Vaccines

Hi M.,
I have a baby girl that may have had a reaction to her 4 shots that started at 2 months. She ran a low grade fever for 3 weeks after and later ended up having trouble with development of language eyesight. I now know it had to do with a combination of factors including the vaccination schedule. I later found the book by Dr Cave "what your doctor may not tell you about children's vaccinations" (amazon has it). She suggests giving your child a more spread out schedule as well as giving vitamin A as cod liver oil before and after the shots you chose to give at daily recommended intake for age subtracting for any other supplements/formula that may contain vitamin A ( it may also be used topically in the belly instead of drinking it with bottle). Also vitamin C helps prevent adverse reactions on the day of the shot and the day after 150mg twice daily liquid.(especially if you are not nursing) Vaccines that come in single dose vials are mercury free and are better because the potency is known. Make sure the vial is shaken before they draw it to distribute it well if using a multi dose vial. There is more detailed info in the book about what vaccine to give and when. I wish I had read it when I was at the same point as you.Ultimately it is your choice but don't expect full disclosure about the research out there from your medical providers in some cases they just don't know and are only following the government mandates and AAP (American academy of pediatrics) Good luck !

I would check to see if any of the vaccines are combined. Sometimes 2-4 different vaccines are rolled into one shot, which makes the whole thing less traumatic! My 15 month old just had 4 shots at one time, and it was horrible!! As long as you're willing to pay the co-pay twice to see the doctor, I don't see a good reason why any pediatrician wouldn't give them over 2 visits??? Just be sure to give your son a dose of infant Tylenol a half hour before the appointment. And remember, the reason we don't have outbreaks of polio, measels, etc. are because we have been vaccinating our children against them for years. Good luck!

Hi M. M.,
I have a 3 year old and a 1 year old and I have always had a tough time handling the whole 4-shots-at-a-time thing, therefore, I do not allow them to do it. This is what I do: I tell the nurse and doctor up front that I will not allow my infant to have 4 injections at once. My personal feelings towards the idea are #1 too many sticks, too much for a baby to endure at one time (too traumatic) and #2 in my opinion it is too much medicine (foreign matter) going into a tiny system at once. I tell my doctor to pick the most important ones that MUST be given at that time, give only those. I also make sure that they mark which thigh each was given in so you will know which injection gave your baby a reaction, if there is a reaction. I give my child Tylenol or Motrin before and after the shots and one of the most important pieces of advice, if you are breastfeeding, by all means, plan to breastfeed during the injections, it makes it much easier on the baby and you. They still cry a little, but the focus is on food...not the pain at the moment. If you do not breastfeed, a warm bottle of formula/milk or juice is better than nothing. Also, do not allow your doctors office to bully you into thinking that you have to keep your child on an immunization "schedule". It is your baby. You decide the schedule that fits your baby. My son is 1 year old and still has not had his 6 month shots. He will get them, but when I decide that it's a good time. Good luch and remember, we are all in this shot thing together. I hate it.

Hi M. -

I am a huge advocate for informed choice and anti mass-vaccination schedule.
I stopped vaccinating after my DD 6 mo visit after learning more on my own.
You may be interested in the following resources:

www.novaccine.com
www.nvic.org
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/vaccineawarenessnetw...

There are also many resources on www.sunshineorganics.net under the LEARN section.
Vaccines are not safe and effective. It is more than the great autism debate.

I recently wrote this to the my County's Health Department:

Concerning vaccinations, I would like more people to be aware of the true facts and have informed consent. Unfortunately much of the information is misinformation.
There are many beliefs and myths out there and I have made it my business to filter through and consider all the sources. My hope is that others would do the same.
The CDC does not have all the answers or their facts correct.

I can appreciate the intent of wanting to protect our children; however there is much more information to consider. The topic of vaccines is a hot debate but my goal is to raise awareness so that eventually all people including government officials will look at all the studies and information and speak to other Drs., including those that are not funded by special interests and those that benefit the companies that make the vaccines.

As Doctor David Ayoub stated, “I am no longer trying to dig up evidence to prove vaccines cause autism. There is already abundant evidence... This debate is not scientific but is political.”

Consider the motives and motivation from both sides of the issue. The common thread is that each side wants to protect the health and lives of our children. The mainstream side is not even entertaining the thought that the vaccines and amount we give our children is an issue. This is a grave mistake. Our doctors and government steer the way the CDC and other organizations tell them without a second thought. The problem is that vaccines have become a big business and like all big businesses they want to increase profits. How do they do that? They make more vaccines and create an ambush of a vaccination schedule that is highly toxic and damages the immune system, alters DNA and from birth begins antibiotic resistance.

You will read in the Robert Kennedy Jr Article, “While public-health officials may have been well-intentioned, many of those on the CDC advisory committee who backed the additional vaccines had close ties to the industry. Dr. Sam Katz, the committee's chair, was a paid consultant for most of the major vaccine makers and shares a patent on a measles vaccine with Merck, which also manufactures the hepatitis B vaccine. Dr. Neal Halsey, another committee member, worked as a researcher for the vaccine companies and received honoraria from Abbott Labs for his research on the hepatitis B vaccine.”

Please also review the article, ‘Maryland Schools Have Huge Financial Stake in Coerced Vaccinations of Schoolchildren’ Is it true that schools get money for children being vaccinated?

