibly be infectious.

In retelling this story to my husband he pointed out that the mom was being responsible by calling to let people know about the situation. The more I thought about it, if I were the hosting mom, would have taken a different path.

If this had happened to me, I would have gently told the mom that her son should not attend the party because he had the potential of infecting other children. I would gently and kindly remind her that we were going to a theater with the potential of interacting with 400 other children and adults that he could infect. I’d set-up a play date for a few weeks in the future (past the infectious period) and have my child celebrate with him at a separate time. It would be a hard conversation, but something I know is the right thing to do.

Sometimes parents don’t fully understand the potential of the diseases we protect against. Some parents don’t see the bigger picture. They often don’t see that their actions have bigger implications of spreading disease to healthy kids or even vulnerable populations like pregnant moms.

I think parents are too complacent about chickenpox. Lots of parents think it’s a minor disease and even a “rite of passage” for kids to be sick for a week. For most children who get the disease it is mild but for about 1 in 10 unvaccinated children who get the disease will have a complication from chickenpox serious enough to visit a health-care provider. Chickenpox is highly contagious and dangerous for kids and pregnant women. We cannot predict who will have a mild case of the disease, who may end up hospitalized or who could end up with a deadly case.

We know the vaccine is effective. Did you see the January 2010 Kaiser Permanente study about the risks of skipping the chickenpox vaccine? Children who are not vaccinated against chickenpox are NINE times more likely to get the disease. By not vaccinating you are placing your child at a greater risk for disease.

It scares me but chickenpox parties are back. Chickenpox parties are when an infected child’s family invites their friends over to be exposed to the disease. This was a very common practice before we had the very safe and effective chickenpox vaccine. Today, some parents still want their children to be naturally exposed to the disease. Some mothers think they are doing a favor by exposing my child. I say “No thank you!”

The idea of a pox party freaks me out. It seems very strange that you would intentionally infect your child with a disease. It’s like “Hey I have mono! Wanna make out? Or here’s my used Kleenex in case you wanted my sinus infection!” Sharing a hug or toys on a playground is one thing…intentionally sharing your infectious disease is quite another. It is irresponsible.

What about you? What’s your RSVP status on pox parties? Is your kiddo going to the party?

H1N1: Public Health in Action

I recently took my three- and six-year-old girls to get their H1N1 booster shots.  I have to say that I was impressed with my local public health’s response.  Both clinics I attended were well-organized, professional, and efficient.  There was no waiting in line, thanks to pre-registration, no human traffic jams in the roped off corrals, and plenty of band-aids, stickers, and coloring sheets for the kids.

In fact, the first clinic was the highlight of my three-year old’s week when she and her best bud got to ride in a golf cart from the parking lot to the front doors of the clinic.  Standing up holding on to the back of the front seat, wind in their hair without doors or seat-belts – they were ECSTATIC!

I am thankful for these health professionals who administered the shots. I was appreciative of their extensive preparations and recognized their mobilization efforts before and during the clinics.  But more than that, I’m glad – so, so glad that H1N1 was not the deadly pandemic it could have been.  And now, with such widespread vaccination resulting in immunity, it has an even lesser chance of ever becoming such.  I chalk that up as yet another success for public health and their commitment to safety.

If you haven’t gotten your child’s second shot or have waited to get the H1N1 vaccine for yourself, now is the time. We all need to get vaccinated to make sure we keep H1N1 at bay. For all the Colorado moms, you can find the nearest flu clinic here.

So have you vaccinated your child against H1N1? Have you made the time to get the second shot? I’d love to hear from you!

Melanie = Full-Time Mommy, Part-Time Employee, Novice Blogger, Passionate Vaccine Advocate

If I wasn’t blogging right now, I’d be reading a book or reading a book to my kids. That’s who I am – a learner, a seeker of ideas who craves to know more, and always wanting to understand things better. I like sharing what I learn. I like talking about concepts and trying to understand how they relate to or impact my world.

I’m Melanie and I am your Colorado Mom2Mom.

I’m a Gen X-er who grew up as the second of five children. I was heavily influenced by my parent’s Midwestern values. I went to a state school for my undergraduate degree in liberal arts. After that, I traveled and lived abroad for three years before returning to complete a Master’s degree in Public Health Administration. On my 20 year high school reunion blog page it says “I’m a full-time mom, part-time employee, and impassioned advocate for children’s health” (specifically vaccines). That is what this blog is about: vaccines, immunizations, shots, inoculations…okay, well you get the idea…

What qualifies me to write a blog about vaccines? First off, and most importantly, I’m a mom of two beautiful, healthy, fully vaccinated girls aged 3 and 6. Being a mom and listening to my gut intuition is something I do every day. In addition to that, I work in public health promoting immunization best practices to parents and providers. This work feeds my passion for research, study and my never ending quest for knowledge.

In my work in children’s health care, I know healthy kids and I know sick kids. For sure there are health factors that are out of our control, but there are many decisions parents make daily that can affect and ensure good health.

Vaccines are one of those good health decisions that we can control. There are a lot of sources of information about vaccines. The internet is bursting with seemingly authoritative, yet contradictory information about vaccines. What I’ve seen and read in the last few years about vaccines concerns me and, in some cases, makes me angry. It raises my blood pressure and makes me think, “I have to be in this discussion.” I NEED to be a part of the conversation. Bad information about vaccines can be misleading, confusing and harmful. I need to share my beliefs on vaccines, so I am.

Vaccines are arguably the greatest public health invention of the 20th century, yet ironically they have become one of the most controversial issues of the 21st century. Some parents are abandoning scientific fact and reason for personal persuasion and opinion. This scares me, but it also makes me want to speak up.

I want to talk about the hot topics that all parents wonder about such as vaccines and autism, ingredients used in vaccines, the need to vaccinate and whether infants are getting too many too soon. But more than that, I’d like to hear what you think. I want to participate in a discussion with you.

I hope you spend time with me on my blog, watch my videos and start a discussion with me. I want to read your comments, opinions or questions about vaccines. I’m a mom, and after many mommy gut-checks, research, asking questions and having discussions with my doctor – I choose to vaccinate my kids. This was my process. I would like to learn what yours is.

What are you thinking, feeling, fearing or debating about vaccines? Please comment below.