H1N1: Parenting in the Information Age

By Rachel Campos-Duffy.

Last week, my husband and I made a gut-wrenching decision to give our seven year-old son the H1N1 vaccine. It wasn’t an easy decision for us. We have a healthy skepticism when it comes to safety claims made by the government and pharmaceutical companies, and like many other parents raising kids in the age of the internet, our email boxes and facebook pages have been swarmed with links and claims about the benefits and potential problems with the vaccine. Unable to fully separate fact from fiction, we decided to forego the shot for us and our five kids and treat a potential bout of the “swine flu” the way we’ve always treated the flu – with good nutrition, supplements and plenty of rest and fluids.

We were especially skeptical of the campaign to vaccinate pregnant moms. I happen to be four months pregnant, and loathed the idea of exposing my tiny, developing baby to whatever is in that shot. For us, my decision not to get vaccinated was a no-brainer.

Our son, Jack, however, is asthmatic and over the past few months, his condition has been particularly bad. With his asthma not under control and the H1N1 rapidly spreading in school, our doctor strongly advised us to vaccinate Jack; a bout of H1N1, he warned, could be potentially fatal for him. So last week, I took Jack to the clinic in our small, rural Wisconsin town, promising him the candy of his choice in exchange for his bravery.

Despite my misgivings about the vaccine, I accepted the fact that we made the best decision we could given Jack’s delicate condition. That is until a week later, when I learned that we could have requested a preservative-free H1N1 vaccine – one without Thermasil or mercury – the ingredient that has so many parents and mothers-to-be like me concerned. I first heard about this option from a good friend in California whose son has autism. She told me her kids were on a waiting list to receive this shot. I mentioned it to our nurse the day Jack went in for his shot, but she had never even heard of it. Maybe it’s only available in California, I thought. Knowing other patients were waiting, I shoved my questions aside and held on to my son who was already eyeing the needle.

A week later, I discovered on the internet that mercury-free H1N1 shots were indeed available in Wisconsin, and I was filled with regret (and guilt) that I had not done adequate research on the matter before going to the clinic. I was also upset that we were not told about it during Jack’s initial visit. If the clinic didn’t have it, we could have ordered it, or traveled to Madison or Milwaukee for it. But I didn’t know about it at the time and for some reason, this otherwise informed and proactive parent dropped the ball. I spent the rest of the night on my laptop furiously researching how to counteract the potential negative side effects of thermasil. I was relieved to learn that many of the homeopathic remedies we give Jack to supplement his regular asthma medication were among the recommended supplements i.e. quercetin and vitamin D.

Am I being paranoid or a good parent? The difficulties of parenting in the internet age go beyond child predators and online porn. The good and bad news for today’s parents is that there is so much information out there. Back when I was a kid, my parents trusted their government, followed the recommended vaccine schedule and rarely asked questions. Only eccentric “granola” parents passed on vaccinations. But according to a survey published in Consumer Reports, almost two-thirds of parents say they will not be vaccinating their children against H1N1 because of safety concerns. With numbers like that, I guess we’re all granolas now. The days of relying exclusively on doctors and government are over. The information age is putting parents in the healthcare driver seat – where they belong.

http://www.infowars.net/articles/october2009/011009Vaccine.htm

Rachel Campos-Duffy is a mother of six, author, blogger, and conservative pundit. Her book, “Stay Home, Stay Happy: 10 Secrets to Loving At-home Motherhood” can be found at Amazon and her website, www.rachelcamposduffy.com.

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