Experiences with delayed vaccination schedule?

Hi everyone,

I have a three-month old daughter who has been through her newborn and two-month immunization shots. I continue to struggle with the shots and have lots of concerns with them.

We see a great pediatrician and since the first day I met with him, I have asked many questions about the shots. He has been great and repeatedly tells me that he wants me to be comfortable with my baby's care. However, his position medically is that the CDC immunization schedule is the right thing to do from a medical standpoint and that is his recommendation. At our last visit, I asked him more questions, especially regarding the multi-vaccination shot they were giving her and he was very reassuring saying that all of his children have been given these same shots, etc..

I was feeling ok (not great) about keeping her on the recommended schedule until I read a mamasource posting on Sunday citing a potential link between polyvalant (or multivalant) vaccines and SIDS. I admit that I Googled these types of vaccines and all this stuff came up about the DTAP shot and a possible link to SIDS. I started to read some of these stories and I had to make myself stop! I have to say, as a first-time mom, SIDS ranks up there as one of my worst fears. I'm not normally this paranoid but I think because I'm a first-time mom who already felt unsure about immunization shots paired with a fear of SIDS has got me concerned about the issue all over again. The amount of information you can get from the internet could make anyone crazy!

I was wondering if anyone out there has experience with any sort of delayed vaccination schedule. My gut instinct is telling me to switch to a delayed schedule (non CDC), at least until she is 6 months old. I'm a stay-at-home mom, she's not going to daycare and she's healthy. I found a web site http://www.generationrescue.org/vaccines.html that seems to be a good resource as a starting point for information regarding delaying the shots. I feel like there is so much balanced information out there on both sides of the issue (to vaccinate or not to vaccinate ... ) that it has been hard for me to make a decision I feel good about. Weighing the risks and benefits is tough! I don't want to do anything that would put my daughter in harm's way but there seem to be risks on both sides. A delayed vaccination schedule sounds like a happy medium.

With my baby's 4-month appointment right around the corner, I want to gather as much information as I can before that appointment so I can have a conversation with our pediatrician about it.

Thank you for reading this long request and for any stories or advice you can share!!

i agree it can be so confusing, I went with the traditional schedule on all 7 of mine, first cause my first four are older and there wasn't the same concerns and second because I would get to confused if I did it any other way, and I do believe that they are safe, and the risk is minimal. I say go with your gut and the information you have and just let the Dr know that you respect and value his opinion but in this case you want him to do it your way. Good luck!

I can say about vaccinations that your Dr is leading you in the right direction. Infants are very vulnerable. Whooping cough and measles have reared their heads in mainstream schools now due to non vaccination. A baby getting exposed to either is deadly. You cannot put her in a box to prevent illness but vaccinations were invented for a reason to protect them as much as possible. Mercury is not in almost any vaccines anymore, so the risk of autism is really non existant. There are children that have severe reactions to vaccines and that is horrible. I know each family has to do what they deem as best for their children. I think though there are so many people on bandwagons for both sides you will not be able to do anything but take both sides and weigh the odds. I have always advocated vaccinations, both of my kids handled them fine, my daughter even being so tiny she did fine. There was an outbreak of chicken pox at her school and thankfully just had the booster for it. I had shingles myself and their are horrific for adults. I also went and had a DTP shot this year as a booster for myself, as I saw what whooping cough can do to a grown up when my friend got it and was laid up for weeks and in pain from coughing.
Delays are always an option, if she is going to daycare, going to be around other children or preschool prior to the age of two you need to factor that in however. If she doesn't get exposure to a lot of other children and you feel it is the right thing to do then of course follow your gut instinct as a parent. It is kind of like the milk controversy, there are always two sides and you can only choose for yourself in the end on these things. There are no proven facts on a lot of this stuff nowdays, speculation, opinions and minimal research is all we as moms go off of. I would say even back in the 60's when I got all my shots I cannot recall one friend that had a severe reaction or trouble due to the shots and they had mercury in them at that point.
DO what you want to do.

I too have done lots of research in this area and my pediatrician recommends the CDC schedule, but I have decided to wait to vaccinate my baby boy who is now 13 weeks. I haven't decided what I'll do for sure, but I'm thinking that I'll have him get the DtiP at 6 months, maybe a year. I think that I'll wait longer than 2 months in between injections as well. From there, I'm not sure. Personally, I think that the amount of vacs a baby gets at once is too much for their little systems to handle.

