Ever notice that when you hear or think about something you've never really noticed before, how all of a sudden it's everywhere? Case in point, my new obsessive worry over vaccines and whether or not to give Oliver all the needles listed in the immunization schedule.

Before having my little guy, I never thought about vaccines. (To be honest, needles kinda freak me out so I try not to think about them in any way, shape or form.) Then, about a month after he arrived, I turned on Oprah and there sat Jenny McCarthy. The next hour changed everything. Between her horror stories of watching her son endure seizure after seizure to her linking the incredible increase in autism over the last 20 + years to the rise in vaccines babies receive (ten were administered in 1983; the number of vaccines currently given has jumped to 36), I've become a bundle of nerves. I've also become an internet research rat.

On the web site www.generationresue.com, they point out that fifty years ago when there were only four vaccines offered to babies (which treated smallpox, tetanus, pertussis and diphtheria), autism was unheard of and affected less than 1 in 10,000 kids. Now, one in 68 American families has a child with autism. And that doesn't begin to touch on the countless other less severe developmental disorders affecting kids today, which, again, were very rarely heard of before numerous vaccinations became so mainstream. Needless to say, this has left me very, very wary of vaccines, and at a bit of a loss regarding what to do when it comes to Oliver.

After much research, worry, and back-and-forthing on the matter, here's where I'm at. First, I've asked my pediatrician to break up the vaccinations so Oliver isn't being bombarded with so many at once. Second, I'm seriously considering not having him receive any more needles until he turns two. (He's received all his shots up until 6 months.) And lastly, I'll be trying to avoid any shots that contain mercury, which seems to be the worst ingredient of the bunch.

Ultimately I don't know if any or all of these steps will prevent issues in the future. That said, if I don't follow my gut now I'll always wonder what would have happened if I had and will regret not following my intuition down the road. In the meantime, I think I may have to look for a new "greener" pediatrician. Even just mentioning my thoughts to our current one during the last visit earned me a look of "disapproval". Not a good sign if you ask me!

Had any concerns of your own about vaccines? I'd love to know how you decided what to do!