An Intro to Vaccines

Quite a while ago I put out a piece called "A Little About Vaccines."  I spent a lot of time talking about how difficult this issue is to navigate and how much I believe in parental rights- which is true. I deeply believe that, except in extreme and unusual cases, parents are the only people who have the love, commitment, and investment in their children that would qualify them to make the final decision about what gets injected into their new little bodies.  Note I did not say the medical expertise, or the proper education. Medical expertise is good and helpful information that parents should carefully consider. Properly educating oneself on the relevant information for such decisions is clearly a parental responsibility. But, make no mistake, those things do not supersede a parent's decision. A doctor can think that the risk of harm to a patient from a vaccine is too slim to merit consideration, but in the case of a side-effect with permanent debilitating consequences it is not the doctor who will have to live with those effects (not to mention the financial and emotional burden) on a daily basis- it is the patient and his/her parents. Alternatively, if the child comes down with a "vaccine-preventable illness," whether or not they were vaccinated against that disease, it will still be the patient and parents who are really affected.

And yet, I have continued to study and learn a great deal since that first vaccine post. And the more I learn, the more I lean away from vaccines. The more I learn about the two parts of our divinely designed bodies' immune systems [Humoral Immunity and Cellular Immunity], and how little we know, let alone understand, of immunity at all, the more hesitancy I feel about the ways we may be irresponsibly manipulating it. The more I learn about the history of vaccination, the more concerned I am about the dogmatic allegiance government and industry alike demonstrate for vaccination.

I have really struggled with how to tackle this subject, how to organize what I have found (...and where it is since I have misplaced most of my links), and how to really express my feelings accurately. But in a recent conversation I started to get some ideas of where to start.

For those who are looking into vaccines, but don't have a particular starting place in mind I have a few suggestions. Whenever anyone questions vaccines, one of the most common angry retorts you will hear is "Vaccines eradicated smallpox and saved us from the scourge of polio!" But, is that even true?

1. Watch the video below (also available here). It is a presentation by one of my favorites- Dr. Suzanne Humphries, MD.  She is one of the authors of Dissolving Illusions: Disease, Vaccines, and the Forgotten History. This presentation reveals a whole new world of information on polio and the polio vaccine. I would apologize for the length (the video is over an hour long), but I honestly wish it was longer- I don't get tired of Dr. Humphries (in fact, I listen to her radio interviews).

If, after watching this lecture on polio, you decide that you too enjoy Dr. Humphries' style, I have good news!  Just recently, in August of 2014, a 4-part youtube series of a full vaccine seminar Dr. Humphries gave in Sweden. I have linked the series on my vaccine videos post.  

2.  Then read about the less well-known history of smallpox. Then, perhaps, an even more in-depth look at smallpox, history, and herd-immunity. 

The history of smallpox and polio are so fundamental to the defense of vaccines- if that history has been misrepresented, what else don't we know?

3. Read Vaccines: a peek beneath the hood by the authors of Dissolving Illusions: Disease, Vaccines, and The Forgotten History which I also highly recommend. 

4. Begin the quest of true Herd Immunity understanding by reading Herd Immunity: Can Mass Vaccination Achieve It? by Tetyana Obukhanych, Ph.D and “Herd Immunity” The flawed science and failures of mass vaccination, by Dr. Suzanne Humphries

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If you have read and watched all of that and you are hungry for more... I have more. A lot more. This is a list of some of interesting stuff I have read and watched, in no particular order. Start with whatever you want. Don't feel obligated to check out all of it... I just can't seem to stop.

-Learning about the difference between cellular immunity (also called innate immunity) and humoral immunity (also called adaptive immunity) is fascinating direction to go.  Oddly, this Dog Magazine Article contains a fairly good intro.

-Learning about original antigenic sin is also important.

-Dr. Tetyana  Obukhanych earned a PhD in immunology and is the author of Vaccine Illusion and the accompanying website.  The first time I visited the site there were links on the side with great articles and information. The links on the homepage are gone, but the pages still exist, I have linked them below. The video below is a presentation she gave in March 2013. 
          -Introduction
          -My Story
          -Herd Immunity
          -Why We Must Preserve the Freedom of Informed Vaccination Choice
          -Immunity
          -Maternal Immunity
          -Measles
          -Influenza
          -Whooping Cough
          -Antitoxin
          -Immunologic Memory
          -Chickenpox & Shingles
          -Tetanus Protection, Tetanus in Adults, Neonatal Tetanus
          -Hepatitis B
          -Polio & Rotavirus
          -HPV
          -FAQ
          -Useful Resources
    -Also, this is was a really great article she wrote on Tetanus

    -Below is a presentation she gave on measles:

*Update: Dr. Tetyana Obukhanych has a new website called Natural Immunity Fundamentals, however I have not found the above articles on the new site.

