What Vaccines Should My Baby Get in the First Year?

Only you can answer this question but what I did was research each disease and then compared the risks against my fears of a possible vaccine reaction. I personally look at this issue as a double-edged sword. I am afraid of both sides. I am vax'ing but very slowly, one at a time and very spaced out. Personally, when my son was that young of a baby the diseases I was most concerned about was Pertussis. I worked from there. He has not had Hep B vax because its a blood-born disease that is spread via sex, needles etc (drugs, tattoos etc) - google it - and I look at it like I have a few years to worry about this vax and will focus my fears/energy on the others. Good luck to you. It is scary being a parent today.

I wish I had all the answers for you. I am not as educated in the vaccines as I should be. I will say that I would be willing to have my children immunized for tetnus (sp?) but it's not packaged alone so we skipped that one as well. We have chosen NOT to immunize simply because we know there is so much controversy in the situation and we try to keep their immune systems strong through supplements and eating better - breastfeeding is a fantastic start. We have gotten a LOT of grief from those in the medical community for our decision, but our children are healthy, happy and we feel good about our decision. I also think the flu vaccines do more damage than good as well! Ultimately, it must be YOUR decision, no one can force your hand, he's your son and it's your choice. Also, when he's school age you can sign a waiver that states that you don't immunize for personal beliefs for the school to keep on file, so don't let that worry you.

I stopped vaccinating both of my children when I realized my son is autistic (18mo for my son and 3yr for my daughter). In some cases I beleive that immunizations can be a contributing factor to autism. I agree with the posters who mentioned reading Dr. Stephanie Cave and Dr. Sears books. If you decide to vaccinate, you can spread out the vaccines. Our kids get many more vaccines than we ever did as more and more are added to the schedule. Consider the risk of your child getting a particular disease like chicken pox and the risk of that disease-itchiness but not likely death. Some kid's immune systems just can't handle all the vaccines IMO. Your ped will tell you it is the right thing to do (every 2 month well visits include vaccinating and are how your doc makes a living). While a whole lot of others whose children have had vaccine reactions will tell you not to do it. It is a very personal decision. Read up and understand the risks and benefits. Also understand the motivation of those on both sides of the issue.

I love this book by Stephanie Cave, MD: "What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Children's Vaccinations." You might be able to find it in your library (I did).

Unfortunately I did not know about these issues when my children were born in the 90's, and they had all their early shots on schedule. My younger one got the HepB vax the day after he was born and has always been sicker than my older one (there may or may not be a correlation - I'll never know for sure). He has 40+ food allergies (very difficult sometimes, but he's doing great now that we figured it out). The HepB series angers me the most because I did not have HepB and my newborn infant wasn't going to be out having sex or doing IV drugs (which is how most people in industrialized nations get it).

Good luck to you and your baby! Congrats on being an "aware" mama! Consult with trusted experts, do your own research, and do the best you can for your child - that's all any of us can do.

PS: I am not a doctor or medical professional - this is just my personal opinion.

I feel your pain. I wasn't going to do any vaccinations but then we were thinking of going to Thailand to visit my friend. The dr. convinced us that we should get vaccinations. I was very adamant about not doing hep b, since this is spread through sex and iv drug use. I also did not want to get the chicken pox vaccine because I feel if he does get it as a kid it isn't so bad. My friend got it as an adult and had to be hospitalized. We got immunizations at 2 months and my son had non stop crying after the dtap vaccine. I continued to get him vaccinations until his 15 month appt. He was feeling sick and the dr. told me to reschedule after the holidays, I never did. My husband and I decided that we were going to stop with the vaccinations. The dr. isn't pushing me to get more although I am sure she will talk to me at all of his appts. I wish we would have done this earlier. My friend who is a chiropractor is starting his son who is 2 1/2 on very minimal vaccinations. We do not get the flu vaccinations either. I feel better knowing that we are not getting him anymore vaccinations and if we have another child we will not get them vaccinated either. Ultimately it is up to you. I have also not told my friends or my family that we have stopped getting vaccinations as I know this would cause all sorts of issues. :) Here is another link that you may want to check out. Dr. Jay Gordon. http://drjaygordon.com Good Luck!

Dr. sears has a vaccine book with a delayed/alternative schedule recommendation. We have done no vaccinations on either of our children and they (coincidentally?) are much healthier than other kids we know. My favorite book on weighing the risks of disease vs. vaccination is The Sanctity of Human Blood, that doctor's website is www.thedoctorwithin.com. Like the other poster, I would consider just tetanus but they don't make it that way. Good luck, these are big decisions!

