Broadening the AP Debate into Vaccinations
We’ve had a lot of action around here regarding Attachment Parenting. The issue doesn’t end at sleep training, babywearing, or extended nursing. It also is smack dab in the middle of one of the most contentious issues in parenting today…the issue of the safety of vaccinations.
If you’ve read my posts here for long, my thoughts won’t come as any surprise to you. I’m strongly pro-vaccination. And I evaluate toddlers all the time for autism. I realize that I may incur the wrath of some sadly misinformed readers out there, but I gotta tell ya: Vaccines have saved millions of lives. Case closed. (To me, at least.) If you haven’t already, check out this post stating my thoughts on the issue.
Along with a mini-flood of reader questions about infant sleep, reader Julie posted this comment today, and I thought I would write about it because there’s a lot of momentum going in this direction in the parenting press these days:
Hi, I also have a 7-month-old and I just did the sleep training with the Sleep Easy Solutions book. It has been a great experience! We actually bedshared for a bit, but it became very taxing in the evenings, as he could not go to sleep without me. He now sleeps longer and better and gets himself to sleep. We are now working on naps. Interestingly enough, he used to nap so much better next to a parent, but now he sleeps better if he gets himself to sleep. I think seven months was the perfect time for us to transition him to his crib and help him learn to sleep on his own.
I wrote about this on my personal blog, ilovemonsters.blogspot.com.
I heard about your blog on Mainstream Parenting Resources. I also have a new blog with some other folks called Rational Moms.
I’m very interested this whole AP thing–I have some major issues with Sears. So I was looking at your articles on this in preparation for my own post.
After reading her comment, I pulled a link to a fantastic article in the New York Times from the Mainstream Parenting site. It broadens the issue of Attachment Parenting into the issue of vaccinations. Check it out.
Can’t wait for the fireworks.
18 Responses to Broadening the AP Debate into Vaccinations
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Aloha, I’m Dr. Heather
I read your site because what you say seriously clicks with me, helping me to be a better parent. Though I always feel like there’s room for improvement.
I live in Oregon. With births of both my boys, I had other parents, neighbors, and people I was associated with, try to convince me vaccines were BAD . . .
Being that autism is such a big scary thing, with very little info regarding where and how it comes about . . . this was one of the main arguments.
I was given magazine articles, websites, etc . . . to do my own “research”.
I got into a tither . . . mind you . . . being a first time mom and reading all of these very emotional stories of moms that had a perfectly healthy child one day and a different child overnight from the day they received vaccines. I was floored. Why was my doctor telling me vaccines were necessary?
It was my sister that “shook” me and told me bluntly to check their research . . . look beyond the emotionally charged articles and stories and see what the stats say . . . the facts. I also had a serious discussion with my pediatrician.
There were little to none . . . of the resources I was given . . . facts backing what they were saying. It was speculation and that is where it ended.
Both my boys are fully vaccinated and show no signs of autistic behavior.
Kudos on approaching this, sometimes emotionally charged, subject.
I thought that it would be interesting to hear from a 65 year old woman who was vaccinated for Pertussis, Whooping cough and Tetanus in the 1940′s. That was the best they could do at that time. I had German Measles, Mumps, Chicken Pox and the “Hard Measles” within a few month period the year I started school in 1948. I almost died. I suffered measles encephelitis from the fever from the Hard Measles and lost my hearing and sight. By some miracle, my sight and hearing returned.
My baby brother then contracted Polio Myelitis at the tender age of two and put in isolation at the children’s hospital in our city. He had his toys and blanket taken from him and they were burned. He was put in isolation as were the other kids with Polio. My parents could see him through a window while he screamed in terror. He also survived but was emotionally scarred from the experience. I remember watching the visiting nurse assisting him as he learned to walk again.
I got polio at the age of 9, (1952). By that time Sister Kenny from Austrailia had found that exercise and warm baths helped in rehab. I am gratefully without much deficit because of her heroism. (If you are interested in any follow-up about her, she suffered quite a series of ridicule for her efforts.)
