Delayed Vaccine Help

Updated on July 28, 2010
D.T. asks from Geneva, IL
21 answers

I have 4 children vaccinated 1st 3. Taking more the healthy natural approch to feeding and taking care of my family. I have received no vaccines since my son was 3 months old, after reading a couple of books on vaccinations. Two of my children I ? vaccines may have played a role in. I stay away from nearly all additives GMO foods and eat mostly all organic fruits and vegetable as well as meats when we have them. I understand the importance vaccines have made in making most of these diseases disappear in out country. The best book I have found in "The Vaccine Book" most books are PRO vaccines or AGAINST them...looking for Moms with some advice. My Doctor a like very much but he is pro vaccines. He does read the studies on them. Not sure what to do! I am overwhelmed with info. trying to filter good and bad.

1 mom found this helpful

What can I do next?

  • Add yourAnswer own comment
  • Ask your own question Add Question
  • Join the Mamapedia community Mamapedia
  • as inappropriate
  • this with your friends

Featured Answers

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.L.

answers from Atlanta on

I vaccinated my son because my husband said I had to. I didn't question it. Now I wish I had. My son has had no known issues from it but how do we really know what will happen later in life. I personally care about others but I don't think it is my child's responsibility to participate in a global attempt to eliminate every disease on the planet. I think we have too many new ones that have been created because of medical science...Will Smith's I AM Legend is probably closer than we think. We as a people, simply follow like sheep......just like I did my ex-husband.

6 moms found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.S.

answers from Chicago on

I am 100% in favor of vaccines, just not tons at a time. My son is 15 months, and we have spread his out and skipped the heps and will DEFINITELY not be giving him the MMR until he is at least 5. Good for you for researching!

2 moms found this helpful

More Answers

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

T.C.

answers from Colorado Springs on

There are some misconceptions about vaccines. If you look at the data before widespread vaccination, you will see that the diseases they were vaccinating against were already in a long and steady decline prior to the vaccination age. Look at scarlet fever. No vaccination against it, but where is it in our society? Just an example. Here is a chart of disease related deaths from 1901 to 1975, broken down by decades, up to 1966, when widespead vaccines began:

What You Should Know About Vaccines

From Dr.Monteith's Letter July 2002
http://educate-yourself.org/vcd/knowaboutvaccines24oct02....
October 24, 2002

U.S.A. DEATHS
Diphtheria Pertussis Tetanus Measles
1901 48,839 33,094 28,065 11,956
1911 20,350 20,285 11,503 7,615
1921 12,267 14,724 7,818 4,919
1931 4,388 9,850 4,709 2,957
1941 1,135 4,399 2,384 1,013
1946 467 1,460 1,697 469
1951 125 558 1,093 268
1956 45 206 788 203
1961 22 82 550 162
1966 15 32 282 44
1971-5 12 122 122 17

Clean water, good nutrition, sanitation, warm homes, and antibiotics brought most communicable diseases under control long before vaccines were introduced. Would the death rates have continued to decline without vaccines? The yearly death rate from measles fell to 44 before the measles vaccine was introduced. [15] Dr. Edward Shorter discussed the decline in diphtheria deaths before all children were vaccinated:

". . . as the list of diseases that penicillin would cure . . . became longer and longer. . . . Between 1945 and 1955 in the United States, mortality from influenza and pneumonia fell by 47 percent; deaths from syphilis dropped 78 percent. Deaths from diphtheria - for not all children had been vaccinated - virtually vanished, the mortality from that disease falling by 92 percent." [16]

Not as convincing that the vaccines did much, is it. People don't look at those numbers. You can see that Pertussis actually increased. People have been taught well by big-pharma to believe what they want you to believe. They write the text books that doctors read and study in med school. They own our medical system. Follow the money-trail. And, study and research. Be knowledgable about it. You are right to question this practice.
Also, how does disease normally enter our bodies? Through the mouth/nose. Your body has filters to strain out disease and process it in a particular way. Injecting these toxins directly into the blood stream is extremely risky. They have not had the benefit of passing through your liver/kidneys/intestines/etc. We have these filters for a reason. We have skin that protects us from toxins. To skip all of that and go right to the bloodstream is foolishness. We're asking for trouble. And, by the way, side effects can show up years later: childhood diabetes is on the rise, cancers have been linked to vaccines, autoimmune diseases (MS, gluten intolerance, etc), ADD/ADHD, many other ailments that our children in this generation are having in great numbers that never were before. I don't think that vaccinations are the only contributing factor, but I do believe they are strongly to blame for this. You are wise to look further into this. Bless you!
EDITED:
I don't know why that line up there shows up like a phone number. It's not meant to be it's the year (1951) and the stats.
Also, most people who get whooping cough have been fully vaccinated against it. We have been scared into compliance by fear-mongering. We have so many better options available today, including the simplicity of a clean and sterile environment for patients and antibiotics.

