I can be such a sissy.
I had to take Lincoln in yesterday for an ear infection (poor guy), and while we were there the Dr said, "why don't we start his shots...he's way behind." We had some insurance misunderstandings after I had him, so we are a tad behind on well visits.
Oh and for the record though, being a "tad" behind on ANYTHING is pretty normal in this house.
For some reason yesterday, I just didn't want to do the vaccinations. Now I know FULL and WELL that there can be huge controversy over this - and I usually tend to stand on the neutral side...I feel there are obvious benefits, but I think there are possible side affects.
I stood in that room for what seemed like forever debating in my head what to do when she came in with all 6 shots - I didn't want to seem like a crazy person for opting out, after all, ALL our girls were vaccinated (some were spread out, but they had them all).
But I didn't have peace about it, I've learned some new things in the past couple years, and my main concern is protecting this little guy...
28 comments:
I do tend to spread ours out a bit, but still vaccinate. I vacillated on varicella (chicken pox)but it's really hard for kids to catch it these days d/t all the vaccinations that I went ahead and did it.
We had one round of shots when the girls had colds and I will NEVER do that again!!! It was the worst experience ever. Especially if this was his first round, but either way, waiting was probably a good thing. I think healthy is better for getting them.
I find it's always better to go with your gut and if there's no peace, hold off. If the girls are all vaccinated, he's probably protected for awhile from some of those bugs anyway.
Just my two cents. ;0)
We vaccinated ... pretty much on schedule ... as on schedule as I can be with a dozen children.
Didn't do the chicken pox vaccine with the older 8, but finally gave in and got it for the younger kids because they had never caught it on their own. And, chicken pox can be really bad if caught when a teen or adult.
Would HIGHLY recommend at least the whooping cough vaccine. It is a disease that is out and about, and it can take the life of the little ones. We had friends that almost lost an infant after deciding not to vaccinate. Then ... my 6 mo. old was exposed to it by their little one (before diagnosis). Very glad my little one had been vaccinated.
Brought our girls home from Africa and did NOT follow the schedule and "catch the up" immediately to the 6 and 8 years of vaccines that they had missed. We took 3 years to catch them up.
But ... if your gut said NO ... I would always follow the gut. Absolutely! No mama guilt needed here.
:) :) :)
Oh ... almost forgot to share ... I would tell EVERYONE to get the meningitis vaccine as soon as your children hit the recommended age (maybe younger for those with large families).
It used to be recommended for those in the military. Then it was recommended for those in college (lot of people living in close quarters ... sharing drinks, etc...). Well ... some of us have homes that resemble college dormitories. :)
Six years ago, our 3 year old was airlifted to Children's Hospital By the time I had made the 100 mile drive, he was not expected to live. By that afternoon, the doctor's told us to get the other children to Seattle to say their good-byes to their little brother. We almost lost our little guy to bacterial meningitis (meningococcal). It is a HORRIBLE disease ... and I believe it is becoming more and more common.
Also ... ONLY because I followed my gut ... and drove my little guy to the ER because he wasn't feeling well and had a rash ... did my little guy live. If I had put him to bed that night, the doctors assured me that he would have died in his sleep. Yes! Follow your guts ... mamas!!! It can be a life or death decision.
Off my soap box now ...
:) :) :)
We spread ours out... They are at home with me all day. My hubby's job does expose him to immigrates that may carry these diseases, we don't want to take chances on something that can so easily be prevented. We feel as though, if we can protect them so easily over something so serious, why wouldn't we?
I only let my children get one shot at a time, even though one shot may have up to three vaccines. For one thing, getting stuck multiple times isn't any fun for anyone. (I can't believe they wanted to stick poor Lincoln SIX times.) For another thing, what if there is a reaction? How in the world will you know what your child is allergic to, if he received nine vaccines at one time? So I take my children in inbetween appointments in order to keep them caught up on their vaccinations. And it works for us.
We fully vaccinated our oldest, who is now 6. He got horribly sick with each vaccination and at age 4 I decided to stop with the vaccinations. Our daughter, 2 1/2, has had a few vaccines, one at a time, and our youngest, 1, has only had one. We have done A LOT of research on both sides and have decided that it's not worth it to us for the vaccinations. We are considering getting the one for meningitis. Other than that, no. Good luck with your decision! It's a hard one!
