Vaccines - Skokie, IL

there is a ton of garbage on the internet regarding vaccinations. you seem to have found some of it. The sites to go for information that is medically accurate are www.cdc.gov (centers for disease control and prevention), the american academy of pediatrics www.aap.org, the institute of medicine - they have done several very well researched studies on vaccine safety. The side effects of vaccines include redness at the site of injection (like any injection), sometimes a rash and yes it hurts. When I was getting my little one her vaccinations at 6 months, I would sit her on my lap and have my breast ready for immediate nursing for comfort. She would wail and then within a few minutes of the vaccination, she would be happily nursing and it was then all over. The diseases that a child can get that she is vaccinated against are deadly. Getting your child protected against them as soon as you can, is one of the best things you can do for your child. The Institute of Medicine and the National Institutes for Health have very thoroughly examined the claim that one vaccine MMR causes autism and they found definitively that it does not. It just so happens that the natural development of the signs of autism are over the first 2 years and so they are when you child is getting a lot of vaccinations.

Hi C.-You should be worried and your doctor should not dismiss it. I have scores and scores of vaccine information about what is REALLY in them. You will be shocked. I have 4 children who have NOT been vaccinated and I did not do it just because it was the grassroots thing to do. I really did my homework with over 150 hours of documented research.

Please check into an alternative vaccination schedule and doctor. I have one that is wonderful and is in Evanston out of St. Francis and of course you have Dr. Sears-just google his name and www.homefirst.com. Further The founder of homefirst is speaking at the www.healthfreedomexpo.com in Schaumburg along with both Dr. Griers (brothers who teach about vaccinations have written various books and tons of articles). I highly suggest you check the schedules and maybe see if you can attend.

Also there is a website called www.vaclib.org and www.holisticmomsnetwork.org that have all of the court cases, research, and information on non-vaccination and how the FDA, CDC and Federal Government has conceded that their are big problems with the vaccines.

I applaud you for listening to your instinct and questioning these practices. I have some really great documentation send me an email and I will forward it to you.

C.-further my children have been exposed to so many different illnesses (I ran an in home daycare for 10 years) and have NEVER been sick. Why? Their immune systems have not been compromised and I do specific things to make sure they have the strongest immunities and it does work. I am not the only one. There are so many parents out there doing the same:)

T.
Detox Coach

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Hi, It's very dizzying, the amount of info out there. I'm still trying to figure it out 18 months later. You can always delay. Don't feel pressured because "6 months" is coming up. You have every right to tell your doc. that you will not be vaccinating your baby this month. It will give you time to do more research and figure out what you would like to do. It also helps to deal with your doctor if they are a bit pushy about vax. Go to www.mothering.com/discussions if you haven't already to read up on their vaccinations forums.
K.

C. - I recommend the Dr. Sears book. He goes over the severity and frequency of the diseases for which there are vaccines, then the potential issues of each vaccine. It's not anti-vaccine, but he does suggest some caution, particularly because the CDC-recommended schedule really piles them on so early. He provides an alternative schedule for those who are concerned about so many vaccinations so early. He points out that children who are not in day care, and who are breast fed for at least 2 year are very unlikely to get most these diseases, so you have to weigh in your child's own experience as well. Good luck, it's horrible to not be able to sooth your baby.

Hi C.. I do vaccinate my children, but do so on a completely different schedule than recommended by the CDC. I have read several books on the topic since my 10 yr old stepson has autism, and I was petrified to vaccinate my other children. I do not give them any shots until they are 18 months old, and I can still fit them all in before school starts. I just always felt that tiny babies shouldn't be receiving injections for up to 6 different diseases in one visit, and according to the current vaccination recommendations, that is what they do. If you are unsure, I recommend that you wait a little while until your daughter is a little older and stronger. I would also definitely mention these reactions to your dr, and possibly even report them because these reactions need to be documented. My pediatrician has been very receptive to my schedule. My children are not in daycare, which reduces greatly their suseptiblilty many of these illnesses. If you have any further questions, please feel free to ask, and Good luck!

