  Alissa Kooyenga, program assistant for trauma informed care, shares how a longtime friend eased her mind when it came time to protect her infant with vaccinations.
Parenting can sometimes feel like putting together furniture—except all the directions are in a foreign language, a fire alarm is screeching in the background, and every single piece is the wrong size and shape. My firstborn just turned one, and I can confidently say that I have never experienced anything as stretching as motherhood. The constant fear of not doing the “right” thing, of somehow irreparably messing up my child, stares me in the face every morning. How will I know the right thing to do? With all this concern, it came as no surprise that I felt terrified to make the decision to vaccinate my daughter. I had been vaccinated myself, both with the COVID vaccine and other lifespan vaccinations, so I believe the practice is important and helpful. But still I worried. How would my daughter react? Would she handle the vaccination okay? These thoughts raced through my head as I considered her wellbeing and future. Luckily, one of my best friends is a healthcare professional. Keri has two boys, ages two and four, and is a Clinical Research Coordinator with KU Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. When the question of my daughter’s vaccinations came up, I immediately reached out to Keri to ask what she did with her boys. With a bachelor’s of science in life/health sciences and five years’ experience in the medical field, I trusted Keri to give me the best advice on what I should do. Keri assured me that she had her own children vaccinated, and they experienced no side effects from vaccines. She explained that my fears were normal, and every parent struggles with what to do about their children’s health decisions. She recommended I look at websites such as PUBMed and the Cochrane Library to learn more about the many different studies on vaccinations in children, which helped me better understand the COVID vaccine specifically and its possible side effects within the adolescent population. She even expressed her own peace she felt since vaccinating her children, having given them an added layer of protection against debilitating or even fatal diseases. I felt heard by my friend, and now felt assured that this decision was not one I wrestled with alone. I also choose to discuss it with my daughter's pediatrician, expressing my worries and hesitation. She encouraged me to vaccinate my daughter based on the medical studies' research that has come out, but ultimately told me it was my decision. Talking to another health care professional, especially one who knows my daughter's health well, eased many of my hesitations. After talking to Keri, undertaking some research myself, and talking to my daughter's pediatrician, I truly believed that vaccinating my daughter with both COVID and lifespan vaccinations was the best choice I could make for her. Knowing other mothers are wrestling with the same decisions for their children lent me encouragement to research and decide for myself what was the best decision for my family. I firmly believe every parent should have the right to wrestle through their medical (and other parenting) decisions within their community. Parenting is hard, but just like putting together furniture, it’s one thousand times easier with the help of others. If you would like to learn more about how to sign up your child for vaccinations or just have questions about your family’s medical decisions, visit these websites:
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