Vaccinations - North Highlands,CA

I just went through the same dilemma. The MMR vacine is what most of the contro. is around. I chose to wait on this vaccine until her next appt. at 18 months. The Drs (at least at Kaiser) are okay with this. They have to have them eventually (unless you opt out- but, if we all opt out, then what happens if the diseases come back?)
Anyways, I chose to wait a while longer until she's older and her immune system is just that much stronger

The rates of autism in vaccinated and unvaccinated children are the same. But it doesn't hurt to wait and space them out. Vaccinations are meant to protect the child and those around them. I have a sister who lives in Africa, and boy is she glad she's had her shots! It's easy to read the stories and get scared, but think of all the millions of children who have had their shots and are perfectly healthy. We don't want to go back to the old days when kids died from these diseases.

Please check out the National Vaccine Information Center website (www.nvic.org). Go to the column on the left side and check out "Are we overvaccinating our children". There is a lot of information there that most doctors don't talk about. There is a reason that so many children have problems these days and I believe that putting so many foreign substances into a little body is the cause. I am not against vaccinating children but I am against giving so many vaccines to little babies. If there is a problem it will be very difficult to figure out which vaccine is the cause if so many vaccines are given at one time. I would spread them out. You have 5 years until they attend school and are required. Many of the vaccines I feel are unnecessary for most of the population and I would question if what they are suppose to protect your child from applies to you and your baby. This is a very controversial subject I know, with many people saying that it is FACT that the vaccinations are not the cause of this national epidemic but you will be shocked when you read the statistics on the NVIC website and read the parents stories relating to their children's vaccinations. If anything it will help you make an informed decision and your pediatrician willing to wait is a great indicator on what to do.

Hi J.-
It's hard to find middle of the road opinions on this issue, the more research I do, the more scared I become to give them to my children but I also understand those who are vaccinating. The closest to slow vax schedule I have found is from Dr. Jay Gordon. I believe he advocates waiting until a year but you might be able to find his schedule and come up with your own. You have already won the biggest battle of finding a doctor that is willing to adjust the schedule. I know so many moms who are looking for new doctors because they won't budge. www.drjaygordon.com
Good luck, we all feel your pain!
K.

Hi, I have a 2 1/2 year old and a 4 month old. Between the birth of my son and daughter they have added vaccines to the list. Here is my advice. I think you should wait on the mmr, that is the main one that everyone is talking about. We waited til my son was almost 2 before we gave it to him. Also give it by itself. Our kids our so overwhelmed with vaccinations all at once, it can't be good for their immune systems. I firmly believe in vaccinations, just not all at once and spaced apart. My husband and I do research before each scheduled vacciantion and tell them no, we are waiting or we will be back in a few months for the rest of them. If you miss any and change your mind on vaccines you chose not to give their is a catch up schedule when they are older. I guess what I'm trying to say is get your son vaccinated, but we sure you know what he is getting and if it is something you are uncomfortable with, wait til he is older. There is nothing wrong with that. Your judgement is the best.

My vote is that if you are concerned, there is a reason for your hesitation, trust your instinct, don't do it. I stopped vaccinating both of my kids before the MMR shot (this is the one that is speculatated to trigger Autism, it is a combination of 3 vaccines in one). I feel strongly that there is a link between pharmeceuticals, in general, that we put in our body correlated to the growing percentages of disease. But the main reason I did not have my kids vaccinated is that my husband is adopted, and genetically speaking, I have no idea what my kids are predisposed to. God forbid either of my children develop Autism, I wouldn't know with 100% certainty that is wasn't because of a vaccination they had. Personally, I couldn't live with knowing that, so I took it out of the equation.

There was a really great episode of Oprah with Jenny McCarthy & Holly Robinson-Peete, that speaks to Autism and vaccinations, you may be able to find it on You Tube. Jenny Stated that she didn't know that it was the shot itself that caused her son to have Autism, rather something in his genetic makeup that when combined with the vaccination caused a change.

Many doctors are quick to push vaccines, it is a science they dedicate their lives to, but you are lucky to have one that doesn't guilt you into it. And to quote McCarthy again, "My son is my science," meaning that, as a mom, we know our kids explicitly, better than anyone. SO trust your instinct.

You can always opt to have the vaccine later, when he is older than 2, (many moms of kids with autism say that on the eve after the shot was given, their child spiked a fever and by the next morning, symptons occurred, including loss of vocabulary). Or, contact your insurance company, they may cover having each of the 3 components administered individually.

But I think you are on the right track by wanting to wait or omit altogether. Every body is different and can tolerate different types of things. Vaccinations are 'one size fits all,' and it really is a gamble.

Good luck with your decision,
G.

I have a daughter who was born 12/22/07 and I have her on an alternate Vaccine schedule. It means I take her on more often, but she doesn't get so many shots at one time. I read The Vaccine Book by Dr Sears and found it to be very helpful.

Have you checked in the new Dr. Sears book called The Vaccine Book? He talks about spacing out the vaccinations. Another good one is Natural Baby and Child Care by Dr. Lauren Feder.

What we decided to do was to go ahead and do one shot at each doctor's visit. So first I think he got either the Hib or the DTaP; then he got the second one; and so on. We also decided to get him just the measles shot and then wait two months and get the mumps shot.

If you're still concerned about autism, just make sure that your son responds to his name most of the time; makes eye contact with you and attempts to get your attention; and that he is babbling and starting to put together sounds like "mamama," "babababa" and "dadadada."

I highly recommend the Sears Vaccine Book. It's really balanced, IMO. We are spacing them out even more than the book suggests, and are only doing the ones I feel are important. For us, that's DTAP, Hib, and Pc for now. We do one shot a month, and never more than one at a time.

There is a lot of evidence that vaccines are not linked to autism. But it wouldn't hurt to space out the vaccines either. I think that it is better in the long run to give one vaccine at a time and let the child recover before giving the next. I really think they do them all at once to save time. You don't have to bring the baby in so often and are more likely to get the vaccines because you won't forget. I'd space them a couple months apart so as to not overwhelm the immune system or your baby.

I don't really have any suggestions on how to space the vaccinations out, but I just wanted to congratulate you on deciding to do it. I have chosen not to give any vaccinations to my son right now, but I think it's a good idea if you are that you spread them out. Good luck.
S. R