What are our options for getting MMR vaccine

[Anonymous]

I'm not even sure when a baby gets this vaccine-is it at 12 mos? I am undecided as to whether or not I believe that infamous small study that tied the MMR vaccine to autism. I have done a lot of research and even though most of the it points to the MMR not being linked to autism, I am still a little leary about givng our child this shot. I am worried about the instances where a child may have a genetic make-up that reacts with the vaccine in susch a way to cause autism (yes-I have read about this happening in a few places-whether or not it is valid? who knows?)

Is it possible to delay until 2 years? What are everyone's thoughts on this? How do doctors react? I know mine is pro vaccine and he even gave me a tape to watch to help alleviate my fears. but i still have that small doubt.

Also, my daughter is not in daycare so not sure if that is an issue as far as catching or spreading the virus.

I have read through prior posts but many of them ended up off topic so I didn't get a lot of info.

[Anonymous]

It's really up to you and what you feel comfortable with. It's your child. Your ped should respect that.

You can delay, or you can split up the vax into 3 seperate shots (will cost $$ to do it).

We delayed all of DD's vax and she ended up getting the MMR right before she turned 2. I went back and forth on splitting it up, but felt it would be fine to keep together at that age.

We did not have dd in daycare though, she was at home with a nanny until age 2, but I would still have kept that schedule.

For me I just felt that overloading the system that young was risky. I am pro-vax, but on my schedule.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Our dr gives it at 18 months and if we want to separate the mmr out we can. The dr will give us a script for separate shots, we get it filled, bring the shots in and they administer them.
Have you spoken to your doctor about this? That is who needs to be answering these questions.

[Anonymous]

Forgot to add - yes they typically get the MMR and the chicken pox vax at 12 months. DD got the chicken pox one a month before the MMR...

[Anonymous]

We waited until 18 months and had no other vaccination at that time. We did not split. Even though I've read the articles about no correlation between MMR and autism, I was still leery and felt more comfortable delaying it a few months.

[Anonymous]

Dr. Sears just wrote a Vaccine book which gives some alternate vaccination schedules. It's pretty middle of the road and when I brought it up to my pediatrician, she was amenable. There is also an argument that because many vaccines contain aluminum that you should watch how many vaccines your child receives per visit. Sears addresses that also. It would mean more visits/shots and administration for the parent but it seems worth it to me.

[Anonymous]

My doc told me that in her ten years of giving MMR, she has never witnessed a child change overnight from the shot. Regardless, I was really terrified about going through with it (which I did decide to do after much research). Even with the studies disproving the MMR/autism link, there are so many anecdotal stories and we as parents don't want to do anything to harm our precious kiddos. Such a hard thing!

[Anonymous]

The study that had that link has been debunked. But DS was supposed to receive MMR, Chickenpox and the flu shot all in the same visit. I thought it was just too much. So one month we did chicken pox and then he went back for MMR and flu shot. He is totally fine. I just thought it was a lot of big shots at once.

[Anonymous]

I waited until DS was 2 for the MMR. His pediatrician wasn't very supportive and we ended up finding a great new pediatrician. I was comfortable giving DD the MMR at 18 mos. Unfortunately she got a flu shot that same day - with thimerisol. Anyhow, she's doing fine of course, but I wish I had been a little more assertive about it.

I don't let my kids get more than two or three shots per visit. It's a bit of a pain b/c we end up having to go back a month later for more shots - in other words, extra appts.

Anyhow, if your pediatrician isn't supportive of your choices, I would switch immediately. It's just indicative of bigger problems I think.

