here are my facts...

in my first official vaccine related post, i'm just gonna list some facts from my own, personal life.  that's it.  no buffering and no adding in any quotes from others.  i'm simply going to tell you what happened to my child.  i've spent hours documenting the changes.

months before baby was born: started researching vaccines because i wanted to be an informed parent.  questioned more than i wanted to and decided i was worrying too much.

day of my daughter's birth: after wanting a natural delivery, i was pushed into having a c-section because i was basically taking too long.  i didn't know at the time that this was going on.  obviously they scared me.  and my blood pressure had changed drastically, so i was in a sticky situation after 28 hours of labor.  i was terrified and let them deliver her by c-section.  i still wonder if i could have had her naturally.  after birth, my daughter was given vitamin k and a hep b shot before i even had a say so in it.  this bothered me right away.

weeks following:  i made the decision that at her 2 month check up, i would request that she be put on an alternate shot schedule because of all of the toxins in the vaccines.  i was told by her pediatrician that it wouldn't be a problem.  almost immediately after her 2 month shots (they were split up by 2 weeks.  she got 2 shots at one visit and 2 at the next) i started noticing changes in her breathing.  this is also when she got her first ear infection.

between 2 and 4 months: she was in the doctor's office constantly for ear infections and although i was breastfeeding her and doing my best for her, little did i know the toxins i was pumping into her body were hurting her.  i also started to notice changes in her breathing.  she would make these loud, high-pitched noises sometimes out of nowhere.  sometimes it happened in her sleep and it scared me to death.  it's like she was gasping for air.  i slept with her right next to me every single night out of fear.

4 month appointment:  again, i expressed my fears about vaccines with the pediatrician.  i told him i wanted to stay on a delayed schedule.  he actually looked me in the face and said, "if you're going to postpone any, these are the ones to postpone.  they give so many in such a short span (that span being 2 to 6 months) and i feel that this would be the best if you're concerned."  well, that was all the answer i needed.  i did 2 shots at 4 months and 2 at 5 months.  ~Here's the kicker, and this really should have ended it for me... at 5 months, when i took my daughter back for her second round of delayed shots, the nurse left the room to draw up the shots and i realized she said the wrong shots as she walked out of the room.  she said she was going to draw up the ones she had already gotten 3 weeks prior.  so i rush into the hallway to grab her and tell her that we already had those and for her to please only give her the remaining two.  she proceeded to argue with me about what shots my daughter had been given.  i pulled out my own personal records from my purse and had to practically shove them in her face for her to see!  she had the nerve to look at me and say, "well honey, it's really confusing for us when y'all break the shots up like this..."  and i replied, "it's not that hard to write down what shots are given at each appointment!  this is my daughter's life we're talking about here"!  then i started to wonder, how many mothers blindly go into the pediatrician's office with their children and have this happen to them, daily... and they probably don't even know!  and how many of these instances or costly mistakes result in the loss of a precious child's life?!?

*started noticing major health differences after this.  she started to develop a severe case of eczema all over her body.  her breathing issues seemed to worsen daily and more ear infections developed.  YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!  i'm breastfeeding this baby.  giving her all of myself so she can be healthy.  she's getting all of my protection and she's still so sick?  so... i started hitting the research hard.  and guess what i found?  the thing the medical field calls SIDS or crib death, happens most commonly in babies between the ages of 3 and 5 months... coincidence?  nope.  of course it is constantly denied by people in the medical field that vaccines are related to crib death, but i have read numerous heart-wrenching stories of parents who have had otherwise healthy babies, took them in for a well visit with shots and the baby was dead within 24 hours after serious lethargy, crying and screaming.  and in countries were vaccines aren't routinely practiced the word crib death or SIDS doesn't even exist.  think about that for a minute.  i also started seeing studies of vaccines linked to eczema, ear infections and asthma.  all of which my daughter was experiencing.

