questions for parents

[RoxxannSczepanik]

well m 28 weeks preganate with a boy and i know that 1 out of evey 97 boys has autism...... so im looking for a pediatrician who will work with me on issues i have with gving my child shots and things when he is born.... is this smart to do i mean i know that they say shots dont cause it but..... when i talk to parents this i what they think and im not a person who thinks doctors know everything.... if im doing the right thing which shots should i really be worried about??? are they the shots like the hepatitis shot where you have to get like 3 of them over a period of time or are they the one time deal shots...... ?? im so lost i just wanna do whats best and so far im having a hard tim finding  doctor who will even talk about it.....

[retajepp]

I have heard the preservative that they use for vaccinations contains mercury and that is why there is the controversy about immunizations. There was a doctor who made an observation about the link between this harmful metal being put into our children and the rise of autism. He decided there may be a correlation between them. His study wasn't conducted very well by medical standards. This is why there is a controversy. Doctors who have done their research say there is no basis behind the claim.
However, you can ask for immunizations with out the preservative. They do make it and you can request it. I just hope more mothers find out and put pressure on the FDA or whomever to take the appropriate action and make all vaccinations mercury free.

[888mom]

Either get the shots and don't worry or don't get the shots.  Just be careful, if you don't have your kids immunized, you may not want to take them abroad ever.  My sister chose not to immunize her children.  Some shots have the mercury taken out, but finding out if the shots your pediatrician uses contain it or not, well, you have to make sure.  I made sure with my pediatrician.  Some shots still have it in, like I didn't want to get the chicken pox vaccine because I couldn't verify about the mercury with the pediatrician, plus chicken pox does not kill you.  I've also heard some controversy about the MMR shot.  I am a little skeptical, though.  I think genetics has a strong factor in autism.  My husband and I had sensory issues when we were children, so my daughter having sensory issues was not such of a shock to us.  My husband was so bad, he wouldn't let people touch him and he'd have tantrums so bad that he'd hold his breath and pass out.  His mom said his first two years of life were really hard on her, but he got better when he was able to talk, which he started saying his first word at age 2.  Our daughter, however, hit 2 and still wasn't speaking, so we started her through therapy finally and found out she has a lot of issues and her sensory issues may be impacting her receptive language among other things.  Neither of us are autistic, but we definitely had the sensory issues.  My daughter was showing symptoms well before her MMR.  Well, I'd probably say she was showing sensory issues since the day she was born.  She refused to wear a hat or socks from day one.  She still hates anything on her head and will tolerate socks and shoes only if she goes outside, and even then only when it's too cold to go barefoot.  She hit every single one of her milestones late.  I think there are kids who are sensitive to these shots, but I seriously doubt that the mercury stuff causes autism in all children, just some of them.  Oh, I also think autism was underdiagnosed when we were growing up.  Or maybe they are redefining autism to be a wider spectrum than it orginally was.  I just remember there being more "retarded" children when I was in elementary school, kids who would probably be labeled autistic, ADD, ADHD, or learning disabled in today's world.  I think in my parent's generation, kids were shipped off to different schools so you didn't see them.

[mjthewriterdad]

It's probably no help to you by the time babywho is born, but I remember reading about Congress autorizing a budget item for the CDC to study this issue of MMR and mercury and the corelation with autism.  I don't expect a report anytime soon, but at least admitting there is a problem is the first step.

When i read about possible sterile problems with the HiB vaccine, I get worried, too!

[2wonderfulboys]

When my boys were born I refused some of the shots because what I had read about what causes autism.. When I took them back to the doc for their 2 week check up i only let her give them the shots that were a must, then when they went back in for their 1 month check we did what they needed..  They are both fine today, and yes they are all caught up on all of their shots... Just do a lot of reading, it really helps and ask your doc what shots you can skip on the day of his birth,,, best wishes to you