Hep B Vaccine at Birth

As a mother of a child with autism, who could fill a large room with local mothers of kids who regressed into autism after a vaccination, I'd say approach vaccines like you would any other health issue. Read the research, pro and con, and make an informed decision. I don't vaccinate either of my children anymore however it is a very personal, individual decision.

For what it's worth, the large hospital where my daughter was delivered refuses to give the Hep B shot to any infant.
There is absolutely no reason for an infant to be vaccinated against Hep B. since it's only transmitted through sexual contact or intravenous drug use.
I would wait.

As far as vaccines not causing autism, I would trust a room full of moms who have experienced it rather than articles from usa today or washington post.

We waited; no harm. There is NO reason a baby would contract Hep B while in the hospital if both parents are negative.

I do not vaccinate my children at all and think all parents need to make an informed decision about vaccinations. I am glad you are asking questions. Go to Mercola.com there are tons of vaccine information links and studies, etc. Good luck with your decision and I hope you learn the truth about what vaccines are and make an informed choice rather than believing you have to have these shots when recommended or any time as most new parents are led to believe (especailly if you plan to send your kid to public school).
Hope this helps! :)

I would suggest looking at thinktwice.com or childhoodshots.com They have tons of information on all kinds of shots. Maybe you'll decide not to give your baby the shot at all. They don't really need it anyway.

I completely agree with everything Amanda C. said. I didn't research the Heb B vaccine and I wish I would have. I too felt pressured by the hospital to get it so we did. I got the Dr. Sears vaccine book later on and wish I would have had it sooner. I now follow his schedule for my 2 1/2 year old. Nothing happened with the shot (that we know if I guess), but I just wish I would have researched before the pressure of the hospital to get it.

We vaccinated my son at birth, and I really wish we had waited. He had no bad reaction, and was wonderful and healthy and had no issues at all, but I felt pressured into it by the hospital, and after doing the research, I was really quite angry. It was an unnecessary thing to do at that age, and in fact, the amount of aluminum in the vaccine is higher than is recommended even for older children. Most children can process the aluminum and flush it out of their systems, but I still think the baby's very first birthday is a scary time to try to find out. With my second child, we will wait a while to give this vaccine. I recommend you read Dr. Sears' "The Vaccine Book," which goes into detail about the ingredients in this particular vaccine and the risks for and against it.

Just as a side note, not everyone who is concerned about vaccines thinks they cause autism. Many of us are more concerned about the other ingredients in the shots, as well as the shocking LACK of safety studies done on vaccines. No matter what you choose, there may be risks involved, but do your research and then stick to your guns. Good luck!

My kids didn't have any vaccines until they were a year old or later. Then it was only one at a time, and spaced a few months apart. No MMR until after age 3, and no chicken pox, no hep A, no flu shots.

If yo uquestion it, don't do it. Wait it out. We did, and I have never for a second regretted our decision to delay vaccinations until our children are older, the blood/brain barrier is closed, and spacing them to avoid a massive 'chemical cocktail' of multiple vaccines at one time in an immature system.

None of my three sons have received Hep B at birth, although my first, who was the only one to be born at a hospital, got it shortly after. The middle boy got it when he was 3, and my toddler still has not received it.
This is a vaccine I do not feel reckless about delaying, as my husband and myself are Hep B-negative. The risk factors for Hep B are the same as for HIV, and while most Hep B vaccine proponants would have all children vaccinated long before they reach middle school, I feel fairly certain I can control the sexual and illegal drug and self-tattooing activity of my preschoolers long enough to minimize the risks. ;)
That said, accidental needle sticks are a possibility even outside the world of illegal, recreational drug use, or sloppy tattoos and the Hep B vaccine is considered by many to be one of the first "anti-cancer" vaccines since it can prevent the lliver damage that precedes liver cancer. There have also been a couple of cases reported in recent years that cannot be traced to a particular, typical risk factor, and this has made more people feel more urgent about vaccinating against Hep B earlier.
It's a worthwhile vaccine, but you're not the only one thinking it's OK to wait on this one. This risk factors for a newborn are just not there yet, if Mom is Hep B-negative.
You might like "The Vaccine Book" by Dr. Bob Sears if you'd like to learn more about vaccines. I appreciate its non-hysterical tone and regular updates via his Web site. It doesn't tell you what to do, it just gives you all the facts so you can decide what is best for your family.
Congrats on being a proactive mom! Best wishes!

