Ryan is 2 months old!!!
We went to the pediatrician today for his 2 month appointment. He had just fallen asleep for a nap when it was time to go so he was NOT very happy about it! And Steve had to work this morning so I went solo. I was really nervous because there’s a whole load of vaccines that are supposed to be given at the 2 mo appt and I didn’t want any of them and had no idea how our doctor would react to that. I was worried I’d need Steve there for support–but I now have trust issues with doctors (following my c-section) and wasn’t about to be talked into anything.
Weight: 13 lb – something. Ryan was screaming so I can’t remember! But I’m guessing it was something like 6 ounces because the doc later said he was up 2 pounds in 1 month… great!
Length: 23.5″ (up just a quarter of an inch from a month ago)
Head size: 41cm (same as a month ago)
I forgot to ask and they didn’t mention the percentiles this time. But I’m guessing he’s moving down a little bit because his measurements are about the same (besides weight) as they were at his one month appointment.
Ped said “ears are great” and everything looked good. We put him on his tummy and oh he just screamed and screamed! I was like.. he’s usually not THAT bad with tummy time, haha. And I posted the pictures above as proof 🙂
He asked if I had any questions so I said… “We’re wondering about vaccines. We don’t want any today.” And he said, “Ok.”
Wow. I had no idea it’d be so easy. It was almost like he couldn’t have cared less. Anyway, I asked what he recommended if we’re looking at doing a delayed schedule. This is what he said:
Definitely get the DTaP for pertussis (whooping cough) because adults can be carrying it at any time and not know it–it affects us just like a regular cough, a normal cold. But if Ryan catches it, it’s whooping cough and that’s very dangerous to him. Because it can be so dangerous, he suggests the shot NOW, but since I said we weren’t ready today for any, he said to come back before his 3 month appt.
Also… he suggests the rotavirus vaccine because that causes diarrhea and vomiting = dehydration. He said it’s a “very good” vaccine because cases of rotavirus have drastically decreased in the last 2 years (as the vaccine came out just 3 years ago). And it’s taken orally, not injected into the bloodstream (does this really make a difference, as far as safety/side effects? I think not.) This vaccine CAN’T be given after 3 months of age (WHY? I didn’t think to ask at the time) so that’s why he suggests getting it along with the DTaP when we come back.
So I made the appointment for 2 weeks from now… March 13. I should get enough time to do some research by then. At this point I still have no idea what we’ll do. I’m thinking DTaP for sure. Not sold on the Rotavirus vaccine yet. I’m really not sold on any–I hate the idea of giving him vaccines–but it’s like…. what’s the lesser of the 2 evils? The possible side effects from the vaccine? Or the risk he gets the disease if he doesn’t receive the vaccine? You can read horror stories either way. Part of me just feels like the cases of these diseases are so low…. but… on the other side, so are cases of extreme side effects to the vaccines.
At least I know for sure we will not be getting a chicken pox vaccine. Or the H1N1. Just our personal decisions.
Tips? Stories? Suggestions? I am absolutely going out to buy The Vaccine Book by Dr. Sears. But I’d love to hear from all of you… how’d vaccines go for your kids, what’s your schedule, etc. I was talking to a nurse on twitter last night who is completely against vaccines because she knows about them and sees effects first hand. I’m on her side. And all of this is so confusing and so difficult to choose. You just want to do best by your baby!! Why do they make that so hard? I can NOT believe the MMR vaccine is no longer made as separate vaccines… you have no choice anymore but to get it as a combo shot. Ridiculous, right?! Oh, another thing that makes this difficult – “FDA approved” means zero, zip, zilch to us.
In better news… Happy 2 mo Birthday Ryan!!! Better go pick him up from his grandma’s now 🙂 She babysat after his doctor’s appointment so we could go pack up the rest of our stuff from our apartment.
Sounds like he is just perfect! It seems like when they’re babies, you’re at the doctor every other day!
No real tips or suggestions..I firmly believe you should do what YOU feel comfortable with for Ryan. You’re his Mommy and only you know what is best! 🙂
Glad the appt. went well and the tummy time pics are adorable!
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BEFORE I was educated on the subject with my 1st (back in 2004) I automatically got her shots done. Well once I learned wtf was going on I stopped, so the last shots she’s ever gotten were her… 12mth ones, I think.
She didn’t have any problems getting into school, so everything you might hear about that is false. You just have to get an extra paper to give to the school (if you’re going to continue to not give Ryan shots). But that was simple and again, we’ve never had any problems.
This next baby will not get any what so ever!
I still hear the “um, really? you… don’t give her shots” from the hospital, when we’ve had to take her to the ER. But it’s whatever to me since it’s my choice and it’s what I know to be the best for my daughter (and future child).