We vaccinated with all on schedule with our first two. We just did what was told and I didn't question. Now, though, the little boys are on a delayed schedule. The baby hasn't gotten more than two at a time, and we did have to go back every month for a full visit for vaccinations when he was little. (He's 10 months now, so not as many...) It was a pain taking all 4 kiddos in every month, but I was obviously willing to do that to be on a delayed schedule. We don't do two "live" vaccinations at a time, and NEVER if their health/immunity is compromised at the time. (I'm sorry, but not sure why in the world they wanted to give him all of those when he was ill....) With hubby in the healthcare profession, he felt that he still wanted them fully vaccinated, but agreed with me that there's a better/safer way to do it. This is our compromise. To each their own as always, and whatever you choose, you're doing what YOU feel is best for YOUR children! :) P.S. He is sooo cute! ;)
Also, I forgot to mention that we do leave a few out, especially since I homeschool and they're not around others much. We choose not to do the flu either.
We vaccinate. But it's never easy....
With Elizabeth, we vaccinated on schedule with whatever vaccines the dr recommended. EVERY.SINGLE.TIME. she ran a fever, got super sick and we'd end up back in the drs office in a few days b/c of a lingering fever. Every.single.time. they'd say that she must have pick up a "virus."
Um. Yes, the one you injected her with. Hello! I was young and uninformed.
With the twins, we did the same thing. And one of them (I can't remember which) had the same reaction as Elizabeth the first few rounds. That was my final wake up call. We ended up spreading theirs apart a bit, but still well within the drs (and American Academy of Peds) recommendations.
With Aaron and Olivia we could not opt out of ANY vaccines b/c they were in foster care. But, with Olivia, I was super concerned b/c she already has some delays so our (super amazing) doctor and I agreed to delay several of hers and space them out.
With Ella, I read and read and read throughout my pregnancy about vaccines. I read Dr. Sears' book and decided that he's so totally opposed to all vaccines that he wasn't a great source, but his insights were helpful in me finding a balance.
With our doctors help, we decided to do an modified vaccine schedule. She didn't get Hep B in the hospital (b/c I know I don't have Hep B and why inject a NEWBORN unless it's totally necessary - and in some cases it is).
From her 2 month visit on I told them I did not want her receiving more than 2 vaccines at a time. That meant bringing her in every month, but it was worth it to me. We opted out of one all together (an oral one that's suppose to help them not get a common stomach virus) and if one shot had 3 vaccines - MMR - I asked if they could be split. In our case, they could not, so she only got the one shot.
My new standard is that she has a 2 or 3 vaccine max per visit. I'm hesitant to ever do 3. And by that I don't mean actual sticks, but true vaccines. So DTaP is 2, right? That's all for one visit.
I can't understand how anyone would want to subject their baby to 6 live/dead viruses at one single time. I know there are situations where it's unavoidable, but if you can avoid it, why wouldn't you?
The AAP will tell you it's totally healthy, but after some research, I found that the AAP is supported in part by several of the large vaccine companies. Coincidence that they're pushing so many all the time?
No.
Sorry this is so long. But I don't think there can be brief comments when it comes to such.
I think vaccines are incredibly important, but I also think following your Mother's instinct and having some prayerful discussion with the Lord is important as well. Glad you went with your gut.
We also forgo the flu shot every year.
I vaccinate on time, every time with all three kids!!! I had a loooong talk with my dr about the things she has had to do when she was doing her residency in the ER. Not something i am going to put myself or my child through when i know that it can be prevented.
As a nurse, I can only stress how important vaccination is! The timeline is set up so vaccines are administered when the child is MOST susceptible to that particular illness.
Kellynn
Can I speak from an adult point of view? I did not get mumps vaccine when I was young when they were giving them I would have been one and now I am 56. In the last three years I have come down with the mumps not once but TWO times, as an adult. I was very ill and very much in pain and very sad that I had them because someone was walking around with a live virus. Recently I had shingles which is an adult chicken pox and very uncomfortable.(they do have a shot for it if your insurance covers it, you have to be 60 years of age and if it doesn't cover it the cost is $300.00) Anyway the shingles virus reactivated the mumps virus I had in 2008. NO fun. With cautioun please vaccinate your babies, I don't believe all the hype that it causes diseases of the brain. Would you rather have whooping cough or meningitis? No... we are past the years of children dying from preventable diseases.
