#Parenting with #antivax parents: a thread.
When I was young, my antivax mom always told me that I would have to do my own research about #vaccines. When I grew up & my research led me to get myself vaccinated, she was upset. The early conversations with my mom about my decision to get #vaxxed were difficult & emotional for us both. My mom felt like I was rejecting her. I felt betrayed.

It was hard, but I admitted to some friends this week that I was raised #unvaccinated. It's not the first time I've shared this info with people I know, but I do it rarely, because I'm still ashamed of it. Their 1st question about being #unvaxed: But you're #vaccinated now, right? Yes, don't worry; I caught up on all my #vaccines.

#Thread: Why are people #antivax? My mom's answer to "why?" has changed over time. When I was young, she told me that she was more worried about #vaccine side effects than she was about me catching a vax preventable disease (#VPD). As I've asked her about the issue over time & pushed back against some of her beliefs, she's given me a lot of different answers:
false link to #autism;
"#toxins;"
fear that babies' immune systems aren't developed enough to handle so many shots at once;
"Big Pharma;"
VAERS;
etc

For her bday, my daughter got a Kiss Me I'm #Vaccinated shirt & a donation made to @sabinvaccine in her honor. Extra thanks to our friends for these gifts, because it was very satisfying to open them in front of my #antivax parents & have them not say a word. I don't mean this spitefully. I make a point of keeping my parents informed about my daughter's #vaccines. She's had them all on schedule and done great. Last time, she had 4 shots for her 12 mo appointment & barely cried. She played happily the rest of the day, no big deal.

On a mom chat board recently an #antivax mom asked for #pediatrician recommendations near where I grew up. She wanted a doctor who would let her skip #vaccines. Someone recommended my old pediatrician. I had so many thoughts... For starters, I wish #antivaxxers wouldn't look for #pediatricians who won't challenge their #vaccine stance. Your pediatrician should be a resource to talk through your fears & correct misinformation.

I hear men (who are otherwise not #sexist) say, "I would be uncomfortable with a female doctor" & it makes me so mad, because it never occurred to me to choose a doctor based on #gender. Like, why have I put up with crappy male doctors all my life? #WomensHealth To be fair, I've had good male doctors. General practitioners, OBGYNs, hematologists, neurologists. But when they're bad, it's almost exclusively because they are men and I'm a woman. #WomensHealth

#Medical rant 1: I went to the #doctor today for neck pain. My former primary care physician left the practice and they assigned me to this new guy. He is not great. #Medical 2: This #doctor was running an hour behind, despite having a number of appointment times available when I scheduled last night. After meeting him, I'm not surprised he had a ton of openings; I suspect he doesn't have many patients.

When I was pregnant, I asked my #antivax parents to get the #whoopingcough #vaccine to protect their grandchild from it. They refused. We got in a big fight & there were lots of tears on both sides. I told them that #whoopingcough can be deadly for infants & a person can be contagious with it before they show symptoms or know they have it.

My mom always told me #vaccinating my own kids someday would be my decision & I would have to do my own research before deciding. She definitely thought I would find her #antivax sources credible. I didn't. #VaccinesWork #Antivaxxers love advocating "research," by which they mean "read this fear-mongering piece by a discredited scientist/pseudo-celebrity/other antivax parent."

Let's talk about #vaxlaw & exemptions. I grew up in a state that didn't allow personal belief exemptions, just medical & religious beliefs. Like many other #antivaxxers in that situation, my parents claimed religious exemption. We weren't particularly religious & our religion wasn't actually #antivax, but my mom explained that that's what she had to say, because our state didn't allow personal belief exemptions. #vaxlaw