My 3 month old brain bleed after DTaP Shot!!!!!!

[AurorasMommy]

[FONT=Palatino Linotype]Hello,

My name is megan. I just happened to come across this site, and I AM SO HAPPY THAT I DID!

Its been 1 month since my daughter had her brain bleed... but let me start from the begining!

I had a beautiful baby girl named Aurora on Sept 25, 2005. She was happy healthy and just AMAZING! We did all of her normal shots when she was born and everything seemed fine. At around 2 1/2 weeks she became a fussy baby and cried ALL THE TIME. Which they said she was colic. We tried everything but nothing seemed to work, she had her good and bad days!

At her 2 month wellness checkup she went in for all the normal 2 month shots including the DTaP. She screamed all night, for 7 hours straight. Her leg was so red and swollen, and nothing would soothe her. The next day she had a seizure, which I called her pedi and they said OH THATS NORMAL!!!!!!!! 2 weeks after her shots she passed out on me in a resturant. I rushed her to the ER to find out that she had an Intracranial bleed! No one can tell me why this happened, we are waiting for an MRI in 2 weeks to see if the blood has disappated and if there is anything we can see.... In my heart I feel this shot caused my baby these problems! She now has to be on seizure medication, and I am so afraid of what this brain bleed will do to her in the future... I DO NOT WANT TO GIVE HER ANOTHER DTaP Shot!!!

Can someone tell me the chances of her getting Whooping Cough, and is it as deadly as they make it out to be? I know I read another thread saying there might be other moms that I can talk to that didnt do the DTaP shot, I am just curious to know if they have a plan in case there babies do get it!!!! All the support in not vaxing my baby for this shot would be nice... I have been racking my brain over it for weeks, and next week is her appointment to get the shots and that one they can just check off the list!

Megan & My dear Angel Aurora 17weeks 5days old!

[Artisan]

I am so sorry for yor daughter. I know one of the others here will be able to provide you with great info.

[AurorasMommy]

another thing.........

Her neurologist is saying that they have never heard of brain bleeds from a shot, so they think the 2 are unrelated!!!!! However, they have NO IDEA why she bled! All things were ruled out:
abuse
avm
blood clotting disorders

Its just so weird to me that she would have all these seizures after and then have a brain bleed at 3 months old!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What steps do I take to report this incident?

[pumpkinsmama]

You can go here:

https://secure.vaers.org/VaersDataEntryintro.htm


i hope that you find out exactly what is going on soon. It sounds very frightning!

[Luv2Photograph]

How terrible, Here are some good websites.

http://www.vaclib.org/ You should find all the information you need here.

http://doctoryourself.com/vaccination.html

http://thinktwice.com/

Stay strong and don't let these doctors try to tell you that it is not from vaccinating, chances are that it is.

In my opinion, I would halt ALL vaccinations because your child could have reactions to those too.

God Bless and stay strong! It is YOUR child, do what YOU think is best.

[LongIsland]

Before filing your report, make sure you have the manufacturer and lot number. Your doctor would have this information.

[annalily]

Wow, I'm so sorry!

I would guess your daughter's chances of catching pertussis in the next few months (while still less than 6 months old and therefore more vulnerable to its complications) is much less than her chance of future harm from another shot. And please know that even if she got pertussis, there is a ton of great information here on treating it.

If it were me, I would absolutely stop any and all vaccinations for her right now and research them some more.

[Sirte]

I am so sorry for your poor baby! If my daughter had sufferred a brain bleed after a vaccination, there is no way that any doctor would ever inject another thing into her - at least not until I was really, really sure about it. And I honestly don't know how I'd ever be that sure about any immunizations if the consequences from one injection were as severe as brain bleeding and seizures. Seeing as she's due back for more vaxes next week, there is no way that I could be that positive about an issue as complex as vaccines after researching for only a week. Because of that, I'd cancel the well-baby check up until further notice. You can always decide to vaccinate after doing the research, but once your daughter gets another shot, there is no way to take it back and the results could be devastating as evidenced by your daughter's current condition.

There is a member here named "Sherra" whose daughter ended up in the hospital from brain injury after her 2 month shots. She suspects that it was the DTaP. Perhaps you could use the private message feature that we have here on mothering to send her a message asking about her daughter's issues. I'm sure that she'd be happy to talk with you about her experiences and what she knows about DTaP.

