Immunizations - Fishers,IN

I think you should follow the one put out by the Centers for Disease Control, American Academy of Family Physicians, and American Academy of Pediatrics.

My kids are older now but my youngest I did the same thing. I would only let them give him one shot at a time and then waited 6 months for the next one. This doctor is cautious about shots. I have attached her website. Another doctor would be Integrative Wellness. These are osteopaths and they are very conservative when it comes to shots.

http://osteomed2.com/default.aspx

As others have mentioned, Dr. Sears "Vaccination Book" is great. A lot of what kids are vaccinated against are diseases that really aren't harmful to them at this age, there are some exceptions, like pertusis (whopping cough). That is what the book explains. Hep B is transmitted through blood, so unless your child is getting stuck with dirty needels, doesn't need it at this age. The vaccines are only started early so that the diseases can be classified as no longer being a risk, not because your child needs the vaccine at this age.

Hi E..

I have done alot... I mean ALOT of reading on this topic. The most comprehensive, non-threatening, FACUTAL, not meant to scare you resource I have found is by Dr. Sears... The Vaccination Book. Every other book or resource I have come across is littered with fear tactics meant to pull on your heart strings one way or another.

Once you have read this book thoroughly... I suggest twice actually... talk with your pediatrician. If your pediatrician is not open to an alternative schedule...find a new pediatrician. You don't want a fight every time you take your child to the doctor. You want a doctor who is willing to look at your child as an individual and work with you on a health care plan that meets the needs of the child as well as one that allows you sleep at night.

There is a pretty good website with information... www.nvic.org I would start with the book first.

Good luck. These are tough decisions. But, they are decisions only YOU can make for your family. I am a big proponent of informed decisions. I applaud you for taking time to do the research and make a decision that is best for your family.

Why would you delay immunizations at all? It seems to me that there is a reason there is a set schedule to protect your child and everyone they come in contact with from potentially dangerous and unpleasant diseases. Having your child immunized is the simplest thing we can do to keep them healthy. To not do so is just irresponsible.

I had concerns with my kids and vaccines too. I highly recommend talking with your pediatrician and creating a schedule that you and the doc are comfortable with. Mine was very good at talking to me about it.

Get Dr. Sear's book "The Vaccine Book". Most libraries have a copy so you don't have to buy your own. He has a delayed schedule that he recommends. It also has info on each vaccine listed clearly and the side-effects, pros and cons, etc...
I understand how you feel. The problem with the CDC schedule is that they push so many shots on babies who's immune systems aren't established. Did you know that it's not recommended to give the chicken pox vax until at least 18 months, but the CDC and all county vax programs do it at 12 months anyhow? How sick is that?! It's proven to not be as beneficial for 6 months and they push it anyhow. It made me so mad when I heard that from our pediatrician!
Don't let anyone who hasn't done their own research talk you out of it. Too many parents just blindly follow "doctors orders" without learning what they can from sources other than the media.
Good Luck:)

Hi E....besides the fact i don't agree with so many needles goin in to my lil boy at one visit...3-4 shots is ridiculous...but i have never had any trouble/bad reaction from any of the shots. i do believe in immunization. Specially from the more harmful illnesses, like, polio, measles, etc. when my oldest boy was lil the chicken pox shot was new, i declined that one, i like the shot to have been around for awile, to know it is safe and all, plus i chicken pox is more an annoyance than anything, but that is just coming from someone who never had any problems with it. unless you or maybe an immediate family member has had any trouble with any of the shots, i would not hold off on them. just for the fact he will be scared as he gets alil older of getting the shots. GL and god bless...

My goodness, there is a lot of misinformation out there! Most immunizations are NOT made with mercury anymore. Over the last 4 years, mercury has been removed from almost all immunizations (but yes, there are other hard metals in the vaccines). However, I also agree with you about delaying certain shots. The CDC is in the pockets of Big Medicine, and no, everything they recommend is not to the benefit of your child

I highly recommend Dr. Sears' "The Vaccine Book." He is a pediatrician who is NOT violently opposed to vaccines, but also agrees with many of us who have done our research and are shocked and horrified by the lack of studies regarding the safety of some vaccines. He does not take a stance on whether you should vaccinate your child, so you won't find yourself being lectured in either direction. Instead, he discusses in detail what is in every vaccine, what risks come with each vaccine, what risks come with not vaccinating, and even provides two possible alternative schedules for your baby. His website http://www.askdrsears.com/thevaccinebook/ also has updated information about vaccines that have changed since his book was published.