One of America’s leading pediatricians, Robert Mendelshon, M.D. stated in his book, How to Raise a Healthy Child... In spite of your Doctor back in 1984 his concern with immunizations:
1. Their is no convincing scientific evidence that mass inoculations can be credited with eliminating any childhood disease.
2. It is commonly believed that the Salk vaccine was responsible for halting the polio epidemics that plagued American children in the 1940s and 1950s. If so, why did the epidemics also end in Europe, where polio vaccine was not so extensively used?
3. There are significant risks associated with every immunization and numerous contradictions that may make it dangerous for the shots to be given to your child.
4. While the myriad short term hazards of most immunizations are known (but rarely explained), no one knows the long term consequences of injecting foreign proteins (heavy metals, chemicals and antibiotics and DNA)in to the body of your child.
5. There is a growing suspicion that immunizations against relatively harmless childhood diseases may be responsible for the dramatic increase in autoimmune diseases since mass inoculations were introduced.

I am for parents being able to make an informed choice and not be forced to vaccinate their children just to be able to get an education. An an excerpt from an article written by Robert Kennedy Jr. reads, {Even for scientists and doctors accustomed to confronting issues of life and death, the findings were frightening. "You can play with this all you want," Dr. Bill Weil, a consultant for the American Academy of Pediatrics, told the group. The results "are statistically significant." Dr. Richard Johnston, an immunologist and pediatrician from the University of Colorado whose grandson had been born early on the morning of the meeting's first day, was even more alarmed. "My gut feeling?" he said. "Forgive this personal comment -- I do not want my grandson to get a thimerosal-containing vaccine until we know better what is going on." }

Recently the US government awards damages in a vaccine-autism case.

“After years of insisting there is no evidence to link vaccines with the onset of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the US government has quietly conceded a vaccine-autism case in the Court of Federal Claims.
The unprecedented concession was filed on November 9, and sealed to protect the plaintiff's identify. It was obtained through individuals unrelated to the case.

The claim, one of 4,900 autism cases currently pending in Federal "Vaccine Court," was conceded by US Assistant Attorney General Peter Keisler and other Justice Department officials, on behalf of the Department of Health and Human Services, the "defendant" in all Vaccine Court cases.

The child's claim against the government -- that mercury-containing vaccines were the cause of her autism -- was supposed to be one of three "test cases" for the thimerosal-autism theory currently under consideration by a three-member panel of Special Masters, the presiding justices in Federal Claims Court.
Keisler wrote that medical personnel at the HHS Division of Vaccine Injury Compensation (DVIC) had reviewed the case and "concluded that compensation is appropriate."

The doctors conceded that the child was healthy and developing normally until her 18-month well-baby visit, when she received vaccinations against nine different diseases all at once (two contained thimerosal).

Days later, the girl began spiraling downward into a cascade of illnesses and setbacks that, within months, presented as symptoms of autism, including: No response to verbal direction; loss of language skills; no eye contact; loss of "relatedness;" insomnia; incessant screaming; arching; and "watching the florescent lights repeatedly during examination."

Mercury is not the only thing to blame. This story is similar to many children having recent reactions as well.

Another incident in Idaho there were three babies that died after getting vaccinated from the same pediatricians office.
David Waddel Died Sept. 4, 2007
Vance Walker Died Sept. 15, 2007
Paiytu Ames Died Oct. 10, 2007

The article that I have attached also quoted this study: In a study of more than 34,000 children in which about half received Prevnar and half received a control vaccine, a dozen deaths, including five SIDS deaths, occurred in the Prevnar group. By contrast, 21 deaths occurred in the control group, including four SIDS deaths, according to manufacturer data.

Personally, we recently had a death in the family. A cousin went to pick up her 2 month old from day care. When she arrived she witnessed emergency vehicles all around. I am sure every parent arriving to pick up their child was struck with panic. Her son John died in his sleep. He was 2 months old. I was suspect from the beginning that it was SIDS from vaccine reaction, knowing that he probably just had a round of vaccines. At two months of age babies now get DaPT, HIB, IPV, Rotateq and Prevnar.

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that children diagnosed with asthma (a respiratory ailment not unlike SIDS) were five times more likely than not to have received pertussis vaccine. Another study found that babies die at a rate eight times greater than normal within three days after getting a DPT shot. The three primary doses of DPT are given at two months, four months, and six months. About 85 percent of SIDS cases occur at one through six months, with the peak incidence at age two to four months. In a recent scientific study of SIDS, episodes of apnea (cessation of breathing) and hypopnea (abnormally shallow breathing) were measured before and after DPT vaccinations.

"Cotwatch" (a precise breathing monitor) was used, and the computer printouts it generated (in integrals of the weighted apnea-hypopnea density -- WAHD) were analyzed. The data clearly shows that vaccination caused an extraordinary increase in episodes where breathing either nearly ceased or stopped completely. These episodes continued for months following vaccinations. Dr. Viera Scheibner, the author of the study, concluded that "vaccination is the single most prevalent and most preventable cause of infant deaths."

Another article states, “The reality, as documented by the American Medical Association's own journal (JAMA) in the January 1999 issue, is that there is no connection between death from infectious diseases and vaccinations; that's right, "None."

In a 2005 study brain tissue was obtained during autopsy from autistic patients. The author’s data show an active neroinflamatory process in the cerebral cortex, white matter and in the cerebellum of autistic patients. Immunocytochemical studies showed marked activation of the microglial and astroglial cells.