11 moms found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

M.H.

answers from Atlanta on

Hi D.,

The latest study was done by the University of Pittsburg. You can find it at
http://www.ane.pl/pdf/7020.pdf It's about 18 pages of a larger study.

I personally didn't vaccinate after my oldest was 3 but I had questioned it long before. Statistics do play a part in how doctors explain things but I never thought of my child worthy of being a statistic. I've seen brain damage first hand with two separate families that I know. That's when I stopped vaccinating and that's when my deeper research began. Many people say that you can't prove that vaccines are dangerous (the study above does) but I have never seen studies that proved it didn't do damage either. Not all health issues appear the minute the needle hits the arm.....

Someone said this to me once a long time ago..."The best way to decide if a vaccine is safe is to look at the ingredients in each vaccine. Would you put any one of those things in a needle and inject into your child's blood stream?"

Personally the theory of vaccination does not offend me. It's the pharmaceutical company's approach to market what I think is a good theory out of control. I work in an area that teaches the dangers of synthetic chemicals and the disorders they cause. I rarely speak on vaccines because I am usually talking to groups that have already passed that milestone in their lives.

My two cents!

M.

PS There is no way to have a controlled study on children...unless we live in Dr Frankenstein's laboratory. Every child/every human has a different variation and amount of synthetic chemical already in their body, even newborns. All synthetic chemicals contraindicate and will react with anything added. That's why people on multiple medications die from mild causes. I could have added a lot more information but you already said you were overwhelmed with information and trying to filter it. Don't believe for one second that the pharmaceutical industry is in it for anything but money. There may be some good things that come out of it but like my Mama said many times to me, "Even a broken clock is right twice a day..."

D., I applaud you for wanting to have answers. That's what led me to the research I did.

10 moms found this helpful

B.W.

answers from Minneapolis on

I'm pro vaccine, but I'm not pro shoot your baby up with 4 different vaccines at a time. I do believe that chemical cocktail is harmful. With our kids, we didn't allow any vaccines until after 1yr of age, and then it was one at a time, at least 1-2 months apart, and no MMR until after age 3, no chicken pox, no Hep A. This has worked for us, our kids will end up fully vaccinated but on OUR schedule, not on the pharamceutical schedule. 4 vaccines at a time in an immature system? Its practically poison!

7 moms found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

J.K.

answers from Chicago on

My advice - if you're not sure what to do, then hold off on vaccinating until you are sure that you want to do it since you can never un-do a vaccine.

My nearly 5 year old has received some vaccines. He has high functioning autism, but I don't blame the vaccines for that. It's definitely in our genes (in our case) - although, maybe the vaccines did trigger the already loaded gun. After diagnosis, we did decide to stop vaccinating to minimize the chemical exposure.

My 2 year old has never had a vaccination, and truthfully, he is one of the healthiest kids I know. He has only had very minor colds and 1 bout of diarrhea/vomiting.

To boost immunity, we give the kids daily doses of probiotics and 2000 IU a day of Vit D3.

Just make sure you have religious exemption forms filled out and filed with your doctor's office.

5 moms found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

H.S.

answers from Chicago on

We only have one, but have decided not to vaccinate her. We debated for a year or two and then said never. We were going to wait to start until she was 3. I'm more scared of the vaccine than the illness. And for those people that are afraid of their kids getting the illness and their children got the shots, what's their fear? They are supposedly safe from getting it b/c of the shot. So I'll take my chances that my child is one of the few without a shot. We are currently switching to Homefirst and I am very happy with them. Do what feels the most right in your gut and you will be happiest with your decision. Don't let any doctor, drug rep, or person bully you into either way. This is on you and what you feel is best for your child. BTW, my daughter is the healthiest kid I know. I also did not get shots before age 5 and I had no health problems. Ever since then, I have been not as healthy.

4 moms found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

A.G.

answers from Minneapolis on

This is how I have heard it said best. Most kids aren't predisposed to having adverse reactions to vaccinations, but if your child is then the risk is 100% We do not vaccinate. We are waiting till our children are older.

4 moms found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

B.W.

answers from Chicago on

Hi There!

