Paola Mayfield has no time for social media critics after revealing that she and her husband, Russ Mayfield, chose to vaccinate their 2-month-old son.
After the 90 Day Fiance star shared on Instagram that son Axel had his first vaccination this week, several of her followers slammed her for her decision, but she chose to ignore the hate and focus on the positive.
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“My baby boy had his first vaccination today,” the 31-year-old mom wrote on Instagram on Monday. “Axel was so brave just like his mommy. @russ_mayfield has been reading The Vaccine Book by Dr. Sears. We have decided that we want to give our son specific vaccinations and avoid potential risks and side effects. #provaccine #proinformation.”
In the photo alongside the caption, Paola smiled down at her son while breastfeeding him.
When a fan commented that the reality star was “brave” to post about vaccinations, Paola said, “Certain people tend to be nasty about anything I do, so I’m used to dealing with this lol.”
In the comments section, Paola opened up about how difficult it was to watch her baby boy get a shot. “I was already crying before he got it, but then I was so proud [at] how brave he was!” she wrote.
“He didn’t cry much, and I had my boob ready for him. That helped a lot!” she added.
On her Instagram Story, she alluded to the negative comments stacking up on her pro-vaccination post. “The funniest part is that I’ve never said I wasn’t going to vaccinate my son and I’m [clearly] posting a picture saying that my son was [vaccinated] today,” she captioned a screenshot of her post.
Jennifer Shu, MD and pediatrician in Atlanta, told Us Weekly recently that “some parents mistakenly think that vaccines are more harmful than getting the disease itself.”
“These misconceptions have come about partly because, one, vaccines have been so successful that recent generations of parents do not realize how serious these diseases can be,” she said. “Two, Dr. Andrew Wakefield and colleagues published a fraudulent but highly publicized journal article in 1998 that was instrumental in creating fears about vaccines.”
Paola and Russ welcomed Axel on New Year’s Day this year.
“What an amazing way to start a new year,” Paola said in statement at the time. “While I was hearing the fireworks and people telling me, ‘Happy New Year,’ I was just focused on meeting my baby. It wasn’t easy but it was totally worth it. My little miracle is so beautiful and calm. I feel so blessed and I can’t believe I am a mom now! I’m ready to start this new adventure and to be the best mom for baby Axel.”