If you are not familiar Dr. Tenpenny has done a tremendous amount of research and looked at CDC and scientific documents and present the facts. She has a website and excellent DVD. www.drtenpenny.com

This is an important matter and one that needs to be look at more carefully and taken seriously. The concern is the welfare and health of our children. I encourage everyone to learn more before putting our children in harms way.
There is a reason autism and other disorders are on a 10-17% increase each year. I do not blame one thing . I believe it is a combination of things. What I do know is that the ingredients in vaccines are toxic and way you look at it.

Unfortunately, studies have NEVER been performed by pharma or our govt. on multiple vaccines; our children are truly a live experiment. What is being discovered by scientists who look further into vaccines, is that ingredients
like thimerosal (in the flu, meningococcal, and DT vaccines), indeed react with aluminum and become much more toxic. It is sad enough that vaccines are only tested for two to three weeks on single vaccines. It's only a guess what
happens when they are combined.

If Maryland public health officials and elected officials alike all want to keep Maryland's children healthy and
safe I would encourage you to look at all the information and not just the ones that have other motives and conflicts of interest.
We must first “Do no harm” and consider all the sources.

Interview with ex-vaccine reseacher: http://www.whale.to/v/rapp.html

CNN
Article and Video on this link -
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/04/02/mccarthy.autsimtreatment...

_______________________________

Dr. Palevsky's had a presentation on vaccines and natural immunity and it was impeccable. He presents concise scientific and clinical data in such an easy-to-understand manner; I wish all pediatricians and parents could attend his lecture, so they can truly make informed decisions.

He began by explaining the delicate balance of the immune system and how immature a child's system is from birth until about three years of age, when it really begins to mature. He emphasized the importance of contracting illnesses/microorganisms in a natural setting in order to build/mature a child's immune system. For example, when a child contracts a virus, such as the flu, it will enter the child's nasal passages/airways and mouth, where the body's TH1 cells create temporary inflammation to weaken the virus and antibodies are able to kill the virus; then TH2/TH3 cells reduce/counter and "clean up" the residual
inflammation; the child's immunity strenthens and the "memory" of this illness is stored for the future.

When a child is injected (unnaturally) with a vaccine filled with a killed or live virus and other ingredients such as heavy metals, formaldehyde, neomycin/antibiotics, etc. it bypasses the "built in" immune system and the foreign "intruders" cause the body to go into a state of confusion and continuous inflammation--the TH1/2/3 cells are not activated properly, causing autoimmunity--the body, in essence, attacks itself, resulting
in illnesses like asthma, allergies, autism/ADHD, eczema, lupus, etc. Consider that vaccines never provide true immunity, which is why vaccines "wear off" and children need continuous boosters--and why disease epidemics often occur in fully or near-fully vaccinated populations.

There were so many disturbing issues that Dr. Palevsky brought up about vaccines that are seldom addressed: How could we knowingly inject heavy metals (neurotoxins) into a fragile child's developing body (or an adult's!) where they attach to their brains and other organs and usually cause damage; Why would we allow Polysorbate 80, a vaccine ingredient, to enter a child's bloodstream where it knowingly breaks down the blood-brain barrier and causes vaccine ingredients to directly enter the brain; Why would we allow Neomycin (antibiotic in vaccines) to reduce B6, which is a necessary vitamin for proper immune function, and one that magnifies the effects of heavy metals and formaldehyde; Why combine MMR (live viruses with mercury) which is a cancerous combination and causes
viruses to become much more dangerous (as seen in studies)???

As a parent, I know how difficult it is to sift through all of the conflicting
information on vaccines. It is a dreadful responsibility that every parent, who chooses to research the topic, faces. I wish I could say that 'what you don't know, won't hurt you (or your child)', but this subject defies that notion. It's important to put our fears aside and truly look at the facts: vaccine safety and efficacy studies have NEVER been done on combinations of vaccines and their ingredients; safety studies that were performed on individual vaccines have NOT been conducted for more than three weeks; and that NO double-blind studies have been done, which is the scientific standard of medical industry, whereby a vaccine should be administered to a vaccinated child population, and the effects compared against a control group of unvaccinated children.

Vaccines are never compared against a control group -- ever. That means a vaccinated group of kids are given the polio vaccine and analyzed for reactions/effects against vaccinated kids given a measles shot. They also only test vaccines on perfectly "healthy" children; anyone with asthma, eczema, allergies are specifically removed from the "safety" studies...so you never know what reaction would occur in these children until pediatricians actually inject the child (this is called a live experiment!).

Lastly, pharma companies, who normally do a distribution safety curve for all medical drugs -- meaning, if Lipitor is being tested on subjects, pharma is required to inform doctors/the public that certain people must be excluded from taking the drug (i.e. those with asthma, eczema, heart problems, etc.), as they will experience dangerous side effects.

This curve does NOT exist for vaccines -- there is a one-size-fits all policy
and ALL children are required to take them.

A great deal of Dr. Palevsky's patients are vaccine-injured children, so he sees their disorders and focuses on healing them by reducing their "constant" inflammation and detoxing their bodies of aluminum, thimerosal, and other harmful ingredients. There are further details on this subject in NVIC's new "enlightened" doctor's corner:

www.nvic.org

Vaccination Questions to Ask your Doctor
Provided by the Vaccine Awareness Network

What is your philosophy on Vaccinations?

Are you supportive of a parent’s choice not to vaccinate?

Will you support an alternate schedule and/or separating the shots?