I know how scary all of these things were do to our babies can be and that causing them pain when it may not be totally necessary can make it even harder. Just PLEASE keep in mind that no one, not even the best doctors in pediatrics, actually knows for sure what causes SIDS. There are many theories and many of them have changed over the years. They are even some that are starting to suspect that a good number of deaths related to SIDS are really child abuse cases, but with no immediate evidence, bruises can take days or even over a week to show up after death, SIDS is put as the official cause.

There can be a lot of side effects from vaccinations and if you don't feel good about giving them to your baby right now and would like to hold off, you certainly can. Just remember that then you have to be extra vigilant about what your baby is exposed to. Most of these serious diseases are contagious long before there are symptoms and can be acquired anywhere. I took a little longer getting my son's immunizations because I rarely left home when he was small and had a lot of control over his environment. I still got him all of them, just a little later.

You decide what is best for your baby and I'm sure that you'll do just fine. Good luck, there's a lot of scary information out there.

Your gut instinct to wait to vaccinate is correct. I would wait to start shots until 2 years of age at least. I highly recommend the book "The Vaccine Guide: Risks and Benefits for Children and Adults" by Randall Neustaedter. (Look on Amazon and you can "search inside" this book.) I have let many moms borrow my copy. It is a thorough and balanced resource. Blessings to you!

I am a new mom of a 6 month old boy who is very healthy and happy. I too have issues with the vaccination schedule. It seems that these little guys are given too much for their little immune systems. I am lucky because my mother is my daycare, so my son is not exposed to as many illnesses as other children. I opted to spread his immunizations out and also to refuse a few. I have a wonderful pediatrician that supports me in this. My son did not get the rotovirus vaccine, the Hepatitis B vaccine or the Polio vaccine. In addition, I opted to take the time to go back for additional appointments to spread his immunizations out. So he gets one shot, then goes back in three weeks and gets another shot, then goes back in three weeks and gets another shot. The 2nd and 3rd visits are very quick nurse only visits. No height, weight, etc, just a shot and out the door. Unfortunately, you still have to pay your co-pay; however, I feel more comfortable with this schedule. Maybe you and your pediatrician will as well. Your baby will still get her shots, but in a way that allows her immune system to recharge. I also give him a powdered pro-biotic in his bottles. If you research pro-biotics (acidophilus), you will find that it has many benefits, including keeping you regular, but also for a healthy immune system.

I have also heard many stories of people that have waited to give the immunizations until one year. One in particular is a family friend, and his son is now graduating with his doctorate from Harvard. :) Hope that info helps a little!

Hi. I too was very hesitant about vaccinating my child and did a ton of reading. My husband and I decided not to vaccinate--at least not yet. We will probably do tetanus at some point. Our daughter is 22 months next week, and she has had no vaccinations. I cam across the article below a couple weeks ago, and it is a great resource. www.mercola.com is a good place to go to look at article and information on this topic.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2004/12/29/vaccination-schedule-part-one.aspx

For our family, we felt that after looking at the risks and the benefits of vaccination, that for us, the risks outweighed the benefits. If there is a big outbreak of something, that would change. If we lived in Africa or were traveling somewhere overseas that risk be nefit ratio would probably change.

There are so many different opinions on this subject, and you just want to do the very best thing for this precious bundle that you have been entrusted with--and it is so hard sometimes to know what that is. A LOT oeople delay vaccinations--it seems much different to give a shot to a 6 pound newborn than it is to give it to a 12 or 15 lb 6 month old, or a 20 pound 1 year old. (By the way, the vaccines were tested on 18 month olds--and that same dose that they tested on 18 month olds is given to your 2 or 4 month old! How crazy is that?)

I think we have God-given instincts about our kids--and if you are uncomfortable, I would not go forward until you were. Recently a situation in my live drove that home. Our 22 month old has been waking up excessively--15-20 times a night. I got all kinds of advice suggesting that we let her cry it out. After a doctor's visit yesterday, I learned she is in the middle of a HUGE growth spurt, as well as getting in all 4 eye teeth right now. Our daughter told us the other night that her legs were hurting. Now, I just do not feel right about letting her cry by herself--and I feel justified in NOT doing that--because she is in a place where she is physically uncomfortable at night. It seems to me that would be cruel to leave her in pain and crying by herself. I only relate this story to tell you that your instincts as a mother are usually right. Listen to those instincts, along with reading and research, and make your decision. I have no regrets on not vaccinating or delaying the vaccine.

