[WAHH & ADVICE] Feeling crap about vaccinating.

I feel like crap. DD was vaxed this week, she's 10 weeks old, she wasn't given anything at birth at my request. The thing is, (which is SO unlike me), I didn't really look into it :( I didn't do enough reading, I didn't properly educate myself. Basically, I was an idiot and did not make an informed decision for my daughter...and now I'm scared I made the wrong one. DD was SO sick the night she got them done, it was awful. I feel like I simply gave up and handed over control to someone else. I have been under stress, but I don't think that's an excuse to be so uninformed. Anyway.

What can I do from here? Forgive my ignorance on this...but I can opt not to have her vaxed again (if that's what I end up deciding), can't I? I know she's my daughter and it's not compulsory, but there won't be any harm from having the first round and not the rest?

Does anyone have a good few books/websites where I can get started on reading and educating myself about the risks involved in vaccines? That'd be fantastic.

Got a serious case of the mummy guilts over this.

Hey hun you dont have to have any further vaccinations if that's what you choose I'm sure there are heaps of people who get the first lot then decide against it. There will be no harm from not getting the rest. Can't help you with where I found my info cos. On my IPod and I researched extensively before making my decision not to vax. Don't feel bad you made a decision based on what you thought was right at the time.

Hopefully Someone can point you in the direction of info on not vaccinating

Thanks em :hug: Crap thing is, I made a decision based on what was easiest at the time, really. Bah.

Oh hun, I'm sorry poor wee DD wasn't feeling well after her needles! I admit I didn't do a huge amount of research when DD1 was a bub, just read up a few for and against arguments and decided to go ahead with vaxing on schedule as was expected of me. I guess my gut feeling was that she would be okay, and I went with that. Trust your intuition. There is so much information out there about vaxxing, you will be old and grey before you manage to wade through it all and come to a final conclusion! I chose to delay DD2's vaxxes after doing a bit more research, and a health scare when she was a baby (suspected cystic fibrosis), but again in the end my gut told me that I was making the right decision to vax, I just assuaged my doubts by delaying until I felt she was ready and her immune system was better-equipped to cope.
If you choose to hold off on vaxxing for the time being until you feel you've made the right decision for her, you are free to do that - there is lots of info out there that you can read up on to help you work out how you feel about vaxxing, and it won't harm her in any way to have had one lot of vaxxes but not have any more. A tough decision to make, but we all do what we know within ourselves is right for our babies - please don't feel bad for taking her to get her first round of needles, lots of bubs feel a bit yucky after having them and most of the time it's a totally normal reaction and not a sign of something amiss. I hope Miss Isla feels better really soon and that you feel better about your decision - you know what's right for you and her and that decision is entirely up to you :) Hang in there chick! xx

ETA: Also just wanted to remind you (even though I know you're a super-smart cookie!) that ANY information/studies can have a biased slant depending on the agenda being pushed by the author. There is some very valid anti-vaxxing info out there but I have found that certain outlets publish this information while leaving out very important details that may 'hurt' their argument, so whenever you're reading anything, whether it be for or against, try to look for signs that the author is being as transparent as possible, and watch out for the tonality of the piece - both sides of the argument can get a bit hysterical at times and emotive language is NOT what you need to help you make the decision. Just the facts! xx

We decided to vax, but after the first lot, I too was questioning it. DD was sick too, got a gastro like bug that we were warned about as a side effect. When it came to the time to vax again, I ran it past the nurse and she said she shouldn't go through it again because she had. Whether that was the truth or not, DD has now had all her shots and she hasn't been sick again with any of them. Whatever you decide for the future, its up to you, but don't beat yourself up about it. You're a great mum :hug:

You can choose to vax, not vax, delay some. For me (and others may feel VERY differently!) I found that I agreed with some points about vaxxing, and some about non-vaxxing, there was no black and white. So I ended up going with my gut and deciding to vax. Although we delayed all the vaccinations by 3-4 weeks, cos DS looked like he was going through lots of developmental stuff at the ''correct'' time. So at this stage, he's up to date, but we may delay the 1 one by a few months, or skip it. Who knows.

Wow, I'm no help.

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We decided to vax, but after the first lot, I too was questioning it. DD was sick too, got a gastro like bug that we were warned about as a side effect. When it came to the time to vax again, I ran it past the nurse and she said she shouldn't go through it again because she had. Whether that was the truth or not, DD has now had all her shots and she hasn't been sick again with any of them. Whatever you decide for the future, its up to you, but don't beat yourself up about it. You're a great mum :hug:

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My DS was the same, gastro thing was nasty! I hope it's true that it wont be bad the 2nd time!
I wish I had of known more info on the gastro one, I would of declined it

I have had both my daiughters vaccinated but did not have the first hep b vac for dd2 as we are in a low risk group for hep B and did not see the value of giving it to a 2 day old baby that was goiing home to our house. As a nurse I have looked after some seriously ill children that have contracted an illness that could have been vaccinated against and my personal experience definitely swayed my decision, I look at it that yes there can be some nasty side effects from vaxs but the illness they protect against are much worse (in general).