Have you had patients that experienced vaccine reactions?

What were the common reactions?

What serious reactions have you seen?

Have you or any Dr. in this practice ever filed a vaccine adverse
event report to VAERS?

Have you personally done independent research on the safety and efficacy of vaccines?

Since antibiotics are needed in several of the vaccines, has there been any study on that in relation to antibiotic resistance in children.

If we choose not to vaccinate, will you refuse to see our child as a patient?

They claim that thimerisol has been removed from most vaccines since X , When were the vaccines that your practice administers created and purchased.

Would the practice provide a medical exemption for those vaccines we do not wish to have administered if my child tests immune without vaccination?

Why are “boosters” required, when this increases risk of adverse reactions such as allergic response to the toxins in the serum?

Antibodies are passed in mother’s milk, so if I have been vaccinated won’t my child be protected?

May we have the packaging information for all the recommended vaccines?

Could we have a written list of the brand, strain and dosages of any and all vaccinations administered?

Would you confirm in writing that a vaccine given to my child is both entirely safe and absolutely essential… that you have personally investigated the risk-benefit ratio of the vaccine and that, having looked at all the evidence, they believe that the vaccine is safe and essential for my child in particular?

If we choose to vaccinate can you please answer the questions for each vaccine strain given:
a. What is the vaccine intended to protect
b. What are the ingredients
c. Who is the manufacturer
d. How many children get the disease each year and how much result in death or permanent damage?
e. Just because you are given the antibody does that guarantee you are protected?
f. How many children have adverse reactions to the vaccine?
g. Which patients should not be given the vaccine?

The package inserts state that vaccines haven't been tested for their
ability to impair fertility...that concerns me especially for MMR and
Varivax since both these vaccines contain protein and DNA from human
fetal cells used in manufacturing.

Could an immune response develop to fetal specific proteins so that the maternal immune system could do harm to a fetus developing in utero?

With the claim that vaccines are safe and effective, how would you explain children that get the disease even if they were vaccinated? And secondly, how would also you explain all of the children that have suffered vaccine injuries?

There is lots of information appearing online about alternative vaccine schedules. Dr. Sears wrote a book about his - The Vaccine Book. Jenny McCarthy was on Larry King Live last night recommending a more spread out approach. I developed an alternative plan which is not too spread out, and which my pediatrician accepted. It is as follows:
Decline optional and unecessary vaccines: Rotavirus, Hep A, Hep B (related to autoimmune conditions).
At 2, 4 and 6 months, do DTaP, Prevnar and Hib only.
Start polio series at 9 months.
Only one shot per visit (every three months) in second year:
Do MMR and varicella on separate visits and do MMR closer to 18 months or 2 years when their immune systems can better deal with the live virus (especially if you have a boy). The risks of autism and/or other autoimmune conditions like diabetes, asthma, etc are real. You are right to question the current vaccine schedule. If your baby is not in daycare, I suggest spreading them out even more.
Go here for more info:
http://www.generationrescue.org/vaccines.html
http://www.askdrsears.com/thevaccinebook/
Good luck!

Dear M.,
Like you, I am also very concerned about the safety of vaccinations in general, but, expecially, the vaccination schedule. I have been studying this subject for quite some time and the following are generally agreed upon factoids and recommendations from mentors of mine in the healthcare field as well as moms (including actress Jenny McCarthy) who have studied the correlation between vaccinations and autism:
* The number of vaccinations has skyrocketed over the
last 20 years. (There's a LOT of concern
regarding the HUGE number of vaccinations.
* The main health concern is with the preservatives used
(which, primarily, is thermerisol (sp?) and
mercury).
* 1 in 100 boys are now being diagnosed with autism
where it used to be 1 in thousands!
* The MMR vaccination seems to be the main vaccination
after which autism is showing up!
* General recommendation from all my sources:
* Wait until a child is 2 years old to begin
the first vaccination.
* NEVER allow more than one vaccination
at a time!
* ALWAYS wait six months between vaccinations!
* INSIST on preservative-free vaccinations!
Hope all of this helps!

A Little About Me:
I am a mother of four and a grandmother of three.

I, too, chose to spread them out and declined the optional, recommended vaccines. However, I knew I had to be diligent in keeping the baby's immune system strong.

This was a great resource for me http://nourishedmagazine.com.au/

~L.
www.accesspilates.com
www.notaboutfood.com

I have a son who is 6.5 and a 22 month old daughter, I totally understand vaccines are super scary with the links to autism and all!

Lots of great info can be found at www.nvic.org its the National Vaccine Information Center. If you do decide to vaccinate I would wait until your son is at least a year old and then only give one shot at a time and only if he's totally healthy at the time. Children's immune systems are just too immature to handle all those shots at one time, sure some kids are just fine with it but LOTS are not, why take the chance? If you look up Japanese vaccination schedules they wait until children are 2 years old to do any, and have much lower rates of autism.

We had a pediatrician 'kick us out of the practice' because I decided to wait until my dd was at least 2, not a big deal I found another practice that is FABULOUS and not hassling me about shots all the time. I would be happy to share that info if you want, just email me at ____@____.com care and good luck!