6 month appointment: against my will i had her vaccinated.  still on an alternate schedule, but after the final shot, i made a vow to never go back there.  it's like it took that long for me, but once the feeling hit me, i knew what i was doing was right.  had a long talk with my husband and knew we would never step foot in there again.  i regretted getting them immediately.  something in my body felt sick.  i had all this knowledge and i was just lining up like a good little citizen and getting my daughter injected with POISON.  she continued to have a few health problems and i'm convinced it was due to the effects of the shots.  but after a couple of months wouldn't you know, everything cleared up!  and i mean everything.  eczema was gone.  breathing problems were over.  and this was after exhausting trips to the ENT.  she did not have one single ear infection after that appointment and i noticed a change in the look in her eyes.  i knew i had done the right thing!

since then:  i have kept my daughter out of the peds offices.  i believe they are just as fueled by big pharma as general practitioners.  my daughter has not been sick.  she has had a minor cold or two that she's caught from other kids, but i'm ok with exposing her to illnesses the NATURAL way.  we have also turned to more homeopathic remedies when dealing with sickness and have switched over to a holistic chiropractor for her heath care.  i believe less trips to the doc makes for a happy and healthy kid.  when she needs to be adjusted, the chiropractor does it.  you wouldn't believe the difference chiropractic makes in a child's life.  everything stems from the spine and the spine is influential in our overall health. 

and i digress...enough babbling about chiropractics... that's a whole other post.


Anyway, i just want you to ask yourself these questions:

when you take your child in for shots, do you know exactly what he/she is getting injected into them?

have you read the package inserts for the shots?  the docs have them and should willingly give them to you.

do you know what each shot is supposedly protecting your child against?

have you read all of the side effects associated with each vaccine?

do you know to contact VAERS (vaccine adverse event reporting system) if your child experiences any of those severe side effects?

***and some food for thought... read these questions i'm asking and get your wheels turning.  do some research of your own.  and i DON'T mean research from the CDC website!  i mean look at research from all over.  look into docs speaking out on vaccines.  or better yet, before you do any other research DO go to the CDC's website and read exactly what's in each shot you give your child... (ex: aborted fetal cells)  i think i'll pass!  thanks!

do you know that most of the diseases these shots "protect" us from aren't life threatening and it's better for our bodies if we develop natural immunities to the diseases?

do you know that most of the diseases we're "fighting" with vaccines were already declining dramatically before vaccinations were ever introduced? 

did you know that as good hygiene and proper sanitation became more common these diseases started to decrease quickly?

If these questions prompt any interest for you, then please go and research it for yourselves.  I promise that what you learn will be eye-opening.  The first few days I began my research on vaccines, I didn't sleep at night.  I wanted to know more and more and more... and so I searched and searched for answers.  I got them and did not like what I saw...

big question with a big answer

i've had someone ask me, "well do you believe in medicine?" and well, the answer is yes and no. 

i believe in medicine in life saving times.  however, i do not believe medicine is best for prevention.  i believe proper diet, exercise, good hygiene and sanitation are necessary in prevention of disease.  i really do feel that doctors today make more money off of prevention than anything else.  they also make money off of things that people could just fix with a better diet and exercise routine.  and yes, I TRULY BELIEVE THAT!  i have seen lives change with adjustments to lifestyle. and i have seen medicine complicate the functionality of the human body...

i worked with a dietician for a bit of time while working in the medical field.  i saw SEVERAL patients come off of medications for things such as diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure just by changing the foods they were consuming.  i witnessed men and women who had been on medications for years drop every single medication they were on because they were eating things their bodies were designed to eat.  it's not rocket science.  it's nature. 

so, to answer the question of whether or not i believe in medicine... well, i firmly believe that ninety percent of it isn't necessary. 

here are a few good tips for kiddos:

snacks:
try and buy these as organic as possible or pick them straight from the garden or from a farmers market.  if this isn't possible then get the freshest fruits and veggies you can find.  I find bananas and grapes to be the biggest hit with my daughter!  she also enjoys berries, raisins and almonds.  as far as veggies go, carrots and broccoli are a must in my book.  don't fluff these up with a side of ranch.  that won't do them any good.  the purpose of feeding them healthy food is so they will learn to eat healthy.  i promise you they can eat it without the ranch dressing.  :)

once summertime is here, i will be excited to take her to the garden and let her pick fresh fruits and veggies!

