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Babies: 0 - 3 Months
lizztheo
member
Alternative Vaccine Schedule
lizztheo
member
I'm not looking to start a debate here so please come with helpful comments! Me and my husband are meeting with the pediatrician we are thinking of using (he was my pediatrician!) and I want to be prepared to talk to him about the possibility of doing an alternative vaccine schedule. How many of you do an alternative vaccine schedule or delay certain vaccines? Do you have any recommended reading on the matter? I don't have a problem with vaccines, I want him fully vaccinated but I am just not comfortable with 3+ shots a visit. I was also thinking about delaying Hep B at birth. Thank you!
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Re: Alternative Vaccine Schedule
I agree that this is a HOT topic!
My husband and I have decided to delay and spread out the vaccinations for our little guy by months. We might not start his vaccines until 5-6 months. We spoke with our pediatrician about it, he gave his opinion but said that it is ultimately our decision. He said that he would work with us with the delayed schedule. I wish I had some reading material to refer you to. Even with that, every one has an opinion of what's best and who is right and who is wrong.
I have been told by many to hold off on the MMR until he starts speaking. We plan on breaking this up also into separate shots.
Good luck and look forward to seeing some of the responses from other parents.
This is what I am doing. The book is very informative and gives both sides/perspectives on shots.
We did this too and I'm so happy about it. Yes, it sucks having shots all of the times we go in the beginning, but it's a lot easier on all of us to have her getting 2 at a time. This way, too, if she does have a reaction to something it's easier to figure out what it was. We did get the Hep B in the hospital, though, on the last day we were there (day 3), instead of day 5 at the pedi.
Most of the shots have a range so i dont think it's really considered a delayed schedule, just needs a bit of planning to figure everything out. It's nice to have her weight and stuff checked too at visits like the 3mo, which she wouldn't normally go to if she weren't having more shots.
I looked into the CDC and AAP for info. I had a student that had severe disabilities because she contracted meningitis at 9 mo, so I am not willing to delay vax.
It is a hot topic, so make sure you are well informed
Our pediatrician is very supportive of an alternate schedule, so she gave us some helpful information; she said that the two that are MOST important to a baby in her mind (because they're the most likely diseases that someone at that age could get) are whooping cough and tetanus; babies are generally unlikely to contract hepatitis, for example (at least in most cases). The issue with a whooping cough vaccine is that it takes about 6-8 weeks for the first dose to even start working, and then it's a series of shots so LO isn't immune to it for a while anyway. If you EBF, you can also look into getting the shot yourself, and pass on some of the antibodies that way. LO will still need a shot to be more protected, but our pedi said that that becomes more of an issue once they're ready to start daycare or if they're often surrounded by other kids. The tetanus shot is more important when they start to walk and get around on their own, since they're not very likely to come in contact with rusty metal before that.
What I want to look into is oral vaccines - I don't know much about them or their effectiveness, but I know that they do exist for some things!
I am doing a delayed schedule similar to Dr. Sears's alternate schedule that he lays out in The Vaccination Book. My pedi's office says they won't take patients who won't do the CDC schedule, but thankfully our dr is flexible. He did ask me why I wanted to do a delayed schedule, soI gave him my reasons. I recommend doing some reading (such as the book I mentioned above) and educating yourself so you have a good basis for your case. My pedi ultimately recommended swapping around a couple of the shots, but it still separated the ones that contain aluminum.
Also, check with your dr's office to see if they charge separate co-pays for coming back in for shots only. (Ours doesn't, thankfully...)
And don't be afraid to check around. We initially went with one pedi b/c he was known for being conservative and willing to do an alternate shot schedule; however, his personality turned out to be very abrasive. I didn't feel like he was listening to my concerns, and he really ticked off my mom. It was hard to make the switch to a new dr, but I am so glad that we did!
This is a great book explaining all the shots, what they are, what's in them and why you would and wouldn't want the. Just make sure you get the most current copy. (copyright 2011)