Hi M.
Congratulations on your new little one. I too had concerns about vaccines for my boys as well. The biggest one being the preservatives in them i.e thimerosol. There are pros and cons to separating the vaccines, and a huge decision for you. I actually gave all my shots on schedule except the MMR. Although there are numerous debates on vaccinations (specifically the MMR) and a link toward autism onset, I didn't want to take any chances. So rather than bombard them with too many vaccines at the 12-18 month range I had them hold the MMR. (I also did not give flu shots) I ended up giving my first son his MMR at the next well visit (he had a reaction to it so I'm glad I did that) but my second son I ended up separating the vaccine itself into three; measles, mumps and rubella. I know that sounds like a lot but there's too much conflicting evidence, and I say, I'd rather do as much as I can, then regret something later. If you are interested in that at some point, your doctor just has to fax your prescription to Hopewell Pharmaceuticals (http://www.hopewellrx.com/) and they'll mail you the individual vaccines when you are ready. I had to pay for them and am in the process of seeing if I can be reimbursed for the actual vaccine, but again, for me it's about peace of mind. We have to make huge decisions as parents, and you never know what the right thing is. But remember, you are the mom and only you know what's best for your baby. Follow what feels right to you and don't look back. Good luck in all that you do.

YES! There is an intuitive nature that allows us to know that 4 shots at one time are wrong. Be extra careful if your son is having any kind of issues in terms of his immune system. check out www.generationrescue.com

usually they will combine 2 vaccines together into the same syringe if they are compatable, therefore he would only be receiving 2 shots at his visit. They ususally give the shots in the vastus lateralus (thigh muscle) one in each leg. If you want only 2 (1 injection combined) at a time you can request that but you will just have to make another visit within a week or 2 of his other shots. With him being so young he won't remember what he is going to the doctor for but I would not do that sort of thing as he gets older. I am just speaking from past experience being a mother of 2 myself (2 girls, 6yr old and 4 yr old) Hope this helps.

You have a lot of good advice so far. I wish I had spread my son's shots out to see effects of each one. While there are dangers from the various illnesses that shots prevent, keep in mind that millions of our ancestors survived without them. I would definitely do most of the vaccines, but you decide if you want to space them out. Don't be bullied by ANYONE, whether schools, daycares, or doctors. As long as they get them eventually, they should be fine. Be strong!

M.,
My husband and I looked into not vaccinating our boys when my first was born. Because of our plans to travel abroad we decided to get them. I donot however agree with Flu shots and many other vaccinations and only get the ones I feel they need. I tried to split them up and my insurance company declined to pay for them if not administered as they wished. I have changed insurance company's and found the same issue. You do not however have to have shots to go to school you can get a waver and still go to school. I have found the best is to dose the boys with Echinacea for 2 days prior to their vaccinations and then for 2 days following. I have had no problems with even a fever or fussies doing this. I have found a liquid echinacea that I can drop in their juice or food. For one your age I just took it myself as I was breast feeding and it is transfered in breast milk. If you want information on the liquid echinacea I will be happy to give it to you. Just feel free to contact me. Good Luck....
S.

Hello M.

I don't think the doctor will do that. When the baby is scheduled for the their shots, they have to get them. When my son was 1, he had to get the MMR shot, and I was skeptical about getting it for him. The doctor told me that if I didn't get it my son would not be able to enter school. I was skeptical of this particular shot because at the time I was hearing information about Autism and how the MMR shot may cause it. My suggestion is after they take your baby's temperature give him/her a dose of tylenol or motrin because it will help with the pain and fever that some shots cause.

Hello M.,

I have a 7 month old that just started recieving her shots at 6 months of age. Yes, you can seperate them. The docters are usually understanding. I still seperate my baby's shots. Also, if you didn't want them at all the state of Virginia has a religous exemption you can get. Type of Religion doesn't matter.
I feel seperating is better for the baby's tiny body.

On at least one occasion, I had the pediatrician separate out the shots. It was no problem. They said ok.

spread them out, only one at the time. make sure the vaccines don't contain mercury. the MMR shot which is supposed to be given between 12 and 15 months, ask to be given after the child turns 2. you have that right to decide when will vaccines be given. good luck

Hi M.,

I never had problems as a result of my son(s) receiving 4 shots at a time. Always keep Children's Tylenol around in case he runs a fever because sometimes they will run a fever after receiving shots. GOD bless and I wish you the best. Don't fret because your child probably can handle more than you can handle.

It depends on your doctor as to how they do it but I personally think it does not make a difference which way they do it. I hvae frineds you choose not to get thier children vaccinated and I will tell you that I personally do not agree with it. Yes, people can be worried about autism,etc and of course things like that go thorugh every mom's mind, but I think that that is very rare and shots have not been linked to autism/etc. In the long run I really believe it is far better to get vaccinatred and deal wiht a cranky child for a couple of days then let them be exposed to all that is out there. Theya re going to get sick, yes, but by getting shots they will be protected from relaly serious things. Don't forget to take your kids in for a flu shot every year. I had never had one until i was pregnant wiht my first child becasue I have maybe gotten the flu twice, however, i want to protect my kids so I will get a shot as long as I possible can. I know of people who have not taken thier child for it and thier child has either gotten the flu, or in one case a child locally died from the flu but that is very raare. However, there is so much going around right now I am scared not to have them vaccinated.

M., Trust me it is easier to get them al at once when they are this small. It gets harder when they are 5 and are looking at 4 shots again......it is ultimately up to you if you want to break them up, it is just , for me, easier to get them over with all at once. I had this same question 3 weeks ago with my 5 year old...he was deathly afraid, we managed to get thtrough it without to much distress, and luckily he won't have to get another shot until 10 years old. Good Luck. PS>>>There is nothing dangerous about them getting all the shots together.