I too, am a mom who had decided not to vaccinate and my son is three. What I have learned through this process is you can speak to many different people, read many books and although receive lots of info (some right, some wrong) the decision really comes down to you and what you feel in your gut is the right thing to do. No one can make the decision for you, as it is an important one.

I just found a new physician for my son, as home first in orland closed down. I am actually happy about this because I was not too thrilled with home first and the doc I have now is great! (so far)

Check her out, her name is DR Kori Feldman and is an MD who is listed on the DR Sears site. She has her own practice in LaGrange called Integrative Family Health Associates. She also has a ND on staff if you are interested in that. She is young and very nice. She will suport you in whatever decision you make, wether it is no vaccines, some vaccines,an alternative schedule whatever. What I liked the best is she likes to have a 60 min vaccine consult with the parents, without children present, to discuss every vaccine, pros and cons, just to make sure evryone is one the same page and you get to discuss your concerns and fears. Home first does not do this and just instructs you to read books.

Anyways, I applaud you for taking the road less traveled and for using your brain to make your own decision for your family. If you have any other questions, just let me know. good luck to you and your family! many blessings!
B.

4 moms found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

T.T.

answers from Chicago on

all i can say is this is your decision to make. you need to do all the reading you can and you will see the right answer for you and your family. Not one person can tell you the "right" answer. this is a book many recommend as it has a lot of actual research in it http://www.amazon.com/Vaccine-Safety-Concerned-Families-P... . I also recommend you make a list for each vaccine like this to help you answer your questions:
1. Name of the disease
2. Description of the disease
3. Length of time from initial infection to end of all symptoms
4. Infectious period
5. Normal symptoms of the disease
6. Known serious consequences of the disease
7. Proportion of persons infected developing serious consequences
8. Transmission route of the disease
9. Prevalence of the disease
10. Treatments of the disease and efficacy of those treatments
11. Relevant research about the disease
12. Name of the vaccine
13. Company that makes the vaccine
14. Contents of the vaccine
14A. The significance of whether or not the vaccine is live
15. History of development of the vaccine
16. Known side-effects of the vaccine and rate of incidence of those side-effects
17. Possible side-effects not yet acknowledged by the vaccine maker
18. Relevant research into the vaccine
19. How effective is the vaccine at preventing the disease?
20.What is the vaccine meant to do? (Many vaccines are not meant to prevent infection or transmission).
21.Number of cases reported each year.
22.Number of deaths reported each year from the vaccine and natural disease.

you can go to the FDA and CDC websites to read all the package inserts for each vaccine. they look intimidating but they are not at all. be careful to read the whole thing as they set it up to look confusing...like side effects are split up and in 2 separate areas....you can also see what testing they have done for safety, what age the children were for the test and for how long ( usually only a few days!) if you do all this you will have no problem making the decision you feel is best with all the confidence in the world that you have made the best decision...no matter which way you go! good luck!

4 moms found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

A.S.

answers from Chicago on

I very much like the Vaccine Book and I think it has the best information in it...like you said, balanced view, not for or against it. He really did his research and doesn't just give you blanket statements that all are bad or go, but rather breaks it down and tells you all the ingredients in the vaccines and their relative risk level along with the risk of the disease it prevents.

Because of that I chose to vaccinate my second child using his delayed vax schedule. My son still receives all his vaccines, but he never receives more than 3 at a time, so the risk for toxicity from the trace amounts of mercury that are impossible to completely eliminate from the vaccines is low. I personally feel that it is better for his immune system also not to be bombarded by so many disease vaccines all at once. The only shot that we weren't able to follow the reccomendations in that book for is the MMR...and you will find it almost impossible to find a place where you can get the shots separately. My doctor was honest with me and explained that, yes, they are available separately to her,but she has to order the vax in batches of 10, so if she orders the MMR separately for one patient she then has 27 more separate vaccines in her office that she had to pay for upfront that will probably not be used because she doesn't get a lot of requests for that. So she would lose tons of money doing that. I appreciate her honesty, most docs would just tell you No, it's not available.

Anyhow, my doctor is pro vax as well but she is not opposed to doing a alternate schedule as long as he receives them all. She is open to any information I bring her and she has actually recommended to some other patients in her practice now who are uncomfortable with vaccines to read the Vaccine Book and consider the delayed schedule. She doesn't treat me like an idiot or like she is God and knows all because she is a doctor and I really appreciate that. I would talk to your doctor about your fears and see if they would be open to an alternate schedule. Maybe show him the book and the schedule and see what their reaction is. If he refuses, then he probably he not the best person for you to be seeing....but of course it is up to you. It took me several peds before I found this one, I went from one who was very discouraging towards my breastfeeding and expected to give vax without any discussion or information, to a practice who denounced vaccines and would encourage me to breastfeed into the teenage years if they still would do it, to this ped who finally takes a balanced approach, listens to me, cares about my kids, doesn't throw an antibiotic at every illness to cross her path, and actually takes time with us. Diamond in the rough for sure.