In my family, we took one of his alternative schedules and further modified it to fit our own research and inclinations, but we felt that his book gave us the information we needed to make our own educated decisions. Please stay informed, and continue doing what you think is right for your child! Also, check out his website today for information about the H1N1 vaccines. Good luck.

I also postponed my son's shots- and it was very difficult to find doctors that would treat us if we didn't adhere to their schedule. We had a couple rules we worked around too:
-Never more than 2 injections/visit
-Never more than 1 live virus/visit
-Only 1 new vaccine/visit
We postponed both Hep A & B shots until after he was 2, Hep A until 3-4 yrs. We are treating the chickenpox vaccine as optional, we haven't decided whether he'll be receiving it or not. We weren't in group childcare so we passed entirely on rotavirus. I also delayed his MMR until he was 2 yrs- and it's been the worst reaction so far, but still very normal.

The hubs also spent a lot of time coming up with our decision making criteria- he must have checked out 20-30 sites. Lots of propaganda. Be wise in your choices & trust your doc- I hope you find a great one!

P.
www.BabysitEase.com

I have been doing the same research. Dr. Sears gives some good advice on alternate vaccination schedules. You'll want to avoid giving ones with thermisol(sp?), which is mercury. Or at least ones with just trace amounts. I wouldn't give too many at a time. There's some crazy scary ingredients in some of them. Also the Dr. Sears site tells you what diseases are still common so you can decide if you want them to be vaccinated for a particular illness based upon the likelyhood of them getting it. There's a few my daughter won't be getting. You can find the ingredients of several vacs on the internet. I'm NOT anti-vaccination, I'm just very careful as to what, when, and how much at one time. Every child is different, and what might effect one, might not effect another. It's kind of a chance ya take either way. Alot of doctors don't know exactly what's in some vaccinations. And it's not really their fault. Not every doctor is gonna know everything about every medical subject there is. Just do a little more research online. I watched a really good documentary on youtube called vaccination nation. Very sad, but very informative. Like I said, I'm not anti-vac., I'm just very particular about it. Do your research, there IS still mercury in some vaccinations. The word is thirmerosal.

There is a book out there that of course I cannot think of the title but there us also a delayed schedule fir vacines that give your child all the vacines but spaced out. You might try your local health dept for some advice.
Time also had an article in it's may 2008? Issue about vacines (check a month either way at your local library).
Do realize that most vacines are required for school unless you have a doctor's excuse (religious or belief reasons).

Another great site is http://www.nvic.org/. If you look through the site you will see lots of reports where children HAVE been injured severely by vaccines. It's great that you have listened to your mother's intuition! :) You do know what's best for your kids. I have 4 kids, one vaccinated, three not, and they are healthy and happy.

Though Dr. Sears is very well regarded, he is one person with one opinion. It doesn't mean his is correct.

What are your concerns that you want to delay immunizations?
Whenever we've had questions, we've asked our pediatrician who has children all around the same age as ours, and his kids have received all of the same vaccinations - he was thorough in his explanation.

Only you can make the right decision for your children. Everything we expose them to - and I mean EVERYTHING can have unknown consequences. Do the research and formulate a good opinion, and then stick to it. Make the right decision for your children because it is best for them, and not because you think it's best for you.

Just keep one thing in mind - our immune systems have to develop. Kids need to be exposed to things to build immunity to them.

Both of my daughters (6 and 4) have been almost 100% immunized. My next child (Due 6/6/10) will be immunized as well. The shots are protecting them from things and viruses. We all were immunized as children..the only fear that we all had was the needle. My girls still are that way..but they know that it is over fast. I think they need their shots...but..each parent makes their decision for their children. I'm sorry I cannot help you with any websites, but I do wish you luck with your research!

Hi Elizabeth,
My first son had severe eating problems from birth. His paediatrician did not want him to have any shots for a year....that got me into looking into the negatives and positives of vaccination. I delayed it for another year and began the process slowly. His immune system was stronger and able to cope with the shots. I did the same with the rest of my children....in my research I found vaccinations in newborns and young infants was closely related to cot death. Personally, I feel its a good idea to delay the shots for a year or two. All the best,
H..

