Am I the Only Mom Still Wary of Vaccines??

I don't think you are doing anything unreasonable. I got most of my sons shots within the reccomended time window but I wished I had spaced them out (what is the chance of him getting Hepetitis??). I really wonder about kids who are not vaccinated at all. How do their moms sleep at night? I am not trying to offend anyone, I seriously wonder this. I would be so worried!

Unfortunately you are not alone in this decision. A lot of parents are still not protecting their own children (and by this action the many immuno-compromised and otherwise ill children who may be unable to receive vaccination and are protected by 'herd immunity' the level of vaccine protection in the general population) based upon what was falsified research which has been fully discredited. Because it go into the popular media and so widely disseminated it has been very difficult to counter with facts.

nope, my first daughter had reactions to them that were terrifying, i will always be weary of them for her, im very careful with my second daughter. I have gotten her some vaccines but not others, and never more than one at a time.

you are not alone

No, you are not the only mom holding back on vaccines. I have 3 daughters. The first has almost all of her vaccines, the second has a few select ones, the third has none and will not be getting any.
One question for you: is your baby sexually active or an IV drug user? If not, then why are you getting your baby the Hep. B vaccine? That is a vaccine that is totally not neccessary until your baby is close to being an adult. I rarely go to the doctor but when I do I refuse to be reprimanded for not getting vaccines for my children. I am an adult and I will make my own decisions for my children without some doctor lecturing me. All I say is that I have made my decision after a lot of research and education and it is not up for debate.

Lisa

No...You are not the only mom who question vaccination. I believe, unfortunately, that most of them don't speak out as much, particularly on mamapedia, b/c every time they do they get bombarded by vaccine supporters with (what I believe to be) false information....
That being said, I think a great resource is the Vaccine Book by Dr. Sears. Great info. Unbiased. ....If you have any specific questions about delayed/selective vaccinations feel free to PM me. : )

I wanted to also add, I found a great article today that REALLY answers this question well!!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-kirby/autism-vaccine-...

Hi,

Well, first of all I think you should search for a pediatrician/family Dr that is supportive of your parenting philosophy. You shouldn't be getting 'reprimanded' - that's not professional behavior. I would think if your ped office disagrees with you, they should provide you education/information so that you are informed.

I don't think you are alone. I am not wary of vaccines, and my daughter had all her shots on schedule, but I have often thought if I had it to do over again I would separate out shots.... 6 shots sounds like a lot at one time..... I know there are Drs out there that are Ok to space them out and you come in every month or so. I also believe that there is an 'official' delayed vaccine schedule (I think recommended by Dr Sears, but I'm not for sure).

I also know parents who don't get the 'convenience' vaccines - ie the flu, rotovirus, chicken pox etc.... the diseases that won't do severe harm and have a smaller fatality rate and they prefer to take their chances with the actual disease than to vaccinate.

Daycare isn't the only place that they encounter germs... the grocery store, the park, church, the movie theater, restaurants. MOST kids in daycare are vaccinated, so your kids won't run a risk of being exposed to preventable diseases at daycare, unless it's by another unvaccinated child. Once they go to school, though, they will run the same risk as any other kid.

Additionally, the ingredients in a lot of things are nasty..... mcDonalds hamburger is awful stuff (lol) - but millions of kids eat it every day - WITHOUT the benefit of a reduction of disease!!!!! Look at the labels on food to see the preservatives we give our kids every day (Propylene glycol is approved as 'safe' by the FDA and is used in TONS of stuff - as well as antifreeze for jets!!!!) If you want to make yourself sick see what's in "gelatin" and then look at the list of foods that contain gelatin. But Jell-o is a food most kids eat every week. Sulfites - one of the preservatives in vaccines - is what is sprayed on public salad bars, buffets and fruit in restaurants to keep it from turning brown. he'll get what's in the vaccine anyway!!!!! We're talking about 20 shots in your life as opposed to what we consume in our diets daily.

There is a risk with anything. Vaccinate and have a reaction. Don't vaccinate and get the disease. You have to seek out peace with your choice and the potential consequences of your decision - either way.