Hi M., you should talk to your doctor. Just because your baby needs 4 vaccines doesn't mean he needs 4 shots. 1 of the vaccinnes is an oral liquid and a few others can come in combo shots so the babies don't have to get as many shots. You should ask which versions your doctors office gives and if they are available in combo shots. Hope this helps.

M., you can space them up, then you will know which one gives him fever or aches if any. Especially, now with all the controversy of side effects.
Good luck!
30 is alot but any of the diseases are far worse.
SP

if you are just worried about the pain factor wouldnt you rather just get it over with that have to come back for more. if it' the fact that you dont think he shoul get the two because of what they are and you want to ait til hes a bi older for those all you have to do it stick your ground and tell thedr wht you want. bu make sure you remember when he should get what whn because i ve heard some bad stuff on dr.s giving or about to gie the wrong thing or dose especially when they arent on the "normal "schedual.

Hi M.,

Talk to your pediatrician about your concerns. You say that separating the shots will become 30 shots.

I wouldn't give a baby 30 shots instead of 4.

Talk to your Doctor.

Good luck. D.

While there is no definitive evidence that clustering the shots causes or exacerbates autism, I always believe it is better to be safe than sorry. When my kids were little I spread out their shots, and I think it was the right decision. Once or twice I allowed 2 per visit (when the vaccines were made from different sources or their components were very different), but mostly I did 1 per visit. This means a LOT more visits but I was willing to do that. I also made my own schedule, so they ended up having the vaccines over a longer period of time. (In other words they didn't have all of their 12 month and below shots by the time they were 12 months.)

As an aside, I know people who have gotten waivers on the shot requirements for school. I'm not sure of the "how tos" for that but you could look online.

Whatever you decide, remember that YOU ARE THE MOM and you can make these decisions for your child. Don't let the doctor or nurse brow-beat you into doing it the way that is most convenient for them. Good luck!

My children had all their vaccines as scheduled and didn't have any problems at all, except for maybe a short period of fussiness. No fevers, no reactions....I guess we were lucky. They've also never had the measles, mumps, whooping cough or chicken pox - even though they have been exposed to some of these. I personally believe they are beneficial and would do everything the same way again. My daughter turned 12 recently and had to get 3 booster shots - it never ends!!

Hi M.,
I haven't personally done this, but my DD just had a reaction to her MMR at her 15m well check, so I am going to start. I don't see any harm in seperating them, as long as they are done fairly close together, perhaps 3-4 weeks? The key is to not have them run into the 4m and 6m set of shots.
M.

Hi,

I've requested the vaccines be administered on an alternative schedule that spaces them out a bit more. I've also requested that the children receive thimerisol-free vaccines---this is worth inquiring about at the Pediatrician's office because some facilities use some thimerisol-preserved vaccines automatically unless you request otherwise. The thimerisol preservative contains small traces of mercury.

If you change the shot schedule you really need to keep up with it so that your child doesn't accidentally unneccessary doses of a shot based on the regular schedule. I always remind the nurses and the pediatrician what my children have already taken and remind them that they are on an alternative schedule. Good info. on this is on the AskDr.Sears website at the following url:

http://www.askdrsears.com/thevaccinebook/labels/Alternati...

i think it would be beneficial.
my son had a severe reaction to the mmr vaccine at 1 year. since then i have been very picky about which vaccines he gets and when. my hubby and i have decided that any future child(ren) will not get several vaccines at one time. it's just too hard on their little bodies. we also have a list of vaccines that they will not get at all....that list includes chicken pox and flu.

Unless you plan on keeping your son in a bubble get him vaccinated according to your pediatricians recommendations. It is much easier when they are babies than it is when they get older. If you keep your child up to date there will not be a need to hurry to "catch up" when you want him to go to school or daycare. As far as one ladies comment about our ancestors doing just fine without vaccines...they died young from simple things, and did not live in close proximity to thousands of other people, did not travel in congested transportation and were not exposed to as many diseases and bacterias.

If you choose not to vaccinate please homeschool your child and keep him away from my children. I don't want your freedom of choice to put my children at risk. Good luck.

i know this is late but my son got his 2 month shots done at the health dept because our medicaid hadn't started yet. the point im getting at is that at the health dept they administer the 4 vaccines in only 2 shots..its quick and its great. just another thought cuz you really don't want to get behind on his vaccines so early on-this young age is when they're most succeptible to diseases.

Hi M.,

I'm no expert and I understand having concerns about vaccines. If I had it to do over again, I'd have my son's ped give his shots separately, too. YOU can choose, not the doc. YOU can choose not to have your child vaccinated at all so you can choose to have the shots given at various times.

If it were available (and I'd ask), I'd require that the shots be given individually, not the combined 2-in-1 shots they do now.

D.

Hi! My name is A. and i have two boys ages 7 and 5. IT's easier if they get them all at once. It's more traumatic for them to separate the shots out into separate visits. Congratulations on your new baby. I am kinda partial to boys! Plus, it may cost more to break them up into separate visits. I hope this helps. God bless you as you and your family begin raising this new little life!