ALMONDS:  in my house, almonds have become a staple.  they're added to salads, meats and eaten by the handfuls at snack time.  in my opinion, almonds are a beautiful, hidden little health secret.  when eaten conservatively and in the place of other fats, almonds can help reduce cholesterol levels and help prevent heart disease.  also, studies have shown that when almonds are eaten in moderation, they can actually help promote weight loss.  by substituting almonds for other calories, you may lose more weight than you would if you were eating those calories somewhere else.  they are high in protein and low in carbs.  they are very filling, so you can eat a lot less.  almonds are rich in so many vitamins that promote a healthier overall body.  almonds also contain folic acid, which is something all of us, but especially pregnant women need daily.  and lets not forget omega-3 fatty acids...

in my book, almonds are the perfect snack and topping for any meal!

the terrible two's.

So, as I'm making my weekly maintenance trip to the store today, I encountered a FIRST.  The first temper tantrum of many, i'm sure.  IN PUBLIC.  It was awful.  I know there are many more to come now that I have a 20 month old.  I felt the situation was blog worthy because it touches on another topic that is extremely important to me. 

DISCIPLINE.

As my daughter is flailing her arms, kicking and screaming in the shopping cart, I realized I didn't know what to do.  For the first time as a mother, I really didn't have a clue how to handle the situation.  While the people stared me down and some old men shook their heads at me, I began to get upset.  Nothing I did would console her, and ignoring her made the problem worse.  She's very tender hearted, so telling her to stop or telling her NO, only makes it worse.  She's always been very easy to discipline because NO works really well.  As a matter of fact, I can just give her "the look" without even saying "no" and she begins to cry and stops whatever she's doing. 

Getting to my point: While I wasn't sure how to handle the situation, I know one thing that never crossed my mind... hitting her.  My husband and I decided a while back that we would be as peaceful in our parenting techniques as we possibly could.  I was spanked/beaten several times growing up and all it did for me was cause resentment towards my parents, even to this day.  As I listened to several people give me advice in the middle of the store I had to hold back tears.  All I could think was, "This is 2011... I choose to do differently than my parents did".  Some older lady told me I needed to be careful not to let me child get away with those things, as if I'm a bad mother.  I wanted to tell her to mind her own business, but I continued on my mission.  My child will learn from love, tolerance and acceptance.  She will always feel loved and I will never make her feel unworthy of my love.  This is the way WE choose to do it. 


If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn.
If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight.
If a child lives with ridicule, he learns to be shy.
If a child lives with shame, he learns to feel guilty.
BUT if a child lives with tolerance, he learns to be patient.

While eating dinner tonight with my 20 month old, I started to feel something blog-worthy.  As I watched her stuff her face full of fresh squash, beans, carrots, broccoli and grapes it put a huge smile on my face.  One of the things I repeatedly hear from other parents is that their children won't eat healthy.  A typical comment from them may be, "All my kid wants to eat is macaroni and cheese and chicken tenders".  I always chuckle at this and want to say, "You are in charge of what they're eating!  Stop giving it to them!"  However, I usually don't say anything close to that because it's a touchy topic. 

My point is, if you give kids good, healthy food from an early age, they will choose good, healthy food EVERY SINGLE TIME.  I can put cookies and veggies in front my child and she always goes for the veggies :)  Now that makes me a proud mama! 

And boy does she love her un-processed meat :)

a little icebreaker

Just breaking the ice here... not holding anything back.  My passion has become more about exposing the truth and worrying less about who it offends.  So, read on if you like...


Take a minute and think about your health.  What moves you to do the things you do?  Whether it's food, exercise or medicine, why do you make the choices you do?  Is it because someone insisted it's what's best for you, or is it because you have become a free thinker?  Have you researched every option for you and your family to the fullest extent?  Or have you lined up like a sheep and said "baaaaaaa" to your doctor's orders?

This blog is intented to document how my life has changed since becoming a mom.  I want to explore how very AWARE I've become of EVERYTHING.  My eyes have been opened and my brain has been curious.  I've spent countless hours researching things that never mattered to me 5 years ago.  I've logged serious hours elbow deep in books and internet research.  I've learned more on my own in 3 years than I did in 12 years of public school and 5 years of college.  Some of the changes we've made in my house are "radical" in the eyes of everyone else.  But these changes help me sleep at night.  My intentions are to share my research, document my experiences and share information as I come across it.

"Speak the truth, even if your voice shakes."