Good luck in your decision!

oh good lord, do what YOU feel is right. asking that question on here isn't going to help because half will say do it and half will say DONT!!! my step dtr at age 18 months had a severe reaction and is permanently brain damaged from it. my kids were 4 and 7 when i met my hubby and they have not gotten any shots since, including the flu shot. and you know what, they are more than fine. my dtr has had perfect attendance from k-end of 4th when she got a bad head cold. so far in 5th grade she hasn't missed any school. so when half my kids classes are out being sick, they are always fine. my point is, if you feel 'obligated' to do it and something happens, you will never forgive yourself. when i refused the shots for the kids at school the nurse said, you know you'd have to keep them home if there is a break out of something? i said yes, i know that. she said, it could be for 6 months or more. i said yes, thats fine, i own a business, it wouldn't be a problem. but when i asked her if my kids had to stay home, wouldn't all the kids have to? she hesitantly said yes....duh...so just do what you feel is right. good luck.

I agree with Jen C. on the MMR. There are current cases in the US and the results of these diseases are devastating. My son got his MMR at 14 months with no problems.

We don't do any except tetanus after age three! If I did any they would be one at a time (for many reasons including to gauge reactions), and I would never ever do hep a or b, gardasil, chicken pox, or flu. I have never been reprimanded and we have seen many different doctors due to moving, rotating docs at the clinic when we go, etc.! My favorite book is called the sanctity of human blood, his website is www.thedoctorwithin.com. You know what's best for your family!

Hey Mom, you have been through a GREAT deal of stress past couple months with a very sick newborn.
I suggest you find a NEW pediatrtian who will work WITH you (rather than reprimanding you). Many Many peds will be pleased to offer a longer shot schedule, to space them out, and to be more compassionate and understanding of what you're going through.
That said....

All three of my kids have been vaccinated on schedule and have had no problems. If I had to do it again, I would likely request they be scheduled one at a time, and wait til the child was a little older. But would def be on schedule by preschool age.

Hope the baby is feeling better!

:)

I have friends that do not vaccinate and their kids are all healthy. The only thing I don't give my kids is any vaccine that has the preservative Thimerosal because of the mercury in it, other than that, I don't mind. Like when all the H1N1 stuff was going down last year I didn't the vaccine to my son bc he had excema as a baby and would have been required to take a form that had the Thimerosal in it, so I opted out. The thing I asked my doctor was if any vaccine my children would receive would have mercury, he assured me that they would not but they did inform me that the H1N1 did have it and left the decision to me. I do vaccinate bc I think that we do live in somewhat crowded conditions in the city and I am in Houston which is such a melting pot and has lots of visitors from all over the world, I just don't want my kids to pick up whooping cough or polio or something that has been eradicated from society. It is a tough decision, you are not alone, but I do vaccinate and have had no problems. Good luck!

You are not the only mom that is still weary, and I don't like the idea that your pedi is reprimanding you for not getting your vax's.

That said, I wish that your doc was taking the time to explain why, especially for your immunocomromised daughter, vaccines are extra important. Even and especially rotovirus. I want your doctor to explain that children get sick everywhere, not just daycare. I want your pediatrician to really explain how we know for sure that there is not even a correlation between vaccinations and autism, let alone a causal relationship.

Mom's intuition is good, but it isn't perfect. Set up a time with your doc, away from a well-visit appointment, to really discuss your concerns about vaccinations. And be willing to listen to the answers. If your doc won't do this, then find a new doctor who will. But, honestly, you "doing your research" does not compare to years of medical training. Protect your children by getting them vaccinated.

No you aren't the only one wary! Mine are vaccinated on a delayed schedule, one that didn't start until they were 6 months and just does it one series at a time. That alone makes me feel better. I also haven't gotten the "recommended" ones like flu and rotavirus, we stick with the required ones and there are still A LOT! So no, you aren't the only one holding back but I know I wouldn't stand for being reprimanded...I am fine with a doctor telling me what they want/need me to know but ultimately it is my decision and I would want my doctor to respect that.

You are not the only one. I delayed all of my children's shots, including my now 13 yo, which was well before I heard anything about possible autism links. It just doesn't seem safe to me to pump immature immune systems with all that stuff all at once. I am very wary of vaccinces and I found a pediatrician who would not reprimand us for delaying, spreading out shots, and simply eliminating some.