Hi M., this is N.. I'm a SAHM of 3 boys 12, 7 & 2. Our oldest son has dyslexia and other LD's and developmental delays. So when we started searching for help for him we found info about the vaccines. The more I read the more I wondered if they had anything to do with his difficulties. Since my husband & I both worked in medicine, it was hard to imagine but we kept digging. By the time we learned any of this, our second son had already been born and had his vaccines. Then we learn we were having baby number 3. We agreed that we would NOT give him ANY immunizations unitl he was at least 2 yrs old. And that is what we have done. We read the book, new updated and revised edition "Vaccines Are They Really Safe & Effective?" by Neil Z. Miller This little $12.95 book made a huge difference for us. We decided that by waiting to give him immunizations, should he have any difficulties or LD's as his older brother, we would know for certain it was NOT due to immunizations. We are so glad we did too. He has some speech delays and we know it's not because of any shots!
The hard part is finding a doctor that will work with you. Our group has been good to us. We only had one doctor that tried to manipulate us using fear. She said something like if you can live with yourselves should he get soemthing and die than okay...? What kinda statement is that?! We just didn't go back to her. Just be prepared for the medical office to act like you are crazy. But you hold your head high and don't let them change your mind.
There's no way to know which babies will have a reaction to a shot and which ones won't. And there are so many more that do but we never hear about those, do we? As for us, it wasn't worth the risk.
Please feel free to email me anytime and I will give you info ____@____.com me know how it goes for you and your little man. God Bless...N. =)

First and foremost - congratulations on your new son!

As I can see from reading the other responses here, there are people out there who want to scare you into NOT vaccinating, just as there are doctors/'the government' who want to *guilt* you into vaccinating.

Full disclosure: I have given both my 4 yr old and my new 7 month old the entire recommended schedule of vaccinations. I believe you have the right to choose for yourself what you will do for your child & I applaud your efforts to educate yourself.

I just wanted to raise a couple of points for you to think about and to clarify a couple of inaccuracies I saw in some of the other postings.

--Thimerasol is a preservative containing mercury derivatives. The annual flu shot often contains it (although there are some brands that don’t any longer), NONE of the standard recommended or required vaccines for children still contain it. (They used to, but haven't in years.) Google this for yourself, please make sure to look for the most recent data, not stuff from 2000. I don’t understand why people continue to pass along this untruth, instead of looking it up for themselves. Then again, I’m still seeing email chain letters that I saw 10 or more years ago, passing through again and again and again.

--I do believe that more deaths/disabilities were caused by the illnesses that we now vaccinate against than occur now, by a huge margin. I believe that the ‘herd immunity’ we have created here in the U.S. protects all children from these diseases, and that we can not rest on it staying that way if more and more don’t vaccinate their children. We are living in a global society – people travel and relocate internationally all the time, especially here in this area – and these diseases are still prevalent around the world. When my husband comes home from China (last month), when my friend’s husband came home from Iraq (last week) and drops his daughter off in the preschool class my daughter attends – it isn’t just about what they may have been exposed to, but also about what the others shoved into the airplane with them and breathing the same recycled air for 10-17 hours with them have been exposed to, as well. (Remember last year or so, the lawyer who got on a plane with tuberculosis, I think it was?)
Also, as for the person who claimed that our ancestors didn’t need vaccines, so we don’t either – umm, obviously not any kind of student of history at all, since infant mortality rates of our ancestors were off the charts – some villages didn’t even record children until they had survived a year – and things like the great flu epidemics, polio, measles, whooping cough, diphtheria, etc. killed or disabled millions of adults and children. As a sophistry, yes, you could say our ancestors were able to survive and breed us, so maybe they didn’t need the vaccines for themselves – that doesn’t mean we don’t need them if we want our children to survive any similar outbreaks.

--I think if a parent wants to change the vaccination schedule to slow it down, then their pediatrician should work with them to enable that. My pediatric practice allows it, but they do not allow children in the practice who are not getting the mandatory vaccinations. I am in favor of that because, although they have separate ‘sick’ and ‘well’ waiting rooms, if I bring either of my girls in I don’t want them *unnecessarily* exposed to a child who might be carrying measles, mumps, whooping cough, whatever – especially if we’re there because one of them is sick and their immune system is compromised. I live in Fairfax and we have seen cases of chicken pox and measles so far this year.

--I’m not sure why someone brought up SIDS, because SIDS is *nothing* like asthma. Asthma is a documented physical condition in the lungs. There is still no definitive 'cause' of SIDS, just theories. The name alone is just a group term to describe babies otherwise seemingly healthy who die in their sleep. There has not been a huge increase in SIDS since the vaccination schedules have begun, it has always existed. Society's method of classifying deaths has changed to include SIDS, so now we see a statistic about SIDS deaths, whereas we wouldn't see that in the past because there wasn't a line for that on a report. (This is similar to what happened in the reporting of AIDS deaths). Infant mortality rates in the U.S. have been declining over the years; we have *not* seen a spike in infant mortality beginning when mass vaccinations were begun, which would be the case if they were ‘causing’ SIDS. Claiming that SIDS is related to vaccinations is a scare tactic, which is ridiculous, since it is also possible that genetic defects are causing SIDS, until we know what is *actually* causing it.

--I’m also unsure why someone brought up antibiotic resistance, but again, not particularly linked to vaccines, instead linked primarily to two things: over-use by doctors to treat everything, as a prophylactic or a cure-all, thus causing the bacteria to develop resistance, otherwise called ‘evolve’; and they are finding antibiotics in our environment – the newest report (recently in WDC area) was finding antibiotics and other pharmaceuticals in water sources because our water purification methods are not sufficient to screen out when someone disposes of their unused prescriptions down the toilet. Again, another scare tactic – if people were really worried about bacterial resistance to antibiotics, the recommended action to take is to have your doctor prescribe LESS of them, save them for the important things – not to get them for every ear infection your child has.