-This video with Dr. Tenpenny is 1.75 hrs long (and drags at times) but has a lot of info (much of the info is good, but I believe some of it is outdated, and there were some statements that conflict with some of my other sources) 

-A Shot Never Worth Taking: The Flu Vaccine a very worthwhile piece, not just on the flu vaccine but more importantly the mindset of the mainstream parents. One powerful quote "I understand, now, that, my collection of PubMed articles substantiating concerns about inefficacy, neurological, autoimmune, and fatal risks of these poorly conceived and anachronistically relevant immune modulators is not meaningful to someone who is not interested. The questions raised by this information are not provocative to someone who needs, above all, to believe that the government, the CDC, and doctors mean well, are doing their due diligence, and that they are holding themselves to a basic standard of ethical delivery of healthcare. They are not meaningful to someone who needs to outsource their power."
-Side note, this study is a very intriguing example of why true vaccinated vs unvaccinated studies don't get done by pharmaceutical companies (this one was done in Hong Kong and was a relatively small study with only 115 children). The statistics and conclusions are striking.  This study suggests that the flu shot seriously increases risk of other respiratory infections including Coxsackie and Echovirus.  Because this study was not done in the US and was done with a relatively small sample size (but it did make it into The Oxford Journal of Clinical Infectious Diseases), I would prefer to cite a bigger more prestigious study, but there are none.
-While we are on the topic of the flu shot, the misleading citing of manipulated statitsics regarding the danger of contracting the flu is really buggin' me. This article breaks it down quite well

-Shawn Siegel wrote an article called The Great Divide: spanning the chasm between truth and egregious lies which I rather appreciated. The great divide he speaks of is the time that most often lapses between the injecting of a vaccine and the negative reactions. As he puts it "If after a vaccination your arm immediately atrophied, folks would get the point."

-If you are interested in more videos and radio interviews, I have a whole post dedicated to a list of links to both called "Videos Regarding Vaccines"

The Big Three Series: 3 Things I Wanted to Share If You Choose to Vaccinate

I have been thinking about publishing a three part series focusing on specific vaccines for a while now. I envisioned calling it "The Big Three" since there were already two sets of three vaccines that I knew I wanted to talk about. But I could not figure out what to do for the last set of Big Three.  Well the last set has turned into the first set, since the other two are not even close to finished.  And this set is not about any specific vaccines at all.

One of my sisters has told me that she is at least partially vaccinating, and I respect her decision.  When I say I believe in parental rights, I don't just mean in theory.  One of the many reasons parental rights are so very important is the fact that every parent, every child, and every family are so different and unique that it is often genuinely the case that what is right for one at one time will not be right for another or at a different time. Once again, the gift of the Holy Ghost is such a phenomenal blessing. I feel in many ways that my appreciation for the breadth and scope and individuality of this gift continues to increase the further I travel my parenting journey.

This sweet sister has inspired me to put together some information and recommendations for her and any other sisters who may decide that full or partial vaccination is right for some or all of their kids. 

Much of this information comes from the National Vaccine Information Center's page "If You Vaccinate, Ask 8!" and Dr. Stephanie Cave

Three notes for my beloved sisters who may choose to fully or partially vaccinate (in chronological order)

1. As the appointment approaches, remember that if your child is currently ill (fever, runny nose, diarrhea, constipation, etc.) or on antibiotics, or has very recently been ill or on antibiotics, your child may be at increased risk of reaction and therefore it is recommended that you reschedule the appointment. Also consider giving your child cod liver oil and sodium ascorbate (vitamin c) for three days before and on the day of the shot.

2. Keep a written record of the the shot and specifically the manufacturer name and lot numbers for any vaccines your child receives.  Also write down any reactions, or possible changes in health/behavior following a vaccine. Recognizing Vaccine Reaction Symptoms has a list of things to look out for and information on how to report vaccine reactions. 

3. Please, consider avoiding acetaminophen (Tylenol) around the time of vaccination as Routine Use of Paracetamol (Acetaminophen) After Vaccination Not Recommended for Infants, Study. Essentially, it seems to impair the detoxification systems and increase risk of vaccine injury. 
Also, there is THIS article suggesting that Acetaminophen following vaccination may have a causal connection to Asthma, Autism, and ADHD in genetically vulnerable children (there is a link to a webinar that was done by the author). And THIS is a similar article published in Alternative Medicine Review.

Videos Regarding Vaccines

This is just a list of vaccine documentaries, lectures, and interviews I have seen. I thought about trying to pick out the best one or two, but I couldn't.  Sadly, this is not because they are all too good to leave out. Mostly this is because each has different (or just better worded) info that is good, mixed in with a bunch of stuff I would not put into the New Momma Musings Vaccine documentary (which isn't going to happen, but if it did it would probably be unsuccessful since I would leave out most of the individual vaccine injury stories that tug at the heartstrings and personalize the issue, but make the films too emotionally draining and take time away from the "meat" of the issues).


-If you start watching Silent Epidemic and want to skip much of the individual injury stories (which I prefer) skip to 17:38.  It does have some really good info and some unusual footage and explanation of the vaccine manufacturing process around 43:42.

