Immunization Woes, Part 3…movin’ right along

We had our appointment today for Landon’s 4 month check up. First of all, I must say that my kids are not afraid to gain weight. He is 18 pounds(97%) and 26.5(95%) inches long! He’s a beast.

I was very nervous about bringing up the immunization chat with my doctor, but God is so good and my doctor was so supportive of our concerns and desires! Whew. She understood my concerns regarding the hepititus B shot and rotovirus (I didn’t go into chicken pox today…baby steps). She agreed that we could put those off or not get them at all as long as we understood the battle we would be facing regarding entering school. And she was extremely helpful in coming up with a more spaced out schedule for the rest of the shots! I wasn’t sure about Prevnar, but she suggested going ahead and getting that one and putting off polio since the likelihood of of him being exposed to polio is slim to none. I’m not even sure if we want to get that one anyway, so I was good with that. She agreed to do no more than two or three vaccinations at a time and even said that when it came time for MMR, she would attempt to order those vaccines seperately for us! That was a huge shock to me because I didn’t know if it was possible to do that. So, instead of getting the MMR, he would get measles first, some time later, mumps, and some time after that, rubella – depending on the availability of the supplies. She said those vaccines are offered seperately only in limited supplies, but when they had them in she would let me know. I may have Tia get those vaccines seperately, since she still needs to get that vaccine as well. And since poor Landon had an ear infection that we didn’t know about, she didn’t even give him a shot today. She said we could come back in 10 days and we could get one or two of the shots then.

I can’t tell you how relieved I am. I feel really good about this. I wasn’t against all the vaccines, just the way that they are administered. I’m so grateful to my doctor for listening to my concerns and not making me feel silly or foolish. God is so good because I have been praying about this so much! So the only vaccines Landon will likely be receiving before the age of two are DTaP, Hib and Prevnar. The rest we will either decline, separate or wait on. While I was waiting to go in, I did ask for a copy of Sloan and Tia’s records and was shocked to see that they both received the Hep B shot the day they were born! I don’t remember anyone even asking me if that was okay, though I’m sure they did (I hope they did). The first time I ever remember being asked about it in the hospital was with Landon, and we actually declined it. It just makes me sick now that I know what I do about vaccines. But, by God’s grace, Sloan and Tia appear to be fine and all we can do is pray that there are no future effects. But, I do feel empowered for actually sticking to my guns and doing what I felt was right for my child. Thanks for all your thoughts and support! For those of you who are also wrestling with this, approach your doctor and try to work out a plan that is best for you and your child. It’s so worth it!