A lot of parents choose not to vaccinate their children for all types of reasons. At 6 months, my son was diagnosed with a severe milk and egg allergy. Because there have been studies that show that vaccines can trigger food allergies, we decided to forego the rest of the vaccine schedule. My son is now 16 months and doing great. We think it is a combination of foregoing his 1 year and 15 month vaccines and the holistic treatments/remedies (probiotics, digesitive enzymes, etc) we are giving him. I have friends who disagree with foregoing vaccinations, but I think if their kids had issues, they would think otherwise. My point is, all of us as parents have to do what is right for our own families. It sounds to me, that what is right for your daughter is to not vaccinate. There are holistic physicians out there (we see Tom Bayne in Glenview), who can recommend supplements that will support your daughter's immune system. Don't feel pressured by your doctor. If your pediatrician is not supportive, there are pediatricians out there who are supportive of a parent's decision to not vaccinate -- ours is. If you are worried about school (I know that is a long way off) you could probably get a medical waiver based on your daughter's reaction, or there are other ways for unvaccinated children to legally attend school. Do not ignore the signs that your daughter has shown and trust your instincts. I know that it is hard at first because of societal pressures, but the more you learn and read about the topic (I also recommend The Vaccine Book by Sears) the more confident you will be in the decision you make for your daughter. Good Luck.

C., i am so sorry to hear about your daughters terrifying reaction to the vaccine. to vaccine or to not is for us a very tough decision. it is a personal choice but something that needs more dialog on so it is great that you reached out to others. i have chosen to read dr. sears book on vaccinating as it has basic practical information, and generally not an opinionated book. we chose to selective vaccinate (not even all the ones that he put on his selective schedule) and follow his more drawn out schedule. our daughter could still have a reaction despite our best efforts to prevent one but if she did, we would feel somewhat better knowing that we made the choice that we felt best with based on the information that we had. would we re vaccinate after a reaction, i dont know because im not there. i think now absolutely not, but im not there yet, so i cant possibly fully comprehend the mixed feelings one would have after a reaction. we coulndt do this without a supportive doctor. i dont think he would see us as patients if we did no vaccines, but he respects our educated choices and we have an open dialog alont the way. good luck with this heavy decision! my heart is out to you right now. L.

I think selective and delayed vaccination is fine as long as you think carefully about the risks and benefits of each vaccine. Most diseases that we vaccinate for are really really bad, but some (like chicken pox) aren't. You can always choose to delay - Dr Sears has an alternate vaccination schedule that you might look into, especially given your daughter's reaction to the vaccines. Either way, I would have a discussion with your doctor about some alternative times, doses, or formulations that might be less impactful for her.

A word of caution - you will find that the "anti-vax" folks have a LOT of information out there, not all of which is current or accurate. (For example, thermosol, which contains mercury, has not been used as a preservative for over 10 years). So be choosy about where you get your information - I would check any "facts" against peer-reviewed journals and medical information sites published by major institutions, which will be more accurate.

C. I agree with the follow your gut. If your doctor dismisses your concerns and just wants to plow ahead with the schedule get a new doctor. Every child is different and a small percentage of children do have horrible reactions. that is why they make you sign a form saying you agreed to the vaccine and they give you the hand out about potential bad reactions. The CDC is looking out for the good of the whole population. That is their job. You are looking out for the good of your daughter. That is your job and if means you have to go against the system so be it. It's the first of many times you'll have to stand up and be her advocate. We delayed some vaccines and split up the MMR with our son. He is now 3 and caught up to the regular schedule. We read the Dr. Sears book and then worked out a plan with our doctor (Dr. Minkus in Skokie) that we were comfortable with. My advice is to do a lot of research and talk to several doctors before you do anymore. In the end you'll know what to do. Just follow your instincts as a mother. You sound like a great one! Best of luck!!!

Hi C..

My daughter had the very same reaction that your daughter had. When I was a baby, they had to give me half doses of my vacs because I would have bad reactions. We are now delaying vacs with Charlotte until her immune system is fully functional. I know it is scary... but trust your instincts. You are her Mom and know her better than anyone else. There is a lot of info out there, pro and con. Just read and research and come up with the best plan for you and your family. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

J.

