vaccines...

* 5/18/2010: Please note that this post was written during my Great Vaccination Fugue, from which I have recovered. Finn will be getting the CDC recommended vaccination schedule from now on.

I have always been a steadfast believer in the value of vaccinations. Then I had a preemie. I did not know what the medical approach would be regarding a vaccination schedule for Finn, and when it finally came up, I was unprepared for my reaction to the decision.

I was a wreck. I did not know what I wanted to do, and I did not know where to look for information. I don't know that I believe a lot of the hysteria about vaccinations, but I don't think that enough research has been conducted into the long term developmental effect of the many shots that kids are receiving nowadays.

And the staff at SCN were not helpful. They just kept asking if I had made a decision, but they never asked what they might be able to do to help me. They just made me feel afraid of what would happen if I didn't have him fully vaccinated. Finally, I found a book that went through the CDC recommended immunization schedule and talked about the risks and benefits of each shot. Based on my reading both in that book and elsewhere, and also considering my own reasoning, I finally submitted my concerns to the doctor:

"8.07.08

We believe in being responsible stewards of public health, and recognize the importance of vaccination programs in the eradication of disease, but we find that the literature and research into the effectiveness and long-term safety of vaccines and their ingredients is lacking, especially when it comes to premature infants. We want the best for him, which is why we are putting a lot of reasoned thought into this decision. None of the concerns that we are listing below have been assuaged to our satisfaction.

• Given his risk factor (extreme prematurity), we are concerned about the introduction of vaccinations containing multiple ingredients including chemicals, human and animal tissue, and bacteria/viruses into an underdeveloped immune system. It seems that at the very least, the vaccination schedule should be altered for preemies to their corrected age.

• Hepatitis B seems unnecessary for a newborn as its incidence in infants is extremely rare and considering that we are immune and do not have any risk factors for the disease.

• Given the FDA assertion* that premature babies shouldn’t receive more than 10-25 micrograms of injected aluminum at any one time, it concerns us that the five brands of vaccinations listed make for a combined total of 1000 micrograms of aluminum.**

• The DTaP vaccine listed (Infanrix) has the highest amount of aluminum of the three available at 625 micrograms. Is Daptacel available? (this brand still contains 330 micrograms of aluminum)?**

• Rotovirus was not listed on the vaccine brand list we were given, but it is listed on the CDC schedule on the handout we were given. Is that included in this round of vaccinations?

* document NDA 19-626/S-019

** according to package inserts"

His doctor took the time to do some research, and she listened to us. We finally decided to go with the DTaP immunization in the hospital, but we requested the shot with the lower amounts of aluminum. We then decided to go ahead with a staggered schedule of HIB and Pc after he was discharged. Our doctor agreed that this was a fine plan.

The day that he had his shot, I was a mess. I was very worried about the whole thing, and I wished that the situation would just go away. I was partially reacting to all the stress I had been feeling since we had moved to Special Care, and I was feeling very out of control when it came to my son's care. This was just one more thing in a long list of frustrations. The bottle damage, I figured I could undo with time and persistence. But a severe reaction or long term damage from immunizations was beyond my power, and once the shot was given, there was no undoing it. Perhaps I was overreacting, but it doesn't matter. It was how I felt at the time, and it seemed like a lose-lose situation. Another mother in the unit had watched her baby go back on the cannula and onto antibiotics after she felt badgered into giving her daughter the whole round of shots.

Finn was fine, of course. He did not even have any apnea spells, which are apparently a very common side effect for preemies. Looking back, I don't think there was any other way for me to go about it, and I think we made the right decision. There will be many more agonizing quandaries ahead for us as we raise this boy; this was just the beginning. It's a learning curve, and we've learned more already than I ever really wanted to know.