About whooping cough - There are many threads that discuss the incidence of whooping cough as well as treatments for it. The most common treatment method you'll see around here involves sodium ascorbate - which is a form of vitamin C. But it's a much different form than the citrusy, chewable tablets that you might be familiar with. Here's a thread discussing pertussis - I'd pay particular attention to reply #5:
http://www.mothering.com/discussions...ssis+ascorbate

You can find many other threads on pertussis if you use the search feature in this forum. If you want to know more specifically about pertussis and vitamin C, enter "pertussis AND ascrobate" into the search box. That having been said, it might be a little early in your research to start thinking about disease treatment. Focusing right now on researching the vaccines themselves might be a better use of your time. But, of course, do what you feel is best.

Welcome to Mothering and good luck with your research - we all know that it can be very overwhelming. But just take it slow - search back through old posts, particularly those in the archive section, and get ready to learn...

[AurorasMommy]

I did give her shots this round, I broke them up and did them one at a time. She recieved her HIB and POLIO and had no reaction at all, which is why it REALLY makes me think it was the DTaP Shot. She will be going back for her HEP B and Pneumoncocal Vaccine! I have read up a little bit about these two and to my knowledge the side effects are small... swollen leg and fever. If there are more to these shots let me know!
I also looked about the DTaP and it seemed that the DT part was safe and had no side effects really, it was the P that was dangerous! Is this true? Do you think I should give the DT or nothing at all?
Also how do you mommies go through life not being completely parniod that your babies will get something because you didnt Vax? I am so worried she will get Whooping Cough and get really sick!!!! But I have faith that she is a strong little girl and will pull through if she does....
I am strickly breastfeeding, are there things I can eat or drink that will better her system?

Megan

[CrazyCatLady]

I'm going to try and say this very gently. You really need to commit yourself to reading this forum, past threads, the resource area, stickies, ect. There is hours of reasearch to be done. Not to many people here are going to tell you that any vaccine is safe to give. Especially after a reaction like you've experienced. Not to mention you haven't even started to really educate yourself. So the general rule around here is no vaxes until you can make a very informed decision. No need to hurry and rush them, you can always do them later, but you can never take one out. All the questions that you asked have been answered many times before on this forum. I'm sure other moms will pop in here and answer them for you again. Try and do some research yourself though, use the search function, nobody can make the decision for you but we are here to help. Not sure where you got your info, I guess hib has less side effects than other vaxes. But Hep B has been known to cause a LOT of serious reactions, including death. I have Hep B and I don't recommend the vax to anyone. Good luck on your research.

[suschi]

"and to my knowledge the side effects are small"

Yes, yet your child was affected. They want us to believe the side effects are small, but the truth is, they are not "rare", they are just rarely reported.

The next vaccine you are planning to get for your child has a pretty high rate of seizures reported (prevnar).

You really need to check out the reports made to VAERS before making a decision how to proceed.

From experience, I would say trust your gut, because you may be very sorry if you don't.

You may find yourself in jail for shaken baby syndrome. Please please please get this reaction documented, request a copy of your child's records BEFORE you mention anything to the dr about adverse vaccine reaction.

Once you have the records, see if they documented the seizure~ if this is not documented, request them to document it and give you a copy of the corrected record. Once you have this corrected record, ask if they filed a report to VAERS, if not, file one yourself because your child's records should have all the information you need to file, if they tell you they filed one, get the report ID # and verify this information with VAERS so a duplicate report isn't filed.

If you think I am being dramatic, I'm not. (see actual case below) This happens way more than we are led to believe, and I cannot believe your dr told you a SEIZURE was NORMAL after a vaccine. If a brain injury is to be expected after a vaccine, then who in their right mind would do this intentionally to an infant????????

http://www.uscfc.uscourts.gov/Unpubl...mer-guzman.pdf

[curlyfry]

Please stop vaccinating until you research research research. It's the best thing you can do for her "system". It seems your child did have a reaction to the DTaP, since I don't believe in "coincidences" right after vaccinations.

You can always vax later. You can never un-vax (I said it for you Angela ) Don't feel the need to follow your Dr's schedule.

[sarahmck]

Originally Posted by AurorasMommy

Also how do you mommies go through life not being completely parniod that your babies will get something because you didnt Vax? I am so worried she will get Whooping Cough and get really sick!!!! But I have faith that she is a strong little girl and will pull through if she does....

I think you'll find that if you read through a few threads on this site, you'll see that most of us here generally feel that our children are healthier and safer because we *don't* vax. Most posters here (yes, I'm making a huge generalization) hold the position that vaccinations inhibit the immune system's development and contribute to a huge variety of "modern" diseases, particularly auto-immune disorders.

There's lots of information here about treating vaccine-preventable diseases. Many VPDs are "deadly" in the sense that some people will get them and will die. However, many of us believe that more people will die or be seriously injured by the vaccine than will die or be seriously injured by the disease. If we keep our children as healthy as possible by breastfeeding, feeding them good food, and ensuring that they get lots of exercise, they will be better able to fight off the diseases that they encounter.