I fall right in the middle on this debate. My children have gotten all of their recommended immunizations, but on a delayed schedule. I am just not comfortable with a half dozen immunizations in one day. Also we never gave any immunizations when the child was already unhealthy. My first boy was a full-term 8 lb baby. He was much closer to the AAP schedule than my quads. They were tiny preemies and I spaced theirs even further
Listen to your gut. Vaccinations are very important, but you will figure out how to handle them best for your little man.
I vaccinated both of my children on the schedules that the Board of Pediatrics recommends. My daughter, the oldest, did have a few fevers from the multiple shots, but my son never had any problems. I had read countless articles on delaying and withholding vaccines and I can't say that I agree with completely withholding. Some reasons are religious and some are just outright strange and then when some people use the possible side effects like autism. It's never been proven, just speculated.
If I have another child, I will space out the multiple shots though like a few weeks between each. To give their little body a break. I had both of my children in daycares so I went for the flu shots too. If I was a SAHM then, I would have opted no.
I agree that giving your little guy 6 shots at once was overkill. I'm sure you'll make the best decision for your family and it will be right for you.
I have learned if you don't feel right about something don't do it.. at least then!
I was an Autism teacher for 4 years and I have studied and studied and learned from the best and talked so so many Drs. and so many families and what I can tell you from my experience is that if you child has Autism, you can tell before the alleged shot that causes it is given. Some mothers look for a reason, or a cause and the truth is there just isn't one that we know of yet. The vaccinations theory has been LONG proven wrong and not valid. I do think there is something to say about spreading them out though.... all those shots at once seem like it can be hard on a little body. I say, you are a mother and you can make the choices that are best for your family and that is the bottom line!
I have learned if you don't feel right about something don't do it.. at least then!
I was an Autism teacher for 4 years and I have studied and studied and learned from the best and talked so so many Drs. and so many families and what I can tell you from my experience is that if you child has Autism, you can tell before the alleged shot that causes it is given. Some mothers look for a reason, or a cause and the truth is there just isn't one that we know of yet. The vaccinations theory has been LONG proven wrong and not valid. I do think there is something to say about spreading them out though.... all those shots at once seem like it can be hard on a little body. I say, you are a mother and you can make the choices that are best for your family and that is the bottom line!
I love this post b/c I can tell how much you are enjoying your little guy! He's very cute. I can relate...I hate getting B's shots.
Because of an insurance misunderstanding my daughters vaccines were started late and then we spread them out. At 2.5 she's only missing chickenpox due to the fact I was in a high risk pregnancy and then we had NICU babies. She is also missing MMR, but I'll probably wait until she starts school for that.
My daughter has been so healthy and the triplets were exposed to so much in the NICU that we decided to start their shots later, much later. My daughters started around 4 months old, so we waited until the boys were 4 months adjusted and then are spreading them out like we did with her.
Vaccines nearly killed both of my children. Odelia had horrid experiences with all of her infant vaccinations and eventually developed post-vaccination encephalitis from DTaP.
We were more careful with Bettina and waited until she was 2 months before her first round of vaccinations. We allowed her to be given Pneumovax and Hib (to prevent meningitis) She was very ill for a week and then developed apnea that lasted for three weeks. She was watched 24 hours a day. She had to be startled into breathing three times. At four months, at the doctor's insistence that the apnea and vaccines were unrelated, we once again allowed her to be given the vaccines for Pneumovax and Hib. One again, she was ill for around a week and then developed apnea. One night, after getting no more than 3 hours of sleep per night for weeks on end, I fell asleep on my watch. I woke up because Bettina wasn't breathing (this is actually what reaffirmed my belief in God after years of confusion. NOTHING wakes me up). I shook her and counted back in my head. It took about 15 seconds to make her breath again. I do not know how for how long she had stopped before I woke. The room was pitch black and I am glad because she must have been blue.
Crazily enough, both of my children have still received some more vaccines. One at a time, when they are well, only if the disease is 1. easy to catch (airborne) AND 2. likely to kill or maim (Diptheria, Polio). My children will not receive any (or any further for Odelia, she is older) Hepatitis, Varicella, Influeza, Rotavirus, etc. vaccines.