3 moms found this helpful

T.N.

answers from Albany on

To get this out of the way...I have three teenagers, they have all been vaccinated on schedule, including my daughter having the cervical cancer one and all three the meningitis shot...and chicken pox, plus the CP booster...I do not like it much either, none of them have had ANY reaction whatsoever to ANY vaccine, and yes I was LOOKING for any little side effect...I have worked in a special ed preschool setting with families who were profoundly convinced vaccines played a part in their child's needs...especially autism. All this considered, I understand the POINT of vaccines is NOT so any given child (including yours and mine) will not get that particular disease, it's so the disease will eventually be completely eliminated from the human race....the idea being from the school of thought that EVERY child is EVERY adults responsibility, and we as a generation are in fact responsible for the health of the ENTIRE next generation...it requires GLOBAL thinking, which is enormously difficult for a mom to keep in mind when the health of her own child could be threatened by doing her part to help the health of EVERY child....all of the early childhood shots are the LAW in NYS at least, and I have had to show prove of my children's shot records dozens of times...I cannot imagine the difficulty I would've run into if I'd refused to get them their shots...I am a modern person and read with interest all health reports regarding how what we put in our bodies effects our overall health...however I am NOT an alarmist...I am not likely to 'blame' any personality trait of my children, or any areas of weakness, too fat, too skinny, talks back, too active, not a sleeper, short attention span, and so on, on vaccinations, gluten, growth hormones in mcdonald's hamburgers, etc....oviously as a parent, I have to obey the law....as far as the ones that are still optional, well I've seen that the past ones have not effected them, so why not? btw, colleges in NYS DO require the meningitis shot before they will let your kid on campus! Just some thoughts....

3 moms found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

L.L.

answers from Chicago on

I can't decide for you but the first thing I would do is find a doctor who is wiling to work with what you are comfortable doing. I have a 4 year old daughter and a 10 month old son. My daughter is fully vaccinated but with my son we decide on a very delayed vaccine schedule. He never gets more than 2 shots at a time. This means that he has only had 8 shots. My doctor and I talked about which ones are the most important for his age and which can wait until later. I do not advocate no vaccines and with my daughter in pre-school and different activities my son get exposed whether I want him to or not. With this approach I am comfortable and he is protected. Its a hard decision. Try and find a way you feel comfortable with. Good luck.

2 moms found this helpful

A.S.

answers from Bloomington on

I am always scared too, the day of vaccinations and say a little prayer. However, my now 2 yo, had whooping cough a year ago and I thought she may die. It was HORRIBLE. She had not completed her vaccination schedule yet so contracted it. My mom also caught it from my daughter and it was just a painful watching her suffer.

I agree with maybe not having so many shots in one day. Good luck deciding, but I wouldn't wish Whooping Cough to my worst enemy.

2 moms found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

N.O.

answers from Chicago on

I have also been scared of vaccines, but we felt it was our obligation to vaccinate our child. This was based upon the reasoning of 'if everyone made the choice to NOT vaccinate' then where would we be? Polio etc would recur. So parents who don't vaccinate are only 'able' to do so because the majority do, and therefore their child is at less risk.

At the same time, I only let my son have a max of 2 vaccinations at a visit. So, for ex. at his 6 month visit he got 2 shots, then we waited a couple of weeks, then went back for another 2, waited again, then went back for the last vaccination. Just so his little body wouldn't be subjected to too much at one time.

The stuff on links to autism etc out there is very scary. It's SO hard to figure out what the right choice is. However, I feel comfortable with my ped - she's a mom of 3 young girls, and is pro-vaccine but would let me space them a bit. I also read the Sears book, but she said she didn't like it, because it (in her opinion) had some faulty research and studies.

Who knows?! As I say, it's some tough decision-making. Best of luck to you.

