Vaccinations - Castro Valley, CA

first, thimerosal isn't the only questionable ingredient. MOST of the vaccines given to children have had the thimerosal removed (although not all of them. the flu vax is one example that still has it).

second, don't feel like you're on a time schedule just because your doctor wants you on one. take as much time as you need to feel comfortable with your decision. you have many options, delaying vaccination until your child is older, selectively vaccinating, separating all the vaccines and give them at different times or not vaxing at all. if it takes you 3 months to figure it all out and you decide to fully vax on your doctor's schedule, you can always catch her up. you don't have to rush your decision.

there are 2 dvd that i would recommend highly by dr. sherri tenpenny, "Vaccines: What CDC Documents & Science Reveal" and "Vaccines: The Risks, Benefits & Choices". you can see her website here: www.nmaseminars.com/vaccine-articles.html

ultimately no one can tell you what to do. just keep doing research until you feel comfortable with your decision, because it's one that you and your child have to live with. i will say that your doctor may pressure you to vax or make you feel ridiculous for questioning it, but it's your right as a parent to vax or not however you feel is appropriate. if your doctor is not supportive of whatever your choice is, consider switching doctors.

hope that helps. :)

Ask your doc about spreading out the shots, I'm sure they'll be OK w/that. I know there's gonna be a lot of responses about this but, there is really no conclusive evidence that the vaccinations cause autism. Yes, there are more kids being diagnosed w/autism but a lot of that is due to all the parenting books on the market now that list the symptoms of autism. More parents are reading these books & catching the symptoms thenselves when they're kids are younger VS teachers catching the signs once the kids hit preschool or kindergarten. Do your ressearch & look carefully at the stats. I know for me, I preffered the shots as scheduled -both my boys, 7 yrs & 3 yrs, have exhibited no signs of autism or related problems foro the injections, never even any fevers or discomfort- cuz I hated seeing them cry & the thought of coming back & doing it more times was too much for me. Hope this helps & good luck!

Our pediatrician let us wait until 6 months to get the vaccinations. My son is almost 17 now, he's fine. I remember how worried I was... I worked at a daycare at that time and there were some children that weren't immunized. One of the unimmunized children had whooping cough and he suffered terribly ,witnessing his severe choking, coughing fits made me realize vaccinations were the right choice. J.

Hi S.,
It is a really scary situation. A friend recommended a great book to me because I found lots of conflicting information. It is called What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Children's Vaccinations, By S. Cave wtih Deborah Mitchell.

I think this book is great because it is not sensationalizing this topic, but talking about all aspects of it. I found it very helpful in understanding such a controversial and complex issue. I am still pregnant and have not totally made up my mind about vaccinating yet.

This book stronly suggests not scheduling all of the shots together, but spreading them out. It also suggests getting MMR as 3 different vaccines, rather than all together. And it offers an alternative schedule for vaccinations.

Good luck!

As you have no doubt seen/heard thus far, there are few issues as contentious, and potentially nervewracking for a parent as the issue of vaccination. The best thing you can do for your child is to try to keep the emotionalism at bay and become as informed as you can to make the most intentional decision you are able. Many people rely on statistics both pro and con, and I always say my child is not a statistic, and it's my job to be their voice when they can't speak up for themselves. Here are a few resources that have helped my family and I evaluate and make our personal decisions:

Dr. Sears: A middle of the road approach that advocates for vaccination, but advises a spaced schedule
http://www.powells.com/biblio/2-9780316017503-0

Dr. Tim O'Shea: The opposing viewpoint to vaccination, helpful particularly because of the grounding in data, which is carefully footnoted and referenced, so you can also go and look at the source data yourself to evaluate.
http://thedoctorwithin.com/index_fr.php?page=sanctity_blo...

Dr. Randall Neustaedter:
http://www.powells.com/biblio/62-9781556434235-0
Also cautionary, but helpful, as it goes into each vaccine very specifically.

There are a lot of scare tactics on both sides of the debate out there. The best thing I can advise is to get informed, and then trust your instincts.

Hope this Helps!

Please read these articles: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CEFDA13...

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/08/health/08autism.html

There is no link between vaccines/thimerosal and autism, which was proven when thimerosal was removed from vaccines in 2004 and there was no decrease in the number of autism cases diagnosed. The increase in autism in the US is primarily driven by increased awareness and the expanded diagnostic criteria. I think it's great that more kids are getting extra help, but the suggested link to vaccines is dangerous for the health of our kids because the focus really should remain on keeping them protected from these diseases.

I'd confirm with your pediatrician that the thimerosal has been removed from the vaccines in question.

Good luck!