-Neurosurgeon Russell Blaylock, M.D. presented a lecture titled Vaccines & Brain Development with a ton of info. Note there is brief political commentary at the beginning (and lightly scattered throughout). He also gave a different informative lecture called Vaccines and Immunoexcitotoxicity (I don't recall any political commentary in it).

-Shots in the Dark and The Greater Good (this link is for the trailer only as the full film is not available for free) are fairly mainstream films (the implied suggestion here is that they are actually too mainstream for my current views... but they were part of my road of getting to my current conclusions). Parts of both are in a patchwork youtube video called Vacciness-The truth behind vaccinations (and yes, I am aware of the spelling error, but I wanted to keep the searchable title).

-Lethal Injection: The Story Of Vaccination Documentary has some parts that really drag, so if you get too bored or disinterested (in the excavation to find the flu of 1918) to continue just skip ahead a bit and it usually picks up.  Also note that large chunks of info in this video are not read aloud, the text is displayed on screen (I note that because I sometimes "watch" informational videos by listening while I am doing something else and this is not a good one for that).

-The newest vaccine documentary is called Bought.  I have not seen it yet, but the trailer is intense. It focuses on GMOs and vaccines.  It is a Jeff Hays film (same guy who produced Doctored).  I hope to get to see it soon.

-If, after watching the lecture on polio, you decide that you enjoy Dr. Humphries' style (as I do), I have good news!  Just recently, in August of 2014, a 4-part youtube series of a full vaccine seminar Dr. Humphries gave in Sweden became available.  The links are Part One (1:08:40), Part Two (45:27), Part Three (9:05), and Part Four: Q & A (44:09) (For a grand total of 2:47:21)

-I mention in my Intro to Vaccines that I listen to Dr. Humphries' radio interviews.  Here are a few:
     -Dr. Mercola Interviews Dr. Suzanne Humphries
     -Suzanne Humphries, MD: Boosters Ineffective, Infant Immunity & Aluminum. 8-3-14 (with Shawn Siegel) in which Dr. Humphries explains how vaccines are an assault on an infant's immune system
     -Suzanne Humphries, MD: Did vaccines eliminate polio and smallpox? 8-18-13 (another with Shawn Siegel)
     -Interview with Dr Suzanne Humphries about vaccines (with Mike Adams)
     -Dr. Suzanne Humphries - Scientific proof that vaccines are harming hospital patient and more (with Dr. Mayer Eisenstein)
     -Dr Suzanne Humphries: The Truth Treatment - Truth Connections Radio - 29th November 2012 (with TruthConnections, whoever that is) NOTE: the first 4:20 are worthless (and I find creepy) intro music... and words... just skip to 4:20.

More about Circumcision

My first post about circumcision ended up focusing on the religious (non-)requirement in my faith. However, there were certainly other issues my husband and I had to assess and resolve concerning circumcision. 

There are several common concerns about circumcising or not circumcising, and some are more valid than others.  I would like to address this list of the most common ones I have encountered in my research on the topic.

