Who posted about the Oprah show? (I forget.) Whoever it was, thank you! DH and I sat and watched it this evening. He became so interested in the topic and had all sorts of questions throughout. He told me he was really glad I refused the Hep B vaccine at our boys' birth, and now believes it is worth researching vs. following the mainstream way of thinking.

When Joel and Evan were born, I really had to stand my ground in order to not have the Hep B vaccine. I originally told them no Vit. K or (what else) is done at birth. The nurse sat there and argued with me; I was so exhausted (contracting up a storm at the time) that I finally agreed to both things that are done besides Hep B. She had assured me that they do not use the silver nitrate eyedrops. She told me what they use instead (just remember it starts with an A), and I asked what are the side effects? Her answer was, "Oh, I've never heard of it having ANY side effects." When another nurse walked in, she told the lady that I was refusing vaccs (in a really snotty way); that lady was more polite but both convinced me to go ahead with the non-vaccs. I couldn't believe how pressured I was. (By the way, the boys seem fine; no side effects from what they had.) To pressure me, the nurse finally said that the only way they could go ahead with the c/s was for me to agree to it; otherwise they would have to track down a pediatrician to talk to me about my choice before they would allow me to deliver (which would delay things several hours.) Since I didn't yet have my ped at the time, they would have to "search" for one. Exhausted, I just agreed to the Vit. K and whatever.

While in NICU, I had to sign paperwork multiple times saying that I had refused the Hep B vaccine. At one point, the doctor came in and "consulted" with me about my choice. He wanted to know if I was afraid of it causing autism. I answered, "I'm not worried about that with the Hep B vaccine, but I refuse to give any vaccinations to a premature infant." As I recall, even the American Academy of Pediatrics (?) advises that preemies NOT be vaccinated!

Prior to changing hospitals, we again had to sign our consent waiver, then had to go through the same argument and paper signing at the new hospital at both intake and discharge. Finally, one of the nurses said to me, "Okay, it's fine if you refuse it here. Dr. K (pediatrician) will deal with you when you see him."
And this is all just for the Hep B vaccine!

The worst part to me is that the nurses are completely uninformed about what the side effects of any of these vaccines are. The doctors only seem to know people are "worried about autism", nothing else. And when you sit there and voice your opinion, they treat you like you are a jerk that is going to end up killing your kid because of your ignorant decisions.

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