Hi -
You've gotten some great comments below. I would add:
* according to the CDC "if you have an allergy to baker’s yeast [kind used to bake bread], or to any other component of the vaccine, should not get hepatitis B vaccine"

* Also from what I've read one of the side effects can be feeding issues (which of course you don't want when you first try to breast feed).

If you choose not to vaccinate at birth the 2 things I would suggest are:
1) be VERY firm with the hospital (you may want to ask the hospital what their policy is – one hospital in my town said it is the parents choice while another hospital practically forced a mother to get the vaccine). Make sure EVERYONE knows your decision when you are admitted (some hospitals give it without asking you (??maybe part of the admission paperwork) and another mother said that when she had her twins early they gave her the paperwork to sign while she was still "drugged" (didn't know what she was signing) so they both got the vaccine in the NICU
2) Place a sign on your baby’s isolate that says “NO VACCINES PLEASE”

Good luck with which ever decision you make :)

We didn't have a bad reaction, but that may be because we didn't do it. The only reason (beyond parents having Hep B) that it's recommended that newborns get the vaccine is because it's the one chance to make sure that everyone gets the vaccine... that's why it's "standard" for most hospitals, unless you say no.

As a mom, I find most vaccine decisions to be very difficult. I weigh the risk of my child getting the diseases against the risk of putting his immune system up against a vaccine. Not doing the Hep B at birth was actually the easiest of all the decisions for us... And we've done many of the vaccines (he's now almost 3 years old), but we space them out individually so that if there's a problem, we know exactly which vaccine caused it.

The Dr. Sears Vaccine Book is (IMHO) the best book on the subject.

We never gave our son the vaccine. He is 3 years old. I just did not believe he needed it. The risk vs. benefits for me.....it was better to not vaccinate.

Good luck!

You've got several good responses here. I also declined the Hep B vaccine and waited till my daughter was 1 1/2 to give her ANY vaccine, then chose which ones and spaced them all out. My only suggestion that you haven't already been given is that IF you decide to skip/postpone it, don't tell the hospital. Instead tell them that your pediatrician will be administering your child's vaccines (not necessarily a lie) and you just waive the option to have it done there. Otherwise, hospitals have been known to bully parents into doing things they don't want to do, so you can avoid that possibility by handling it this way. Worked for us.
Best of luck and kudos to you for asking questions and doing your own research!

My doctor was pretty insistent that it was unnecessary right away, too. He asked, when he came to check on our daughter the first time, if the "Hepatitis B Nazis" had been to our room yet. He says the people in the hospital will try to convince you to do it before you leave the hospital, but he believes it's best to wait on it unless there's a clear reason to get it. We waited with our daughter and will be waiting with our son (due next month). Good luck with the Hepatitis B Nazis!!

Vaccines do not cause autism. There are numerous articles that are refuting this persistent myth.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009...
Autism symptoms are noticed at the age vaccines are given. It's a coincidence. People tend to want to blame something external for something going wrong with a child, but no one knows why it happens. If they knew, don't you think people would go out of their way to prevent it? Then there would be no autism. A number of kids who are not immunized also are discovered to be autistic, but it does not make the headlines. Older parents might be a risk factor for increased instance of autistic children. But they do not know for sure.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-04-02-older-pare...
It certainly is an individual decision. There are millions of children who are vaccinated every year who never experience bad reactions. It's why massive epidemics and crippling diseases like polio in this country have largely become fears of the past. These diseases are not gone, and they are being imported from all over the world. Mumps, tuberculosis, whooping cough - all of them are making come backs. If I can keep my child from becoming a casualty to one or more of these diseases, I'll do it.
Comments Updated:
Links to CDC and CDC publications (free/no charge):
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/spec-grps/parents.htm#myths
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4038.pdf
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p2066.pdf

I've looked over the http://www.childhoodshots.com site.
The 'get the facts' followed quickly by 'spend money' gives me a snake oil feeling, but that might just be the skeptic in me. Also, I have to wonder exactly how being a chiropractor (correction, she managed and promoted a chiropractic clinic in Michigan - she's Married to a chiropractor) makes her a vaccination expert? The list of associations that she and her daughter (apparently the Daughter is a doctor) belong to is impressive, and yet there is no mention where education took place nor degrees that were earned. I just like to check experts credentials otherwise anyone can pass themselves off as an expert.

there is nothing wrong with waiting. Babies have to get two doses and we waited until 2 months for the first one.

