Vaccinations - Maineville, OH

I am asking the same questions you are, so I got the book: "The Vaccine Book" by Dr. Robert W. Sears. It is an excellent book. I would highly recommend it to you.

I just wanted to add another recommendation for "The Vaccine Book". I really don't want to NOT vax, however I wanted UNBIASED and FACTUAL information about vaccines so I could make an informed decision. I found a lot of one-sided extreme views online and found this book to be extremely well balanced. I've only got a few pages to go but it has helped me tremendously in planning a vaccine schedule for my baby due next month. I also have a 3 yr old son that received all his vaccines mostly on time, however I have always been leery about them. You may be able to find someone to borrow the book from or get it at the library. Good luck! We really can never have too much information. :-)

Oh boy, the last time I answered this question I got a WHOLE BUNCH of nasty emails about my OPINION. Yes, there is a lot of controversy about vaccines and the damage they may or may not cause. There is NO WAY I would EVER NOT vaccinate my kids. I would recommend doing the research yourself, because whatever statistics you get are going to get here are going to be biased by the opinion of the person who finds the research. There is plenty of research to back up BOTH sides. Unfortunately, it seems to me that it is mostly the non-vaccinators who are so defensive about their side of the argument. The reason we don't have those terrible diseases in America so much anymore is BECAUSE of vaccines! There seems to be a lot of vaccinatable disease making a comeback lately, I wonder if it has anything to do with people NOT vaccinating their kids? DUH

We debated with our son and my doctor said this to me..... SO, if your kid dies of rubella or measels because you took him to the mall or play ground to play and he got exposed, thats better then taking a minute risk that has never been proven just rumored........... we got the shots.

It is a personal decision, but as a peds nurse I can tell you the benefits out weigh the risk. You can also ask them to space out the shots. I don't know of any new oral meds he should be getting though. Since pertussis is making a huge comeback, and we are seeing more and more babies with it, and they are sick enough to be hospitalized, I would make sure to get that one. As for my own DD, I delayed her MMR and chickenpox ones until she was around 15-18 months. For schools, you have to sign a waiver stating it is for a certain purpose. You should also be talking to your peds about all your concerns!

I say get them when your child is supposed to. There has been a severe break out with measles and it happened to babies who did NOT get their vaccination, saw it in the news this morning.Better to be safe than sorry.

I'd recommend The Vaccine Book by Dr. Sears. You don't have to start vaccines at 2 months...some doctors think that it's better to let the immune system mature a bit and then to start them at 4 months or a bit later, even. We're delaying Hep B for our son until he's 3 or 4 yrs old. We also decided to skip Prevnar and to only get those vaccines required by law for school entry. The book I mentioned tells you what you need to be concerned about if you decline vaccines.

First off to address your school concerns, the state of OHIO allows for medical, religious, and philisophical exemptions, all you have to do is sign a form to enroll your child in any state funded school. That being said i have two fully vaxed children, another who is mostly vaxed and may continue to be vaxed, though i jsut use a waiver for him as well, and my daughter who has not had a shot since 6 months old, when they thought she was autistic and i stopped. ALL children react differently to shots jsut like any otehr medication you give your child. Delay vax and watch your child closely, just like you wouldn't generally give you child 4 or 5 different medications at the same time, avoid doing this with shots and watch for side effects, if you notice anything severe, don't do it again, if your child is fine, then by all means vaccinate, but do not vaccinate just because you feel you have to do so, you don't. best of luck.

Vaccination records are requested by the school and they can require that you get the vaccinations before your child can start school. My son is 20 mo. and current on his, we've never had any trouble with any of them. Sorry I can't be of more help. Ask the health department to provide you with information. Some vaccines are required, some are voluntary. Shannon G.

Hi H.,
A big factor in any women asking this question is whether or not you are breastfeeding. This makes a big difference in your childs immunity. If you are not then I would consider vaccinating but delay the vaccinations. Also one thing to look into is the large amount of aluminum in vaccines - and how that can be taxing on a tiny babies body.

Dr. Sears "The Vaccine Book" - is a very informative book. He did a nice job laying everything out and also has an alternate and safer schedule you can follow.

It is a difficult decision to make. Do all the research you can and always consider the source!!!

I agree very much with the mother that said to take your time, you can't "undo" it once it is done.

Good luck. Informing yourself is the most important part : )

You sure did open a jar of worms...lol....I have read all the responses so far and like you said there are conflicting responses to this question...but it is a very personal matter...the school thing all you have to do is sign a religious form...whether it is for religious reasons or not. First off I grew up in a home that none of my family had any vaccinations, and we are all VERY VERY healthy. The only vac. that I have is my hep due to me working in the medical field and I received my MMR before I got married(which I could have denied but didnt know at the time. I have two boys and my first one had some of his vaccinations due to peer presure from the Dr. until I really started researching it then I said NO WAY. My second son has had none and will not ever have any. The thing of it is most of the things they are vaccinating for are not even really around. And they now give them so many at one time and they arent spread out like they used to be. Granted they could come back at any given point but I am totally confident that my decision was the best for me and that is what you have to have. If you are still wishy washy on your decision hold off until you know exactly what you want and are comfortable in doing it. Good Luck in your decision and ask God for guidance he will deliver!

