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Natural Birth
? For those who opt out of vaccines
It was hard picking a board to post this question on. There isn't a 'natural parenting' board, so this was my closest bet 
I'm having our lo this summer and am researching all of the risks/benefits of all the vaccinations on the AAP recommended schedule. Then we'll decide what's best for the health of our lo and family. I'm set on limiting the toxins and unnecessary/ineffective chemicals and strains that go into our baby's body so no thanks on comments disputing our choice on vaccines.
I'm wondering if those of you who have opted out of vaccinating your children, or follow an adjusted vaccinating schedule, have had any backlash from your health insurance company? I haven't been able to find anything concrete on this online and was hoping you could shed some light.
My assumption is that since I'm liable/responsible for my child's health that the insurance company cannot legally require me to vaccinate, however would they up our premiums or drop our coverage? If this has happened to you, what company and plan was it?
Thanks!
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Re: ? For those who opt out of vaccines
We vaccinated according to CDC schedule until DD's 12mos well check. I have since since a waiver for three vaccines and haven't heard a word about it from the insurance company.
We will be vaccinating this LO on an alternative schedule from the beginning.
Currently going through our second deployment. Can't wait for Zoe to meet her daddy!
I follow the CDC schedule and plan to continue this way. So I don't have any personal experience with this, but I don't think insurance would be a problem, though a doctor's office might make it hard on you. I know some offices say if you are not vaccinating by six months you can take your child elsewhere. So make sure you find someone who will be supportive.
We have never had issues with the insurance, we have really comprehensive plan through Cigna with almost no deductible though and just $10 office visits. If you end up deciding to space them out and have more total visits annually it could potentially be an issue I suppose depending on your coverage, but I don't believe there can raise rates based on not vaccinating.
Home Birthing-Breastfeeding-Cloth Diapering-Baby Wearing-CoSleeping-Delayed/Selective Vaccination Mama to Charlie (5yrs) and Madeline (21mos)
blog! thescenery.net
we have not had any issues with insurance, just a little pressure from the peds office.
to note: perhaps not the same everywhere, but when we come just for a vax, we don't have a full on office visit. there is no co-pay. the shot is administered by a nurse after a health screening (temp, BP, etc) and then we leave. we never see the doctor.
How dare those doctors try to give you medical advice on a life-threatening issue affecting your child as well as the health of other children!
It really is awful! My brother did not get that vaccine as a child and ended up getting pertussis. He would literally lay on the floor and cough till he threw up. I was young at the time, but I remember feeling so bad for him!
I just wanted you to know I just posted a similar question about not vaccinating on the Attachment Parenting board (its about halfway down) if you want to see some of those responses as well.
It did get a little heated and I would advise you take take comments from people with a grain of salt. You will do what is best for you baby. Just know that this gets heated sometimes as people have very strong opinions.
Natural birth and being anti-vaccine have nothing in common. Evidence-based medicine supports low-intervention births AND fully vaccinating your child on schedule.
I am so glad you think you know better than the CDC and every other international organization which supports scheduled vaccinations.
So you'd be interested in knowing that there's more aluminum and mercury exposure in both breast milk and formula than there is in vaccines, right?
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Darn right people have strong opinions! Vaccinations are a social responsibility, and I don't appreciate someone knowingly putting other children including my own at risk. Some people would argue, "What do I have to worry about my child is vaccinated?" Well she couldn't get all those vaccines at once and had to rely on the fact that those around her were vaccinated (herd immunity). And the only reason people like her have a choice is because people like me choose to vaccinate.
That's because you have a legitimate medical reason to not vax your child.
Your child is one of the many reason healthy, non-immunosuppressed children should be vaccinated, because she CAN'T be.
Exactly! This is the perfect example of why vaccinating is a social responsibility.
Both my kids are vax, but I do understand why moms (especially moms interested in natural birth) struggle with this issue. The whole pregnancy, we are researching birth like crazy, and generally feel that nothing extra in the body is a good thing. We develop a mistrust of doctors and the entire medical system, and are suspicious of every "standard procedure." Then we have the baby, and suddenly it's all, "Oh, I suppose you know better than the doctor because YOU went to med school?" "How dare you question the CDC?!" and all this.
