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I'm a parent of a one year old daughter in Portland and have been concerned about the increase of immunizations for children, and the number of shots given in one period of time. I get frustrated at the somewhat hostile comments from people who choose to vaccinate their children along the recommended schedule. I would like to think as parents we've learned that every child is different and some children may need to get shots on an extended schedule, or choose to not get a shot for a specific reason. Even though the reports of immunizations linked to autism often come from parents perspectives, I can't help but trust and believe these parents. Parents know their children best and even if it cannot be medically proven, they see the affects of these shots after the children leave their dr. appointments. Even though I have chosen to give my daughter all of the shots an extended schedule, I don't think I would be doing this if my pediatrician hadn't been so wonderful is encouraging me to do whatever I was comfortable with as a parent. If she had aggressively encouraged I think I would be even more skeptical. Even though I have chosen this approach I respect each parents decision and think it's our responsibility as parents to be educated and have a point of view...just blindly accepting the blanket recommendations seems naive.

posted 3 years, 4 months ago
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