Column Health & Medicine

How one mom is navigating vaccines’ uncertain future

My son’s birth preceded a measles outbreak and limits on who can get a COVID-19 shot

By Erin Garcia de Jesús

Staff Writer

A closeup of a baby's thigh with a purple bandaid with yellow stars, suggesting a vaccination site.

A measles outbreak and changing U.S. vaccine policy are injecting uncertainty into how to make decisions about getting your child vaccinated.

Karl Tapales/Getty Images

After my son was born in December, new parent questions consumed my thoughts. Is he sleeping enough? Is he screaming because he’s hungry or his diaper is dirty? And is poop normally that color?

Now that I’ve somewhat mastered those questions, and he’s sleeping through the night, I’m still up obsessing over a new issue: Vaccines.