I now live in fear of the dreaded Post Polio Syndrome that has seriously affected many of my conterporaries. I may still escape this part of the disease.
My point in adding to Babyshrink’s discussion about vaccination is that those of you who have reaped the benefits of protection from the very diseases that have deformed, killed, rendered sterile several of my conterporaries have left you healthy and able to argue this subject.
Fear and fanatiticism can go a long way to get people’s attention. We are still fighting wars for the fanatics. It may just be time to stop and think, just one step ahead and ask the important questions.
I practice (my version) of attachment parenting and truly believe in its benefits. My one qualm about the AP “movement” is the insinuation tha the first three years of life are the most important, especially when attachment is involved. Yes, the frst three years are a window of attachment opportunity, BUT, good relationships need to be maintained throughout the entire life span. Attachment parenting must extend through a child’s entire life. The sixty-year-old parent still needs to behave “attached” to their now adult child (in a very different way, of course) if she wants to maintain a good relationship with the child. It never, ever ends.
To be entirely fair, it must be said that anti-vaccine attitudes are not, technically speaking, a prerequisite for AP, and are more related to the dogma of NFL (Natural Family Living). There is a lot of overlap between the two movements and their practitioners, however, and while Dr. Bill Sears was originally pro-vaccine, he has allowed his son’s vaccine book to be published as part of the Sears Family Series, thus – at least implicitly – giving the idea of vaccine skepticism some credence.
It’s not really surprising that APers (who ideologically eschew ‘mainstream parenting) would then try to prove their alternative bona fides by rejecting mainstream medical advice, though.
There is a very interesting segment about this issue in an episode of This American Life called “Ruining it for the rest of us” — they show both sides of the issue.
I just wanted to point out that the The Vaccine Book by the younger Dr. Sears is not anti-vaccine. He is entirely pro-vaccine, he just thinks that there could be a better way to do things. That more study is warranted in certain areas for instance, and that there is a better way to go about administering vaccines in terms of timing.
The reality is that decisions about vaccine schedules aren’t all about what is optimum (though no harm is intended, for certain). It is about economics and trying to make sure as many people get vaccinated as possible. Where I live, for example, toddlers are given the MMR vaccine at one year and again at 18 months. That isn’t because they really need it again at 18 months (other areas give it again at 4 or 5 years), but rather because some parents stop bringing their children for regular check ups as they get older. By giving it earlier, they ensure more kids are covered.
I just find it frustrating that people who want to vaccinate their kids but want to approach it in a way that is well informed and works best for their family can be attacked as being ill-informed and oblivious to the public good. Are vaccines a good thing? Yes. Does vaccinating have to be a one-size-fits-all approach? No. If it did, vaccine schedules would be the same everywhere, and they are not.
Before I get to the point of my post, I have to say I have no idea what joana is talking about or what it has to do with vaccines.
OK, I am so tired of the ‘both sides’ thing. That’s like saying there are two sides to the debate over whether the sky is blue. There are not two equally valid sides to this. There is what is supported by evidence-based science and then there are unfounded fears. Because Dr. Bob gives equal voice to the fear side, he enables people to go ahead and do what they ‘feel’ is right all the while eroding herd immunity which is very dangerous indeed.
I strongly urge anyone lured by the siren call of the alternative or delayed schedule to include The Problem with Dr. Bob’s Alternative Vaccine Schedule in the peer-reviewed journal Pediatrics, in their research:
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/123/1/e164
It really lays out how pernicious Sears pandering to the fearful is.
As for the point about vaccinating when kids are at well visits, so what? If as you say, they won’t be going to the doctor later in childhood, they wouldn’t be getting the vaccine at the time your ‘research’ suggests they should anyway. The science supports the safety of the schedule as it is.
Here’s how parents deciding based on research how to go about this plays out in real life. A woman I know decided to split up the MMR. I can’t remember how she decided to space it out, but enough time had gone by from giving her child the second of the two Ms that she *forgot* to make the appointment to get the rubella shot. Luckily, the doctor’s office was on top of it and called her to remind her about this. She felt like an idiot for having this slip her mind and rightly so. Had she just stuck to the schedule, she would not have made a lapse like this.