So just be educated and don’t mind the questions you might hear. Everyone is going to have an opinion and most of them will be negative, at least that’s what I’ve come across, but don’t let it get to you.
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Good for you for sticking to your guns. From what I have read, the newer rotavirus vaccine isn’t any safer than the previous one, which was associated with some cases of a serious intestinal problem called intussuseption. I believe that the first vaccine had about 15 cases attributed to it, and the new one actually has more, 23, I believe. Granted, a rare occurrence, but still. Also, the exclusively breastfed baby already has substantial protection against rotavirus. One study found breastfeeding to offer 90% protection, while another study found that the vaccine only offered 40%. In general, rotavirus isn’t life threatening. Appropriate treatment involves rehydrating or maintaining adequate hydration. Often, this can be accomplished with breastfeeding alone. Occasionally, oral rehydration solution or IV fluids are required.
The DTAP probably does offer some protection against pertussis, which definitely is a serious illness in infants. It would be interesting to know how much protection is acquired, and at what point in the series the protection is substantial. This one is a tough call. I think part of the problem we are seeing, is that the vaccine is not completely effective and it does wear off over time. My concern is that the vaccine seems to mask the illness in older children and adults. This might be one case where it is actually the vaccinated individuals that are spreading the disease. When a person does have the characteristic whooping cough, they are more likely to seek treatment. With a timely diagnosis, antibiotics can be given. While the antibiotics may not particularly decrease the severity of the illness, they do reduce its spread when given in a timely fashion.
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Hi there,
I will comment on my personal experience with vaccine and no from a medical point of view (I’m a nurse and I did do research and will not be giving any VAX to our children ~ but this comment is not about what I found out but more what I see )
My husband comes from a family of 12 kids, all of then did not have any vaccination done (not during their childhood) 2 of his grown up sisters did have all their shots prior to a mission trip in Africa. So all the children had no health issue (the 2 who were vaccinated after age of 18 now have to live with side effect~ from severe migraines to food and indoor and outdoor allergies to recurring gastrointestinal problem all of witch they did not have prior vaccination!!!)
I revived all my shot as a child, young adult and later HepB to be able to works as a nurse. I too have the allergies problem (those got worse with the Tetanus booster and the Hep B) and am now severely to pineapple ?!!! weird.
So my kids are and will not get any shot, they are healthy and eat healthy food, get good sleep, exercise and plenty of fresh air. My oldest is now 3 was in contact with people with whooping cough and H1N1 and did not get them! (we got her and us tested and all of us were negative ~ we got tested cause we refuse to take the preventive antibiotic that the doctors wanted us to take just in case)
My youngest was born 6 weeks premature (in November 2008) and she as been sick free since she was born (she as a cold that started 2 days and she is already felling better!!! heal very fast I guess) and our eldest had a low grade fever and a runny nose for 2 days but is now good.
So to my experience our kids are in very good health and they did breastfeed until self wean and we do not shelter them they do go in public and play with other kids but I’m and a homemaker and do not send them to daycare…
So I don’t know if this is helpful to you, like I said just sharing my experience.
If any question just email me
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Hi!
I came across your blog today. I hope Ryan is doing well. I have a 2 year old daughter, Cassidy, who was born with Tetralogy of Fallot w/ PA & MAPCA’s.
I think blogs are a great way to get the word about about CHD’s and I commend you for what you’re doing.
My wife and I are also on a mission to spread the word about CHD’s. We just started a jewelry company called Lucky 10. All of our products are handmade and pertain to Heart Defects and the Heart Community in general.
Please check out our site when you get a moment. If you could help us get the word out about our new business we would be very grateful. It’s a project that’s very dear to our hearts.
http://www.lucky10.etsy.com
Thanks so much and we look forward to reading more on your blog!
Thanks,
Vito Lisa
P.S. If you want to keep up with Cassidy’s journey here is her Carepage info:
http://www.carepages.com , Page name: cassidylisa
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I don’t think I was really offered the chickenpox vaccine, but what’s wrong with it? I’m trying to do some research but every opinion seems so polar opposite of one another.
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Oh, I forgot to add that we just got 2 month shots for Elise. It was really hard to witness. She screamed and cried. Then she screamed and cried all night long. I tear up just thinking about it again. She was mostly sore but she was the same way at her Heb B shot. I think whether you get 3 shots or 1 you may have a cranky baby on your hands. I trust my doctor and went with what she said about her vaccine schedule. We’re going pretty traditional just because extending it further and further just makes it seems like more appointments. I don’t think she enjoys being at the office in general hearing other screaming children. She didn’t develop a fever or anything and was fine the day after. It’s definitely up to you.
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Hi Emily! I saw your comment and had to come over and catch up and get my cute baby Ryan fix! He’s such a handsome little thing – love it.
