Thursday, May 28, 2009

Vaccinations Anyone?

Okay, I'm usually a total hippie- I eat tofu, wear long colorful skirts, and am an advid listener of Public Radio. So naturally, I am very skepticle of the whole immunization/vaccination process. I have spent many nights surfing the web, reading articles to support the argument against vaccinations. I even talked it over with my cousin- we'll call her Candice- whom I look up to when it comes to all matters of parenting. Candice is 88% vegan, stunting long beautiful dreds and is a firm believer in breastfeeding her children far into toddlerhood. She has not vaccinated her two oldest children, however being the wise woman she is, she told me it is a very personal decision and gave me a few references to do the research on my own.

Needless to say, after hearing alarming statistics of very healthy non-vaccinated children and their unhealthy doped-up, vaccinated counterparts, I was well on my way to bucking the system and going needle free for my little one. The first thing that probably popped into your mind was AUTISM, and while this was definately a main motivator, it was not what tipped me over the edge. It was reading that the number of immunizations given to American children has almost trpled in the past 25 years. With no preceeding epedemic to warrant this excess, I concluded it must have been the greed of major pharmeceutical companies. Then an unexpected turn . . .

My grandmother came all the way across the country from Philadelphia to visit me and her newborn great-granddaughter when she was just five days old. I told her I had already opted out on the Hep B shot in the hospital and I planned on continuing the trend. She ajusted her glasses and gazed out reminiscently and began to recall stories of children in the 1930s dying left and right of whooping cough and diptheria. She said many days she heard news of so-and-so being hospitalized at the tender age of 5 or 6 of these incurable and possibly fatal diseases. Then she told me of her own bout with the measles as an adult- pure hell- just the thought of it made her grimace. She didin't give me advice one way or the other, but I knew in my heart that I would take the subject a lot more serious.

I am no doctor. I am no scholar. I am just a parent who loves my child and would do anything to protect her. From one parent to another I urge you to consider this from all angles and May GOD have Mercy on us ALL.

This website has helped me a great deal. www.generationrescue.org

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Late Night Mommy

I have turned into a night owl. I am a "morning person" by nature, but I have evolved. This is not to say that I am not an early riser, because I most certainly am, due to the 6am wining, knicking, pooping, suckling 4 month old I have, who just happens to be a permanent fixture in my bed every night. She has what my husband calls, "spidey senses"; everytime I leave her side she has a complete fit. Even if Ruki appears to be in a coma-like sleep, she will jolt out of her slumber kicking and waving her arms wildly, as her inner alarm does the 'mommy come now' count down, 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2- and if I'm lucky I wisk her into my grasp before she reaches 1 at which point she would begin this piercing scream that can be heard for miles and miles! Needless to say, Ruki is lying next to me right now sound asleep.

Some mothers will read this and proclaim, "That child is absolutely spoiled rotten!" , "She needs to be sleeping in a crib!", or my personal favorite, "Just let her cry it out." Maybe a year from now, I might head this advice, but at the tender age of four months, my daughter only has one means of conversation- crying. So if I ignore her cries, I am not teaching her to be a 'good baby', I am simply teaching her that she can't trust the one person in this world that can cure most of her problems. If she's hungry, I nurse her. If she's lonely, I cuddle her. If she's bored, I entertain her. And if she sleeps more comfortably curled up next to me, it is the least I can do. By the way, I am not the only one who believes in this theory. Just ask Dr. Sears at www.askdrsears.com and come into the light! Actually many mothers have this instinct, but some follow it and some do not. This being said, I would not advise a mother who has a baby that sleeps soundly in a crib to then move the baby into her bed- God Bless her! Babies have different personalities just like adults. DO WHAT IS BEST FOR YOU AND YOUR BABY! But don't knock me because I am doing what is best for mine!

Initially this blog was suppose to be all about how I stay up late nights reading, writing, cleaning, and surfing the web because it is the only time baby doesn't need my constant attention, but it turned into something else! I guess I just had to get this off my chest ;-) Thanks for listening.