had 2 month vaccines and now regretting a bit

[twins+1]

With my twins (now 2 1/2) we did a really delayed and selective vaccine schedule - really no 'schedule' I'd just pick one here/there - wasn't very organized.
Today at my 10 wk olds appt i told them I would do the Hib vaccine. She was fine with that as she said the most important in her opinion were Hib and Prevnar. She listed the ones that were possible death-causing diseases and then the ones that aren't (rota, hep B right now). She then told me to be prepared for him to get rota if we didn't get the dose. So... I agreed to rota and Hib.
Well tonight he is a SAD baby (he is normally a HAPPY easy going baby). He must feel really yucky from the rotavirus. He is crying so much more and all I can think of is parents who said their baby screamed and then died of 'sids' after a vaccine. He's sleeping right here by me now, but I think I'll sleep lightly tonight (we cosleep anyway).
She is okay with me doing one a month, but i hesitated at that and she said 'is that too fast for you' - so i think she is flexible to a point. I have such fears of him getting a vaccine injury, but then again i worry about him getting something he could avoid by getting the vaccine. I feel so wishy-washy. I just want to protect him really. I'd crumble if something happened to him.
Any advice?

My twins need 5 more to be 'caught up' but since they had such a spaced out schedule they ended up getting fa r fewer than most kids. My son got one Dtap last winter and he spiked a high fever and every time he gets a vax he gets a patch of eczema. I am worried about him getting worse reactions. Do kids REALLY need all the Dtap boosters??? I am going to ask this new pedi if she can do a Measles, mumps and rubella separated.

[MountainMamaGC]

I took the regret as a sign to stop doing it altogether.

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

:

Just not worth it to me.

[alegna]

IMO *all* parents should research vaccines before giving them. I researched each vaccine and each disease. When I finished, I found no vaxes worth the risk for my kids. My kids are entirely unvaxed and very healthy.

-Angela

[Cristiaz]

ANY and ALL reactions mean the body is not handling it well at all and that is not good. Our immune systems are designed to protect us and all vaccine reactions are auto immune reactions. Eczema is an allergic reaction, not a good sign.

Do what the above poster said and research each and every disease and vaccine and you will find no need to vax. Doctors will tell you horror stories about babies/children dying from certain diseases. They are paid to sell/give vaccines by the pharma companies who make them so to them its like selling a car...they'll say what sells. Some Docs truely believe in vaccines but keep in mind, they do not learn about the immune system in its entirety in med school. They don't have a clue. (just my 2 cents but I happen to dislike allopathic docs in general)

[Gitti]

Originally Posted by twins+1

She then told me to be prepared for him to get rota if we didn't get the dose. So... I agreed to rota and Hib.

That was not fair of her to do that to you. You had not time to research and to inject Rota virus into your child was totally unnecessary. He may get it at age 3 or 4 or he may not get it at all. That was fear mongering imo.

She is okay with me doing one a month,

Who cares? She can decide for her own kids but for YOUR kids, YOU decide. You are the mother. She has no personal feelings for your children. She is their doctor nothing more. A doctor is there when a child is sick. Anything beyond that should be your decision and you are to blame if something goes wrong. She will not blame herself.

I have such fears of him getting a vaccine injury,

Which can happen. And then you can never take the vaccine back out of the little body again.

but then again i worry about him getting something he could avoid by getting the vaccine.

Such as? Start to post your concerns and fears and get information. That is the only way you can make and informed decision. "That he will get something..." is unrealistic.

I'd crumble if something happened to him.
Any advice?

Yes. Don't make decisions based on fear. Fear does not let you think realistically. You have to get informed about each disease you are injecting into your child. You have to know the ingredients in each vaccine.

My twins need 5 more to be 'caught up'

I need about 100 we figured out one time (with the flu shots and what not...) since I only had two vaccines in my entire life and those two are no longer given. I am a 62 yo grandmother.

Btw, my 12 yo grandson would need quite a few and so would my other three grandchildren who are all completely vax-free and will remain so.

Do kids REALLY need all the Dtap boosters??? I am going to ask this new pedi if she can do a Measles, mumps and rubella separated.

Peds bread and butter is selling vaccines. She'll sell you as many as you let her inject into YOUR kids' little bodies.

[KweenKrunch]

I'm so sorry you made that choice. I hope your baby turns out okay.