I have had 2 NICU babies and did postpone the shots but only until a week after birth when they had overcome their respiratory issues. At 2months they are scheduled for plenty of other shots. I just make sure they only get them done in even numbers so they don't get stuck more than 2 times on one day- we'll go back a week later for the odd number.

My pediatrician asked me if we wanted to do it right away or wait...she said it didn't matter. We did it right away to save one more poke at 2 months. There were no ill effects to this but it's really your choice in the end.

My ped doesn't recommend giving it at birth, her schedule is to start at 2 months. so that's what we did. Actually I would have done that anyway.

My children all had theirs at their two month apt. Our pediatritian said that since no one in our family had it and sinc I would be home it would be fine to wait. She said she would have recommended it if our kids were going to daycare before the two month apt.

we did get it, b/c I didnt know anything about the vaccine controversy when we had our dd. There was no reaction, and if I had to do it over, I'd wait, but we had no problem with it.

Hep B is a sexually transmitted disease. It is not necessary to give this vaccine at all!!! It is a blood borne pathogen. I got the vaccine for myself because I'm a nurse; however, my last 3 children ages 7, 3, and 6 weeks have not and will not be vaccinated for this disease. If you are concerned about your baby being sexually active then I would wait until he/she is a teenager. Most vaccines don't last longer than 10-15 yrs anyway, so by the time your baby is a teen, he will need a booster shot.

If I were you I wouldn't put any foreign products in my baby that isn't absolutely necessary! I highly recommend a book by Dr. Sears called The Vaccine Book. This book will educate you on all the current vaccines and what is actually necessary for a baby to have. I learned a lot with this book. Good luck with your decision!

I'm not sure why they feel that they need to do it RIGHT AWAY. Their immune systems are already being overloaded just being out of the womb. Their body has to respond to every little germ in the air, and I don't see the sense in having it done right then. That being said, I did have my daughter's shot in the hospital because I was so sick and out of it that I didn't have it in me to argue, and she is fine, but I still think it is silly to give a shot for an STD if I don't have it myself. They do extensive testing of pregnant mothers, so they know whether or not they have it. Unless they are worried about contaminated needle sticks in the hospital, then they have no reason to give the shot so early. People are concerned about giving Gardasil to young girls for the fear it will give them permission to be sexually active, but we are giving infants a shot for a sexually transmitted disease that they have very little chance of contracting, even in adulthood. They have a WAY higher chance of getting HPV. Well that is my two cents. I am not sure there is actually harm, per se, in giving it so early for most babies, but I don't see the use of it either.

Don't give your baby the Hep B. Check out Dr. Tenpenny, Mercola, etc. search both sides of the vaccine controversy. Took me two years to read, buy books, look at both sides. Then make your decision. Japanese kids aren't vaccinated till their 2 years old I believe. Newborns and babies in general...their immune systems have enough to tackle let alone being jabbed left and right. Be selective if you have to and at the very least request shots (if you decide to give any at all) that exclude mercury and squalene (read the book, "Vaccine A" for info on squalene). Pipe up the vitamin supplements a week prior and a week after. I believe you should increase Vit A (to help heal the cells damaged by the shot) and Vit D to boost the immune system (funny how you have to boost the immune system while the shot is supposed to boost the immune system). Request the shot package insert to be mailed to you or drop by the office to request it and read it 5 times. I say after 5 times, you'll understand the text and what it means. I requested a shot pkg insert and had the nurse tell me that there's nothing really in there that I would find. I'll make that decision myself thank you!
Good luck!

Our pediatrician told us that the main reason the Hep B vaccine is now recommended at birth is because a lot of people who do not have health insurance or otherwise do not bring their children in for check ups to not get their children vaccinated. If the baby gets vaccinated at birth, that is one less person who will be at risk for carrying the Hep B virus as an adult.

As long as your baby is not an IV drug user or engaged in risky sexual activity, I'm sure you'll be fine if you delay this vaccine :-)