I hope you'll benefit from the information available here as much as I have.

[AurorasMommy]

Thank you, I am going to do the research... I started back on the threads and I am sorting my way through!
Dont think that I would give these shots to my daughter to harm her again... its just that I am outweighing what she should have to what she shouldnt! I know for a fact that the Polio and HIB didnt effect her at all because she is sitting in front of me playing and smiling and its been over a week! So the rest I need to do information on and find out the pros and cons and is it really worth it! I thank you all for replying to me and giving me your advice! I want the best for my baby and I wont do anything that is going to try and take her from me again!
Megan

[curlyfry]

Please read all the links posted in this thread. You'll find some great info. Heres some good information on whooping cough and vitamin c:

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=195623

It makes the diseases much less scary when you research each one individually and then research the stats through the CDC and how you would treat it if your child did contract a "VPD".

[CrazyCatLady]

A reaction doesn't always show up in a day or two. Autism, diabetes, auto-immune disorders, learning disabilities, ect. Have all increased since vaxes, nobody can prove that they are not vax related. Yet many people have convincing evidence to show that they just might be. There are potiential long term consequences to consider here as well. I wouldn't rush on polio, your child has a zero to none chance of catching it in the USA.

[girlsmamma2]

I'm just a newbie here too, and the other mammas can offer you much more insight and research into what you are looking for. But I wanted to tell you how sorry I am your baby had to go thru this. How awful. and I think many of us have had the experience of trying to convince a dr. it was a reaction to the shot only to no avail. My dd had a reaction to her first dtap, but at the time being naive, i thought it was normal. not nearly as severe , but still not unnoticed. Then when she was 20 months old, had a reaction to her last HIB. She had everything but the seizures. THat is when I cut it off. I tried fruitlessly to convince our dr it was the shot, saying that she even gave me a paper (even though I knew more) on reaction levels, and i could check everything off on that sheet except seizures. tHankfully. three phone calls, reaction 24 hours after the shot, and still wouldn't admit it. so no more shots for her.

Also I will tell you from what I've researched that the 4th and 5th dtap doses are supposed to be the worst. my dd will not have either of those doses and I think Australia has even dropped the 4th, if i remember correctely. But I do worry, like you about whopping cough, since we will have a newborn in the spring. But i just can't get over the reactions of that dtap especially those last couple doses.

I'd say research and hault all shots until you feel more comfortable. You can always start them if that is what you want. But can never go back, as has been said many times before here. no doc will admit it was a reaction to you either. I would though, find a more choice friendly doc for your family who respects what your dd went through.

good luck.

[USAmma]

I just wanted to say, I'm so sorry that your child's doctor did not listen to your concerns!! : I hope that you are looking for a new ped. My child's ped also blew me off, said it was colic, then when I took her to ER she was so sick she stayed for 6 days and came home with a feeding tube.

You are in good hands about the vaccinations questions. I am not as well-read as most on this board. I just wanted to say I'm sorry this happened to her and I hope that you will find a new ped who listens to your concerns and is willing to work with you if you decide not to vaccinate anymore.

[suschi]

Originally Posted by AurorasMommy
Also how do you mommies go through life not being completely parniod that your babies will get something because you didnt Vax? I am so worried she will get Whooping Cough and get really sick!!!! But I have faith that she is a strong little girl and will pull through if she does....

My unvaccinated 3.5 year old does not scream for hours on end, does not pass out in restaurants, does not have seziures and does not have a bleeding brain. In fact, he's only had about 4 mild colds to date. Please get a copy of How To Raise A Healthy Child in Spite of Your Doctor (written by a pediatrician Dr Robert Mendelsohn) and check out the newbies link in this vaccination area, I believe they are discussing that book right now and many have the same concerns as you.

For me, I would rather take my risk with a known disease rather than brain bleeds that puzzle the drs who deny they are vaccine related.

Learn about the diseases, the incidence of, the treatment of. We are trained to fear them so we will line up for these vaccines and not disagree. It will take some time, but will be WELL worth the effort. I have seen many a mama who regrets vaccinating, but where are those who regret not vaccinating? Something to think about.

[curlyfry]

Originally Posted by AurorasMommy

I know for a fact that the Polio and HIB didnt effect her at all because she is sitting in front of me playing and smiling and its been over a week!
Megan

While it's very good that she didn't have an initial reaction to these, once you start reading through these threads you'll see that the less toxins that are injected into your daughter, the better. Here's a list of ingredients included in vaccines:

http://www.informedchoice.info/cocktail.html