Aww, your baby sounds so vulnerable already. I would definitely want a pediatrician that would be sensitive to your demands or requests. Not being a doctor myself but I would think less would be more in this instance, meaning not all those vaccines at one time!

No, you aren't the only one. Sometimes it's scary. There is a risk no matter what you do so you just make a decision with the information you have at the time and not look back. It made me nervous but our kids are probably at higher risk riding in the car on the way to the doctor than from the vaccine.....statistically speaking. Everything is a risk.

Personally, I feel that for most vaccines the benefits are worth the risks. But you should have the right to decide for your own child.
Maybe you could look for a new pediatrician who is more supportive of delaying the vaccines. You should not have to apologize for being cautious with your childrens' health, especially when there is an underlying medical condition and you've had a bad experience.

I have vacinnated my children all on time but I totally understand that it is an individual decision. With your daughter, you should be extra careful of what you give her and when. However, with your son, please look at the effects of getting those diseases are, there are people that die each year in the US from measles and complications from such diseases. They are exposed, particularly your son, from anywhere he goes, parks, church, public bathrooms, store shelves, grocery carts, library etc etc.

Can't say I'm not a little uneasy, but think the diseases for which we are vaccinating are far scarier.- I've gone ahead with all scheduled vaccines.

No, you are absolutely not alone.

My most aggressively vaccinated child has been the sickest member of our family BY FAR.

I would find a family or integrative doctor with whom I could have a productive relationship (rather than a "I will talk down to you" screed). I would also get hold of Dr. Sears book (mentioned below).

Good luck and hang in there.

Do NOT get all of them for her at once. Spread them out a little, no more than 2 shots at a time with a month or so in between. It's best to do only one at a time.

I stopped getting vaccines for my children when my youngest daughter was quite small. I really didn't like the studies I was seeing so I made the decision to not do them anymore. My daughter hadn't had any shots since she was very small, only a few months old so as you can imagine she was way behind by the time she was 4. One day my husband took her in for a check up and they talked him into doing have a bunch of shots done. She got FIVE that day and not only was she really sick the whole rest of the week, with no way of knowing what she reacted to, but we have seen marked changes in her behavior over the last year. I know there are a lot of studies that say it's perfectly safe but when I see the evidence in front of me that it may have severely affected me daughter, I really do wonder.

I also have a very good friend who's daughter had an extreme reaction to her vac's and it's been written into her charts she's never to have another one again and why just so another doc won't try to talk Elsa into getting them for her daughter. Evi almost died, and she's still messed up years later.

Still, your little one is compromised so I would at least get her the very basic ones if you feel comfortable doing so. I only say to spread them out because I mentioned to a nurse friend that my husband had let them give my Kitty so many at once and she really read me the riot act. Not all hospitals or clinics ascribe to that practice but she said there were studies showing that if too many are given at once, it severely compromises the system and the body just can't handle it all at once. With your daughter already having issues, I would certainly be sure to spread them out. It's your right and the doc should not give you any flack over it, especially if you explain why you're spreading it out, just not refusing to do it.

Good luck!

If you find your medical information on reputable sites, and actually look into the beginning of the autism debate, your fears should be eased. (The latest debunking article to be pulled was taken out because the wrong type of lab mouse was used, nothing more) Remember that the diseases these vaccines prevent are terrible and the odds of serious vaccine reactions are low.

If your concerns are based on the medical conditions of your individual children then you've got every right to be concerned. Talk with your doctor, space out the vaccines and keep up that wonderful advocating for your babies!

Yeah I am not a fan of all of them at once, but am very pro vaccine. Have you discussed a delayed schedule? Our pediatrician was also a DO, and we spread them out. We never did more than two at time. Yes we had to go in more frequently for the shots. But I felt so much better with it. Plus I had a doctor whom I trusted, and always answered my questions with respect.

You are not the only mom wary of vaccines!

I know I'm repeating what others have said, but consider doing one at a time. We did that with our daughter. There are some I wish we had skipped (like, why does a baby need a hep b vaccine?) but I'm glad we did one at a time.

And if the doc is unsupportive of this, find another one or, if that is difficult, stand your ground! My daughter's doc--an MD practicing entirely mainstream medicine--was completely supportive of our decision, so it is possible!