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When we were new parents, we took the Pedi's word as bond. If he said we needed it, we did it. We vaxed for everything they reccomended. L was healthy and never had a reaction to anything. So, we followed suit with J and R. Gave all the vaxes, no reactions, no questions, no regrets.
Then came MissB and her heart defect. We (I) did research on everything with her heart related issues. At 4 mos, she had a reaction to Penicilin. I did some research on the vaxes and still felt confident that they were still safe for her, for the most part. But, this time there would be no Varicella, no Heb A, no Pneumococcal, no Meningococcal and no Flu shots. The ones that she did get were still given individually (DTAP, MMR, HIB, IPV, and Hep B). We were not even offered a combo shot. She did fine with all of them and had no reactions.
I knew that we'd be selective again with MrC. I knew we would make similar choices to those we made with MissB.
I refused the HepB at birth. He would get it later, not so soon. I felt uneast about giving a vax to such a tiny newborn. My Pedi was supportive and agreed to wait. That was the only one offered/reccomended at birth. (I should note that we also declined the VitK shot and antibiotic eye ointment.)
At 2 months he got his first round of vaxes. This was the first time I'd been offered combo shots. The idea seemed okay, since I wasn't expecting any reations. None of my other kids had ever had a reaction. Why not save the baby the pain of multiple sticks when he could get it all in 1 or 2? He got 2 shots = HepB, HIB, DTaP and IPV No reactions. Some tenderness in his leg, but that's it.
Well, we had his 4 month checkup and shots in the last few weeks. It did not go as planned. I did not listen to my mommy-intuition. At the checkup visit, he was sick. He'd been down with a cold and still had a fever. Pedi and I opted not to vax until he was well. We did all the other well-baby checkup stuff.
Weight: 15lbs 3oz
Height: 25.5 inches
We came back 2 weeks later for shots. We only saw the nurse this time and she was not much help in telling me what he was getting. She kept getting the names of the vaxes mixed up and giggling like it was funny. He got 3 shots. I had a pit in my stomach as I watched her inject my baby, but I dismissed it as over-emotion. She handed me his record card. He had recieved the same 2 combos as the first round, plus a new one, the Pneumococcal.
He didn't cry much. I nursed him and he fell asleep. The rest of the day seemed normal. His legs were obviously tender, but nothing seemed abnormal about his temperment or symptoms. He started to get fussy in the evening. He just wanted to nurse and be held. He started running a fever sometime during the night. When he woke me for his 3am feeding, he was burning up. I took his temp and it was 103.7* I gave him Tylenol and nursed him back to sleep. When he woke at 7am, his temp was still up. I gave him more Tylenol and decided that if it didn't drop in the next hour, I'd call the Pedi. I know a fever can be a normal reaction, but this was high and unbreakable. That alarmed me. After an hour, I called the Pedi. The nurse seemed concerned but when she spoke to the Pedi, he was not. He said to give Tylenol every 4 hours and call back if the fever went above 105*.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!? He's only 4 months old!!! 105*?!?
Pedi said the fever might last 2-3 days.
WHAT!?!?
I wore MrC all day so I could keep a close eye on him. His fever did go down to 101* for most of the day. He was lethargic and fussy, but happy to be held all day. Sometime in the night, his fever broke because when he woke, it was down. He seemed back to his normal self, happy and content.
Later that day his fever returned but it was only 99* this time and was easily broken with Tylenol.
I think that we will request his vaxes one at a time from now on. It will mean more sticks more often, but the alternative is too scary. I wish I knew which one it was that he reacted to. Pedi seems to think it's the Polio (IPV) but all my research says it would more likely be the HIB or DTaP. (sigh) I'm pretty sure we WILL continue to vax... selectively. Not vaxing at all is not an option/conviction at this point. I have friends who are on both sides of the fence on this issue and I respect them all. It is such a controvercial issue and both sides have good arguments.
I think I'll be on my knees for a while about this one.
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