vax newbie question - what if I stop now?

[rcr]

I am pretty uneducated about vax, but I have been reading up on it lately. DS has followed the dr. schedule until now, but the upcoming series at 12 MO scares the hell out of me, and I am definitely not getting the MMR vax. I am considering stopping vaxing completely now, although I worry that it is too late. I guess I am not really asking anything specific, but I would like to hear from some of you who started to vax but stopped, and why you did it, and how it is working out. Do you think that the vaxes that your LO received up until that point (when you stopped) caused harm in any way? If children that have not been vaxed have better immune systems, than is being partially vaxed worse (sort of like taking half of antibiotics is bad)?

I guess I am still really confused about this, and I have been reading a lot of older posts in this forum, as well as other places online, but I have not seen anything about stopping vaxing (my DS is 10 MO).

[LindsayK]

I started by thinking that I wanted to do delayed/selective vaxes. At the 4 mo appt, the Ped scared me into giving DTaP shot to DD, because of the *deadly* consequenses of getting pertussis in little babies. Now, knowing what I do, I realize that this was a silly argument - something like 76% of all deaths in babies happen before the age of 2 months, and DD was already past that window. We did the DTaP series, and since then have been "delaying" and "selectively vaxing" The thing is, every time I look at thinking about the next series to start, I can't find a disease that I think is worth the risk of vaccinating against. It might be an indefinite delay!!! Our 12 month appointment is coming up, and so I guess I need to get ready for the potential onslaught from our Ped.

In answer to your questions - do I think that the vaxes DD had so far caused her harm? Well, there is nothing that I can definitely point to, she seems to be a normally developing smart little baby. However, she has a lot of skin problems (dry, flaky, itchyness) Is this from the vaccine? Could be. Now that we vaxed, I'll never know, will I?

In terms of stopping part way through a series, I have never read anything that says it will cause harm. Its not like antibiotics, like you rightly noted, where taking half will just kill off the weak bacteria, and leave the strong ones to attack your body. Not taking the full series of the vaccine, according to package inserts, just means that you will have a lower probability of immunity from the disease you vaxed against.

My advice? Keep reading, and tell your pediatrician you are delaying. Listen to him/her, nod thoughtfully, take any reading material the ped gives you home, and don't commit to anything. The mere act of stopping part way through a vaccine series is not harmful. If you are worried that if you later want to continue with the vaxing and will have to "re-do" vaccines, you can check on the CDC website for the "make-up" schedule. To my understanding, most vaccination series are able to resume without re-doing vaccines you've already done.

If you decide that after doing your research you want to continue vaxing, then you can. Just remember that you can't EVER "un-do" a vaccine. Its a permenant decision!!!

Good luck with your research

[spero]

Originally Posted by rcr

I am considering stopping vaxing completely now, although I worry that it is too late.

It's never too late to stop vaxing.

I would like to hear from some of you who started to vax but stopped, and why you did it, and how it is working out.

That would be me. All my kids were vaxed on (CDC rec'd) schedule until my youngest was 2. So, that mean that two of them are still technically "up to date" on their vaccines.

I knew nothing about vaccines being harmful until I got on the 'net in 2002. I never knew that there were parents who actually refused vaccines for their children, so I was skeptical at first. Then I found out about the vaccines that are cultured on aborted fetal cells, and I started lurking at this board in
2004. By the time DD started kindy in 2005 I had made the decision to stop vaccinating all of the kids.

It's working out well for the kids, but I've had nothing but problems from the pediatrician's office ever since I told them no more vaccines. Because I now flatly refuse to cooperate with their "office policies", they discharged my kids from their practice about two weeks ago. We're signing up with a family practitioner - which I probably should have just done years ago, I would have saved myself a lot of grief.

Do you think that the vaxes that your LO received up until that point (when you stopped) caused harm in any way?

Well, my son is a high-functioning Aspie - though I'm not convinced anymore that it was from vaccines alone, it's certainly possible they played a role.
The reason I'm not convinced of vaxes alone is b/c I know someone with an unvaxed 5-yo who is moderately autistic, and I definitely don't suspect the MMR in my son's case b/c he was showing definite signs of autism well before he got that vaccine.

However, my youngest was dx'd with Type 1 diabetes almost three years ago, and after some research (Dr. Classen) I do believe that the Hep B and Hib vaccines may be to blame.

If children that have not been vaxed have better immune systems, than is being partially vaxed worse (sort of like taking half of antibiotics is bad)?

You can't really compare the two. The reason you should take all prescribed abx is that you might feel better after only a day or two but you need the entire dosage to kick the infection.

Partial vaccination is better than "complete" vaccination, IMO. The less the better.

I guess I am still really confused about this, and I have been reading a lot of older posts in this forum, as well as other places online, but I have not seen anything about stopping vaxing (my DS is 10 MO).

People ask this all the time here. Yes, it's OK to stop anytime.