Remember the “Vaccine Book” by Dr. Robert Sears that I said I really really wanted to get and read? I got it and it’s settled my fears about the dangers of vaccinations with sound facts and informed advice. It is NOT an anti-vaccine book. It’s more of a balanced look at the pros and cons of the individual vaccines so that readers can make informed decisions for themselves. I like the book because it reads like an encyclopedia. You don’t have to read it cover to cover—you just need to read the preface, and then the specific chapters on the vaccines your child is scheduled to get. I had heard there were controversies about vaccines and was concerned and confused about all of them, which is why I wanted to do some research of my own and not blindly follow the Department of Health’s recommended vaccine schedule. It was a total relief to me to realize that vaccination is not an all-or-nothing decision. Many choices can be made. “Dr. Bob” talks about how all vaccines are not equally important, all diseases are not equally common or dangerous. But vaccines ARE beneficial and we as parents have the right to take our chances with or without certain ones. So this is the alternative vaccine schedule he recommends and we’re going to follow. This schedule is the whole reason I bought the book, but I still would recommend reading the whole book so you know the whys behind it.
2 months – DTaP, Rotavirus
3 months – Pc, HIB
4 months – DTaP, Rotavirus
5 months – Pc, HIB
6 months – DTaP, Rotavirus
7 months – Pc, HIB
9 months – Polio, Flu (though we’re not getting the flu)
12 months – Mumps, Polio
15 months – Pc, HIB
18 months – DTaP, Chicken pox
21 months – Flu (opt.)
2 years – Rubella, Polio
2 years, 6 months – Hep B, Hep A
3 years – Hep B, Measles, Flu
And the schedule goes on until 13 years.... It’s basically splitting up the shots into two visits so that you’re coming in to the pediatrician every month rather than every 2 months, and then delaying some. Every other month is a wellbaby exam and shots, and every other month is a shot only visit. Insurance covers all the shots exactly the same. So for example, at our 2 month visit, instead of getting the normal SIX shots (HepB, DTaP, HIB, Polio, PCV7 and Rotavirus), Cole only got 2. We’ll go in next month for the other 2, and delay the Polio and HepB. I was worried that my pediatrician wouldn’t want to do the added work of seeing us every month, order a specific brand of DTaP vaccine (did you know there are different brands??) and not want to split up the MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella) because it would mean special ordering it. Thankfully he was totally agreeable to the schedule, except that they don’t give the thimerosal-free flu shot, which is baffling to me because some states have even banned the one with thimerosal (mercury). That’s why we’re not getting it, plus the fact that I don’t think it’s really necessary. If you’ve already started the normal vaccine schedule, it’s not too late to alter it. I would do some research, and then talk to your pediatrician about what’s feasible from this point on. Certain additives in the vaccines (aluminum, formaldehyde) are controversial at best and harmful in the aggregate at worst—the accumulation in your baby’s system. Still, don’t get scared. Just get informed.
The Vaccine Book: Making the Right Decision for Your Child (Sears Parenting Library)