As far as vaccines go – I’m very much in the same boat as you. Everly’s 2 month appt. is Monday and we are following the Dr. Sears vaccination schedule. I’m not going to skip them all together as I personally feel that vaccinations to do provide some peace of mind and protection against diseases that use to run rampant before vaccinations were invented. I’ve read several articles lately on the resurgence of childhood diseases that had all but disappeared before the vaccination scares caused a lot of parents to forgo vaccines.
Again -it’s a personal decision each parent makes for their child and a very difficult one at that. We’re going to get them but spread them out as much as possible.
Good luck and good for you for sticking to your guns for Ryan. He’s lucky to have you for a mama!
Love,
M
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I wish I knew more about vaccines… I didn’t know any could have side effects (go figure…) so Glade got all of them until she was two. When she got the MMRV shot, it gave her the minipox. Good news is she doesn’t need the booster, bad news was she had the chicken pox for two weeks when she was a year old. I have heard great things about The Vaccine Book (going to get it myself here soon), so let me know what you think!!
Also, gave you a blog award 🙂 http://heartsandhandss.com/2010/02/28/some-awesome-blog-awards/
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I’m so happy your pedi didn’t give you a hard time about the vaccines. I have and love Dr. Sear’s book. I reread it every time my little one is due for shots. Oh, and yes, I do vaccinate but I dont do them all.
Taking a medication through the mouth rather than through the bloodstream is actually a better way to introduce “things” to the body since it’s a more “normal” way that we contract bacterial/viruses. The DTaP is a hard shot but really is important. I’d rather just give my baby the P but we did the DTaP. The first time she screamed for 3 hours straight, which is a side effect. It was terrible. We did one more shot after that with the agreement that if she had the same reaction that we were to not get the shot again. Each time this shot is given, the reaction seems to be less severe so my doc was banking on this idea. It was easier the second time around.
I opted out of the rota and she did end up getting a pretty bad stomach virus which last around 5 days. I’m thinking that was the rotavirus.
Good luck on your decisions. I’m more concerned about the aluminum that’s being used since almost all viruses are dead now.
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The girls have gotten all their shots, no problem. The twins barely run fevers & hardly cry during. Anyway, I’d caution you on the rotavirus one. I was on the fence with the twins because Adia had an awful reaction after her 2nd dose. High fever, screamed for 3d straight, wouldn’t eat, explosive diarrhea. It was awful. She never got the 3rd dose & her ped agreed with us since she wasn’t in daycare or an older sibling. The twins had all three, no problem.
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My daughter is 7 weeks old and we’ll be doing all her vaccinations according to the AMA, CDC guidelines. I’ve got a PhD in Molecular Biology- I’ve done my homework- it’s proven that vaccines are safe and effective (much lower risk to vaccinate than risk getting the illnesses).
My mother is a public health nurse and a school nurse. She is afraid for public health due to the drastic decreases in vaccination rates. Our low vaccination rates are resulting in the re-emergence of illnesses that haven’t been seen in this country in decades- like measles. There are children in her school that cannot be vaccinated due to health reasons (immune suppressed, etc). Those children are in danger from healthy kids who are unvaccinated due to misguided and ill-informed parents/guardians.
I myself will not be responsible for passing a preventable illness onto a person who cannot receive vaccines due to chemotherapy treatments, organ transplant, HIV/AIDS, or any other illness or condition that leaves their immune system compromised. For that reason, I get vaccinated and I will be certain to vaccinate my daughter (not to mention that my daughter needs protection from all the children whose parents won’t vaccinate them).
As a child (and as an adult) I got every vaccine that was recommended (including every flu shot, meningitis vaccine as a college student, etc) and I’ve suffered no ill effects.
I’m protecting my family and yours from preventable diseases by vaccinating myself and my daughter.
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I’m so glad there are others before me who can help me figure out what to do, I’m still undecided and doing research! Let me know if you find any really good research either way!
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Emily –
Wanted to share something I found tonight. It’s a delayed vaccine schedule as recommended by Dr. Sears:
http://www.usnews.com/dbimages/master/8226/GR_PR_081203Vaccines.png
I plan to follow this – save for the rotavirus. I think we may skip that one.
good luck!
M
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My son will be 3 in April, We have done all the vaccines that are the norm. I dont think he has gotten the Chicken Pox, because I think that one is just a bit silly.
I was completely against the H1N1, so we skipped that one this year. I was OK with him getting the flu shot, but it didnt happen, because of a constant runny nose (hello, it happens when you are in daycare and you have crazy Alabama weather).
He is perfectly healthy, and the only preventative measures we ever took were to dose him with tylenol the day of shots…because without fail he would run a fever for about 2 days following injections.
We did get the rotovirus, and he has been around several children in daycare who had it, and thankfully, he has never gotten it. One child in daycare was immunized against it, and still contracted it, but the Dr said that it was a mild case due to the vaccine.