Hi C., I have seen this in a number of my patients. I am a chiropractor that specializes in children. I see kids that have been vaccinated and not and the kids not vaccinated are always so much healthier especially since they get adjusted regularly to keep their immune system working as best as possible. Your child can actually be allergic to some of the things in the vaccines. The vaccines CAN cause autism and CAN cause those siezure/ticks and unexplained fevers. When you think about it.... why does your child need a hep B shot? The only way they are gonna get hep B is if you have it, you inject them with an infected needle or they get infected blood. Chicken pox are not dangerous to children, the only reason for the vaccine is so parents don't have to stay home from work. MMR- measles, mumps, rubella again not harmful toan otherwise healthy child. Unless your child has a disease weakening the immune system they;ll be fine with those illnesses too. Polio- yeah it was bad years ago when or grandparents were kids but now so many of us are vaccinated that disease is almost non existant in the US. These vaccines arew really only helpful in 3rd world countries where all immune systems are compromised from eating and drinking contaminated food and water and bug bites. If you feel uncomfy doing more vaccines then dont do them. Get your child adjusted by a pediatric chiro every month and feed them healthy foods, use vitamins and your child will be better off. And no, in IL they dont have to be vaccinated for school. Schools try to require it but it is not a law. You can get around it for more than just religious reasons. Hope this all helps. If you want more info on chiro care for kids just let me know.

Susie

I am so sorry that your daughter has had a reaction to the vaccines. There is a small percentage of children that do have reactions. An alternative vaccination schedule may be a better answer. I heard that Dr. Sears wrote a book about it.
Please do not listen to anyone that is telling you to not vaccinate your child. I have friends that work at Children's Memorial Hospital and they are seeing more and more sick kids. A few months back a litte 2 year old boy caught the HIB virus and became a vegetable. He has no brain funtion and will not come back from it. My friend watched the mother cry while the doctor told her that she could have prevented this if she had just gotten the HIB vaccine. Her boy was not vaccinated. I also have friends that live in England who told me that they took the MMR shot off the market over there because they thought it may cause autism. Well, autism is still on the rise there, but now deaths of the measles has tripled in young children. Please do not listen to people that say your child could never die from the measles, because that is completely false. I wish you luck, and hope that your daughter feels better. I know it is hard to see her get sick after the shots. There has to be a way to help her and still get vaccinated.

omg! i would deffinatly hold off untill she is much older, like two+ and only get the ones that are absolutly nessisary, like polio, and such. and those one at a time! i dont know why they pile them on likethey do!!

is there a chance she might be allergic to latex or something els that they use in the vaccines?

Hi C.,

I started my son on the vaccination schedule at birth and at 6 months I notices swelling in the injection sites for WEEKS and unexplained rashes and excessive irritability. You are not crazy or overreacting. Trust you gut feeling, you know your baby better than anyone else. If your child is still at home with you, many of the shots are not necessary at this point. My doctor even suggested waiting until my son is two to restart some of his vaccines. My cousin’s baby was developing fine, potty trained at 10 months and talking beautifully. The baby did NOT react well after the shots but my cousin was urged to continue the vaccination schedule. By the time Ben was 14 months, he wasn't even calling my cousin "Momma" anymore. Several months later he was diagnosed with autism.

My daughter had all the vaccines except her Peds doctor spread them out. Never gave her any combo shots. It is true; all children will not have a problem with vaccines but if you discover your child is having an adverse reaction, please stop. It might not just be the vaccines that are causing these reactions, but they must put some children in a predisposition to developmental delays and autism.

Please get a second and third opinion before you continue.

My second and third kids had bad reactions to vaccines in the beginning also. The signs they had were irritability, crying and sleeplessness for a week after the shot. What we did was separate out all the shots and give them in a somewhat different order. My doc knew which ones were prone to causing reactions, etc. Once we did this they were fine. It took more visits for shots, but not having the reactions was well worth it. Something to discuss with your Dr.
Good luck.

You must speak to your pediatrician about these concerns. If you don't trust him, see a 2nd pediatrician. Please don't listen to moms that have skipped babys' shots and don't yet know what can happen to the baby later in life. Don't forget, the injections are with the actual virus so their tiny bodies can fight the disease off if the children catch it later in life.

I don't know much, but I do know enough to say that doctors never want to report reactions to vaccines. I would check with a holisitic doctor about your concerns. also, i would hold off on the 6 month old vaccines. i was just at my son's speech therapy office, they had a document about vaccines and documented cases where it did cause autism. the reason seemed to be the child was currently sick and then given the MMR vaccine. If you want to read the document, call Therapediatrics at ###-###-####. It is on their message board. Ask them to send you a copy. Good luck, TRUST YOUR GUT!!!