[Anonymous]

It drives me nuts when Doctors "insist" that there is absolutely no relation between shots and anything. When you talk to the parents whose children have had awful adverse reactions to shots (including overnight autistic transformations) they will always say how when they talked to the doctor about it, the doctor insisted it couldn't possibly be related to the shot. The reality is that doctors have enormous blinders on when it comes to vaccinations. There have been perfectly healthy babies who get a whole series of shots, and literally DIE within the next 24 hours, and their doctor has insisted that it could be anything -- EXCEPT the shots. Doctors have been completely brainwashed about shots and literally CAN NOT, EVER see that there could even possibly be anything wrong with them, despite the loooong list of neuro-toxins which are in the ingredient lists. It's just the way they've been indoctrinated. Vaccinations are the holy grail of westen medicine, and everyone who is anyone in medicine will do pretty much anything they can to say they are "safe" - including the CDC, the AMA, etc. And by the way, there has been more than one study about the possible relation of vaccines to autism, and no, they haven't all been debunked -- although our popular media would like to have us think so.

Anyway, OP, you can do whatever you want with the MMR. The truth is these diseases are not usually harmful (especially in otherwise healthy, breastfed babies); in fact your child could get all three and you might never even know that they had anything beyond a basic cold. And they are quite rare. So, if you want to forgo the vaccine altogether, you can do that. Or if you simply want to wait until your chid is 18 months, or 2 years, or 3 years old, you could do that too. If you want them separated so that they only receive one at a time, no problem (though you might have to special order the shot yourself). It really is all up to you. It is your child and your choice to administer these shots as you see fit. Though, you should expect some push back from your doctor if you do not follow the standard schedule, so just be prepared to stand up for what you want and not be bullied into anything that is uncomfortable for you.

[Anonymous]

Can a doctor kick you out of the practice for refusing these shots? I can see how they might take offense to a mom telling them how to do their job. I feel the same way at my job when someone who is not an expert or familiar with what I do tells me how to do my jobb.

Of course, we are talking about our children and how to protect them, but how do you tactfully tell a doctor that you prefer to skip the shot>

[Anonymous]

PP, we know our children better than ANYONE. Doctors are not magicians who have all the answers about OUR KIDS. We have a right - in fact, a duty - to question EVERYTHING about our children's health care. Doctors do not own the truth nor our children; it is the doctor who works for us.

The way you tell a doctor anything is by just coming out and saying it: "no thank you, I won't be getting that shot for my child today." Or, "we will be waiting until he is three to get that shot" Or, "we would like to get the M, M, & R separately - is that something you can provide for us or will we need to order it ourselves?". Yes, it takes some courage, but we are the parents and we have the say in this! And, yes, your doctor (especially if he/she is really an ass) will decline to see your child as a patient anymore. If that happens, then you will have to find a ped. Thankfully, there are ped's in this area who will respect a parent's choice with regard to vaccines.

[Anonymous]

You do realize the good that vaccines do, right??? And the fact that there is no medical evidence that supports a link between MMR and autism (the original subject of this post)?

If you want to space out for any reason - based in medicine or not- that's none of my concern. Hey, go for it, I say. But, implying there is a relation when that has been disproved is insane.

And, I don't know about you, but when my child is vaccinated, I get a pamphlet stating the risks -statistically- of each. They are very low in every case. But, they are disclosed. So, I don't know how Dr.'s and the CDC, etc. are trying to hide anything . . . PP, who implied this, care to explain more about your reasoning there?

Also, the poster who said that "these diseases" are not usually harmful, care to be more specific about what you're referring to? The vaccinations my child has received are for some fairly horrific things . . . unless polio, for eg, is no big deal in your book.

[Anonymous]

To the OP, I have never heard of kids with genetic histories of ASD reacting to the MMR to cause Autism? I'm not disputing your statement at all, just asking if you have any more information.

My older brother has Asperger's and my daughter is due for her MMR vaccine in about 2 weeks, so it is of great interest to me.

Thanks for the help.

[Anonymous]

I am not sure I believe the studies that relate the MMR to Autism, but I am not taking a chance. It does not hurt to split the vaccine, or give it a little later. Why take a chance. Northern Virginia Peds will give it any way you want it. I choose to give it in 3 different doses. I just went for 3 months in a row. If you have any doubt, I would recommend this route. Good luck