• Cleanliness/The Perception of Uncleanliness: As far as I know, the United States is the only place where there is an active cultural "dissing" of the intact male anatomy. The harshest displays I have encountered were only from internet comments, but I know I tend to be relatively sheltered. Anyway, you may run into statements like "uncircumcised men stink because they can't get themselves properly clean" and "its gross" and even a desire to link intact men with a lower "class" of people (dirty, uneducated, even criminals), exists out there on the web. Even if you know those things aren't true, you can feel like you are putting your son in a difficult social situation.  I really do understand that instinctive desire to give your child the best possible start to life- including social aspects. It bothered me to think that because of an elective medical procedure that we might choose not to have performed on our brand new baby, he would automatically be labeled dirty, disgusting, or anything else. There is good news though. First of all, the statistics seem to show (to varying degrees) that this practice is being reconsidered by a growing segment of the population. In the 1980's something like 85% of boys were circumcised, now that number is less than 50% in some states (it varies greatly by region- western states have the fewest circumcisions, but in the north east it is still very popular). Also, as Latter-Day Saints, we should probably be accustomed to doing things the rest of the world considers "strange" or "different" especially since it should feel a little weird to do something just because "everyone else it doing it." It is still uncomfortable sometimes though. THIS page is one of a series and the best resource I think I have found for dispelling hygiene myths. 
• Fear of Later Problems: Perhaps the strongest fear-based argument in favor of circumcision goes something like this; "I know a man who was forced to get circumcised for medical reasons when he was 30! He says he wouldn't wish that on anyone and that he wishes he was circumcised as a baby."  Just for arguments' sake, consider this hypothetical story; "I know a woman who had to get a mastectomy when she was 30! She says it was a horrible experience. Wouldn't it have been so much better for her if she had been able to have that done as a baby?" My answer to that question would go something like this: I imagine if she had been able to have the procedure performed in her infancy she would not remember the trauma of the surgery. She also would have missed out to some degree. More importantly though, what would that have meant about her parents that they would decide to deprive her of a part of her body for the first 30 years of her life because of the risk of needing to have it removed at some later period? One day I may have to have a mastectomy or appendectomy or tonsillectomy or any number of procedures if a part of my body fails to such a degree that it must be removed. However, I would not find that to be a reasonable justification for my parents to have a part of my infant body removed before it was necessary.  This argument, while scary, and accusatory ("if your son's penis catastrophically fails later in life it will basically be your fault for not performing prophylactic surgery on him in his infancy"), is not logically sound. 
• Father-Son "Matching": This is, perhaps, the dumbest argument I can imagine- yet one of the most popular. Let me address it in two ways. First, your son is not going to "match" his father's looks entirely in any way (unless he is a clone)- he is likely to have different color hair and eyes, be a different height, and even have a different skin tone than his father. He is not going to match the way his father's penis looks, even if they are both circumcised, for a very long time. Among other things, I imagine the presence of hair would be one of the most obvious differences to a young boy.  Secondly, this argument sounds as absurd as it ought to when we replace it with any other procedure. Is this a good reason for a baby to get his tongue pierced? To have his appendix or tonsils removed? To have his arm amputated?  Think about it.
• Fear of Minor "Issues": This usually boils down to things like urinary tract infections and "extra trouble." As far as "extra trouble" is concerned, this usually is in reference to washing, baths and diaper changes. Ironically, it is circumcised boys that are significantly "extra trouble" initially since they have an open wound in their diapers that must be protected, kept clean, and watched for signs of infection. But after that wound is healed, hygiene is not much different. As a baby, toddler, and small child the foreskin is fused on, and only the visible outside needs to be washed (the inside keeps itself clean like the inside of your eyelids keep themselves clean).  More is explained about that on THIS excellent website that I refer to all over this page.  As far as urinary tract infections go, girls are at a much higher risk of UTIs than intact or circumcised boys (and we don't normally suggest surgery as a solution for that).  There are studies that suggest that circumcised boys are at a slightly reduced risk, there are also some concerns about the accuracy of the conclusions of those studies. Quoting from the article linked above "This claim [that circumcision protects boys from UTIs] is based on one study that looked at charts of babies born in one hospital (Wiswell 1985).  The study had many problems, including that it didn't accurately count whether or not the babies were circumcised(!?), whether they were premature and thus more susceptible to infection in general, whether they were breastfed (breastfeeding protects against UTI), and if their foreskins had been forcibly retracted (which can introduce harmful bacteria and cause UTI)  (Pisacane 1990).  There have been many studies since which show either no decrease in UTI with circumcision, or else an increase in UTI from circumcision. Thus circumcision is not recommended to prevent UTI  (Thompson 1990).  Girls have higher rates of UTI than boys, and yet when a girl gets a UTI, she is simply prescribed antibiotics.  The same treatment works for boys." 
• Desire to Protect "Women"/Desire to Sacrifice Son: Not really sure how to address this one other than to suggest you watch THIS video (it is less than a minute long) of famous obstetrician Lisa Masterson (who I disagree with on almost everything I have ever heard her say) and the host of some late show, Craig Ferguson. Also THIS page I continue to recommend you read. If you want information on the ways circumcision of male babies may be harmful to women I have links at the bottom of the page.
• Concern For Dad's Well-Being: This is a very real concern and one that all loving wives need to be conscientious and considerate about. It can be hard to approach this topic.  It is important to find a way to discuss this topic without hurting your husband's feelings or ego.  If you and your husband find yourselves in perfect agreement (whatever that may be) it is much easier, but you can have a great marriage and not start out in perfect agreement about everything. If you find yourself leaning against circumcision and your husband leaning for it, please tread gently. It is hard to hear that your wife doesn't want her son to be like you. It is very personal. As THIS page explains "The real issue at play here is [...] the father: if it is okay for his son to not be circumcised, then he did not have to be circumcised, and so he is missing something from his penis" and that is a big deal and a really overwhelming thought. I actually really liked this little essay on discussing this issue with your husband- the best part starts near the end (about paragraph 7). But I like how he explains the goal: "So, the problem is how do we save our son's genitals without psychologically emasculating their fathers?"  Because as much as I didn't want to circumcise our [hypothetical] son, I am not sure sacrificing my marriage or my husband's psychological health would have been worth it. I am grateful that I didn't have to choose between those options, but some women do. 
• Fear of botched Circumcision: This one did influence my decision, and is also part of how I addressed the above concern. You see, in my digging, I found some surprising stories. Obviously one should not make a decision based on one, or even multiple, anecdotal horror stories.  However, one also rarely makes decisions based on statistics alone, particularly on a topic in which statistics are frustratingly unavailable. It is hard to be sure that the data we have on the percentage of boys who are actually circumcised at all are very accurate- let alone the statistics that are openly "guesstimated" such as circumcisions that require corrective surgery, circumcisions with "complications" and deaths caused by circumcisions. And there are horror stories. There are stories of little boys who came back from the experience with problems that required additional corrective surgeries. Stories of little boys who died from hemorrhage, or who lost their entire penis.  Stories of men who live with unique mutilations, usually in silence.  I remember telling my husband, that if I could be 100% certain that our son would have a perfect circumcision, with no complications, that I could be certain he would look just like his dad, I would think about it differently, and I would probably have considered it more heartily. But nobody could give me that kind of guarantee- and I knew it. So regardless of what the actual (unknown) statistics are- is it worth the risk? For me, it wasn't.

