Avoiding Vaccinations at Birth and the Vitamin K Shot

This is a pretty mainstream venue and many folks are probably not familiar with what is involved with refusing vaccines and Vit. K shots. There might be some misconceptions, such as the idea that an unvaccinated child cannot attend school. They most certainly can! I would highly recommend you visit http://www.mothering.com for plenty of articles on these topics. You should also visit their message boards for lots of good info and to find moms in your area that might know more specifically about your area facilities. Good luck!

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M.,
There are a few good resources about this. The National Vaccine Information Center can be found online and have information on both the vaccines and their risks and the diseases and their risks. It is a great place to start when choosing which vaccines you do or do not want and when you would like to give them. The cdc website also has a delayed schedule you can look at.
As for everyone asking why someone might want to skip vaccines, if you do indepth research you can find excactly what is in vaccines and some of them have nasty things in them. You can even go to manufactures websites and read the insert for the vaccines. Some are cultured on aborted fetal cells or monkey cells. Some contain aluminum, which is a neurotoxin. And unless you request the specific prefilled infant flu vaccine, the multi dose vial contains 25 micrograns of mercury.
My advice to every parent is to be armed with as much info as possible, and make your informed decision from there. Know your family history, and know that you can ask for only one vaccine at a time and wait a few months before the next one. This allows time for the baby's very immature immune system to cope efficently.
Good Luck and hold strong to the decision you choose,
T.

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Just out of curiosity, what would cause a mother to not want to vaccinate their child?

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The best thing to do is make up a birth plan. You give a copy to your OB before you give birth but you make extra copies for your labor & delivery nurse(s), nursery nurses/ hosp. pediatrician... and have a copy for yourself. Make sure you do NOT give this to the triage nurse... You can search for birth plans so that you can get an idea about what to include... Anyway, you can list on your birth plan that you don't want your baby vaccinated in the hospital... Here is a website that does an interactive birth plan so that you can do it online... http://www.childbirth.org/articles/birthplans.html

Hope this is of some help to you. Good luck and congrats!

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Hi M., I have a question for you, I'm also expecting my baby in January, and I would like to know (if you do not mind) why you do not want the hospital to give your baby boy the vitamin K shot? I'm going to have a baby girl, does that make any difference?
Thanks, and have a great day!!!

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Kudos to you for thinking about what you do to and for your kids ahead of time. Not all vaccines are necessary...most are given at too early of an age because the medical community feels that it is best to do it when they have you at the hospital because some moms will never bring their kids back to the doctor...but that is not true for the majority of people. Do your research and set your own vaccine schedule or skip some all together! We didn't die from having chicken pox ect...and don't forget that ALL flu vaccines have mercury in them--All of them!!

To refuse anything just put it in your birth plan, talk to your doctor but be prepared to come across resistance, and make sure all of the nurses know your wishes. Make sure your husband or birth partner knows of your wishes and is able to step in. They may try to do something to your baby you don't want done when you are not able to stop them...so make sure someone else with you is able to pay attention, ask questions, and can stand up for your baby. Hiring a doula is a great idea too!

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M.,
Both of my children have never had any vaccination and were born at arrowhead and paradise valley hospitals. When the baby is born you will just need to advise them that you will not be giving your child the vaccinations and you will need to sign a waiver form at the hospital. Most of the nurses are okay with this but then you always get that one that trys to give you a hard time. Just be strong and stand up for what you believe, dont let them try and make you think that you have to do it. I had to do the same at the docotors office for the first visit of my newborn as well. Its just a waiver saying you decline any vaccinations and you have been given material on the "good and bad" of your decision.
Good Luck and congrats on your new one.

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Due to religious beliefs, I had this same expereince with my two girls. I did have to sign a release and they were VERY pushy. They tried to scare me about the problems that they say can occur without them, but ultimately, it is your right to refuse them. If you are committed to this path, don't let them make you feel guilty and ultimately break you down, because I speak from experience, they will try.

Good luck!
N.

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Hi M.,
I dont have the answer but i know someone who might he has the same beliefs that you do about vacination. His practice is on the corner of Higley and Chandler Heights. His name is Dr.Kahn the office name is Hope Family Wellness, he is awesome. The phone number is ###-###-####. I do not have the same beliefs and yet i think is fantastic with people and a great Dr.

L.