I believe strongly that the metals and other toxins do have very negative effects on the body, especially for young children. After receiving a series of Rabies vaccines, I continually mix my words and sometimes have a difficult time of trying to think through something very easy. Rabies vaccines still contain mercury. :( (But, as I like to say, "I may be dumb, but at least I don't have Rabies." :)
I am certain that vaccines cause immune dysfunction. I have seen it. Beyond their initial reactions both of my girls have had mysterious health problems and a mess of allergies. Odelia used to be allergic to nuts, peanuts, wheat, soy, dairy, eggs, sunflower, sesame, and so on. Now she is down to eggs and nuts, but we still have to carry around an Epi-pen. Do you think it is a coincidence that my girls' immune systems freaked out with vaccines and then everything else (ant bites, medications, etc.)? I don't.
I know my comment is extremely long. I hope this helps you in some way.
Oops! I meant breathe. I am too tired to type.
I don't think it should be a debate because everyone has a free choice on the matter. I think your gut feeling as a mom was right and when you feel ready you will get them done.
We have four children. The first one I vaccinated on schedule up to 1 1/2 year but he got sick each time and the one year shot they were very worried about because he was allergic to egg at the time and there is goose egg in that one so he had to be monitored closely. Our second child followed closely behind and she got her first two shots but I noticed a mood change with her after the shots so at that time (when my first was 1 1/2 and the second 6 months) we stopped vaccinating because of a gut feeling on my part.. I never, and still don't stand on one side or the other. I just made a choice for our family.
I will tell you this, our first child was on antibiotics for an infection after every vaccination (every 3 months for the first 1 1/2 years) but has never needed antibiotics since), our other three children (the one having had 2 shots and the other two never having been vaccinated) have never had an infection or needed antibiotics yet and they are 12, 8 and 4!
The only sad part of the story is that the first time I took our youngest to the hospital to be checked (because he was crying out of control and I had a gut feeling) the doctor refused to treat him because I he had not been vaccinated and I had to leave. ( I found out years later he is lactose intolerant) As far as I know we all do what we feel is best for our children, I am no different and felt horrible that the doctor took my choice out on my child!
We've done no more than two a visit. And we haven't done all the crap vaccinations. HepB as a baby? RotaTeq has only been approved for the last 6 years?? No way.
I think it was good to wait until he was better. Was he running a fever? My Dr won't give them if they do. It seems when they are sick or have a cold their bodies react to the shots differently
Vaccinate! Some of the illness vaccines prevent are disabling, some even fatal. I agree with waiting until the illness subsides, even maybe stretching the shots out, but get them! I work in an ER and there is nothing more heart breaking than seeing a very sick child with a preventable illness or death. Vaccines protect children! Vaccines reactions can occur, but are rare, and reactions can occur with anything - food, medicine, plants, etc. There is no proven link to vaccines causing autism or food allergies. Ask your pediatrician if they had their own children vaccinated and I guarantee they will say yes. Follow your gut, but don't ignore proven medical facts. The infant mortality rate is significantly lower due to immunizations! Protect your baby!
We started vaccines at 9 mos. for our twins and are only now fully caught up- except will not do chicken pox and hep B. Kids are now 3 1/2. It took us 2 1/2 years to get them all (or most). Took a lot of extra visits!
We did one at a time. For the nasty ones (MMR), we took probiotics the day of and days afterwards. Also, we did extra vitamin C that day and for a few days later. Also, took a good general kids multivitamin (like from Wholefoods)a few days before and after.
And yes, they should always be healthy when getting them. As an adult, I would never subject my body to fighting 6 to 8 viruses (alive or inactivated) at a time so I certainly wouldn't do that to a baby. Trust your gut! I hated every minute of these decisions. Ugh.
I have vaccinated all six of my children on the recommended schedule. They have never been badly ill following the injections..... I'm a nurse and my husband is a doctor. We've seen children die first hand from some of the diseases that there are now vaccinations available for. {we've been in medicine for a long time... my husband for over 35 years}
My baby niece caught Pertussis {Whooping Cough} before the age of vaccination {here it is eight weeks} she almost died......
Vaccinations have a place in our greater society but I would never assume to judge people for what they do or do not. I haven't hesitated. I educated myself and made decisions after speaking with my family doctor...... Sounds to me like you are doing exactly the same.
:):)
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