Help! Considering DTaP

[makuahine]

Hello. This question may be a little confusing because it is in fact a number of questions. First off, my daughter is three and a half months and I have decided to delay her vaccinations and possibly not vaccinate at all (I am still researching and weighing the pros and cons). However, the one vaccination I am considering before she is two is the DTaP and this is for two reasons: firstly, when she is eight months old my DH and I will be traveling with her from Hawaii to Washington state for a few weeks then on to New England for a few more weeks. We will be taking her on numerous plane rides and she will be around lots of people from all over the states (weddings) and my parents and doctor are pushing for her to get vaccinated before all the potential exposure she'll encounter on commercial jets, etc. I am really not concerned about her being exposed to tetanus or diptheria on the airlines, but I am a bit scared about pertussis. Which leads me to the second reason I am considering DTaP- pertussis really scares me!! So, I guess my questions are: should I vaccinate her before this trip? is pertussis really as big a risk and as prevalent as my doctor leads me to believe? and would only one shot even afford her any immunity or does she need the whole series? Also (and I know there have been threads about this but I don't have the time to look!) has anyone had first hand experience with their babies getting pertussis and if so is it worth getting the vaccine? Sorry this is a lot to sort through but I hope you guys can help me make my decision- it just seems like their are so many risks either way with vaccinations and I change my mind daily about what I'm going to do. Thank you!

[Marnica]

I hear ya...pertussis scared me as well. My son is 10 months old and unvaccinated. There is a thread here about mamas whose children have had pertussis and come out just fine (infants too).

First of all your child would need all three doses to provide "protection". Second, by 8 months old your child will have passed the most dangerous time for pertussis. It is most dangerous in babies under 6 months old. Third the pertussis component of the DTaP is the most reactive component. Fouth, the vaccine is thought not to prevent transmission of pertussis, so any theortical exposure she would have on an airplane doesn't mean she wouldn't get it anyway. I personally know of at least 6 kids who are fully vaccinated and got WC anyway. There are many more mama on this board that have the same experience. Personally I would skip it and concentrate on keeping her immune system strong. Dose her up with SA prior to the airtravel and take the SA on your travels with you. Of course your ped is pushing you to vax, cause thats what they do! They will use the airtravel as the reason why you should. Frankly unless you plan to keep your child in a bubble, they will be exposed to all kinds of things whether you travel on a plane or not.

[bluedaisy]

I actually posted a similar question several months ago when i was beginning to research vaxes and the dtap was one that i was considering. based on the great responses i got and other info i read about it, there is no way i will give my DD the dtap vax. here are a few reasons:

- it is one of the most reactive vaxes. i saw a paper my sister got from her ped listing the vaxes and their common side effects. the dtap had way more than any other vax, and they were a lot more serious. check out VAERS or even the CDC web site to get the full list of reactions.

- it has been linked to SIDS.

- it can cause the "dtap scream" this side effect is so common that it's been named after the vax. this is when the child screams inconsolably for days. i can't image my DD going through that studies show it's been linked to encephalitis, when the child's brain swells and causes such bad pain that the child just screams and cant be calmed

- it's not even effective. it's something like 65% effective, so giving your LO the vax offers no guarantee that she wont get WC anyway.

- WC is most dangerous in the first 6 months. the vax isnt effective without all 3 doses. they give the third dose at 6 months, so it doesnt even protect the child when the disease is most serious.

I hope my DD doesnt get WC, I think it would be awful. but i am WAY more scared of the vax than of WC. I am so glad I did this research and learned about vaxes before I gave any to her.

I wouldnt do it if I were you.

[alegna]

Good advice so far.

I can tell you my kids are unvaxed and we go everywhere and do everything and don't worry.

-Angela

[ericswifey27]

Ditto to the above thoughts.

See my siggy for what happened to my nephew.

[makuahine]

Thanks for the great information! I've been leaning towards skipping the DTaP and it's nice to hear my decision validated by others instead of being made to feel like a bad mom for not vaccinating.

[gbailey]

Originally Posted by makuahine

Thanks for the great information! I've been leaning towards skipping the DTaP and it's nice to hear my decision validated by others instead of being made to feel like a bad mom for not vaccinating.

Please don't ever feel like a bad mom for not vaccinating. people try and tell you what you should do but only you know best. we vax dd on a selective schedule that we feel comfortable with. we made the decision to stop sharing with people so we don't have to deal with other peoples stuff! Good luck. Your baby will be just fine especially with a mom who cares enough to ask questions and research