Interestingly, one of my personal greatest concerns came from a story I had heard in regards to a very different issue that came up when my brother was born. The relevant part boiled down to this: when my brother was born my Mom had some concerns about circumcision, she thought she would rather not do it (which was rather radical at that time; yes my dear sisters, we come by it honestly). My Dad, who deeply respects my Mom and her concerns, was cool with that plan. My maternal grandfather, who is not circumcised, heard about this plan and... basically panicked.  He talked to my Dad and the two of them came back to my Mom and basically told her that it really needed to be done; and it was.  

The first time I heard that story I was not pregnant and though I casually inquired as to the nature of the problem Grandpa had brought to my father's attention, my Mom told me she didn't know or couldn't remember and I left it at that.  But once I was pregnant, and considering that the circumcision question would have to be addressed in the event my baby was a boy, this story quickly came back to haunt me.  I had to know- what was the big deal that had changed everyone's minds? What was this incredibly persuasive argument?  I asked my Mom, but she again told me that she couldn't remember if she had even ever heard the argument. So I asked my Dad. Amazingly, he also couldn't remember what it was that Grandpa said that persuaded him. I am however still very curious and may ask him about it if I get a good opportunity.

In the meantime, I have made the educated guess that it was related to his military experience and the theories of the medical establishment at that time.

Like so many parenting decisions, the circumcision question is a tough one.  And if you have a boy, there is no escaping it.  I am not even sure that the "right" answer to this question is the same for everyone. But I do know that Heavenly Father will comfort and guide you if you invite His help through fasting and prayer.  


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If you are looking for additional resources with information against circumcision, I have compiled the following links with descriptions. While my husband and I decided not to circumcise our baby, I want to make it clear that this is a very personal decision and that many of the sites and videos I share below have opinions with which I disagree.

-This YouTube video (14:40) is a critique of an episode of "The Doctors" which aired on January 12, 2011 in which the panel of doctors discuss the proposed circumcision ban in San Francisco. The creator of the video tries to use logic-based arguments and has references at the end for his assertions. There are no visually graphic scenes (but because of the nature of circumcision, discussions are almost inevitably verbally graphic- we are talking about male anatomy), although some of his video-editing gets obnoxious and annoying (but it does get better later on).

-Ryan McAllister, PhD,  from Georgetown University has several YouTube videos regarding circumcision.
     -Child Circumcision: An Elephant in the Hospital (33:32) if you are interested in academic/scientific rebuttals to some of the controversial conclusions of various studies and arguments in favor of circumcision, he addresses several starting about 26 minutes in.  At the beginning he talks about the history of circumcision and the procedure itself and the functions of the foreskin and really its just an overall very thorough informative video- but it has a very strong anti-circumcision position and there is a graphic video of a circumcision being performed on an infant as well as pictures of male anatomy- he usually gives a warning/heads up before showing anything like that to give his audience an opportunity to turn away.
     - Unrepresented Voices in Circumcision (15:43) has some personal perspectives from men. The most memorable part of this video for me starts at 6:50 and is about a botched circumcision that was not medically addressed. There is also a brief clip of an interview with a circumcised gay man who is in a relationship with an intact man. There are pictures of male anatomy (without warning).

-Eliyahu Ungar-Sargon made a documentary on Circumcision called Cut: Slicing Through the Myths of Circumcision (which I cannot recommend as it is *very* graphic, as I found out in the first 5 seconds of the YouTube preview- I only watched the first 8 seconds so I don't know much else about it). But honestly, this interview clip (3:27) had a big impact on me. This is exactly the sort of thing that is hardest and scariest for circumcised Daddy's to consider, but as a Mommy I am glad I saw this. This YouTube video (33:32) is an interview he gave on how he decided to make the film (Cut: Slicing Through the Myths of Circumcision) and some of his experience and perspective on circumcision (which is not visually graphic- only shows him talking)- one of my favorite quotes in this starts at 18:53 where he says "Its not a comfortable subject. Its not something people want to spend time thinking about. If you are a circumcised man it is definitely not something you want to think about. And if you've done this to someone else- if you're a mother or a father who has done this to your child, its probably not something you want to think about. And that sort of covers a lot of people." One of the most indisputable statements on circumcision I have ever heard!

