#Ad As first-time parents, my husband and I chose to have our daughter take the recommended vaccines shortly after she was born. To be completely transparent, there were a few vaccines that initially prompted hesitation and concern, so we did our research and ultimately made the decision to do them all, with the exception of the flu vaccine when she was a newborn since that’s not available until a baby turns 6 months of age. I am so glad that we did, because she is an extremely healthy toddler and aside from one hospital scare when she was an infant, she has been healthy, and experienced very minimal illness. 

By now, we all have come to learn that vaccines are effective and help protect everyone from severe illnesses. Especially for us parents who had to put our children in daycare early on. It was important for us as new parents to do all we could to keep our daughter as safe and healthy as possible. It can be a difficult conversation to have but ultimately as parents we felt it was important to protect our child from illnesses that were out of our control. Because every parent doesn’t choose to have their children vaccinated we want to be sure we kept Lourdes safe from any harmful illnesses. Now of course, vaccines cannot protect our children from ever getting sick, but at least we can do our best to protect her from the illnesses that can be prevented with the proper vaccination. 

Now being a full-time entrepreneur and having the opportunity to be home with my daughter full time, I can completely understand the hesitation some parents may have if they are planning to be full time stay at home parents. In light of everything we’ve experienced in the last year, however, we made the decision as a family to at least get our flu shots this winter. Lowering our risk of illness has been paramount.  I think it is extremely important for people to understand that by the time a vaccine is offered to the public, it has been studied for at least 15 to 20 years in tens of thousands of study participants, by thousands of scientists, statisticians and health care providers. That alone is reassuring for me. I appreciate research and studies that show proven results without harsh side effects. So as a new parent, that may also be your approach to vaccinations!  Either way, it’s extremely important to do your own research from science-based sources like I Vaccinate or the CDC, talk to your child’s doctor, and do what’s best for your family. As parents, we weigh the benefits and risks of any decision we make for our kids, including choosing to vaccinate. The good news is that vaccinating your child is one of the safest and most effective things you can do to protect them.

I know there are a lot of parents that struggle with making some of these decisions, us included. As a parent you are not alone. That is why it is so important to talk to your doctor about the influenza vaccine and visit ivaccinate.org for more resources. IVaccinate provides information & tools based on real medical science and research to help Michigan parents protect their kids. Be sure to check out the website. The more information you have the more empowered you become. Head over to www.IVaccinate.org to learn more about vaccinations and their benefits. I’ve partnered with IVaccinate to share my story and this content is sponsored by IVaccinate @ivaccinatemi #sponsored