It's a really tough decision. With DD#1, I vaccinated her fully on schedule (except I did not do Hepatitis B). Now that DD#2 is here, I have heard a lot more about the vaccine debate, and I now am feeling less comfortable with vaccines.

The best book I have found on the subject that is very non-inflammatory is "The Vaccine Book" by Dr. Sears. I actually gave a copy of it to my pediatrician as a gift, and asked her if she would be so kind as to read it. She did, thought it was great, and told me earlier this week that she has recommended it to other parents with questions about vaccines, too! Yay!

My personal thoughts are that it doesn't hurt to wait with the vaccines until they get older, especially if you're breastfeeding. One thing Sears says in his book is that a parent should really only consider delaying/avoiding vaxs if they breastfeed at least a year. Also, if your child is NOT in day care, then you can probably safely avoid some of the other vaxs as well, such as Hib and Prevnar and Rotovirus. My doctor said that Polio *may* be taken off the required vaccine list sometime in the next ten years, as there is simply no polio in North American anymore. But it is still found in other parts of the world, so if you're a world traveler kind of person, you may want to consider that one after all. Pertussis is still around today, but you have to get it with Diptheria and Tetanus in the DTaP vaccine. As far as Measles, Mumps, and Rubella, those are all fairly minor diseases that we don't see much anymore (although there currently is an outbreak of measles in the San Diego area due to some unvaccinated kid who brought it back with him from Switzerland. All the kids with measles were unvaccinated.) The Chicken Pox vaccine - I gave it to my older daughter against my better judgement, and I won't be giving it to my younger daughter. However, if my younger daughter doesn't get chicken pox by the time she's a teenager, I would get her the vaccine then.

As far as thimerosal goes, I believe it's out of all the vaccines now, except for the flu vaccine and one other vax that I can't think of at the moment (Hep B perhaps?). But there's lots of other ingredients in vaccines that are questionable, too. Right now the ingredient that people are starting to focus on is aluminum. Who knows where it all will end up?

So, my personal recommendation is to delay them for as long as you and your doctor can agree on and feel comfortable about. Also, the longer you wait, the more vaccines you will be able to avoid. You may only need 3 or less doses of something rather than 4 the later you begin doing those vaccines.

Good luck! It's SUCH a scary thing. Sometimes I envy our parents' generation. At that time no one questioned their doctor -- everyone simply got the vaccines. It was so much easier then!

~ E.

I have done some thinking and research about vaccines, and here is what I can offer.

First, your dr. should have thimerosol-free vaccines so you should ask about that. The only one still containing thimerosol, I believe, is the flu shot. (Thimerosol was removed from the vaccine schedule in 1999, and this was used as evidence that autism was not linked to its ingestion. Autism rates have not declined since 1999).

However, although I got the 2 mo, 4 mo, and 6 mo standard shots for my daughter, I regretted it. She had a crying reaction to each series. She cried for several hours following them and was never a fussy baby so that was unique for her. Because of her reactions, I did not get any of the following vaccinations on the schedule. I switched pediatricians to a non-vaccinating doctor. She is now four and the healthiest person I know--she's had about 2 colds her whole life, one stomach virus, and Roseola. And one sinus infection --the doctor's office was shocked that she made it to 2 years old without any previous antibiotics.

So, I would recommend delaying or splitting those first vaccinations especially if your baby is not in a daycare situation and does not often come into contact with a lot of other kids. That has been key for us--I breastfed for 2 years which conveys antibodies and we did not use a childcare situation. Exposure was low, and immunity high. I really feel that all doctors should let moms know that vaccines can be safely delayed in that case. The vaccine schedule is for some mythical average baby, who in this day and age is formula-fed and in daycare, according to the medical community.

I found a sane book about the whole thing to be The Vaccine Book by Robert Sears. It's not extreme or alarming and he does recommend a different vaccine schedule. He's part of the Sears family of doctors who are widely respected.

Best of luck,
J.

My pediatrician gives vaccines, but none contain mercury. Talk to your Dr about them, they have ones now w/ out it. If not, try another pediatrician. I go to LP (Livermore/Pleasanton) Pediatrics. They are great - I see Dr. Liekam.

Good for you! Yes to what others have said here about not vaccinating or waiting until your child is older (we think 2 years), & breastfeeding for the immunity; OR, if you decide to get the vaccs, making sure shots are thimerosol-free, and *especially* spacing them out. Many studies indicate that it's the overloading of baby's immune system that's highly suspect in all kinds of disorders that may develop immediately or later, and it's completely unnecessary--we adults, with our mature immune system, get our vaccines spaced out (for ex., when I traveled abroad and got a bunch of vaccines, they were spaced out over a couple weeks). The docs like to give all the shots at once because it's convenient for them & they assume also for you, they aren't sure you're going to keep showing up, & they hate to hear the kids screaming so they try to do it all at once! If you decide to get the vaccines (and you can choose to have all or only some) and your doc won't space them, get another doc. Dr. Sears' vaccine book is good, and there are lots more out there (Aviva Jill Romm's book is very good). Remember if you don't do the *complete* vacc schedule and want to put your child in daycare or public school later, you will have to sign a form that says you didn't vaccinate. Good luck!

