Baby vaccines. starting late and spacing them further apart

[IlanaK]

I took ds3 for his first shot today. He is 4 months old exactly. I did not want them earlier as I felt his system was not mature enough to cope. I still have my worries now. The nurse was a bit taken aback as to why he was so old and having only his first one and made comments about"we'd better get started then" and reminded me to bring him back in a month. I plan to have the next one when he is around 6 months and the third when he is around 9 months. Am I wrong in this? Is it likely to cause problems spacing them apart so much? I did not want to discuss any of this with the nurse as I did not feel I would get anything other than the standard line.

Oh, and have sympathy for me this weekend as I also had ds2 pre-school booster today. I crazily thought it made more sense getting it all over and done with in one go, but now am dreading them both being poorly at the same time!

I think we have to trust the professionals on this! Its very easy to read and read and read and get worried but you haev to trust the people in the know.

It good to ask questions but it worries me that so many children are not being vacinated or are vacinated later and leaving those children who CAN'T be vacinated for medical reasons exposed which can kill.

i did it later and spaced it further too. just felt right to me. got a lecture from the nurse though.

I don't read and get worried I look at my ds1 and get worried

And anyway I've read more than most doctors about this anyway. When I've listed my reasons in the past they've either agreed or not disagreed with my decisions.

Theochris- vaccines efficacy is often over-estimated though. It was with mumps and hib recently for example. And public health is often slow to respond to those sorts of findings.

And anyway if you don't want to give all the vaccinations (no way ds2 or ds3 are having a whooping cough jab) then it's almost impossible to do anything except wait until they reach 10 for some of them now anyway.

The thing you have to watch with tetanus is that spreading it out too far can cause reactions (allergic iirc but would have to check). But it used to be given over the first year, so it needs to be well spread out to cause that sort of problem I think.

jimjam like I said, lots of things to weigh up, just pointing out that the schedules are not 'just' for convenience of doctors etc...

jimjam how will you avoid the whooping cough jab? Its part of the 5 in one isn't it? Why wouldn't you want to have it?

my ds has been having his all singly as he reacts badly to vaccines due to allergies so hes not at 14 months had all his jabs that he was supposed to have at the early baby age!!no one has batted an eyelid and has been fine about single vacs..so it can be done !!

Which is one reason why ds2 and ds3 haven't been vaccinted. If I could get a single tetanus (or a DT without thimerosal) they would probably have had that. No way are they having 5 in 1 go. Simply: I have one brain damaged child - don't want another.

Ds2 has had whooping cough (illness) anyway. There's a new strain of whooping cough around that isn't protected against by vaccination and has evolved because of vaccination. Ds3 has the same pre-existing conditions as ds1 so not giving him anything unless there's a very big need.

ooh bambi- what are they giving him for the tetanus?

Jimjam are you saying your Ds1 was damaged BY THE VACINATION, just need to be clear?

I have had ds1's staggered. His 1st was at 3 months, 2nd at 7 months 3rd at 12 monsth. He has just had his 12 month booster (he is almost 2) and will have his other 2 in about 4 months.

I did the same with dd4 as she was prem.

rofl at 'trusting the professionals'
am such an old cynic

It's complicated but yes I believe (from the reading I've done of peer reviewed papers and from talking to researchers) that vaccinations played a role in ds1's damage. It was not the final hit. That probably came in the form of a virus - paed believes so anyway.

DS3 has the same conditions that affect his immune system in the same way as ds1 (ds2 a bit more robust I think). Therefore we avoid vaccinations and antibiotics where possible.

Have spoken to various doctors about the decision and they have in the vast majority of cases been supportive and understanding. Even when ds3 was in hospital after a seizure (another reason he's not getting whooping cough) brought on by an infectious illness.

Sometimes decisions can't be black and white you can only do best you can.

Are we talking MMR or earlier vacinations?

Earlier. The baby jabs. I probably will give measles vaccination to ds2 and ds3 when they're a bit older before puberty. Although we plant to talk it through with Richard Halvorsen first.

Why the interest?

I felt guilty saying to trust the pros!
My DS has had the lot just about to have the 12 month ones then MMR...........your comments have worried me......

I trusted the professionals and they vaccinated my DD1 even though she was sick at the time and we didn't know what was wrong with her.

She reacted badly to the DTP (we think the whooping cough element). Her health has suffered terribly as a result.

These things do happen and it is only wise to be careful with vaccines. These days we hand them out like sweeties and not like serious intrusive medical procedures they actually are.

Not saying this to get at you goldilocks (or worry you).

I guess you should only let them have them if they are well then? Most nurses have asked us before the injections i'm sure.

It's like any other health decision. Look at your own family, your family history and then choose the decision you can live with.

Sorry that sounds blunt I'm watching have I got news for you.

Vaccines are safe for the majority. I wouldn't dispute that. I do wish we'd been more cautious with ds1. But not just with vax, with antibiotics too.

Sorry that sounds blunt I'm watching have I got news for you.

Vaccines are safe for the majority. I wouldn't dispute that. I do wish we'd been more cautious with ds1. But not just with vax, with antibiotics too.

I'd be worried about delaying immunizations, esp in winter in case DS caught something he could have been protected from, v young babies can get menigitis and whooping cough. My friend's baby caught whooping cough at 6 weeks and died. She was too young for immunisations but just shows how vulnerable they are.

whole bunch of kids damaged by vaccines at dd's brain injury support group.
but then dd herself was damaged by birth which is safe for most babies.
Life is risky and there's no guarantees.

I was told that we should vaccinate her as she was poorly and therefore vulnerable to being very ill with childhood diseases. Also there are children who have underlying conditions that contraindicate vaccination but may be asymptomatic at the time of vaccination (especially if they are very young).

I agree with yurt, you have to look out for your own and do what is best for your family. It just seems wrong to me that most medical advice is more about keeping vaccination figures high at population level rather than making decisions that are wholly for the benefit of the individual.

On this site it shows you the vaccination schedules for Europe. the UK has the most intense schedule.

here

In finland you get the DPT a 3,5, and 12 months, were we would get it a 2,3,4 months. Why is this so, I dont know, but if it where 'essential' then there would be a universal timing. Check out some of the other countries on timeing of MMR and stuff. Also notice that they use the old DPT in eastern block countries and not the DTaP which is safer, thats because its cheaper. Oh big pharma with its caring attitude. Did you know also that Ireland have 'binned' the whole HPV vaccine scheme because ' its to expensive'. Follow the money people.

Wow - what an interesting site. And it varies so much from country to country. However, it does not appear that the UK is the most intensive at all based on that site.