Hi, I am using midwives to deliver my baby into the world and I am RH- and recently found out about the Rogham shot which I initially refused because I'd never heard of it and didn't understand it. Now I'm researching it and lo and behold there is a likely/possible link to autism.... so I am just happy to keep researching. I think you made a EXCELLENT point that your child is very unlikely to contract any of those diseases early in life given our standards of living.... I would suggest that you look for some local midwives to talk to... they will likely have books to suggest to you... and don't give your child shots that you don't understand what it is and know 100% what is in the shot. It is daunting that the medical professionals put up such resistance to delaying a decision until you've researched it yourself... but that is just part of being strong... and you can do it... =)

If I was you I would talk to your Dr and decide from there. They are the experts, not a bunch of moms who have their own opinion... sorry but that is how I feel. Some parents don't vaccinate and some do. Some reasons are silly and some are great! However, don't base any decision on public opinions. Do your research, talk to your Dr, and decide. I ALWAYS speak with my Dr if I have any questions that may affect the health and lives of my children. If your Dr isn't someone who's opinion you trust, then find a new Dr. I always vaccinate on schedule as my Dr advises. Good luck :)

I will not tell you whether you should or should not vaccinate your child but here is the schedule from the government.

Personaly my choice is to vaccinate.

CDC
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/schedules/downloads/chil...

I think this web site is very easy to manage and when I click on each link it opens in a new window so I can go back and forth and compare.
http://www.vaccineinformation.org/children.asp

My sister and I had chicken pox. It wasn't fun, it can be serious and I'm glad my son won't have to itch like that. My sister had German Measles (Ruebella) and almost died. Did you know measles kills 500,000 children world wide every year?

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/spec-grps/parents.htm#myths

There are particular links here which cover a lot of information (and are answered by authorities in the subject will well documented degrees and careers in the medical field):
Myths Busted -- Common Misconceptions

* Some Common Misconceptions
* Myths & Concerns: Vaccines don't work, aren't necessary, are not safe; infants are too young to get vaccinated...External Web Site Policy
Adobe Acrobat print-friendly PDF file [79KB/10 pages]
* Thimerosal and AutismExternal Web Site Policy Adobe Acrobat print-friendly PDF file [122KB/2 pages]

What Risks are Parents Taking in their Child's Healthcare?

* What If You Don't Immunize Your Child?External Web Site Policy Adobe Acrobat print-friendly PDF file [30KB/2 pages]
* What Would Happen If We Stopped Immunizations?
* Risks of Not Getting VaccinatedExternal Web Site Policy
* Possible Side-effects from Vaccines
* Parents of Kids with Infectious DiseasesExternal Web Site Policy (PKIDS)
* Safety: Are vaccines safe?
Not vaccinating your child? Be aware of the risks

I understand that vaccines are scary, and I think that you have every right to question whether your little one needs all of the vaccines that are out there. That said, I think that you are projecting your anxieties about being pregnant in general onto your experience with that one vaccine, and it's translating into anxieties about parenting. It is infinitely more dangerous to your baby for you to come down with measles, mumps or rubella when you are pregnant than for you to get the shot. You did the right thing. And your argument "I survived the rest of the childhood illnesses" is faulty because if you didn't, you wouldn't be writing this post. That's like saying "when I was a kid, we only were in carseats until we were 1, and I survived, so I'm not putting my kid in a carseat." I mean, you can make that argument, but why would you? We now know more and have more technology available to us, so why not do what has been medically proven, not speculated, to protect our kids?

Clearly I am a huge believer in vaccines. Still, I "opted out" of the vaccines for diseases that seemed incredibly unlikely. Like Hep A. I'm not travelling to India with the kids anytime soon, so they didn't need it. I also think that a slightly delayed vaccination schedule can be reasonable as well. I didn't get the Hep B in the hospital. I figured my kids were just born, lets give their bodies a break. They did get it at about 2 weeks old.

Finally, you said you don't take the baby to neighbors or a daycare center, but does he see anyone at all? Go to the grocery store? Babies put EVERYTHING in their mouths and on their hands, even under the watchful eye of the most vigilant parent. I got my kids vaccinated because I knew I simply couldn't live with the guilt of knowing that, if they got horribly sick, there was something I could have done to prevent it and I didn't.

My best advice is for you to have a good long talk with your pedi. about your concerns. If he or she won't take the time, find another doctor. You are responsible for making the right choices for your child, but you need to be armed with the right knowledge, not only the internet-fueled anti-vaccine hysteria. Ask the doctor to point you in the right direction for some peer-reviewed literature that supports a delayed vaccine schedule. Dr. Sears is a good place to start. Make informed choices, not choices out of fear.

Good luck with your decisions.