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Babies: 3 - 6 Months
Vaccines - no flames please :)
Let me start this by saying I don't want it to turn into a flaming debate, but I know a lot of ladies on here have done a lot of research (and I know 99.9% are pro vaccines) so I was hoping you could share it with me?
I have done some of my own research, and DD has had all of her shots so far (starting with hep B at birth and one month, then the full set at 2 months). She had a really rough time after her 2 month shots -- aside from the initial scream at the doctor, she was fine after nursing, then slept for a few hours, but woke up with this high pitched terrible scream. She was practically hyperventilating she was screaming so hard, barely stopping to take a breath, and this continued for an hour and a half when the Tylenol I gave her finally kicked in and knocked her out.
Just like every mom out there - I hate seeing my child in pain, but if it's truly what's best for her, we'll continue. We've got her 4 month appt coming up next week, and so timely, I've had a few friends on FB recently posting articles about the dangers of vaccines. Namely - this one https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/04/29/the-emergence-of-vaccine-induced-diseases.aspx
A couple articles like that, plus hating to see her going through that trauma again have me very anxious about her next set of shots.
SO... all of that long-winded-ness is just to ask you to share what research you've done. Pro or con, what valid sources you've found to share information. I've obviously read up on them from the CDC, and talked to the pedi already (who is pro-vaccine and I know I would have to push him to get a delayed schedule).
TIA!
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Vaccines - no flames please :)
I get my kids vaccinated. It just isn't worth the risk of them getting sick. I will admit that Xander turned 3 months last week and still has not had his 2 month shots. He was preemie so we are just holding them off for a bit. I discussed this with our ped and he felt that it wasn't necessary to hold them off but he will support our decision.
I would say that most of my input has come from our doctor and I trust his judgement. Both of my older kids have had all their shots and on time. Xander will be getting his in the next week or two.
You need to discuss this with your pedi. Some vaccines do contain live viruses but those aren't generally given to babies. There is a lot of rhetoric and hype out there and most is based on nothing. The CDC has very good info on vaccines and their risks. Look at that and talk to your pedi.
This time maybe give her the tylenol right when you get home before the soreness sets in.
When we were interviewing pediatricians, we asked our doctor about this specifically and he said the evidence against vaccines is nowhere near as conclusive as the evidence for vaccines.
When I was reading the link on our Dr. Mercola site, I noticed it was throwing out a lot of stats about 1,000 people getting mumps and 77% of them were vaccinated against it. It doesn't say how many of those people were children/adults/seniors, when they received their vaccinations (because the vaccinations have improved with time and are more effective now than they were in the past. People my age are actually told we should receive MMR boosters to make them as effective as the new vaccines coming out for kiddos), etc. Elderly people usually get shingles because their immune systems are weaker, but while the rash is painful, it isn't nearly as deadly as full-blown chicken pox to an elderly person's immune system. (Most seniors who get shingles either had chicken pox as children because the chicken pox vaccine is relatively new. If you count 1974 as being new.) Kiddos nowadays don't get the chicken pox vaccines until they are at least 1.
That being said, if you feel more comfortable with a staggered schedule, discuss it with your doctor. Some of the shots are doggone necessary IMHO (like the hep A & B shots which protects kids against the hepatitis virus spread through feces and bodily fluids... especially since all they do is pee/poop/and put things in their mouths so far). Others (like the common flu shot) are optional.
Can you share why you think that? I admit I haven't really researched him, so I'm just curious what he has done/said to attain "quack" status
I feel you on dealing with a LO that just screamed after shots. It really broke my heart however like PP have said I know his discomfort was from the injection not the drugs. I just had to be more diligent about not letting the pain reliever wear off too much before I gave him the next dose. This made the day more bearable for the both of us after his first crying fit.
I also agree with PP with regards to having a day or two of discomfort in order to provide protection from diseases that can provide a lifetime of discomfort or worse. I think there are some babies (preemies) that benefit from a delayed schedule but most kids do just fine in the long run.
Keep in mind LO is not going to remember these days of discomfort as they get older so you really aren't traumatizing them. Its really harder on you
I completely understand where you're coming from, this is the issue I struggle with most, because of all the hype out there and you don't know what to believe, and at the end of the day, it's a choice you are making for your baby and you don't want to make the wrong one. I've done a lot of research, read a lot of articles and I found that vaccinating is the best option and that a lot of the negative hype is unfounded. Also, after my baby got sick at 6 weeks old and had to get a spinal tap at the hospital for fear of meningitis it made me realize how real those diseases are and how scary and that made me more pro-vaccine.