Just wondering if you talked with your pediatrician about this. I know it's a touchy subject but I found out (much to my surprise) that my pediatrician was very helpful. He was more than willing to spread the shots out (so only 1 shot per visit instead of 2-4). His office also only has thermisal-free versions of the shots so we didn't have to worry about that. I know many people who get the vaccines more or less on schedule, but spread out into several visits over a few months, instead of just delaying everything a couple years. Please keep that option in mind.

I have seen babies and toddles suffer needlessly from some of those "harmless" childhood diseases and it's not "harmless" at all as some people think. I know some babies/toddlers who have DIED because weren't immunized (parents were delaying a year or two) and were in playgroups and/or library storytimes with other children who weren't immunized and got infected.

I've read some books and websites that are out of date. They list certain diseases that are "dead" and we no longer have to worry about. However - many of those "dead" diseases are making a come-back due to the growing numbers of children not being immunizised. Also, those diseases are still very much a serious problem in other countries and it's easy for an infected travelor to bring it to your neighborhood. Herd immunity is a Good Thing but breaks down when too many people aren't immunizised.

It's your and your husbands decision of course, but please do alot of research and talk with your pediatrician before making your decision.

Dear E.,
First of all you need to do more investigation about vaccinations. Go online and look up the effects of immunizations. A good book to read is "How to Raise a Healthy Child in Spite of your DR."
If you decide to immunize him after the warnings, do not give the live virus for polio. There is a dead virus available.
Personally, I immunized my kids up until my daughter was 2 and my son was 11mon. I read books, talked with chiropractors, and witnessed what the polio vaccine can do to a child. After this, I no longer vaccinated them. All vaccinations are made with mercury which can damage the body later on in life. M.S., gullian barre, lupus, just to name a few.
This is a big decision. Don't let others sway you. Your baby's health is in your hands. You will receive opposition
if you decide not to. Stand your ground and do what is best for your child. Hope this helps. L. J

E. - What are your concerns with the vaccines? The study regarding the possible link to autism and the MMR vaccine has been negated. The researchers themselves have said that there is no link and that the study they did was on such a small scale that it is not valid. The vaccines are there to prevent diseases that could be fatal to a child and have been successful at doing this for years. They are safe. By not vaccinating our kids, we not only put them at risk but also other children they come in contact with. If your concern is the schedule itself and you not wanting to have your child receive too many shots at one time, then I would suggest talking to your doctor about an alternate schedule. I did this and my son's doctor's question was whether it seemed worse to bring the child in for multiple visits to get shots or to get it all done at once? My husband and I opted to continue on the recommended schedule by our pediatrician. My son is 1 year old now and has been doing fine with the schedule. Be sure to have some infant tylenol available before your child receives the shots, try singing to them before, during and after the shots to distract from the pain, and/or offer to nurse, give a bottle, toy or pacifier if you are using those during the shots if allowed by the nurse giving them. I think it is wise to ask questions and to research these things. Just be sure that the media does not solely influence your fear in getting your child vaccinated. They tend to hype things up in this regard. Getting the facts is always the best and always talk to your child's doctor. Good luck!

Personally I never had any of the shots and I was perfectly fine for the last 50 years.In high school back in 1978 I was told I had to get my shots or they wouldn't give me my diploma. I laughed at them and told them I was already 18 years old and had gone to school for 13 years and I would get my diploma regardless of what they said. I told them my parents never were made to give me shots because we were Native American and they believed all the shots were government poisons. I got my diploma and never had to get the first shot. In Ohio you can refuse the shots on your beliefs, whether it be cultural or religious. I would not subject my child to such things.
Just my opinion but if you do give them shots avoid anything with Murcury in it.

I've done a lot of research, including just going to google and searching vaccines. Here are a few good sites: Dr. Sears gives you all the info including alternate schedules and lets you make your own decisions. The other two are pretty much against vaccinations. The blaylock report you have to purchase for $4/mo. but once you do you have access to all the old reports including one all about vaccines -- that's the one that really helped me feel better about my decision not to vaccinate. I think you can cancel at any time.
http://www.askdrsears.com/thevaccinebook/
http://www.mercola.com/
http://www.blaylockreport.com/

This is a great site.

http://www.askdrsears.com/thevaccinebook/12_childhood_vac...