Interestingly enough, I began to question vaccines after the birth of my second child. My first child, who is now 4.5, was vaccinated up to 3 years old, with no apparent problems, other than possible swollen glands. Then, in December of 2002, my son was born. All was well for a few months, but then at two months, he developed very severe eczema, and then at four months, he got something called Kawasaki Disease, which caused two aneurysms in his cornary artery. I had already refused his first vaccinations at two months (he was born at home, so none in the hospital) because of his eczema. But then after the ordeal with Kawasaki Disease, which has no known cause, but is theorized to be autoimmune, I intuitively felt that I needed to let my son's immune system heal itself and interferring with vaccines would not do any good. It's a daily struggle because I haven't yet found a doctor that really supports my decision, and I'm always made to feel like a weirdo. Some doctors have even refused to see our kids. Still, after all my research, I feel like I'm doing the right thing for my kids.

In fact, my son is doing very well. He has had one ear infection, which we have yet to treat with Antibiotics and it seems to be resolved, and a few rounds of colds/flu. At his last echocardiogram, his heart looked normal, although it's been recommended that he remain on aspirin the rest of his life. But most noticeably is his eczema. His skin is a little rough in patches, and he gets hives a lot (allergies), but compared to the little guy that looked like a burn victim last year, he looks amazing (I documented our experiences on www.eczemakids.org, if anyone's interested). I refused the typical steroid creams and Antibiotics , and opted for some herbal creams and a lot of TLC.

Anyway, despite my rambling off the topic, I suppose my point is that with regard to vaccinations, or any health decsion with your children, to do your research and trust your intuition.