Im not sure if I will do the rota virsu vax this time if I am breastfeeding, I may delay until we are ready to wean as from what I understand my bm should contain antibodies to rota virus as I have had it before, just my thoughts.

Oh hope feel better soon, this parenting thing can be so confusing at times. Vaccination wasn't something I had even thought about when I had DD so just went with the flow and got her vaxed as that's 'just what you do' She was done up until 6 months and then I started researching and she hasn't had any since and ds has had none. I do feel as though I need to do a lot more reading in the subject though, there is just so much out there it can be really overwhelming!


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Hugs hun it is awful when they are so upset and irratible but in the long run she is better for being protected.

As a health professional I have seen some really sick kids and adults from things that they could be vaccinated against. This has swayed my decsion a bit, yes people can still get things that they have been vaccinated against BUT they get a much milder case of the illness.

Some vaccs can be delayed but not all have the option as some must be done or not done within a set age bracket. Rotavirus is 1 of these.

Rotavirus vaccine has reduced the amount of sick infants admitted to hospital with this horrible form of gastro.

:hug: PZ, it is SUCH a hard decision. I still don't know what to do. I think it's the hardest decision I've had to make. I am a partial/delayed vaxxer. I still don't know if it's the 'right' decision but at the moment I just really don't feel comfortable vaxxing my kids when they're babies.

You can choose to delay the rest if you want except rotavirus. If you want to get that you can only get it done when they say.

I found 'the vaccine book' by Dr Sears the most helpful.

Totally up to you. FWIW Bella was sick after her first lot and then never again and H man hasn't been sick after any of his.

We partially vaxxed my eldest and he now has autism. So second one we thought "should we??" As we moving overseas and going through international airports we decided to do his 2 month old shots and then keep deciding. We've decided no more till he is AT LEAST 2 years old.

I've since come across a great perspective on vaxxing that says that they are fine for healthy children, but those within a compromised digestive system are unable to detox them properly so shouldn't probably not have them. Good thing is you can test if your child has a healthy gut or not and then decide whether to vax :D

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Fortunately, it is possible to identify GAPS within the first weeks of your baby's life, which can help you make better informed decisions about vaccinations, and about how to proceed to set your child on the path to a healthy life.

One of the KEY issues is to screen all children BEFORE they are immunized, and if they have the metabolic characteristics of GAPS, they should NOT be immunized until that is reversed. This simple measure could prevent unnecessary and tragic trauma in hundreds of thousands of families. In all likelihood there are far more children being harmed by vaccines than being helped at this point. By simply modifying the process one could radically reduce the risk of a child developing an illness on the autism spectrum.

Dr. Campbell describes the entire process in her book.

In her practice, she starts out by collecting a complete health history of the parents, and their gut health is assessed. Then, within the first few days of life, the stool of the child can be analyzed to determine the state of her gut flora, followed by a urine test to check for metabolites, which can give you a picture of the state of your child's immune system.

"Now we have excellent tests that find chemicals produced by various species of microbes in the gut," she says. "… So by analyzing urine, indirectly we can say what kind of species of microbes are sitting in the gut of the child, or what kind of chemicals they are producing."

"… If the child has abnormal gut flora we can assume that the child has a compromised immunity, and these children must not be vaccinated with the standard vaccination protocol because they simply get damaged by it. They should not be vaccinated."

The non-invasive tests described in her book are now available in most laboratories around the world, and typically run around $80-100 each in the US. This is peanuts compared to the incredible expense of treating an autistic child once the damage is done.

"Our children are being used as a market for selling vaccines," Dr. Campbell says. "The children are vaccinated in our Western world, I'm afraid, not for the sake of saving the child but for the sake of making money… It's an extremely sad and worrying situation."

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Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride on GAPS Nutritional Program

I feel your pain PZ... I had DD vax'd last night and it was HORRIBLE!
I did immunology as a subject at uni for 6 months a few years back (with a lecturer that didn't vax his kids) plus worked in immunisation session admin for 5+ years.
I decided to go through with it, although 2 weeks later than I was supposed to (they rec first lot to be given at 6 weeks now)
Even with all of this behind me it was still such a horrible experience. I've listened to babies cry for years and thought I would be ok but I ended up crying myself.... Really not looking forward to going back.

You can decide to not proceed with any further vaccinations, all you need to do is fill in a conciencious (sp?) objectors form. You can do it at any GP or Council. Hopefully you can find somebody supportive :)

Just in case you are interested.. this was one of the best books I read, the most thoroughly referenced! Dr Sears book pales in comparison to this, I could hardly find any references in his!
http://www.amazon.com/Informed-Vacci...3799987&sr=8-3

Well I decided to have the vaccines, but on a delayed schedule, which I feel very comfortable with now, as opposed to before when I was uninformed and scared. Worst feeling ever!

Im glad you are feeling good about your decision, thats the main thing..

Pz do you have info re the delayed schedule you are using? I vacced at birth and considering delaying the rest

May not be the same as pz's but our catch up is-
Age at first visit 2-3yrs
1st visit-Infanrix hexa, MMR, NeisVacc
2nd visit, 1 month after first- infanrix hexa
3rd visit, 2 months after 2nd visit- infranrix hexa

Continue normal schedual at 4yrs of age
HTH

Yeah that's pretty much what we've decided too, same as Skybie.