--In study after study, vaccines have not been linked to autism rates. The *only* thing linking them so far are anecdotal evidence given by folks whose lives have already been affected by autism (or hearsay - repeating other's anecdotes.) For every one child being diagnosed as autistic, there are hundreds of thousands (or millions) who are not and who received the same immunizations. So, are the studies wrong, is it a huge cover up by government/and or ‘Big Pharma’? I doubt all the studies are wrong, since if they were, with millions of children being vaccinated every year, we should see even greater numbers of autism diagnoses, and all the way back to when mass vaccinations began. If it is all about the thimerasol, then we would see a drop in diagnoses, because use of thimerasol was reduced to trace amounts (or none in many cases) years ago and by Jan of 2007 every single one of the regular (not flu) vaccinations recommended or required had 0.00% thimerasol. The rotavirus vaccination, for example was formulated after the move away from thimerasol and has never had any thimerasol in it, not even trace amounts.

--Just like SIDS there is no documented *cause* of autism. There are even different types of autism, not just degrees of being affected, arguing against lumping them all together. Perhaps the different types are actually caused by different things. Perhaps autism is caused by a genetic factor, perhaps it is a long-term result from the chemicals in our environment – I don’t just mean cleaning products, but plastics, synthetics of all types, effluvia from manufacturing in our water, our air, our land. Maybe it’s caused by GMOs in our direct food supply, or in the food supply of our food supply. Maybe it’s a reaction between multiples of these. My point here is we really don’t know yet what the causes of the different types of autism are.

--We live right now in a society of people looking to blame someone else for their problems. I’m sorry if others disagree, but that’s my opinion. Sometimes someone specific is at fault, but more often not. Did you ever wonder why plastic bag packaging has printing all over it warning people that it isn’t a toy; that young children should not be allowed to play with it? That is because someone sued a manufacturer because they lacked the common sense to keep their kid from putting a bag over their head and probably suffocating. There are thousands of examples of the blame game all around us and on the news every day.

I can appreciate the fact that families with one or more autistic child are desperately seeking answers and how to cope with this set of difficulties. PLEASE NOTE: I am in no way saying that they or a lack of anything caused the autism. I *am* saying that the original idea of blaming vaccines for autism was based on the thimerasol in the preservative. If that was truly the cause of autism, it should have gone away once thimerasol was no longer in use. It hasn’t, it is actually been increasing (at least in diagnosis, possibly a record-keeping issue in some part.) Unfortunately, it seems that in their quest for something to blame that this group of people is just unwilling to let go and seek new/real answers to the question of what causes autism and how can we prevent it or cure it. As a contrast, do the parents of children with CP, MS, or any other of a host of illnesses spend their time as a group looking for the ‘blame’ for their children’s diseases? Do the majority of parents whose children are diagnosed with cancer go looking for something to blame? (not to include ‘cancer clusters’ which by their incidence are suspicious.)

Sorry, I don’t have a bunch of ‘experts’ and websites for you, I only have my observations and the result of my personal researches into the topic. I encourage you to research this fully, but not to be drawn into the fear that the one group is pushing, or the guilt trip of the other if you choose differently.

One last note on the actual physical shots: infants live so much in the moment, with so much different stimulation, that they barely notice the shots themselves. WE as the parents suffer much more as we imagine the pain we’re causing our sweet darling. Really, the child is over the shots within a minute or two – you soothe them like with anything else, feed them if you can/want, dose them with a little children’s Tylenol for a day or so, and they have forgotten all about it as soon as they calm down. It is not (as some contend) traumatic for the child – they learn from how we approach it how to deal with shots. The bigger a deal we (the parent) make about the shots, the bigger a problem it becomes as they get older. There was a study about this not too long ago, saw an article about it, sorry don’t have the source for it handy, you’ll need to google it.

Anecdote time: My one friend’s 8 year old is so terrified of getting shots (any needle, not just vaccinations, also anti-nausea drugs and antibiotics when she’s super ill) that it takes two nurses and her mother to hold her down to get one; the fact that she tenses up her muscles probably makes the muscle pain from the shot worse. Does this mean my friend should exempt her 8 yr old from getting shots like vaccinations? Or does it mean that her daughter at this age needs to learn to deal with things that we don’t necessarily want to do, but should; or that sometimes taking care of ourselves preventatively is not pleasant? (Do ANY of us enjoy climbing up into the stirrups for that GYN appointment? Or opening wide at the dentist for that teeth cleaning/cavity drilling/root canal?) Strangely enough, same friend’s 4 yr old is perfectly fine and matter-of-fact about getting shots. It boils down partly to said child’s personality and partly to my friend’s actions and demeanor when she first started taking each child for her shots. Thankfully she learned from her mistakes with her first and things are better with the second.

Whatever you choose to do, good luck!

I'm reading Dr. Sear's book on alternative schedules myself. He has a Web site as well with additional information.

My daugther is now 16 months old. She had all her shots as scheduled, not spaced, and was fine with all of them. The earlier they have them, the easier it is on them (if not us). It is a lot but they really don't remember them and it is in their best interest. Besides, if you have to use daycare, they aren't allowed to attend if not up to date.