Read the most recent issue of Mothering Magazine. It talks about the problems with aluminum in vaccines and the debate over thimerosal. Although, many shots now are thimerosal free, most are not aluminum free, and some studies have shown that these shots can be far exeeding the toxic limits for aluminum toxicity for infants. Because the shots are combined, sometimes 5 in 1, they aren't looking at the TOTAL amount the child is getting.
We stopped vaccinating at 6 months because of our fears. And shortly thereafter, the aluminum issue was raised. We were grateful we didn't do anymore. There is no reason to immunize a baby of 2 months old. Wait. You will get pressure from the pediatritian to do it, but when you think of all the poisonous ingredients they are injecting into your kid (like MSG, Fermaldahyde, antifreeze, methanol), it's worth waiting and doing a little research. Here is a link to more info about the ingredients: http://www.vaccination.inoz.com/ingredie.html

Some of the things they immunize for aren't even that damaging, just inconvenient. I would suggest that you ask your doctor to delay while you research the ingredients of the Pediarix or whatever 5 in 1 they are giving. When I researched, I was alarmed at how much we don't know about vaccines.

Hope that helps,

B. Rago

You should ask your doctor if the vaccinations used have thimerosal. My son is two and half has had all his vaccines, none containing any mercury or thimerosal. I think most vaccines don't have thimerosal in them but you should request that they don't to be on the safe side. I know when my son turns three he will need a flu shot and most contain thimerosal so will request an alternative one. The best bet is to be proactive and tell your doctor what you want and don't want.

Please be extremly carful. I have a son who is 12 years old and recieved 10 shots on the visit of his eight month check-up was making sounds and saying mamma and dada and bottle and look ect. Then the morning after those shots, there was no speech and no eye contact. It took me almost a year to get my doctor to agree to have him seen by a specialist. Son was diagnosed with severe autism at age 18months so please heed your motherly instincts and insist that they are spread out over a period of time. I will be praying. Good Luck and know there are many mothers out here that are wishing you the best in this curcimstance.If you should have a need, I'll be here. Just a note My son is a blessing and if I had it to do all over again. I'd do it all over again. Take Care.

Hi S.,
I think that's great to that you're asking for recommendations on this topic! My advice to patients is that if you're going to vaccinate your children, space out the vaccinations, just like you've said. Their little immune and nervous systems are still forming, and it just doesn't make sense to inundate their systems with so much at once. Spacing out the vaccinations doesn't make them any less valuable; if anything, it increases their value because their little bodies are better able to handle and respond to one or two at a time, versus all at once. Ask your doctor why he/she wants to give all the vaccinations at once. Oftentimes it's because it's most convenient, but that doesn't mean it's what is healthiest for your child! Good luck with it!
Best,
L.

L. Clum, DC
Oakland Specific Chiropractic
4179 Piedmont Ave #210
Oakland, CA 94611
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www.OaklandSpecificChiropractic.com

There isn't any thimerosal in vaccines anymore, except for the flu vaccine (which children under 6 months old don't get, and there is a thimersol free version you can request). The shots are in a series that your daughter will get at 2, 4, and 6 months, so putting them off would mean putting them off until after a year. Personally, I don't recommend it, since there's no evidence that the vaccine causes autism (see autismspeaks.org for more information) and the diseases you are preventing are far worse (polio, meningitis, which can cause blindness and deafness, tetanus, etc.)

Is the risk of NOT getting vaccines worth it to you? The autism link has NOT been proven (see Dr. Temple Grandin-she herself has Aspergers and is THE expert on the subject). Can you remember such things as POLIO? Hello! There is a reason we vaccinate our children. You should never have to say to your child"...I should have vaccinated you..."
And incase you're wondering if I can speak from expierence-YES I can as I have a niece with Aspergers and have done years of research on the subject.