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Hey M.! I did not do ANY vaccinations on my son, ever. He is now 2.5 and a very healthy baby boy... I did not do it for religious reasons, but because I did a LOT of research on it and made my own educated decision, so first of all congratulations!! Next, as Nancy said, they do try to make you do it, they will tell you about all of these terrible things that can happen should you choose not to, etc. Just be strong... it is hard! I never had a form, but I assume the process would go smoother all the way around if you did... I'm sure someone will know on here!

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M.,

I had to sign (or in my case not sign) a consent form when I was in labor. I did not sign the consent form and I reminded the nurses several times that my newborn was NOT to be vaccinated.

You may want to call the hospital where you plan to deliver and ask them and then ask your OB too.

T.

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Well M. I can't understand why you don't want to vaccinate your baby. It protects your child and all of the children around him.
You wont be able to put him in school, or travel to far away places, not to mention you're putting other children at risk if there is ever a breakout. I have two children who have been vaccinated, and so have I with out any side effects. I guess I just don't understand why people choose not to vaccinate, personally I think it is a dangerous decision. Maybe you can enlighten me, thanks K.

M.,
Call the hospital and ask them about it, they should be able to help you. My son was born at Phx Baptist and did not receive any shots. You should also pre register at your hospital and take care of most of the paperwork. Good Luck!

C.

First of all I have to say how disturbing it is to read about all the children out there that are not being vaccinated. I also want to say that I respect a parent's choice for their children.
Some of the world's most terrible diseases have been kept at bay in our country due to immunizations. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that if we don't vaccinate our families then the pockets of these diseases that are still around will explode like wild fire.
Immigrants, both legal and illegal, carry these diseases into our country. With Colorado having a large immigrant population it wouldn't take long for one infected person to spread throughout an entire community.
I ask that if you are considering not immunizing your child please do your research. That includes the articles about how good it is to vaccinate your children. You will find that for every article that says that it is bad, you will find one that says that it is not. Also don't believe everything you read on the internet, it can be a good resource but not everything on it is reputable. Talk to health care professionals, more than one. Also keep in mind that there has not been any conclusive studies to say that immunizations are causing these problems with our children.
Take a look around your house. The cleaning materials, yard pesticides, and other toxic chemicals seem to me to be a bigger culprit.
Please be completely informed on this matter before you jump on the immunization-free bandwagon, it is your child's life.

Not vaccinating your child not only puts your child at risk, but other children as well in the event of a breakout epidemic. Look up "herd immunity." Seriously, autism is way less scary than having to put your child in a coffin.

I'm sure if you tell them they will honor your wishes. I completely understand the desire to not vaccinate.. But I would strongly advise AGAINST avoiding a vitamin K shot.

This is a very good question. I have a similar experience that I believe would help you but I would also recommend contacting the hospital or birthing center where you plan to deliver to make sure of their policies. I delivered my baby at Scottsdale Shea so I took the hospital tour when I could and asked these questions.

We decided to skip the normal Erythromycin eye ointment and the Hepatitis B vaccination but we DID decide to get the Vitamin K shot. Everything is up to you and the hospital cannot force you to give these these to your child. BUT, because the procedure is so standard you need to insure that your birthing team AND the neonatal team are aware of your wishes. Remember that there are a group of nurses and doctors there at the birth for your health and a group there specifically for your baby and they don't always communicate these things with each other.

In order to make sure that our wishes were respected we made lots of copies of our birthing plan and we taped a copy to the door. We made sure that every new shift nurse was made aware of our wishes. Naturally, later into labor this is your labor coach's or husband's job because you will be too focused. If, at the final minutes before delivery, your coach or husband can focus enough to tell the pediatric staff who are ther, that is helpful. But, by and large, the best way to insure that your wishes are respected is for your coach or husband to promise to stay with the baby at all moments and watch what is happening and to have the courage to direct when needed or ask questions. For example, after my daughter was born and it was time to check her vitals, etc., my husband stood with the doctor and nurses at the table and watched everything and reiterated our wishes.

I know I've rambled on for awhile but I hope that you find this helpful. Good luck with your new baby. It's amazing.

M.,

When I had my daughter they asked me if I wanted vaccinations done and I had to sign paperwork in order for them to do them. So, in your case, if the hospital you're delivering at has the same policy just advise them at that time you don't wish to have them done. Otherwise - when you first go into the labor and delivery room tell the nurse your wishes.

L.

I wrote it in on my birth plan and brought plenty of copies for everyone. My husband also enforced our request. We asked that they give our daughter Vitamin K orally, not by shot. Hospitals should NEVER give a vaccination to your child without your consent.