Best wishes as you navigate your way through this difficult decision!

I am not an expert, but I do know of a few reputable resources for views that are a bit different from the CDC line. Mothering magazine has a reprint of their vaccination articles available in booklet form for $8, and Dr. Robert W. Sears, M.D., F.A.A.P. has a new book called The Vaccine Book: Making the Right Decision for Your Child, $13.99. Both are available through www.mothering.com/shop.

You are right to feel uncertain about giving your child that many vaccinations at such a small age. I have three children of my own. My oldest daughter I did everything right on schedule. She ended up with having a side effect from the vaccinations. Vaccinations have other links of side effects, they are linked to auto-immune diseases and autism. My daughter at age 5 was diagnosed with an auto-immune disease, alopecia areata, she lost a majority of her hair on her head and eyebrows. My second and third child, I have not been so diligent about making sure they get their shots on time or even at all. They haven't been terribly sick or had any other side effect of having the vaccinations. I recommend that you do what you feel comfortable with doing and not let anyone pressure you into doing what you don't want to do with your child.

Dr Sears has an AMAZING book "The Vaccine Book: Making The Right Decision For Your Child". It shows both sides of the vaccine controversy and suggests various modified schedules. Also, Dr Jay Gordon and his website are wonderful resources on alternate schedules.

We, too, decided to do an alternate schedule with our son 6 years ago and our daughter who just turned 3. Due to the high incidence of pertussis in Colorado we gave our youngest the DTaP at 1 year and inactive polio at 2 years. Our son was 4 when he got his first shot (also DTaP) and later a polio. That's all we've done and may only do chicken pox at around 10 years if they don't get it naturally.
My kids were also breastfed for an extended period and were not in daycare or school until later in their toddler years so their risks were much lower to these diseases.
Lots to consider but such good info now.
Good luck.

You are right to question, don't let anyone else tell you otherwise! I know you already have some good information, but get the book by dr. sears. Its is not anti-vaccine, but he just gives good information on each vaccination--pros, cons, how they are made and whats in the final product. It was very informative to me. We are doing his alternative schedule with my 7 month old.

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

Erika,

I have two children. The first child received all of his shots on time. The second did not recieve any shots until she was one year old, and then at a very slow pace. She was having a lot of issues with food allergies and I decided that her immune system was having enough issues with that and held off on the shots. I am also a stay at home mom, so my kids were never in daycare.

The bottom line is...............if your gut is telling you to wait or stop listen to it. We have been trained to ignore it these days, and just because your doctor thinks it's best to do what the CDC says does not mean that is best for your child. I say all this after working as a nurse for ten years. Continue to educate yourself and wait until/if ever you think an immunization is right. Also, you can request that your doctor order the single immunizations, and for go the multi-vaccine.

Stephanie

Hi, Erika! You are right to be concerned. Vaccines, while valuable in certain cases, also can be dangerous. In the last 20 years or so, we've gone from 8 recommend childhood vacciness to about 40. During this same peiod of time, autism rates have climbed dramtically. Recently, the government finally conceded to a family that their autistic child's autism was indeed caused by vaccinations. SIDS rates in countries that mandata vacciness for children under the age of 2 are very high; whereas in countries that postpone vaccines until past 2 have almost no incidence of SIDS.

For an indication of how dangerous vaccines are, you only have to look at the law passed in 1986. Called the childhood vaccination injury protection act, one would think it was designed to protect children from injury from vaccines. Quite the opposite. THe law protects vaccines manufacturers from liability due to their vaccines injuring children. Think of it from the vaccine manufacturers stand point - they now can create a product, get the government to mandate people buy it so they have a guaranteed HUGE market, and have NO liability whatsoever if their product harms someone. No wonder the rate at which vaccines are being developed and added to the immunization schedule is so high.

All that is a long way of saying, while I vaccinated my 4 year old because I didn't know any better, I am not vaccinating my one year old son. After he is two, I will selectively vaccinate for those things that are truly concerning to me.

