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First Vaccinations coming up
Hello Santa Cruz Mama's,
My 7 week old son Jackson is due to begin his Vaccination's mid-May. I am feeling a little anxious about it and have been researching like crazy. I know there is a lot of emotion and controversy surrounding this subject, and I am feeling pretty level headed and objective about the whole thing, but my intuition tells me to proceed with caution before exposing my son to the next many years of shots. Have any of you either refused to vaccinate or altered the standard vaccination schedule that most doctors stick to? I'm starting to think I would like to see if I can have fewer vaccines given at a time. It seems so harsh to give a 2 month old 8 vaccines at once. Any words of wisdom from you wise ladies would be much appreciated. I am curious if local doctors are supportive of giving less vaccines if requested by the parents. Many thanks!
Kasie
My 7 week old son Jackson is due to begin his Vaccination's mid-May. I am feeling a little anxious about it and have been researching like crazy. I know there is a lot of emotion and controversy surrounding this subject, and I am feeling pretty level headed and objective about the whole thing, but my intuition tells me to proceed with caution before exposing my son to the next many years of shots. Have any of you either refused to vaccinate or altered the standard vaccination schedule that most doctors stick to? I'm starting to think I would like to see if I can have fewer vaccines given at a time. It seems so harsh to give a 2 month old 8 vaccines at once. Any words of wisdom from you wise ladies would be much appreciated. I am curious if local doctors are supportive of giving less vaccines if requested by the parents. Many thanks!
Kasie
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by meredith marine on -
8 vaccines at once seems like an awful lot. our doctor was very supportive and comforting when i expressed concerns. when my 8 month old was born, we did not do the hep b vaccine on the day he was born, and she was fine with that.
i think here i santa cruz it is really common for parents not to vaccinate so doctors have had to get with the program as far as addressing parents concerns.
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Permalink Reply by Kasie on -
Thanks so much for your reply Meredith :) We also opted to not do the HepB at Birth. Fortunately my mom alerted me to that one..I didn't even realize that was standard procedure!
All the best,
kasie
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Permalink Reply by Christy Hadland on -
Hi Kasie,
With my first child I did everything (pretty much) they told me too until he reached about 8mo. I started getting a little more confident as a mom and I started getting a little more savy about my child. For example, I waited to give my first son the MMR until he was 2 years old. He never got a flu shot or the chicken pox vaccine. With my second son (born Sept 7th, 07) I was more determined to do things differently. Owen did not get any shots at the hospital. He was 2mo old for his first round of shots & he only had three seperate shots. We did not do the oral vaccine for the Roto Virus (which is some virus that you can get when you are on a Cruise ship for example) and I have altered the reccomended schedule. I have spread out the shots---Owen had the first three shots then he went in a month later to have one more. We did the same at 4 months. He is now 7 1/2 mo and he is not due for shots till he is 9 mo. So he has had the 8 shots over a 3mo time period (also I made sure he was over 10 lbs for the first set and for the second round he was 18lbs). Weight seems to make a difference. I am not sure if all this makes a real difference but it sure does make me feel better. My doc was a little confused at my idea of spreading out the shots. I just told him to humor me. The reason they clump the shots together is so that the baby is not being poked multiple times but it is really not that bad and i would rather my baby get three shots then get 8 vaccines in one shot and have to process all that junk. The shots are really quick and Owen cried for a split second. Anyway...do what you think is best! Remember you are your child's first advocate & if there is something you are not comfortable with then your doctor should be mindful and respectful of your concerns. I hope that helps and that I have made sense.
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Permalink Reply by Kasie on
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Thank you Christy! It means a lot to hear your experiences. I have also come to the conclusion that I will do 2 vaccines at once only.... I realize this will double the amount of office visits and shots but it puts my mind at ease and addresses all the possible concerns I had about the vaccines containing aluminum etc. From what I am reading it seems like vaccines can really aggravate some kids and lead to some very troubling conditions, while in others there is no effect at all. There is just no way to tell what might react badly with your child until it is too late. That is what makes it so frustrating and scary. Dr. Sears new vaccine book has an altered schedule that shows the 2 vaccines at a time program, it also delays given certain ones that aren't really needed so early on as you were mentioning in your post. Thanks again,
All the best,
kasie
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Permalink Reply by Nayana on -
Vaccines really are a tough one, I have yet to find a pediatrician that is "against them" but have I found a couple that are supportive of my decision. I personally don't believe it is healthy or good for any baby to be bombarded with the massive amounts of vaccines children are put through these days, it is crazy! I chose not to do vaccines until my little one was 10 months old. I then picked out the vaccines that I felt were important, vaccines for life threatening diseases such as polio, and then ones that were still relatively common with serious possible side effects (such a whooping cough). Things like chicken pox are harmless even though they are not pleasant, why risk your childs health for that? You also need to balance the risks and benefits for your lifestyle. I am stay at home mom, and my daughter did not see the inside of a childcare center until she was 1 1/2 when I felt good enough to leave her at the kids club at my gym. If your child is exposed to lots of children regularly I would take that into consideration because Santa Cruz has a 30% percent non vaccination rate. Keep researching, trust your own instinct. This is your child, don't be pressured either way by anyone. Good luck, Nayana
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Permalink Reply by Kasie on
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Thank you Nayana! Lots of good information! I didn't know about the 30% non-vaccination rate locally which is interesting. Fortunately, I am in a similar boat as you. I am hoping that breastfeeding and keeping him at home and out of group daycare will help. Seems like the mega-doses of vaccines are only for the convenience of Doctors and pharmaceutical companies. I think little babies deserve the extra expense to protect while they are developing. It's sad that you have to be so on guard about things like this.
I've been told that whooping cough is making a comeback, and can be particularly serious for infants. So while I see the importance of some vaccines I am taking your advice to heart that not all are needed right away.
All the best,
kasie
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