All the snark in the world isn't going to change anyone's mind. Someone brought up evidence-based research. I wish more posts on this issue would calmly present the evidence-based research on vax, as this is often what led us to natural birth.
When I researched vaccines, I honestly had a hard time making heads or tails of it. There's so much passion, and it's hard to decide who to trust. Eventually, I made the decision that I felt like I could live with.
That was put extremely well. I agree that calmer heads prevail. Thanks!
there are alternatives to traditional vaccines - for a more holistic way of disease prevention you can research homeoprophylaxis -
https://vaccinefree.wordpress.com/homeopathicvaccine/
And I can sell you a rock that keeps tigers away.
It's hard to keep a clear head because it makes nonsense look as valid as science.
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I am actually interested in where you got that information from because there's documented research done by the FDA stating that levels over 30micrograms/day of aluminum given to a 2month old, 12lb infant is a toxic load that has been shown to cause lifetime neurological harm to the brain, toxicity in bone density, tissue loading and kidney malfunction. Yet the vaccines on the AAP recommended vaccine schedule can have anywhere from 125 (Pc) to 850 (Pediarix Combo) micrograms in a single dose! If the FDA has issued a statement deeming anything above 5 micrograms of aluminum per kilogram of body weight for my infant as toxic, and no more than that amount can be trusted as safe....I sure will respect that research and take it into account before subjecting my child to several aluminum loaded vaccines at one visit that will overwhelm their tiny kidneys and possibly cause life altering damage. Especially when all it takes is a bit of planning ahead to spread out the shots thank you very much
I get that our country has lower rates of certain diseases due to the fact that the majority of our nation had been immunized to them. I also get how parents relying on the 'herd immunity' of other parents who vaccinated their kids can upset those who chose to vaccinate. But like anything, vaccines are not perfect to put into our bodies or 100% effective and it's completely reasonable to want to research and fill those gaps with knowledge about where they fall short or could even cause additional harm. Being in a family where several people have developed neurological disorders shortly after being immunized as children makes me leery enough to learn all that I can before putting anything into my baby's body.
There is no doubt that the medical community puts its policies and practices into place based on the worst case scenario...which most times is a miniscule percentage of the majority. Most of the routine procedures are given to a newborn after birth because of the slight chance that they may be a part of the 1% that has issues. Like vitamin k for hemorrhaging and eye ointment chlamydia for etc. (When simply waiting 8 days voids the need for Vitamin K if the child didn't have a traumatic delivery)
That article is loosely put together to shake a finger at Sears but fails to present any conclusive facts to sway the educated reader otherwise. The numbers are used like shock factors on how terribly dangerous it is to catch mumps or other illnesses that used to be routine childhood sicknesses. Of course we don't want our children to be sick, or to create another epidemic to sweep the nation. But the amount of cases that pop up per year are quite small when you look at the scale of how many kids are in the US, and could be from vaccine inaccuracy just as much as 'non-vaxers'. Especially interesting when the amount of adverse reactions to the vaccine itself are much larger than any instances of the actual illness.
I'll read anything from either 'side' to try to make sense of this crazily detailed issue, and keep in mind that I'm not a scientist or MD. I do believe that most medical professionals got into their field to help, not hurt their patients. But I can't get past the fact that although they can recommend how to protect my children, if something happens to them it will be because of my decision and I take that very seriously. Look at the DTP vaccine that was pulled out of rotation because after years of it being tested then used on the public it was found to be extremely toxic and pulled from use. Now we have the new and improved DTaP. Trial and error is a risky game.
Say what? Waiting 8 days.....to see IF your child has a brain bleed that by that point would likely be fatal or do disastrous damage?
It's not just about the "chances" that something will happen - it's about balancing the risks and benefits of treatment versus doing nothing. On balance, vitamin K is perfectly safe for a newborn, and the alternative is unthinkable.
And vaccines are never recommended simply because they exist, or because there is a "miniscule" chance of disease contraction. When was the last time you saw the yellow fever vaccine on a childhood immunization schedule?
Seriously, where do you get your information?
Exactly or think of small pox. That vaccine is no longer in use because it's no longer needed and hopefully will stay that way!
You do understand there is a difference between INGESTING aluminum and INJECTING aluminum? 99% of ingested aluminum is not absorbed, while 100% of injected aluminum is.