Advice on vaccinations

[iowavb]

My 12 month old son has had all of his vaccinations up to this point on the "normal" schedule but I am thinking about delaying the MMR shot and I don't know about the others. Anyone have any advice on this subject? It's late in doing research because his appointment is tomorrow, but it just crept up on me! The doctors are adamant that the shots do not cause Autism, but I've just heard too many scary things!
Thanks for your help!

[SnuggleBuggles]

I don't worry about an autism link but I do spread my vaccines out. I recommend just declining vaccines tomorrow until you have time to more carefully research them and make the choices you feel comfortable with. There should be no rush and if there is then I would perhaps consider a different practice. Good parents try make informed decisions and Dr.s should want their parents to do that, jmo, instead of discouraging it. There are valid reasons to spread things out so don't let the Dr. make you feel silly for concerns.

Now, if you can make it to the bookstore tonight I really liked "The Vaccine Book" by Dr. Sears. You can also go to the vaccine section of the Sears' site:
http://askdrsears.com/thevaccinebook/

There's an MMR link right on that main page right now that could be worth a read. I like the Sears' info. He is actually pro-vaccines from a public health standpoint. He lays out the risks, benefits, reasons and choices for things and lets parents decide. I like that.

Beth

[Kestrel]

If you read Dr Sears' book, please read this as well.

http://www.cdc.gov/Vaccines/ed/imzupdate09/Downloads/Offit-alt-schedule-Pediatrics-2009.pdf

and this:

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/ed/imzupdate09/Downloads/sears_book_errors.pdf

There are two sides to everything.. unless there are more!

[SnuggleBuggles]

If anything, that first link makes me support the Sears' book even more. Second one too. I read their rebuttal and thought some were a stretch in their criticisms. I'm not anti vaccine or Sears' zealot. I just thought the book was a nice balance to the peds who almost always push the regular schedule (unless you really start asking questions...sometimes you get more thoughtful, individual answers). The book is meant to balance out the mainstream sources, like Pediatrics.

Also, the schedule is *always* changing. My ds1 is 7yo and things have changed several times since then. They are always researching and tweaking so I don't understand why there is the need to live and die in support of the current schedule, as those links seem to feel.

But, it is good to read things and make informed choices.

Beth

[mommylamb]

My son has been vaxed on the regular schedule with no problems at all... not so much as a fever with any of his vaccines. But, with the MMR, he didn't get it until 15 months. That's the norm at my ped's practice. So, you could take the next couple months and look into it if you're concerned and still be on schedule.

For the record, I think the autism/MMR connection is totally bogus. The study that found it has been discredited over and over again and all attempts to replicate the findings have been unsuccessful. But, you should read all about it and make the decision that is best for you and your family. That said, you should also read up on measles outbreaks and what happens when groups of people don't vaccinate their children. Not vaxing is a risk too, and it's not just your child you put at risk.

[wellyes]

Personally I vax on schedule. I am NOT a fan of Dr Sears and I think his work has done more harm than good. But I do I encourage you to reschedule the appointment, or to delay the shot portion and do some reading and research. Take your time and do what you feel is right.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Personally I vax on schedule. I am NOT a fan of Dr Sears and I think his work has done more harm than good. But I do I encourage you to reschedule the appointment, or to delay the shot portion and do some reading and research. Take your time and do what you feel is right.

Just curious about this and interested to hear more. I read through the pp's link so I might have already heard the arguments but maybe there is something else.

I will say that I read through the links and think that some of it is misleading. Maybe I don't follow the alternative schedule because my ds2 has had all the vaccines by age 2 that he should have had (except ones that I felt a desire to opt out of or delay- rotavirus and Hep A...I would have made that choice regardless of Sears'). The link claims that if I follow it he won't have vaccines till way too late. Plenty of kids are late getting shots because of illness and other health issues. We have btdt and had to delay things, even if we weren't going to delay.

I liked the book because it was the easiest source I had found to read up about the vaccines. You get one side from the ped and mainstream magazines, more info from boards and then you get info from books like that. I don't follow anything 100% and figure things out.

Btw, ds1 was totally vaccinated per the schedule. I was more comfortable with the schedule back when he was little because things were more spread out. So, I have done things both ways.

Beth

Beth

[wellyes]

Mostly it's the stuff in the pamphlet.

I feel that Sears popularizes and legitimizes the idea that vaccines are dangerous and controversial. I see it again and again on boards like this, a parent comes in having heard vague things about vaccines being something to avoid - the Sears book gets recommended - and it DOES help make parents feel empowered. The fact that he is a very minority viewpoint and that thousands and thousands of pediatricians (many of whom are very scientifically minded and conscientious and well-read on the topic) disagree with him always seems to get lost.


liked the book because it was the easiest source I had found to read up about the vaccines. You get one side from the ped and mainstream magazines, more info from boards and then you get info from books like that. I don't follow anything 100% and figure things out.

I do like the idea of his book -it's brilliant. I know the info is out there from local peds, CDC, etc but there is a lot of legalese and mumbo-jumbo to get through to get to the info that parents want. I do wish there was a competing resource that was as clear and well-written and also didn't have the issues mentioned in the pamphlet.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I do like the idea of his book -it's brilliant. I know the info is out there from local peds, CDC, etc but there is a lot of legalese and mumbo-jumbo to get through to get to the info that parents want. I do wish there was a competing resource that was as clear and well-written and also didn't have the issues mentioned in the pamphlet.

That would be a great resource. In it I would also like to read the risks and benefits- well, we already know there are benefits to vaccines but I'd like to be sold on the rational on when and what's in them. The counter arguments in the links above are too adversarial so anything else written would need to be productive, persuasive but not a vilification of people who make other choices (I think the Sears' book does a nice job not making someone feel bad for choosing the plan that they feel most comfortable with, even if it is the CDC one).

I don't know, I went in every 2-3 weeks practically during ds1's first year then a flurry again this fall all to get him vaxed but spread out so that if he did have a reaction to something we didn't have to guess which one out of 5 he was reacting to, rather just guessing which one out of 2.

Beth

[Kestrel]

There's an whole lot of info out there, and it takes time to sort through it and feel comfortable about your decisions.

I would reschedule or wait a couple weeks on the "shots" portion until you have time to research. (My ped will do a "shots only" appointment without seeing a doc or paying a co-pay.)

Good luck. This board is a great place to get (conflicting!) opinions if you have any specific questions.

[arivecchi]

The MMR vax can be given at the 12 month or 15 month appointment, so it should be no problem to delay it until 15 months. I just did that with DS2 (14 mos).

[JBaxter]

We are doing one vaccine per visit esp the more reactive ones like the DTaP and MMR. Specifically the MMR will not be done here until 5 ( but thats our choice) Some offices here are waiting until 15 or even 18 months to give it alone due to parents reaction concerns.

[firsttimemama]

I am pretty anti-vax. We may do a few select vaccines around preschool/school age. If you are concerned about this I would suggest you delay until you read what you want to/come to your own decision. When DS was younger I remember frantically trying to read stuff prior to the next day's appt & make a decision. One thing that always stuck with me that I'd read was that you can always give a shot later but you can't take it back..

When we started down the "delaying vaccines" road I didn't think I'd end up with a 2 yr old who is unvaccinated, but that is where my own research led me based on my family's medical history.

There are plenty of reasons to select and delay and autism concerns is just one reason.
Dr Sears Vaccine Book is a good place to start but I found that I wanted to read several books about vaccines. It was a big concern for me because my family has an extensive history of autoimmune disease.