Hi ladies. I just wanted to let you all know that vitamin K is not a vaccine. We all produce vitamin K in our intestines and it's an important component that allows our blood to clot properly. A baby is born with a sterile gut and can not produce it's own vitamin K until it has started eating and develops the normal flora in it's intestines. To prevent any bleeding issues the baby is given the vitamin K shot at birth. It is a vitamin. Just like taking an oral supplement. I know it's a lot more touchy feelie not to stick a brand new baby with needles but I am just hoping that families educate themselves on the purpose and heavily weigh the pros and cons of these issues before they make decisions. I have been a neonatal nurse for over 10 years so I am biased about certain things.
As for actual vaccines. I believe everyone has the right to comply with federal guidelines or pull the religion or person preference card and not vaccinate their children. For the time being there are enough vaccinated kids that the unvaccinated ones can ride safely on their backs without a whole lot of worry. If everyone gets the idea that they don't need to vaccinate their kids we'll be taking a giant step backwards. I suppose I should look at it like a opportunity for job security. As an RN I can always find a job in the polio or Rubella wards.

I avoided the vitamin K shot as well as the Hep B. I just made sure my husband followed the baby wherever they took him to do whatever it is that they do. He was there to tell him NO shots. That is all we did. We delivered at Good Sam.

I just got through reading "Louder Than Words" by Jenny McCarthy about a mother with an autistic son. So many people say that shots have NOTHING to do with austic children, but it says there in the book that it isn't necessarily that the shot is BAD, but that some babies just can't tolerate it that early in life. For some reason it seems that boys have more of a chance being born with a weakened immune system than girls do (so if the immune system is weak why boost your kid with stuff his little body just isn't capable of handeling right away?). It is being recommended by some that you wait either until you have your child's immune system checked to make sure it is strong enough for the shot before going through with it, or waiting atleast 6 months after the baby is born. As Jenny put it in the book "if they rub honey on every baby that is born right after they are born and some keep getting weird skin irritaions, could it be that those babies are simply allergic to honey?" Some babies can't handle the amount of the dosage that is given to every baby so I feel that it is your decision on when to have your child vaccinated.
I have a healthy 2 year old daughter and was not aware of this until recently. Had I been aware of it I still think I would of kept my decision the same and that was to have her vaccinated every time it was scheduled. My husband and I are expecting our 2nd child this April, and I can tell you right now that if it is a boy I will be waiting atleast until my child is 4 months to get those shots, just to make sure his immune system is strong enough to handle it. Why just assume that your baby can handle the exact same thing that "every other baby" can???

At the hospital I made it very clear that they were not to vaccinate my child. It's your right to refuse it. I told them and my husband made sure too, since he was better able to talk to the nurses, etc. I also wrote it in my birth plan, but they didn't seem to even read that. Neither of my children were vaccinated at the hospital and they weren't pushy at all, probably because I just told them I wanted to wait until my baby was older and have it done at the doctor's office, which is actually true. So tell them that and they most likely won't try to convince you otherwise. I'm waiting until my daughter is 2 so she can get them all done at once instead of dragging it out over several months in small doses. I'd rather her only get the shot once instead of in a series, plus her body at age 2 will be bigger and stronger and better able to handle it. Their pediatrician has been pushy when I've declined the flu shot, even though they weren't pushy at the hospital.

This is such a difficult issue. I wish I knew exactly what to do. Sometimes I don't want to give my children vaccinations at all, but then I can see that many epidemics have been wiped out due to the vaccines. Good luck!

I am not sure where you are located, but alot of this will depend on the hospital you are using. My hospital in Longmont, CO asked for a written birthplan to be submitted prior to delivery. I completed mine through my midwife and submitted it two months in advance. It meant nothing when it came to delivery time though. The nurses did whatever they wanted and completly disregared our wants and concerns and did the shots anyways. I was very disappointed in our experience there and will not be back. I hope that this is an isolated incident, but I am not convinced that it is.

My advice would be to ask the hospital for their form and write out your plans and wishes ahead of time. Use your own words if they do not provide a form and submit it to the hospital, your doctor and anyone else that will be involved in your birth and keep a copy for yourself with the date you submitted it to the hospital. And most importantly, have your husband watch the nurses as they tend to follow procedure. If you see them preparing the shots (usually done when they are cleaning the baby) tell them you do not wish to do that and be prepared to stand your ground. I beleive the hospital staff means well, but their beliefs may not match you own and it will be up to you to know that you have the right to follow your beliefs.

I hope this helps and good luck : )