Ugh. Obviously, there are many who feel your pain when it comes to the great vaccine debate. DD (3) was vaccinated on schedule but after the birth of DS (4 months), I saw that there were two new vaccines (5 rounds in total, I believe) added to the schedule and I began to wonder how much is too much (They have added the rotavirus and Hep A vaccines since I had DD). I would also recommend The Vaccine Book by Dr. Sears (in addition to the Sears Family Web site at www.askdrsears.com). He gives a nice alternate vaccine schedule that gives no more than 2 vaccines at a time, in an order that puts the most important vaccines first. In addition, the child gets no more than 1 shot with aluminum in it at a time. The shots are spread out and it requires more visits to the office or the health dept. but it gives the body more time to process the vaccines and also makes it easier to pinpoint if a particular vaccine causes side effects in your child. I believe that vaccines are a critical part of our public health, but I also wonder who is keeping track of how much is too much. Talk with your doctor...there is no reason he or she should not be willing to work with you, especially if you decide to delay or spread out the vaccines. Between your own research and conversations with trusted health-care providers, I hope you can come to a decision that makes you comfortable. I know that I am working on it too!

H., deciding to vac or not is a personal decision. Hats off to you for wanting to be informed. Be careful of the information you seek and the sources providing it- it can be quite skewed. Don't let the threat of school hinder your decision as in Ohio you have the right to opt out.

As a reluctant parent whose reluctancy came about because of some intense research done during college, I waved certain vacs because of info acquired previously and currently but also because my child is low risk- she is not in day care, she seldom would have the chance to have "exposure" as we live in the country, she was nursed and hasn't had a sitter but four times in her 2 years.
However, my husband travels internationally often and despite the international risks, it just isn't a concern to date. We have also had her on flights several times.

At this time, info I have been researching (MMR in particular)is suggesting that when initially introduced it appeared to be effective and what has been noted is that potentially due to the amount of international travel new strains of diseases are being brought in rendering the vacs either ineffective or reduced in its effectiveness. Case in point, it has been said that it is known that measles vac is weak and needs to be update if you will and because of above info there is consideration to add yet another booster. During the larger outbreaks in Western US I think the percentage was in the 80's, that is, 80 some percent of those who had an outbreak of measles had been vaccinated!!

I would like to believe that vacs are soundly safe and preventative but as of now, really just can't say that. My daughter has had some vacs and due to a severe reaction (so severe it was reported) she will not receive anymore until I can secure more substantial evidence to their safety and effectiveness.

God gave women "women's intuition" for reason. Delay your child's vacs, do what you feel is adequate research and make a decision for yourself and the safety of yor child. I wish I had been more steadfast with my husband in mine. Ironically since our daughter's reaction my husband has taken great interest in research and is feeling the reluctancy to continue vaccination.

The other thing I have also found is that world wide there are many different stances on this subject. Don't be afraid to consider the information other countries are able to provide- I think you will be alarmingly surprised at what our FDA will approve!!

Hi H.-

I understand that the side effects of the vaccinations can be scary, but the effects of not having them could be worse. I was blessed to have my great grandmother alive for the birth of both of my children. She passed just a couple of years ago at age 96. The stories she would tell us about the sickness that we and our children are vaccinated for were just horrible. Take that for what it is worth to you. I vaccinated both of my children, with no questions asked and they are fine. Good luck and take care! Melanie

I too, am a pediatric nurse. I am well informed, and only vaccinate for a few things. I did them on the normal schedule, but just didn't do some. My girls go to a private, christian school, so I only needed to sign a personal waiver. And, my first daughter got Hep B, my second didnt'..mainly I was doing labor and delivery with my first-high risk, but now only lactation-low risk. Also, they never got Prevnar or Rotoshield..very low risk kids, non smoking, breastfed, no daycare. Lastly, no varicella--chicken pox--just not worth the pain/risk injection vs getting the disease. We did DTAP, Hib, IPV and MMR. You can space out the schedules if you like..don't let your peds bully you into doing it on some rigid schedule...it's fairly flexible. The only easy thing is..giving shots to infants in less painful in the since that it's easier to comfort them and they forget it quickly..unlike the kindergarted shot era...:) Just be informed and make a decision that works for you...you can always vaccinate more later..but can never undo it!

alot of people now hold off at least till there are older like 2 years old. Also another view is not get them all at one time, that they should not be combining the shots. All you got to do with the schools is say for religious reasons. Her are two web sites with info to help you start your research. I hope this helps do not let anyone push you including the MD's. These are your children. Also make sure where the research is coming from is the money coming from the pharm. companies or where. I am sorry but any big company is going to make sure the results tell us what they what us to here hear. Can you imagine how much money the pharm companies would lose if people stopped vacc. But like I said there are pros and cons, just research and talk to other people and then make up your mine.

http://www.icpa4kids.org/research/children/vac_info.htm

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