Vaccinations and breastfeeding

[SoCalTess]

First, I really hope I am posting in the right place. I did spend time looking through the archives but although I did find some great info I was looking for some more.

Quick background/situation...
Personally I would not have given my children vaccinations if there were not extenuating circumstances. As it is my husband is in the military and we are to be traveling abroad for our next station; vaccinations are required for the post. I have been aware of this for the past year and was working with an osteopath/homeopath to vaccinate slowly with my 4 year old. Unfortunately, I no longer have that resource as I must vaccinate my 5 month old and myself.

My question is mainly this, I am still breastfeeding and would like to continue to do so, but as I am vaccinating my son also I do NOT want any of my vaccinations to get into my breastmilk. I do have some stored and am happy to 'pump and dump' if that is possible.
Does anyone have any insight/information on this subject.
Thank you so much!

[Emmeline II]

I am assuming you are Navy; they seem to be really pushing dependent vaccination. I know of no country a dependent can go to that requires vaccinations of visitors or requires it through the SOFA. Going overseas is not inherently dangerous and imposing vaccinations on dependents to go overseas is unfair and an unequal treatment of dependents as those vaccinations are not required for stateside dependents.

OPNAV INSTRUCTION 1300.14D
SUITABILITY SCREENING FOR OVERSEAS AND REMOTE DUTY
ASSIGNMENT

The purpose of the Suitability for Overseas Remote Duty regulation is to determine:

Fitness to meet requirements of overseas/remote assignments. Servicemembers and
family members do not possess any performance, disciplinary,
financial, educational, psychological, and medical or other
physical attributes that would preclude successful completion of
an overseas/remote assignment.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COMMAND SPONSORSHIP

www.48fss.com/DNN/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=AnFg2fIO99U%3D&tabid= 138&mid=711 -

FAMILY MEMBER SUITABILITY SCREENING
OPNAV INSTRUCTION 1300.14D. SUITABILITY SCREENING FOR OVERSEAS AND REMOTE DUTY
ASSIGNMENT
http://usmilitary.about.com/gi/dynam...s/1300.14D.pdf

DOD Form NAVMED 13001/2
http://www.med.navy.mil/sites/navmedmpte/nomi/swmi/Documents/Overseas%20Screening(Encl%204).pdf
http://www.militaryhomefront.dod.mil...NT/1601311.pdf

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NAVY/JAPAN INFORMATION

I did a search on the mothering.com vax board for "navy"; just look for my responses... I think the first one has my general miltary childcare vaccination information; the second has Navy/Japan information.

Navy PCS 1

Navy PCS 2

Navy Search

Originally Posted by
Quick update:
We just went for our overseas screening (VA to Japan). We sel/delay vax. We are Navy. We were told we HAD to get kids up to date on all vax per CDC/WHO recs or they would not sign the Form 1300-2 form for the immunizations. it was an Army reg (not sure which one - dh may remember) which clearly stated they must be current per the CDC recommendations.

All that I have read up to this point said that the vaccinations are

recommendations (except those required by the host country, which there are none) and are not requirements per reg (though you can be denied assignment for any reason).

NAVMED 13001/2; it says that immunization requirements are "assignment specific" and "meet destination country requirements" (there are none required by Japan).

I've known at least 4 people on another are in Japan or going; and they are all Navy and not vaxing! Not all Navy dependents to Japan are being treated the same; at least this treatment is very recent (since about Jan 09). Oddly enough, though they cited an Army reg. I don't know any overseas Army dependents with this problem; it's just the Navy.

FAMILY MEMBER SUITABILITY SCREENING
OPNAV INSTRUCTION 1300.14D. SUITABILITY SCREENING FOR OVERSEAS AND REMOTE DUTY
ASSIGNMENT
http://usmilitary.about.com/gi/dynam...s/1300.14D.pdf


DOD Form NAVMED 13001/2
http://www.med.navy.mil/sites/navmedmpte/nomi/swmi/Documents/Overseas%20Screening(Encl%204).pdf
Be aware that the Army regulation sprung on Paniscus concerned DOD schools, CDC daycares, and other childminding institutions that had nothing to do with dependents getting a medical clearance for an overseas accompanied tour/ to deny a medical clearance for an overseas tour: (Army Regulation 40–562
BUMEDINST 6230.15A
AFJI 48–110
CG COMDTINST M6230.4F
http://www.vaccines.mil/documents/969r40_562.pdf).
It's like saying "you cannot include pianos in your household goods and this regulation, regarding pcsing with pets, backs up my statement."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~

Challenging the Navy on dependent vaccinations.

I am just so tired. (http://www.mothering.com/discussions.../multipage.gif 1 2 3 )

[claddaghmom]

Originally Posted by SoCalTess

First, I really hope I am posting in the right place. I did spend time looking through the archives but although I did find some great info I was looking for some more.

Quick background/situation...
Personally I would not have given my children vaccinations if there were not extenuating circumstances. As it is my husband is in the military and we are to be traveling abroad for our next station; vaccinations are required for the post. I have been aware of this for the past year and was working with an osteopath/homeopath to vaccinate slowly with my 4 year old. Unfortunately, I no longer have that resource as I must vaccinate my 5 month old and myself.

My question is mainly this, I am still breastfeeding and would like to continue to do so, but as I am vaccinating my son also I do NOT want any of my vaccinations to get into my breastmilk. I do have some stored and am happy to 'pump and dump' if that is possible.
Does anyone have any insight/information on this subject.
Thank you so much!

Well if you go to the manufacturer inserts themselves, they all have a little vague disclaimer that it is unknown whether the pathogen transmits through breastmilk and talk your provider, legal yada yada.

The way I see it though, how are you going to pump and dump....I mean, you won't know how long the vaccine ingredients remain in your body, you won't know how much is present in the milk....and meanwhile your infant requires formula which comes with its own deficiencies and dangers.

[SoCalTess]

Thank you!

Thank you for all the great, links. I am looking through them as I can. We are Marine Corps, but basically the same thing. We are not going to Japan though, we are going to a country where malaria, dengue fever and Hep are very prevelant. There are no restrictions getting into the country but there have been reports of restrictions regarding in country travel without certain immunizations.
We were told when we said we were not immunizationing, that he could absolutely refuse for us but that his assignment would be denied.

[SoCalTess]

Originally Posted by claddaghmom

Well if you go to the manufacturer inserts themselves, they all have a little vague disclaimer that it is unknown whether the pathogen transmits through breastmilk and talk your provider, legal yada yada.

The way I see it though, how are you going to pump and dump....I mean, you won't know how long the vaccine ingredients remain in your body, you won't know how much is present in the milk....and meanwhile your infant requires formula which comes with its own deficiencies and dangers.

I guess i was wondering if there was any information on how long the vaccine ingredients stayed in your system (i know this doesn't include the damage on a cellular level). I would not wish to switch to formula, just trying to figure out the best way to go about is whole situation.

[blessedwithboys]

so your line of thought is that if you vax baby and yourself, baby would be getting a double dose? i personally dont vax either myself or my kids, i do believe that they are more harm than good, but i still wouldnt worry about double dosing through breastmilk to the point of P'ing and D'ing. maybe look into one of those detox remedies you can get at a HFS, but other than that, as a former BFing mama, i wouldnt worry that your milk is unsafe just due to you being vax. (i mean, it may be so, but it wouldnt be one of those things i would allow myself to dwell on, and trust me, i dwell on a LOT)