2 moms found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

I.G.

answers from Seattle on

I am "pro" vaccine and against "one size fits all".
For a whole host of resons we vaccinate on our own schedule. At now almost 3 my daughter is up to date on shots for her age, though we decided to forgo one vaccine altogether (Pneumococcal) and we did not get the last booster for HiB (the vaccine was recalled and my daughter "aged" out, it is no longer recommended past 2).
We got her first shots slightly delayed, but combined, because we did travel abroad when she was just 3.5 months old, so her risk to contract a disease like polio, diphteria, HiB or pertussis was a little higher than for the average infant (who stays at home). All other vaccines and boosters we get one shot at a time. It is less stressful and we have experienced less side effects (such as fever, swelling). Our pediatrician (not an ND, just a regular ped) is VERY supportive, so I don't worry at all.
One thing I do want to mention is the following:
Even the CDC admits, that the only reason that the vaccine schedule starts this young and is this intense is that their main goal is to vaccinate as many children as possible. They are NOT concerned with what is best for an individual child, but the population overall.
Many vaccines children receive in their first year, they are not at risk to contract until much later in life (best example is Hep B). They only reason they are given in infancy is that this is the time when all children still have access to free, accessible healthcare, even if their parents are poor, uneducated or without health insurance. This is the time when children are most likely to see a doctor on a regular basis, which is why this is the time to get the most people vaccinated with the least effort.
You have to decide for your family what is best for your and their individual health. Ideally you would, like I do, have a doctor that supports your decisions. But many people don't and then you have to stand up for yourself.
Good luck!

2 moms found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

D.W.

answers from Indianapolis on

The problem with vaccine books is that they're all out of date now that some startling developments have occurred. A few months ago, it was discovered that the physician who originally brought to light concerns about vaccines had falsified much of his data.

He's now lost his medical license indefinitely.

Be VERY careful with the sources of the information you seek. Many are opinion only and skew data to be able to push their points of view (both for and against).

The truth is no one knows for sure. But, the risks of not vaccinating kids is far scarier at this time that getting them vaccinated.

We have chosen to follow the vaccination schedule for both of our kids. Our son has had a reaction to the DTaP vaccine given on Monday at his 4 year appointment. We're not concerned about that.

The one vaccine I will definitely not give yet is the HPV vaccine (either for our son or our daughter - I don't think the benefits outweigh the risks right now based upon the clinical data I've seen.

Google.com/scholar is a great source of information but may be quite clinically technical. If you're not comfortable with it, take it to your doctor or a pharmacist and have a frank discussion with them to help you make your decision.

In our case, the fact that our pediatrician has followed the same vaccination schedule as us with his own kids has made the decision much easier.

The study Mimi mentions in her post was conducted in monkeys (rhesus macques) not humans, so there are no definitive conclusions that can be drawn at this time related to our children vs. a primate species that's not completely genetically identical to us.

1 mom found this helpful

B.L.

answers from Missoula on

Vaccines never saved us (which is what we are brainwashed to believe). Good nutrition, clean water supply, and sanitation did! Become a fan of Dr. Tenpenny on facebook. Ask your questions there where you will get all the support you need from very well educated people.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

E.M.

answers from Chicago on

There has been extensive research on vaccines. It is far more dangerous not to vaccinate than to vaccinate, although I think that the idea of having a different schedule makes for a good compromise. As other people have written in their posts, some of the "scientists" who have done some of the anti-vaccine research are dubious at best. Without vaccines...well...I still know of people in their 60s ,70s and 80s who spent their childhood terrified of contracting polio, and a few people who actually did have polio-where would we be now without that vaccine?

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

M.P.

answers from Chicago on

I no longer vaccinate my children because I also take a more natural approach to living. There is nothing natural about injecting toxins into my kids :(
Did you know that diseases dramatically decreased in #s due to sanitation and refrigeration BEFORE vaccines became widespread? Many non-vaxing parents will tell you that their kids are much healthier not vaccinated than other kids. All the kids I know that get sick ALL THE TIME were/are vaccinated and lots of them were/are breastfed too! You can always vaccinate at a later time if you want but you can't go back.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

J.S.

answers from Chicago on

Good for you for educating yourself and doing your own research! I totally agree that most books are very biased one way or another, making it difficult to rely on the info. I've read several books, and The Vaccine Book was also my favorite, and for the most part I follow Dr. Sears' alternative vaccine schedule. I think the most important factor, that no one ever seems to consider, is the particular child in question. My daughter was 10 pounds at birth. Always a great sleeper and eater. Always very social and hit all her milestones early. My nephew, born just 11 days after her, was always a poor sleeper, very high needs, very shaky and nervous all the time. His parents decided not to vaccinate, and in his case, that was probably the right decision. Is there any reason you feel your child would be more likely to be negatively effected by vaccines? Remember that in the majority of cases vaccines don't seem to cause any long term harm... is your child in that majority? Good luck!

J. Sassack
www.UrbanSuburbanFamily.squarespace.com

For Updates and Special Promotions
Follow Us

Related Questions