Photo by TangoPango
I had my little ones H1N1 vaccination appointments booked last Monday; the first day that they were available. After some thought, prayer and discussion with my DH, we cancelled the appointments for now. We have some concerns about side effects, long term risks, lack of information and such. I say, ‘for now’ because, as with everything, we try to make the best decision with the information available. As more information becomes available, it is always wise to reconsider isn’t it?
After DH and I decided to wait and see, I was on my knees praying for the safety of my little ones. Just because ‘everyone’ seems to be doing it and ‘they’ say it will help doesn’t mean that it is the right thing to do for us. We love our children greatly and want to protect them in any way we can but, at this time, we just didn’t have a peace about it.
John-John has been teething and, regardless of what my doctor says, my little ones run low-grade fevers when they are cutting teeth. This morning at 3am when I nursed John and realized he had a fever, my heart immediately skipped a beat as H1N1 came to mind. I gave him some Motrin and he went back to sleep. I did not. I worried, then I began to pray.
Romans 8:28 came to mind.
Losing Isaiah wasn’t something I would have chosen for my life, but God not only knew it would happen and allowed it to happen, but he used it for His Glory and to help refine me. It hurt and it still hurts because I loved little Isaiah, though I had never officially met him yet. Having been privileged to have John and Chloe, I can not imagine life without them. But I know that each day, somewhere, parents lose children and God, in His infinite wisdom allows it to happen. Why? I shared some of my thoughts on that here but the real answer? I don’t know. We live in a fallen world but God is still in control. He is loving and good; truly good and not limited to our understanding of goodness.
I say that because whether or not my littles have been vaccinated, they can still contract H1N1. Regardless of what I do, or don’t do, if the Lord chooses to call one of my little ones home to Him, my actions will not matter. DH and I made the decision we felt was best for our little ones at this time, and our best (as meager as it is) is all we can do when raising our little ones. Then we leave in in the Lord’s hands and pray for His grace, mercy and protection for our little ones. After all, he loves them (and us!) so much more than our minds can fathom!
And for the record, I was able to sleep after that and this morning, I am pretty sure John-John is just teething as his fever is still a very low grade one with no other signs!
What did your family decide about vaccination or what helped you decide? Has H1N1 been to your home? When sharing, please be respectful of others’ opinions and feelings.
My family isn't getting it. I taught 9 years in the public school system and only ever got the flu shot once. I kind of feel that this is the same thing, only with a different name.
My 9 month old son's pediatrician said she wasn't going to have her kids get it yet. I figure that since my son isn't in daycare, he's not as high risk as other children may be.
But I'm with you….'yet' is a good way to look at it – surrounded with prayer. 🙂
I did have my boys get the vaccination, but my son has really bad asthma so is at a higher risk of complications – and kids have been dropping like flies at their school! Good luck as you continue to make these decisions. It is never easy, is it?
Of course, you know we had the H1N1 at our house. The kids were pretty sick (and so was their daddy) but we all took Tamiflu and were only sick about five days instead of 7-10 days.
I plan on getting the shot for my 15 month old. Even though he was already exposed, I feel like he's just too little to take any health risks.
It's tough to make a decision like that, especially with all the fear that the media is good at spreading. I have no doubt you'll make the best decision for your family.
It's hard when you're bombarded by so many influences telling you to get the shot. Hearing it on the news all the time dosen't help either. The facts are that it's new, hasn't been tested, and it contains toxic mercury. I'm pregnant so everyone's telling me to get it, but I decided not to based on these facts.
I think the H1N1 "pandemic" is being blown way out of proportion. People are scared because it's relatively new. My feelings are to wait and see as well. If you catch the symptoms early, there are ways to ease through it.
Great blog post. 🙂
It's such a tough decision. Right now, we are saying no, but I think about it every single day! We are scared of the risks involved, but then again, there are risks either way!
I agree with willowsprite! I'm also pregnant and due to the fact that it is new, there are no records as to whether or not it could or would harm the baby, and it contains mercury (10 times the amount in ONE shot than is normally recommended – and that's just in the one for pregnancy – the non-pregnant vaccine contains more mercury) which I believe can be very, very harmful. I also agree that the H1N1 thing is being blown out of proportion…my friend and I did a bunch of research on it and she found a stat that said that normally in one year, about 300 people per day (worldwide) die from the seasonal flu. So far from H1N1 the stats are at 3 people a day (worldwide) dying from it. And I know we haven't hit the coldest part of the year yet, but that is a pretty big difference if you ask me. Anyways, obviously we are not getting any flu shots. 🙂 (on the other hand, I do not condemn people who do decide to get the shot – each family has to decide what is best for their family 🙂 ).
Thanks for sharing your family's decision–I appreciate your thoughts. I haven't decided for sure if I will have my children get it. When my middle guy (now 5) was 7 weeks old, he got RSV and spent 7 days on a ventilator in intensive care. This was a very scary experience–one I don't want to go through again. Right now I have a 3 month old at home, and I am trying like crazy to keep him healthy (along with my other children). I can say that I do believe that washing your hands all of the time has to help. It's working so far for us (and I'm pretty fanatic about it). It just means that lotion is a must! Thanks again for the post!