HI WONDERING WILLA:
Thanks for the link to that great article; I’m glad to have it here for readers.
I’m a pragmatist at heart, and the “alternative vaccine schedule” seems to me to be — yes, unscientific — yet, a way to “save face” for those who fear vaccines, yet deep-down WANT to have their child immunized. They understand the science, intellectually, but their FEAR, based on the misinformation out there, wins out — since fear is a powerful and primitive emotion, and easily trumps intellect.
There have only been 2 strong voices out there in the media: PRO or ANTI vaccine. The “Dr. Bob” approach is the first effort (that’s had any steam in it) to offer a “third way”.
So yeah, I do totally agree with your comment about the evidence base, and “right” and “wrong”. But psychologically, for some, I guess there needs to be a way that is not necessarily scientifically based….but inches them closer to what is best. In the long run, if that gets more kids vaccinated overall, I’ll take it — as a temporary measure, until this hysteria about vaccinations dies down.
I know our pediatrician would way rather have a parent agree to the alternative vaccination schedule — as opposed to NO vaccines. (It would be interesting, though, to have data on whether the “alternative schedule” actually pans out in terms of kids ultimately getting fully vaccinated.)
What do you think?
You know, I really hesitated to post on this issue because there are a lot of people that really let their nasty side come out when it comes to discussing vaccinations. I had thought that maybe Babyshrink’s readers were above that, but sadly, I was wrong.
WonderingWilla, I’m guessing that your comments are not entirely directed at me but rather at the vast number of people that you entirely disagree with on this topic. I say that because while your post seems to respond to mine, it doesn’t really jive with what I actually said.
My main point was to say that Dr. Sears’ book is not anti-vaccine, because a PP had insinuated that it was. Whatever problems may exist with the book (and I agree that there are some), it was clear to me when I read it (have you read it?) that he advocates full vaccination. I did enjoy reading the Pediatrics article you linked to, so thank you.
My point in mentioning variations in vaccination schedules was simply that since “routine” schedules vary widely, that means that opinions vary on what is “best” or “optimal”. I wasn’t saying one way of coming up with a schedule was better than another, I was simply saying that there are differences. Where I live (in Ontario, Canada), immunization for rotavirus and HepA aren’t on the schedule at all and Hep B isn’t given until grade 7. These are examples of HUGE differences in approach to vaccination. Should I be angry with my government for denying my child these vaccines on the same schedule as you have in the US? Is my child being denied adequate coverage from these diseases? I’d say not. These are public health decisions made by different jurisdictions based on their own data and financial resources. Similar differences exist between provinces in this country.
In case it isn’t clear, my point is simply that there IS more than one approach to vaccinating. Scientifically based, publicly funded, differing approaches.
As an aside, mocking people and essentially calling them idiots isn’t any nicer when in an anonymous forum than it is if you are face to face. Play nice.
HI SPARKY D:
You make an excellent point. There ARE acceptable variations in the timing and schedule of vaccinations. But there are also some legitimate criticisms of Dr. Bob’s suggestions. And I do understand and appreciate that he is pro-vaccination, and, like our pediatrician, he is working with families who are terrified of giving their kids those shots. He needs to offer something practical as an alternative to simply NOT giving the vaccinations. I applaud that effort, and hope it changes the minds of otherwise misinformed families.
And may I also say: I don’t blindly accept the directives of the pharmaceutical companies, and have my own misgivings about the quality and necessity of some of the medications and vaccinations we are offered today. So perhaps I contradict myself, but I might as well own up to my ambivalence.
But what else are we to do? To me, the simple danger of the illnesses we are vaccinating against make it a “no-brainer”. College kids are coming down with mumps — some of those kids will be sterile from it. We now have to worry about taking our not-yet-fully-vaccinated babies out into crowds and exposing them to potentially un-vaccinated people, who are “hiding in the herd”. The anti-vaccination movement is starting to have a terrible effect, and it’s only going to grow. I do hope that in the future, science can modify and improve the system of vaccination. But for now, it’s the best defense we’ve got against terrible (deadly) illnesses.