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Whopping cough is only really dangerous for babies under 6 months (Still really sucky though). The problem with vaccine is it is basically no protection until after 3 doses, at which point the baby is 6 months. In addition,DTaP is one of the most reactive vaccines on the market. It also doesn’t prevent the spread of pertussis, it just causes a reduction in symptoms in the vaccinated person. Who then has no clue they have pertussis & go around spreading it. *sigh*
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Thanks for posting this! We are going to interview pediatricians soon, so this is all very helpful info! I think we are going to purchase Dr. Sears’ book.
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We originally played to do delayed wth ds1. I was already anti-vax, but dh thought they were necessary. We took him at 6 months. He seemed fine. Then I realized I hadn’t heard him babbling since his shots. None of my kids has had a vaccine since. If you have any questions, @devaskyla on twitter
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Okay, my son was vaccinated on the regular schedule up until the last year. Instead of getting his four year old and five year old shots. He’s getting them at five and six. We decided to do this not so much out of fear of the vaccines as because his sister was in a very delicate state (pre-operative) and we didn’t want to risk something transferring from him to her. Since they share a pediatrician, he was completely in favor of delaying, especially since Ben is being homeschooled, so we can’t run into trouble from the schools.
Katie is on something of a modified schedule. Their pediatrician doesn’t agree, totally, with the Pediatrics group or with the CDC, so he spaces them a little differently. Because of her surgery, she also got a little off of that schedule, even, and, again, because of her surgery, we all agreed (neurosurgeon, pediatrician, and us) that delaying her MMR series until she’s two would be an outstanding idea.
Anyway, that’s what we’re doing.
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Our family has a history of a lot of allergies and vaccine allergies. Combined with all the reading I did on vaccines and the fact that my daughter was not in preschool and was home with my mom (her nanny) or me, I opted to not vaccinate until she was about five. Then we did the DTaP and watched for any reactions. We went about three to six months between vaccines and did them as individuals, not combos. But the time she started kindergarten she was probably very close to fully vaccinated (for the big stuff, no hepatitis or chicken pox, etc.) but I’ve always just signed a waiver saying we don’t vaccinate at the school. I figure it’s none of their business and I’m not sticking to some schedule that comes out later for the newest vaccine of the month.
Our pediatrician was kind of confused but supportive of our decisions, and researched the proper schedule for late vaccinations. It took a lot less boosters. She has said since that she has read a lot more about it and the vaccines seem to be more effective later, so while she wasn’t really on board with not doing them, she isn’t completely opposed to it either.
When people ask me about vaccines I always tell them that I wish our health care system had a way of helping parents decide for their family what is the right schedule, not just have a one size fits all plan. I have a friend who works at a hospital and she was agonizing over the decision but I told her I’d fully vaccinate because who knows what she’s exposed to at work? I think there are situations that call for both ends of the spectrum, and you just never really know if you’re making the right decision.
Ultimately, parenting is about doing what you think is best in that moment. Kids have accidents and you don’t expect them to break bones or fall out of trees, but you react as best you can in that moment. You can’t go back and judge yourself later for something you did in the moment. Especially when it’s a decision you are agonizing over.
I hate to tell you this, but it’s the first decision like this of many. Whether to get flu shots has been a big one lately here (we live in Arizona and the H1N1 was rampant). My family wasn’t supportive at all about the decision and there was some drama about letting my daughter visit her cousins when she could be contagious. Which is funny because if your kids have the vaccines and you think they are so effective then why worry, right? But, it’s not that easy to deal with if you family isn’t behind you. My mother was very supportive and that made a big difference in my not reconsidering the decision over and over.
And, having a good pediatrician was key as well. My daughter’s doctor has been really great at diagnosing things like kidney refulx and advocating for us not to have the traditional testing (they tie the kids up in a blanket and let them scream while they test) and she prescribed a totally different protocol. So I’ve felt validated and understood even if she disagreed.
Good luck, whatever you decide. You’re a great mom!
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The Vaccine Book is awesome.
I was also terrified about the 2 mo shots, but we staggered, (no more than 2 shots at a time, ever) and we have had no probs. My guy is 11mo and started daycare at 9 mo.
After my baby got a terrible stomach bug at 5 mo, I suddenly realized why these vaccines matter- not that his bug was vaxable- I just realized, wow, a baby can get SO sick from what just make me nauseous one morning- he puked for for days, had to be hydrated at hospital, then stopped eating for a few days- after that I feared the vax much less bc I just wanted to avoid him getting something really bad.
We did do H1N1, mostly bc i am a teacher and bc if daycare.
Good luck. I know it s a hard call.
I would say, don’t do more than 2 shots at once.
We’ve never had any fever or fussiness after shots.
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