Honestly, you're probably more traumatized by it than she is.
If you decide to vaccinate, take Tylenol with you to the pedi's office and give it right after she gets her shots.
I vaccinate on schedule. I believe that the benefit will always far outweigh the risk. Yes, it's miserable and sucks seeing my little guy upset, but not as much as it would suck seeing him hospitalized with a terrible disease.
11-15-08
12-1-10
Let me start by saying I am very very much pro-vaccine and C has gotten all her shots on time. However, I don't believe that they are not totally unrelated to the spike in autistic cases. I am the mother of an Aspie (Asperger Syndrome is on the autistic spectrum). Tyler did not do well with his baby shots, after the 6 month shots I delayed until he was two because I saw regression in a lot of his skills. While I don't think the vaccine itself can cause a healthy child any problems I think there can be a predisposition to a disorder that shots can exacerbate. He is allergic to sulfa medications, and he was also getting vaccinated around the time they were taking the thimersol out of vaccines (he was born in 92). All that combined I believe contributed to this disorder. He was also completely up to date on his shots by the time he started school.
He is now 18 and graduating high school just like any other normal kid and we did an intense amount of therapy to get him to this point. So while some drs may say that vaccines cause no harm or autism, I think there is a bigger correlation that could be missing in these cases.
Thats my story and yes I thought very long before vaccinating C but the benefits outweigh risks in my opinion.
We are doing a delayed schedule on our terms, when we're ready.
Buy the Dr. Sears vaccine book and do some reading. He gives you stats about what the likelihood is of anyone catching x disease that the vaccine is supposed to prevent, the chemical breakdowns of all the ingredients in each, etc.
I'm reading it now and it is very informative.
https://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?p=2116
Dr. Mecola is not an MD, he is an DO.
MD and DO are actually equivalent degrees, DO just has more of a focus on musculoskeletal manipulation and treating the patient holisticly...
That has nothing to do with whether or not he's a quack... and I'm leaning toward yes.
I was just about to post this exact thing. egad: thank you for the link - I liked reading that article, but agree with honkytonk about the DO vs MD. They take most all of the same courses and have to pass the same tests. I actually prefer to go to a DO over an MD as I've found they tend to be more patient focused.
Mercola's rather quackish, I must admit.
Our DD reacted badly to a vaccine - very badly - like head to toe hives and 24 hours of high pitched screaming at the 2 mo followed by the same at the 4 mo with the addition of what was most likely petit mal seizures.
Her next vaccination with that particular vaccine could kill her.
And yet we continue to vaccinate with everything except pertussis - everyone in the house. I'm a believer in vaccinations despite our horrible and terrifying experience with DTaP. She's since had the Td and had no reaction, so we know it was the pertussis.
I know it's scary, but the benefits outweigh the drawbacks - and while your child had a reaction, it's not what would be considered extensive or worrisome.
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We are doing an alternative schedule. At 2 months he had one oral and one poke, at 3 months we went back for the other 2 pokes that are usually done at 2 months. We repeated this at 4 and 5 months. He still gets all of his vacs, and it reduces the amount of discomfort because he isn't poked quite so many times at once.
Plus, I get to see the pedi once a month, and I always have questions that pop up.
My LO was pretty miserable after her two month- cried all night, red hard thigh, etc, but had no trouble with the 4 month, if that's reassuring at all.
And yeah, vaccine reactions suck, but polio, measles, mumps, rubella, pertussis, etc all suck a LOT more and many of these diseases are popping up all over the place. I would never forgive myself if LO got sick or died from a preventable illness that I chose not to vaccinate her for, KWIM?
Thanks - it helps to hear stories like this. Keeping my fingers crossed we have the same experience!
Sounds like you need to do much more research before making such a big decision for your LO, OP.
Mercola is not a reliable source. Look in medical journals. Talk to your doctor. If you want a delayed schedule, fine. Please just go vaccinate your child for her own safety as well as the safety of those interacting with her.
I'm trying my best to not be rude here, but posts like this make me sad. Not vaccinating your child is stupid and dangerous.
On a lighter note, your LO's reaction was perfectly normal. A baby has no idea what's coming to them. They're hangin out with you and the doctor and then bam - sharp, stabbing pain in the thigh. Of course it's hard to see your baby crying but it's normal. Needles hurt. FWIW, DD hated her first shots but did much better the second time round.