-History of Circumcision (it says "short history" but it still takes a fair amount of time to read) also, if you prefer, Chronological Timeline of Circumcision (doesn't really get interesting until about the 12th century)

-THIS page contains the basic intactivist spiel. It is not particularly academic or scientific, but it does contain links that are more so.  What probably hit me hardest was this little piece at the end:

It takes a brave man to admit

that his sexuality might not be

all that it could be.

It takes a strong man

to grant his son

something that was taken from him.

-How male infant circumcision harms women. This is at the very end for a reason.  I almost didn't include it at all. There are other resources for information on this subject if you are really interested, but I will share two. THIS essay by Ronald Goldman, PhD, is very thorough- too thorough in fact- I don't agree with all of his suggestions for harm, but as he mentions, more research is needed (Also, he refers to THIS study, but I did not notice an actual reference). Speaking of research, there is THIS article from sciencenordic.com about some research that has been done and what the results were. 

When The Internet Calls You Names

In case this is the first post you are reading- I subscribe, at least partially, to multiple controversial parenting philosophies.  This makes me (along with everyone else who reads the internet with an opinion) an anonymous target. And yes, sometimes it hurts- and not just in the way that stupid hurts. 

One of the crappiest things about parenting in this era of the internet (which has a LOT of benefits) is that you cannot realistically shield yourself from the plethora of anonymous voices out there who, no matter what you choose to do or not to do, no matter whether you follow the mainstream or the beat of a distant drummer, they will call you names. They will call you ignorant, naive, foolish, irresponsible, and even abusive. And that can cut deep.

You would think I would be accustomed to web-based vitriol directed towards those groups with whom I count myself, since I have been very politically involved and opinionated since at least middle school. I grew up noticing the political slant in subtly political stories and recognizing when my views were being called names. And sometimes it infuriated me, and sometimes I took it a little personally, but as I grew up I found that I took it personally less and less frequently. I knew how "the other side" perceived my views and how they categorized my intellect, compassion, and soul. And I could live with that.

But with parenting, its different. When people attack my political views my vulnerable part turns off- it doesn't have to be personal. But when people attack my religion, and when people attack my parenting, it seems to hit the same soft spot. The main difference is that with religion you will almost always have that moral majority expressing their disgust with those who openly attack others for their religious views- whatever they are. You don't need to be Amish to feel a bursting of compassion towards them and anger or frustration towards any anonymous internet commentator who is purposely attacking their religion.  Essentially, you don't have to be with them to be for them. But with these explosive parenting decisions, the philosophy seems to be far more harsh.

Like religion, parenting frequently comes down to faith. No matter how many people begin their accusations of you and your philosophy with phrases like "FACT-- studies x, y & z PROVE..." or "this link to this well-respected organization's website...." or "history shows..." the miserable truth is that there are studies that demonstrate, or suggest, or imply almost anything you want. There are organizations that are well-respected that are wrong, or that change their position on all sorts of topics throughout their existence. And history can be studied and interpreted a whole host of different ways- and many of them are valid. You will have to decide, for example, whether or not to circumcise your son. You can't decide to stay out of it- your son will either be circumcised or intact. And whichever you choose, you will likely have the studies and the documentaries, and the organizations and whatever else, that convinced you to make whichever decision you did. But the fact is, that these are the things that you decided to trust. There are studies and organizations that suggest this procedure carries benefits that make it worthwhile, there are studies and organizations that suggest the opposite. Some will be more convincing to you than others. Those are the ones you have faith in. It will still come down to faith. As scientific as the medical field tries to be, it isn't that simple. A friend of mine recently graduated from her nursing program. As she was studying for her test she posted the following on facebook:

So sick of studying for nursing. Graduation is riding on an exam worth 40% of my grade and this is the crap I have to deal with!Textbook:"dont splint fractured ribs it increases the Risk for ineffective breathing"Teachers:"use splinting to decrease pain of breathing""

Don't tell me that you are either with the science or against the science! It isn't that simple.

I hope as I "grow up in parenting" I will find that I take it personally less and less frequently, but in the meantime, I will try to practice compassion and understanding for others' parenting as I travel this wide opinionated world.

A Little About Vaccines

Oh yay, another one of those topics one must avoid in polite company... actually ALL company. Luckily my sisters aren't company- they are family. So here we go.

This post will be just an intro to the miserable lose-lose of the vaccine controversy. Partly because it is an overwhelmingly broad topic and partly because I don't have access to most of my saved links on the subject since my computer is currently not working.

So, as I am sure my sisters are at least vaguely aware, the sides fall approximately thus: mainstream medicine claims all legally available vaccines (FDA approved, etc) are safe, worthy, and effective; the alternative view would naturally be that that is not the case. The concerns include everything from autism to asthma to the possibility of incorrectly programming our immune systems. However, most people, I would venture to say, don't believe it is as simple as all or nothing.

