I used to react badly to shots when I was younger, and would spend a full 24 hours in bed feeling feverish and practically comotose after each one, so that factored into our decisions-- I don't like the idea of baby girl being uncomfortable and not being able to tell us about it (yes she can cry, but we're not going to be able to really truly pinpoint what it is).
The schedule here, is nothing at birth, a 2, 4, 6 and 15 months they get prevnar 13, and pentacel- which is tetanus, diptheria, pertussis, polio and Hib. At 12m they also get MMR and one other one, I don't remember which.
We are exclusively breastfeeding, and DD will not enter a daycare setting until at -least- a year, and even then it will probably be family if she does go.
For now, we have decided to decline/delay all shots. I highly second the recommendation for the sears vaccine book-- it laid everything out really well, without scare tactics to get you to do the shots. I decided after reading it that for the two shots planned for two months, the only diseases I felt were enough of a concern to vaccinate against were the pneumococcal (prevnar) and pertussis. They do not make a pertussis only vaccine, the simplest you can get is the Dtap or Tdap. We researched and searched our hearts and decided that the pertussis risk was not high enough for us to vaccinate her against these other illnesses needlessly. If there were a pertussis only, we would have given it.
I feel that the pneumococcal illnesses were a valid concern, and in theory, I want her to get the Prevnar-- however, I've heard so many concerns lately with reactions to that shot, so while she will get it eventually, we're holding out for now until I feel better about it. I just couldn't make myself comfortable with it at her age, and so I'm trusting my mama gut. She will probably start this series at 6m.
MMR will be declined until she's at least school age. Varicella until puberty. She will not get a flu vaccine. I also will not give her the HPV. We will probably give tetanus around age 2-3, when I feel like she's more at risk for it.
DH and I enjoy carribean vacations, so next time we decide to do one, we will get her hep A/B (hep b isn't on our schedule until a few years down the road in this province). At that time we will also re-evaluate the other vaccines based on where we decide to go.
For me, it just came down to not feeling confident that the risks-- based on known 'normal' side effects, as well as uncommon cases-- and the ingredients in the vaccines, were worth it, considering the severity, and prevalence of some of the diseases that she would typically receive vaccines for. I feel that -at this age- she's too young and vulnerable to be injecting her body with something that did not come naturally to her.
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