Hi S., I know exactly what you are going through as we have been there with our now 18 month old son. I am personally not against vaccinations in general but I believe that spreading them out is certainly a good possibility. I also recommend the book "What Doctors don't tell you about vaccinations". Based on that book I came up with my own vaccination schedule. I took it to the doctors office and discussed it with our doctor and provided her with my reasons. She was absolutely fine with it and we are now following my own schedule without a problem. My son goes to daycare since he is 4 month old and that has not been a problem so far. If you are interested, please let me know and I am more than happy to share my schedule with you. We decided not to give our son Hep B. Hep B is usually transmitted through sexual activity or blood transfusion. So a 2 month old Baby is usually not at risk unless there are family circumstances. Also we did not give the Pervnar. This vaccination is still very new and I was not sure about it. By the time we got around to it, even my doctor recommended not to give it anymore as it is specifically for ear infections. So far our son never had an ear infection. Also we have not yet decided if we give him the chicken pox vaccination at a young age. My husband and I grew up with chicken pox and at a young age it is usually not dangerous but contracting the desease itself usually provides antibodies for life. Not so, if the child is vaccinated. Last but not least we decided to splitt the MMR vaccination, but it is really difficult to find the single dose vaccine. So far I was able to get the rubella one by itself.
Let me know if you would like a copy of our vaccination schedule. Good luck with your research!

Kudos to you for striving to become an informed mama!
I read this book: Vaccinations: A Thoughtful Parent's Guide http://www.amazon.com/Vaccinations-Thoughtful-Sensible-De...
It's a bit outdated and missing some of the newest vaccines, but honestly I don't want to try the newest vaccines until there's more long-term evidence on them. It was a quick read and relatively unbiased. So as not to become overwhelmed by the research and statistics, I'd read just the chapter on ea. vax we were scheduled to receive and make my decision prior to going to the well baby visit.
Our ped was ok w/ delaying until DD was about 6 mos, at which time he started pressuring us & DH and I felt anxious and sick to our stomachs prior to appointments, rather than excited to see DD's growth statistics. It seemed the visit was focused solely on vaccinations and not so much DD's development.
In the end we made the switch to Dr. Elisa Song, a holistic ped in Belmont (who is certified in both Eastern and Western medicine, so she's not anti-vax or anything, just more informed and open to alternatives than the avg. doctor) and we are MUCH more comfortable during our visits and receive way more unbiased info. than I could ever read thru online. We feel confident in the few vaccinations we've chosen (never more than 1/visit and usually at least a month between ea. one.) Together we weigh the pros and cons of ea. one, as well as DD's risk factor for ea. disease (i.e. didn't think about tetanus till she was walking since it was highly unlikely she'd cut herself on a rusty nail, etc. by being in our arms and on our living room floor ;) and make informed decisions TOGETHER.
Some important things to remember are that thimerosal is just one small factor in vaccines. Thimerosal is a preservative--w/o one, vaccines would have to be dumped and re-manufactured every few mos. costing drug companies a LOT of money. Often times, when thimerosal is removed (never fully, you understand--just WASHED from the vax) something else is put in its place, be it aluminum, formaldehyde, etc.
Many vaxes are also cultivated on embryonic cells, including human and chicken eggs. Babies are warned to stay away from egg products until their immune system are strong enough to reduce a risk of allergic reactions to them...yet we inject our babies w/ them? Those based on human cells? Well, that may or may not be a moral issue to you (fetus injected w/ the infection, aborted and cells used to cultivate vaccine.)
Not to scare or disgust you, but just mentioning that there's a whole slew of things to consider.
Another is how giving the vax now will affect DD in the future. For example, chicken pox is now being required by many schools. In children, chicken pox is not life-threatening, but rather itchy and uncomfortable. The vax cofers temporary immunity to the illness and needs boosters every few years. How many of us adults continue to get our vax boosters? w/o them (and having never had chicken pox which usually cofers FULL, lifetime immunity) an adult is then at-risk for catching chicken pox which is then (as an adult) a much more serious and possibly life-threatening illness. How much good did the vax do then?
Another, rubella is only life-threatening to the fetus. CHildren everywhere are being vaccinated for a disease in order to prevent the pregnant woman (who didn't get herself vaccinated ahead of time) from catching it. Wouldn't it make more sense for the grown adult to get her boosters and prepare herself before becoming pregnant than to inject tiny babies and children with not-yet fully developed immune systems w/ that vax since THEY'RE not the ones at serious risk to rubella? Makes sense to me, so I'll be holding off on that till DD is of college-age and can choose for herself.
I actually prefer to get my information from the parenting forum on www.diaperswappers.com --there are hundreds of well-researched mamas on there (on both sides of the debate) who can give links and info. w/o you having to dig for it yourself.
Keep in mind also that, despite what you'll hear about vaxes being 'mandatory' in school, they are not. In CA you can sign a form prior to putting DD into school that says you have a philosophical exemption (essentially, you don't wanna give the vaxes, so you don't hafta ;)
The number 1 thing I remember when considering ea. vax? You can always give it later on (after researching it and making an informed decision) but you can never take it back. Once the vax is in their body, it's there for good.
Good luck!