[peainthepod]

Vaccine reactions generally get worse with each exposure, not better. I would read the eczema, fevers, and other reactions as warning signs to stop vaccinating completely.

I hope your little ones feel better soon.

P.S. It doesn't matter what your ped is "okay with". You are their mother and you will have to live with the consequences of your decisions, not your children's doctor. I would find a pediatrician or, better yet, a general practitioner for the whole family who won't pressure or bully you into giving your children drugs that are obviously giving them adverse reactions.

[KimPM]

Originally Posted by twins+1

Do kids REALLY need all the Dtap boosters??? I am going to ask this new pedi if she can do a Measles, mumps and rubella separated.

Dtap: As far as the tetanus part of it goes, more than one shot is needed for it to be effective. That's what the literature indicates anyway. And apparently the coverage wanes by about 10 years, so that's why they also recommend even more boosters every 10 years (or sooner).

You may have a hard time finding M,M and R separated even if your pedi is willing to do it.

It may help you to read up more on vaccines, as well as the chances of contracting the diseases themselves. Also read up on treatment for each disease. There are plenty of options for treatment these days. If it was me, I wouldn't give my child any more vaxes until I had researched a lot more.

(FWIW, My DS is unvaxed.)

[twins+1]

Thank you for your replies. I think i will tell her i will be holding off on vax's until he is much older. When i was pregnant with my 2.5 year old b/g twins i had a dream that my son didn't 'know me'. In my dream he wouldn't look me in the eyes and was different. I always remember that dream as though it is a warning that he would have an injury from vaccines. So I was very adament to not give my twins vaccines until they were 6 months old and then only 1 vaccine for about 3 months span between. I guess after him getting eczema and fevers with his Dtap's it could've been very possible if he had been exposed much earlier.

My baby son has been so restless today but he slept well last night and he hasn't been crying anymore. Basically back to himself, but just must still feel a little yucky. He's been nursing more than normal though.


On one hand, I like this dr a lot. She is anti-circumcision, advocate of safe cosleeping, nursed all her children and is a big advocate for breastfeeding, babywearing and she is very kind. I don't think she is trying to make money on vaccines. She was a sahm with her first daughter and then went to school to be a pediatrician. I just hope she is respectful of my vaccine decisions.

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

I hope she will as well.

My dd had/has eczema and would have flairs after vaxing as a matter of fact she developed eczema after her 2m vax.

I didnt learn until later of her egg allergy and several of the shots have eggs involved in the manufacture. I have no doubt that she was reacting to the vax but at the time I had no idea I had a choice about vax. If I had known I would have stopped them. I am just thankful I learned about it when ds was 4mo and stopped all vax after that. He was also starting to show signs of eczema that went away totally after I stopped vaxing.

[twins+1]

Originally Posted by MCatLvrMom2A&X

I hope she will as well.

My dd had/has eczema and would have flairs after vaxing as a matter of fact she developed eczema after her 2m vax.

I didnt learn until later of her egg allergy and several of the shots have eggs involved in the manufacture. I have no doubt that she was reacting to the vax but at the time I had no idea I had a choice about vax. If I had known I would have stopped them. I am just thankful I learned about it when ds was 4mo and stopped all vax after that. He was also starting to show signs of eczema that went away totally after I stopped vaxing.

My son doesn't get eczema normally - only immediately after a vax. He tolerates eggs fine, so I'm not sure what it is exactly. But there is a definite pattern. Its just a small patch on his arm usually.

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

It is really hard to tell what part he is reacting to since there are so many different ingrediants involved in the production of each vax. I had no idea what the problem was with dd until she was almost 2 and underwent allergy testing. Then I was able to look back and see what was going on and why after she got a vax she would be in miserty with her hands busting open from the eczema

[Emmeline II]

Originally Posted by twins+1

I have such fears of him getting a vaccine injury, but then again i worry about him getting something he could avoid by getting the vaccine. I feel so wishy-washy. I just want to protect him really. I'd crumble if something happened to him.
Any advice?

Vaccines are drugs; not harmless vitamins. You need to evaluate the risk of him not only contracting, but having serious complications from VADs to the risk of him suffering acute and/or chronic reactions to the vaccines. It's not as if vaccines prevent someone from ever becoming ill, or even eliminate the possibility of them contracting a disease vaccinated against--the question is, "what is the greater risk?"


Here are some questions to answer for yourself in deciding about vax.