I, like you, (and Willa and Joana, I believe, as well as the other commenters) only want the BEST scientifically supported care for our children. Strong emotions aside, so far it seems to me that we’re all on the same page. We want scientifically-supported evidence to back up the best possible care for our families — and we’re smart enough to know the difference between “quasi-science” — which is so prevalent out there, and confusing to so many people — and REAL SCIENCE — published in peer reviewed journals, etc.
I’m glad we’re having this conversation!
Sparky D, I did not call you an idiot. Without being completely explicit about it I quoted what the woman said about herself when she related the story to me. I just agree with her.
Really, now, I don’t have to be *nice* about this at all, which, by the way, I have been, I just stick to an alternative niceness schedule. All I have to do is have the facts to back me up which I do. Please see the article I posted.
And do listen to the radio piece mentioned and tell me who suffered more? The people who didn’t vaccinate who were wringing their hands over how to demonstrate to the media this was the right thing to do or the 10 month old baby who contracted full blown mealses and his family who had to tend do a seriously ill child for a month, all the while putting their livelihood at risk, which is no small matter in this economy.
Failure to vaccinate or even vaccinating on an alternate schedule erodes herd immunity. This has very grave consequences. In my area, there have been two separate pertussis outbreaks, a mumps outbreak, and a measles outbreak since the beginning of 2008. The reason for this is there were unvaccinated people in the population. I don’t have to be nice about that, I don’t have to be tolerant of the behavior in the same way I don’t think society has to be tolerant of drunk driving.
Your point about the variations on the schedule is moot, because it begs the question how will the child get the injection against Hep B, say, if he or she isn’t going to the doctor any more once in the seventh grade? You pointed out that this was indeed the case. So theoretically, I can agree, but practically it just doesn’t matter. (An aside Esther has a good post about the Hep B vaccine on her blog, but I couldn’t find it with a quick search, also worth a look.)
It’s funny you mention rotavirus. Not three hours ago I stepped outside to see if it had warmed up enough for a trip to the park. Who do I run into but the grandmother of my neighbor’s baby and the tot herself toddling behind. Grandmother didn’t want the tots to get too close together as neighbor baby had a nasty cough. In fact, she said, it’s been a really rough month for her, she caught the rotavirus, spent three nights in the hospital on oxygen, and subsequently contracted pneumonia. Sure would hate to have a vaccine against that!
BTW, the rotavirus vaccine is not on the schedule here but it is offered. The problem is, as I understand it, the first dose must be administered within the first two months of life and a lot of doctors are not yet in the practice of offering it or educating parents about it and parents are not voluntarily going forward with it en masse, probably wigged out by ‘information’ from the likes of Dr. Bob, Jenny McCarthy, and Deirdre Imus, so again we’re getting back to the shots administered at doctor visits that don’t happen type of problem.
Anyway, thanks to babyshrink, for explaining why doctors would go along with an alternative schedule. Up until now, I really thought they were delivering sub-standard care by doing this, because, well, the schedule is the standard of care and there could be ethical problems with going a different route.
I knew I should not have gotten into this. I’ll never comment on an online discussion about vaccinations again. After this post.
WonderingWilla. When you mock peoples efforts to inform themselves and refer to their efforts as “research” (meaning the use of the quotes), you are essentially calling them idiots. You can post helpful information (like you did) without the snarky comments attached – it is much more productive.
Just a few points of clarification, then I’m done.
- I read the article you linked to, and I also thanked you for for the link.
- In Ontario (and I think the rest of Canada), going to the doctor to get your standard vaccines once past early childhood is not required, as a crew of public health nurses goes to schools to administer vaccines.
- The rotavirus vaccine is approved for use here, but you have to pay for it ($200-$250). It isn’t even mentioned as being available on any vaccine schedule I’ve seen. Clearly it isn’t considered much of a priority here. That doesn’t mean babies don’t get sick from it, it just means that public health authorities haven’t seen the cost/benefit analysis come down in favour of widespread vaccination. Because that is how decisions are made about what vaccines to pay for. That isn’t evil, that’s just how it works.