Sadly, this issue is even more inflammatory than any other controversial issue I have looked into (which really is saying a lot since the internet is full of angry and hateful words directed at people who disagree with them). Perhaps this is because it is perceived to be a decision that may have a uniquely direct effect on other people's children. I can certainly understand how frightening and frustrating it would feel to think that just anybody could make decisions that might put my baby at risk. And, it turns out that both sides of this debate have that concern. The Healthy Home Economist explains how the government has set up the debate to pit parent against parent in THIS insightful post.

I don't want to make it seem like I am trying to argue on behalf of one side of this debate because I believe that there is no simple one-size-fits-all answer to this decision, and I truly do believe in parental rights and parental decisions. I really do think that only a child's parents should decide what is right for that child at that time. As is usually the case, that doesn't mean that they always make the right decision, but it is still theirs to make. Of course parents are most likely to make the right decision for their child if they get as much information as they can ahead of time, since reading one or two articles will hardly make you "well-informed.". Unfortunately educating yourself on tough decisions doesn't always make them less intimidating or more obvious- you can read every study, article, and opinion on the internet and find yourself more confused than ever, and that is why I am finding that as a parent especially, I have more need than ever to be guided by the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Much of the information I share will be about concerns for the safety and effectiveness of vaccines, but let me explain why. Your pediatrician, the prominent news outlets, and the government entities such as the CDC and FDA, will all be happy to share will you their arguments and anecdotes on behalf of vaccine safety and effectiveness. That information is easy to find. But the opposing information can be harder to find, sift though, and determine merit. I am trying to bring together some of that information that I have found intriguing.

Disclaimer: Of course I am not going to be able to find and share only websites that I agree with entirely; there will be statements and theories in most articles, videos, and websites I share that that I disagree with, or have not yet decided whether I agree or not. My main criteria for what I share is that the information was interesting, somewhat well-explained, and not mainstream.

One of the first sites I want to share is National Vaccine Information Center because it is a non profit organization that stands for informed consent, which is something I very enthusiastically support. Here is a video from the president of NVIC, Barbara Loe Fisher. They also have a page called "If you vaccinate, ask 8" with a checklist to go through before the vaccine appointment. 

Herd Immunity

Vaccine Illusion: Herd Immunity this is a much more in-depth explanation than I have read anywhere else, and parts of it are a bit different than most of the "herd immunity does not apply" arguments I have read.

The Gianelloni Family Blog also has a lot of information on herd immunity theory and practical information. There are several posts from their blog that touch on this subject, but there is a great deal of overlap information in them.
The Myth of Herd Immunity
Exposing Myths...Herd Immunity
Why All The Measles Outbreaks...

Some other videos

What I Want My Sisters to Know About Circumcision

There are some topics that I actually try to stay away from in conversations with people.  Circumcision is definitely one of them- luckily it doesn't come up often.  However, this blog isn't for people, it is for my sisters- and I don't want to avoid any important topics with them.  In fact, I want to make sure I cover all the important topics with them- and that is why I have decided to write this post.

Circumcision is a tough subject though. A really tough subject. It is so very personal and, at least when we were faced with the question of whether we would circumcise or not, it felt so pressing.  The problem was, as much as those against it would say that if you didn't do it, you could always change your mind later, that didn't really ring true for us... for my husband in particular. Yes, you could circumcise your 2, or 4, or 8 year-old, but it would be a memorable traumatic experience.  As far as my husband was concerned, if it was going to happen it had to happen early- very early. And I can't blame him for being very grateful that he doesn't remember his.

But we found that there is a great deal of conflicting information out there- much of it in angry and alarmist tones- on both sides. Both sides 'debunk' the 'myths' perpetuated by the other side.  They can't seem to concede a single assertion- babies do get adequate pain blockers (or any other argument for or against)- they don't- they do, back and forth all day long. You will find that most mainstream publications from the US lean in favor of the procedure to varying degrees, and most 'studies' about the procedure are either outdated or performed under questionable conditions.  Which makes all the (often redundant) information even harder to sift through.  Things may not have actually been worded that strongly, but it felt like if we didn't do it our son would get cancer after a never-ending series of UTIs and HIV susceptibility and if we did do it he would bear emotional scars, never enjoy sex, and discover through primal therapy that he could remember the experience! It felt like a lose-lose (and made having a girl seem so much simpler).

And yet, we were able to come to a decision. Since we had a girl it is a decision we have not yet implemented, but at least it is settled for when the time comes.

So, let me start with my strongest feelings about circumcision. I am a strong believer in parental rights (those of you to whom I am not related who are joining this conversation: don't be obtuse- I am not advocating the idea that parents should be able to do anything with or to their children- just hold on to your hats).  I do consider circumcision to be a parental decision (ie; not a government decision); however, like all parental decisions, circumcision is not a decision to make based on convenience or ignorance. I also believe parents have a responsibility to make informed decisions, which should reduce the likelihood of regretting that decision later.  

I will share the information that had the most influence on my decision and perhaps in subsequent posts I will share some additional relevant info.