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Age at first visit 2-3yrs
1st visit-Infanrix hexa, MMR, NeisVacc

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That's A LOT in one visit!!! Infanrix Hexa and MMR are not scheduled together and I'd personally want a gap with them... they're both combo vaccines.

ah well bit late! lmao

I'll write up ours and post it when I get a sec :)

Okay, after a whole lot of reading and asking around, this is our delayed schedule:

2-3 years old: Tetanus / Diptheria-Tetanus-Pertussis

4 years old: Haemophilus Influenzae Type B
Meningococcal
Pertussis / Diptheria-Tetanus-Pertussis

12+ years old: Varicella, only if DD hasn't had it already.

Hiya pumpkinZulu,

(rather new to the forum) what abt hep b, rotovirus, polio? From memory there's a few more in the current schedule. We're also doing our investigations. Would be most interested in what ur findings are based. So far it's been quite difficult finding 'reasonable' arguments that are practical and not one extreme or the other. Dr Sears book is one, another book that we found is from Mayer Eisenstein. DD is 10 weeks & we've signed the conscientious form coz we refused to be rushed into it.

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Just in case you are interested.. this was one of the best books I read, the most thoroughly referenced! Dr Sears book pales in comparison to this, I could hardly find any references in his!
http://www.amazon.com/Informed-Vacci...3799987&sr=8-3

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Thanks so much for posting that! I've been looking for a book like this one for a while now... Will definitely buy it! It's such a hard decision, the hardest I have had to make. For now, I have not done any vaccinations for my son (except for HebB at birth, but that's a whole other story) and so far his health has been 100% perfect. I will be looking into delayed and selective vaccinations when it gets closer to him going to preschool but I have a CO Form signed so I don't have to be rushed into anything, as finding all the right research can take soo long, there's so much pro & anti extreme stuff out there! This book sounds great, thanks again!


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Hiya pumpkinZulu,

(rather new to the forum) what abt hep b, rotovirus, polio? From memory there's a few more in the current schedule. We're also doing our investigations. Would be most interested in what ur findings are based. So far it's been quite difficult finding 'reasonable' arguments that are practical and not one extreme or the other. Dr Sears book is one, another book that we found is from Mayer Eisenstein. DD is 10 weeks & we've signed the conscientious form coz we refused to be rushed into it.

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Heya veus, welcome to BB :)

We decided against those three after a lot of research. I just find them unnecessary for our circumstances. Polio is statistically irradiated here in Aus now (thanks to vaccines, ahh the irony ;) ) so I've decided against it. Rotovirus, well DD is 6 months now so much stronger. We practise strict hygiene, DD isn't handed around to sick people etc, so we are not worried about gastro. As for hep b, my baby isn't at risk of being exposed to dirty needles or unprotected sex at this stage, so I really fail to see the need to inject her at this early age. Perhaps when she's high school age, I'll have to ponder that more once I see what type of individual she turns out to be. We are an extremely low risk family so I feel comfortable with this schedule.

How are you accesing the diptheria/ tetanus/pertussis vaccs? I was under the impression they were only available in the infarix hexa shot now unless you get the adult boostrix booster?

Thanks pumpkinZulu! That seems to verify our thoughts too.

I questioned the hospital re: Hep B at birth as to why it's req if I'm not a carrier. The answer was rather wishy washy so I asked if they have concerns over their infection control procedures. That put an end to the convo real quick. ;-)

i don't think you have to be an expert on everything pertaining to your child. I think we (as parents) are more ADVOCATES than EXPERTS. So as each thing comes up, we research it as and when we can. Life throws us curveballs, we can't always research or research thoroughly, at the time we wish to.

i think in a perfect world, i would have researched SO MANY things, back when i was pregnant. But back then, i didn't know WHAT to research. Everything changed WHEN my baby arrived. i suddenly had incredible motivation and quickly learnt what was important for her. It took me time to work out, the stuff i didn't know, that i needed to find out about. Same with vaxxing.

Your DD doesn't need you to be perfect, she just needs you and your love, which she's already getting, so she is one lucky bub.

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How are you accesing the diptheria/ tetanus/pertussis vaccs? I was under the impression they were only available in the infarix hexa shot now unless you get the adult boostrix booster?

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Mmm I think you are correct actually..

The DTP vax is still being made so you should still be able to access it. DTP is the standard vax in the states so there is loads of it being made. You can't split it into single vaccines though, just as you can no longer split the MMR into single vaccines.

Meow that's what I thought but a bit of googling seemed to disagree? As far as I was aware the dtp could be accessed but as you said like the mmr not split.

PZ We're doing the same. DD got her first vax at 2 yrs and it was the Boostrix-IPV. It's a children's vaccine. That's the smallest we could get to get tetanus. It's DTPa + polio. They need 3 doses. HTH :)

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Meow that's what I thought but a bit of googling seemed to disagree? As far as I was aware the dtp could be accessed but as you said like the mmr not split.

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Our GP said she's been having trouble getting DTP only without the extras. Bum!