My Doctor is telling me that Pertussis is common and that I need to get my baby the DTaP shot. (It does not come as a single, but only with diphtheria, tetanus) But I have read so many bad things about that shot, particularly that a possible side effect is brain swelling and seizure. Has anyone had children who have had side effects to this shot? If yes, what are they? If no, tell me that too. Thanks.
I spread out my kids shots. My daughter (almost 1) has had 2 doses of the DTap (with no other shots at the same time) and she didn't even cry when getting the shot! Pertussis is still out there and something you should be concerned about.
hi M.
vaccines are a personal choice. do your research and don't let your doctor put fear in you. i gave my son his first vaccine at 2 & 1/2 years old. it was the dtap. he is healthy and wonderful.
T.
Hi M.,
I did all the shots at the same time, when the doctor wanted them done and my son had no problem. Pertussis is still common and there is nothing worse than listening to your little baby coughing his lungs out. I think the benefits of the vaccines outweigh the risks.
Good luck!
I've had pertussis- I was in my 20s, but I got it bad. It's very dangerous. Don't risk letting your baby get it. Once caught, the illness must run it's course- no cure. It causes the inability to breathe- not just difficulty, but the throat closes completely and it's terrifying. I thought I might die (and babies do die from this). And the recovery takes months. It was at least four months before I could do anything physical (stairs, running, etc) without asthma-like breathing problems.
The reason the disease is common is that people think they just have a cold, and they go out in public with it- I did at first too. Adults should get re-vaccinated for this too, to save the babies! The shot protects for about 15 yrs, I believe. And the side effects are very rare- much more rare than the disease.
i stopped getting my son's shots all at the same time..when he turned 18 months..and i think it's so much better to spread them out..i think it's good to get the shots but not all at once..i don't know why doc's don't just do that..i can see a huge difference from when i first started getting him his shots to when i started breaking them up.
he would have trouble sleeping for a week after shots..then when i started spreading them out he was completely unaffected.
no side affects except a bit of rash once.
Why don't you ask him if you can wait until your child is older? I have not heard that Pertussis is common, but I have heard that doctor's office make some good money from giving the shots.
Our immunizations have worked, but they seem to have caused other problems--brain development is connected to gut development is connected to immune development is connected to exposure to microbes, viruses, and bacteria, who knew? SO shooting up with a lot of antibodies all at once is turning out to be a bad idea. You can look for books on immunization scheduling alternatives. I am waiting until my daughter is three to START the shots. She goes to childcare and plays on the beach and has caught nothing, not even chicken pox when the neighbor's kids had it.
the body is amazing.
Hi M.,
Before my daughter was born (7 months today), I got the vaccine book by Dr. Sears. VERY helpful book. After reading it, I decided to only allow one shot per month for her rather than 3 at one time (due to the aluminum content & such). There are some shots that I am waiting until she is a bit older to have (like Hep B).
She has had all three DTaP shots over the past 7 months and she had reacted wonderfully to them. No fever, no fussiness (other than at the time the shot is given of course), and no other side affects.
My doc told us that there were some active whooping cough outbreaks locally, hence the reason I decided to let her get that shot first.
She's also had 2 Prevnar and 1 HIB shots. I did make the mistake of allowing the doc to give her the Prevnar and HIB shot at one appointment. Won't do that ever again. She was so fussy, irritable, slept poorly, and was not her usual happy self. This last month she got only the Prevnar (next month will be the 2nd HIB) and was a total gem. Again, no side effects or fussiness.
I truly believe that giving these LO's so many shots at one time is what leads to the bad side affects. The immune system can't handle it for some babies. So it's a personal choice for me to limit her to one shot a month and let her immune system adjust & react before introducing another shot.
Good luck and I hope this helps!
Hi M., I had 2 lovely daughters over 30 years ago. They both had all of their shots and never had any problems or side effects. My guess is that the shots are better now than years ago? I think it is a matter of your choice; how frequent are the dreadful side effects vs. how common are the illnesses that they attempt to prevent.
Good luck!
H.
Hi M.,
My son was born this past March, and I am spreading out his shots per Dr. Sears book The Vaccine Book. Although I did start him a little late. My son had his first Dtap shot at around 17 weeks and experienced a very slight fever. No brain swelling or seizure. He had more of a fever with the HIB and Pc shots, which he got at 11 weeks.
I've read that subsequent shots pose a higher risk of side effects.
These are all very serious illnesses/diseases - I recommend getting your son the shot. When my son got vaccinated, there were usually 3 shots given at once and the only side effect was a mild fever and fussiness. It's not fun, but it beats getting a serious disease!
Dr. Gordon is one of the few pediatricians on the Westside that supports your right to choose whether or not to vaccinate your child.
http://www.drjaygordon.com/development/index.asp
You might want to do more research before you make your decision