In Colorado, don't let anyone tell you that you have to vaccinate. You don't. Not even if you are going to send your kids to day care or public school. Turn over the vaccination record and sign it where it says you object to vaccination. That's all you have to do. Schools cannot require you to vaccinate.

If your doctor doesn't support your choice, find one that will. There are many good ones that do not try to force vaccines on their patients. If you are any where near Westminster, Colorado, contact Dr. Trish Kloor's office at 303-426-1501. She is a pediatric chiropractor, and she does an excellent 2 hour seminar on vaccines, their history, the risks, etc. etc. It is great!

Good luck!

Mary

Hi Erika-

I don't know if we are on a delayed schedule or not, but our peditrician has suggested that since we are concerned, that we delay a few shots...like the polio shot. There 0% chance of getting polio in littleton, CO. Now, if we were traveling abroad or doing mission work, he said he would suggest the regular schedule. As of now, we have a 5 month little boy who has not had a polio, hepititus or one more that I can not think of. We love our pediatrician, and trust him. He said that the real important ones are pertussis, diptheira and tetnus. Hope this helps....internet information can be scary, and biased. It is scary when you talk about SIDS and austim being related to shots meant to help (and have almost become manditory) for our kids!!

Erika,
Your doctor is a great resource but remember that any medical decisions are yours. It is perfectly ok to tell him that you only feel comfortable with her getting one vaccine a month. My best friend is doing that with her son because he seems to be really sensative to a lot of things. Both my children did the CDC schedule and everything is just great, neither of them had fevers or anyother side effects that can come from getting vaccines. This is your decision and don't let him talk you out of what you feel comfortable with.

A Little About Me:
Full time working Mom of two beautiful children and a hardworking Firefighter for a husband.

My best advice would be to read "The Vaccine Book" by Robert Sears. He details each vaccine with regards to its ingredients, side effects, which ones are controversial, which brands are safest, etc. He also advocates a delayed schedule and gives info about how to tailor a shot schedule to fit your child's needs and satisfy any state requirements. Your pediatrician should absolutely be willing to work with you and respect your decisions as you know what is best for your child. Good luck!

My girls won't receive vaccinations until they are at least two yrs old and then they will get one at a time. I am still on the fence about some of them. Dr. Sherry Tenpenny has more info for you to read. Personally, I feel that the vaccination schedule is extremely overwhelming for babies. I could go on about my opinions regarding vaccinations.

Good luck!

Hi Erika,

I totally understand where your coming from, I have always questioned my Drs about what vaccinations are the most important to give at the moment and what ones can waite till later. My mom is always sending me stuff regarding vaccinations, my sister and I both have 2 boys and the increasing rate of autisim is scary. It must of been for me to see your posting this morning because my mom actually emailed me some info on vaccinations. You can go to this website http://www.naturalnews.com/022955.html its kinda of alot but just scroll down near the bottom and it gives you some advice of when to give and not give a vaccine and how many at a time. You not only have to worry about SIDS but Autisim and other such disorders ADHD etc. I'm not a hollistic or naturalistic person but I do try to research both sides and take what info I get to make the best decsisions for my family. Just do what you feel comfortable with and dont let you Dr pressure you into something you dont want @ the moment. God Bless and many prayers to you.

Amanda M

With my first child I delayed his vaccinations until he was 1 year old and only did the ones that I thought were most important. I read the CDC notices on all of the vaccinations, looked at how bad the disease is, how likely my kids are to get the disease, how bad the side-effects are, and how likely they are, and made an educated decision on which vaccines were most important. I tend to think that giving too many vaccines at one time is not good, so I wanted to limit vaccines to the most important. The nice thing about delaying shots was that several of the vaccinations required fewer shots than if you started with a newborn (DTaP was 4 instead of 5, etc.). He was always healthy, so I didn't worry much. His first fever of his life was caused by his 2nd vaccination shots. I was very happy I delayed vaccinations.

My second son has Down Syndrome and a heart deffect, so we started his vaccinations at 6 months and he got more of the vaccinations than my first because he is at high risk for respiratory complications. He turns 1 year this week and has not had any complications from vaccinations and has not caught anything he was vaccinated for. I'm also satisfied with my choices for him.