Of course I first considered circumcision from my religious perspective. I was familiar with the fact that circumcision was commanded by God in the old testament, and that, as the Bible Dictionary explains "The Church under direction of Peter and the Twelve, and acting under the guidance of the Spirit, declared that circumcision was not obligatory for gentile converts. However, it apparently did not settle the matter of whether or not Jewish members of the Church should have their children circumcised." I appreciate that it also adds "As one reads the scriptures on the matter, it becomes evident that the real issue was not circumcision only but also the larger question as to continued observance of the law of Moses by members of the Church. The word circumcision seems to have been representative of the law in these instances." However, this did not make it clear to me what the best course of action was for my baby. Clearly new converts are under no obligation to be circumcised- but is it still preferable? It can't be a requirement for exaltation (or else it would be required for converts), but are there benefits to having it done anyway? I appreciated these scriptures, but still felt unsure.

Ultimately, the piece of information that had the biggest influence on me personally was learning that biblical circumcision and modern circumcision are NOT the same thing. When I first started learning about this, all I knew about circumcision was that it was a surgical procedure done to the foreskin, which is part of a baby boy's penis- which is about as much as a lot of baby-books tell you. In some health class I remember hearing about some medical benefit(s) of circumcision (which may or may not be 'debunked'), and thinking "oh, well that must be why God commanded the Jews to practice circumcision." But, because I don't believe God intended our bodies, which are made in His image, to have useless parts (which we have already found about most of those 'useless' organs we used to surgically remove without much thought, such as the appendix), this did seem to be a rather unusual case to me.  As it turns out, the circumcisions practiced by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, were more of a cut (Zipporah was able to circumcise her son with a stone in Exodas 4:25) that was intended to supply some drops of blood for a covenant and leave a scar to mark the person with the covenant. I really like the way this this blog explains it. The circumcisions practiced in modern hospitals are more like amputations which remove hundreds of feet of nerves, and tens of thousands of nerve-endings.  Fatal hemorrhaging is a risk of the procedure even today. All of this information had a profound effect on the way I thought about the possibility of having my son circumcised.  

So, I told my husband that I was comfortable with two options: leaving our son intact or circumcising him the biblical way. This settled the discussion since he answered that he was comfortable with two options as well: circumcising or not circumcising- but he was not okay with our son having something done to him that nobody does anymore.

If you would like additional circumcision information from an LDS perspective THIS is a neat pamphlet of info. Please note that the pamphlet was not created, nor is it distributed by, the leaders of the church.

25 Things That Have Changed Since You Were The New Baby

Occasionally I come up with my own stuff.  Last year I had a baby- the first grand-baby on my side of the family. I had the opportunity to have a lot of great discussions about taking care of babies and what babies need and what the recommendations are for babies with my sweet and wonderful mother. Together we discovered that a few things have changed... and I was inspired to put together this list. 

25 Things That Have Changed Since You Were The New Baby

1. Car seats -The infant car seat base- a total game-changer
2. Car seats- The new [twenty]-five point harness: if your child can move at all it is either too loose or you have done it wrong… again.
3. Car seats- They expire, usually before the second child can outgrow them.
4. Car seat boosters… for 12-year olds 
5. Baby powder is hazardous to your baby’s health 
6. Formula… for breast-fed babies
7. Breast-feeding supplies are now tax-deductable
8. “Baby-led weaning” has almost nothing to do with the common US usage of the word “weaning” 
9. You must get a special mat and a timer and designate “tummy time” to watch your baby flail and scream, but no matter what they must not fall asleep on their stomachs. 
10. Cloth diapers are the hip thing to do
11. People expect YOUR diaper bag to match your BABY’S gender
12. Real people (not just celebrities) buy $200 diaper bags
13. Between the recommendations against crib bumpers, and blankets being labeled a “SIDS risk,” there is no fun to be had in baby bedding.
14. The great crib recall… it’s a miracle you survived your drop-side crib
15. Recalls for “parental stupidity” 
16. The toxins in your baby’s flame retardant clothing are a greater threat than fire
17. Everything is a SIDS risk, but we still don’t know what causes SIDS.
18. If your baby starts solids too early they will get allergies; if your baby starts solids too late they will get allergies; too early is before 4 months… or before 6 months… or before they are demonstrating all the proper physiological signals of readiness… too late is after 4 months… or after 6 months… or….
19. Speaking of starting solids, those “forbidden foods” are no longer a problem (except honey- don’t give your baby honey until after 1 year)
20. No more Vicks VapoRub for sick babies
21. Circumcision is no longer a “given”
22. Scheduled vaccinations from birth to age six in 1983 total 10. Scheduled vaccinations from birth to age six for 2013 total 38.
23. 3D and 4D Ultrasounds
24. Watch your baby (or your neighbor’s baby) with a video baby monitor
25. Names! Unique names are common, gender-benders are in, and the internet gives everyone easy access to the most recent social security name data