1. Name of the disease
2. Description of the disease
3. Length of time from initial infection to end of all symptoms
4. Infectious period
5. Normal symptoms of the disease
6. Known serious consequences of the disease
7. Proportion of persons infected developing serious consequences
8. Transmission route of the disease
9. Prevalence of the disease
10. Treatments of the disease and efficacy of those treatments
11. Relevant research about the disease
12. Name of the vaccine
13. Company that makes the vaccine
14. Contents of the vaccine
14A. The significance of whether or not the vaccine is live
15. History of development of the vaccine
16. Known side-effects of the vaccine and rate of incidence of those side-effects
17. Possible side-effects not yet acknowledged by the vaccine maker
18. Relevant research into the vaccine
19. How effective is the vaccine at preventing the disease?
20.What is the vaccine meant to do? (Many vaccines are not meant to prevent infection or transmission).
21.Number of cases reported each year.
22.Number of deaths reported each year from the vaccine and natural disease.

Here are some sources to help you out:

Inside Vaccines

Vaccines-The Risks, the Benefits, the Choices DVD, By Sherri J. TENPENNY
YOUTUBE: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7018835240451107552


http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/mmwr_wk.html (download the current issue)
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pin...k-chapters.htm
http://vaers.hhs.gov/pdf/PackageInserts.pdf
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...40451107552&q=
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...87981735&hl=en
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pin...ses&deaths.pdf

[twins+1]

Originally Posted by Emmeline II

Vaccines are drugs; not harmless vitamins. You need to evaluate the risk of him not only contracting, but having serious complications from VADs to the risk of him suffering acute and/or chronic reactions to the vaccines. It's not as if vaccines prevent someone from ever becoming ill, or even eliminate the possibility of them contracting a disease vaccinated against--the question is, "what is the greater risk?"


Here are some questions to answer for yourself in deciding about vax.

1. Name of the disease
2. Description of the disease
3. Length of time from initial infection to end of all symptoms
4. Infectious period
5. Normal symptoms of the disease
6. Known serious consequences of the disease
7. Proportion of persons infected developing serious consequences
8. Transmission route of the disease
9. Prevalence of the disease
10. Treatments of the disease and efficacy of those treatments
11. Relevant research about the disease
12. Name of the vaccine
13. Company that makes the vaccine
14. Contents of the vaccine
14A. The significance of whether or not the vaccine is live
15. History of development of the vaccine
16. Known side-effects of the vaccine and rate of incidence of those side-effects
17. Possible side-effects not yet acknowledged by the vaccine maker
18. Relevant research into the vaccine
19. How effective is the vaccine at preventing the disease?
20.What is the vaccine meant to do? (Many vaccines are not meant to prevent infection or transmission).
21.Number of cases reported each year.
22.Number of deaths reported each year from the vaccine and natural disease.

Here are some sources to help you out:

Inside Vaccines

Vaccines-The Risks, the Benefits, the Choices DVD, By Sherri J. TENPENNY
YOUTUBE: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7018835240451107552


http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/mmwr_wk.html (download the current issue)
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pin...k-chapters.htm
http://vaers.hhs.gov/pdf/PackageInserts.pdf
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...40451107552&q=
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...87981735&hl=en
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pin...ses&deaths.pdf

awesome! thanks!

[smeep]

When I researched vax's with DS I kept in mind these main points.

1.) The risks of the vaccines vs. the risks of the diseases. I don't do "risks vs. benefits" because it always skews the mind automatically. What you see as having "benefits" automatically makes it sound better. I do risks vs. risks.

2.) The incident of moderate to severe reaction to the diseases, what people that happens to (babies? the elderly? Primarily those with otherwise compromised immune systems? What about otherwise generally healthy people?), and the overall rates of those diagnosed with the disease.

3.) Your individual child's health. Factors that affect responses to vaccines as well as diseases include health problems, if a child is breastfed (and, if so, how exclusive is it, when were solids started, for how long, etc.), sugar intake, overall diet, etc.

4.) Most importantly, and the final scale tipper for me, there is no guarantee that a child will be exposed to a certain disease, but vaccinating obviously guarantees exposure to the vaccine which automatically puts a child at risk.


DS has never had a single vax, not even the Vit K shot at birth. I felt the risks of the vaccines far outweighed the risks of the diseases he may or may not be exposed to.