- Did I say at some point that I am anti-vaccine or working with an alternative vaccine schedule for my child? Did I try to defend any kind of anti-vaccine position? I don’t think I did. I was just trying to point out that in this conversation that supposedly only has one valid side, there is a gray area in the form of differing opinions from public health agencies. I’m sure they use just as stringent decision making criteria here as where you live, but they’ve reached different conclusions, based on a multitude of factors that have to be weighed against each other.
Ok, Sparky, I have *a lot* of celebrating to do with the change in administrations here. I’ll just conclude by saying the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Even if Dr. Bob is well intended AND pro-vax, it is irrelevant, his book allows folks to make reckless decisions about vaccination and that bothers me.
I would also add that, in the US, we do not have public health nurses making the visits you describe, so the kids aren’t seen unless the parents deign to remember. To me this says, still, the best prevention in our country is the standard schedule. I think it is difficult for Canadians to understand how our (lack of a) system impacts the public health terrain here.
OK, change, yes we can! Mamas for Obama, etc. And he’s from Hawaii, like the good doctor. Aloha.
The post Willa was looking for re hepatitis B is here.
I can understand why a “middle ground” vaccine schedule as suggested by Sears would be popular with some parents (and, incidentally, sell books and enrich Doc Sears). It is certainly better than parents eschewing vaccines altogether, though it does contribute to the erosion of herd immunity. My main beef with Sears is that he lends credence to several ideas about vaccines that simply aren’t true, and ultimately may scare off more parents from certain vaccines or even all of them. Instead, he raises yet another bogus scare (that of aluminum). So yes, his solution is to spread out the vaccines, but others will take this as “aluminum in vaccines is a legit issue, look – even Dr. Sears says so!”. Why could Sears not have taken the time to educate himself (and then others via his book) about these subject from reall vaccine experts?
I don’t think the comments were snarky at all . . . get over it. Its a discussion and I really enjoyed what everybody said and all the different personalities coming through. Lots of good information and links! Thank you guys for taking the time to do such!
Wow! I think this is a first. I agree with Esther and would like to thank her for her comments.
Vaccinating or not vaccinating has nothing to do with attachment parenting. For an explanation of attachment parenting see this: http://www.phdinparenting.com/2008/11/16/what-is-attachment-parenting/
As Esther explained, a lot of parents that embrace attachment parenting are also either against vaccinations or use alternate schedules for vaccinations. But not all of them do. My children were vaccinated. Other major attachment parenting advocates, such as Kelly from kellymom.com have also vaccinated their kids.
I don’t think that vaccinating or not vaccinating is a cut or dry issue. There are pros and cons to both options and some of the pros and cons affect only the individual child in question and others affect society as a whole.
Holy heck, Dr. Heather! You are brave. I am not saying anything other than that.
I would like to start by pointing out the advertisment for Ambien CR on the front page of this thread. It seems that the root problem may also have something to do with everyone looking to drugs to solve all of our health problems. In this day and age it has become so easy to cut corners and let the drugs deal with the aftermath of our laziness. If you cant sleep, by no means give up the 72 ounces of coca-cola and go for a walk, just pop a couple Ambien! Makes “cry-it-out” a whole lot easier too.
When my wife and I decided not to vaccinate our child we did so understanding that it is a lifestyle choice and not just a belief. If there is a chance he will be exposed to a dangerous illness, we remove him from the danger. If we cannot remove him from the danger then the responsible thing to do is to vaccinate. Does that sound like an irrational approach. Try this one, I reccomend a cocktail of toxic (yes toxic) chemicals to keep your child safe. Better to risk a dibilitation than a future trip to the doctors office. It sounds rediculous but that is what you are saying.
Lastly, why is it always the parents of vaccinated children who are scared of there kids contracting these diseases? Arent you protected?? Is my child going to cultivate the super bug that defeates these vaccines? Would the vaccine protect from that?