NP. Plan accordingly how? |
However makes them comfortable. ??? |
An infant that is breastfed receives some antibodies but they are not full protection by any means. I am really tired of people assuming that breastfeeding makes babies invincible, or even noticeably more protected against infectious disease than formula fed babies. There is little evidence of this. (From a mom who breastfed her kids 1 year+ each, so I have no cross to bear here, but still). During a contagious illness outbreak, the safest thing to do is for you and especially your infant (who does not have a fully formed immune system) to avoid crowds and in the case of an illness spread by tough, like pertussis, wash your hands often and avoid touching your face with your hands when possible. |
Are you really going to avoid getting a vaccine because some people on DCUM told you some things that might not be quite true? Seriously, this is the problem. Please rely on advice from medical professionals. I just met with my pediatrician and her advice was to get vaccinated, that it was the best we have and the benefits outweigh the risks. She also told me (which I was happy to hear) that her practice is no longer accepting patients who demand delayed vaccination schedules for anything other than specific medical reasons such as immune deficiency. I am sure that she would be happy to address my questions, just as your pediatrician would be happy to address yours. |
Of course avoiding crowds and washing hands often is good advice. One of my babies was born during a measles outbreak in the community we were living in at the time. I did all the things suggested above and in addition, was reassured by my doctor that the immunities present in my breast milk were helping my baby's immune system. Any extra bit of protection helps when babies are still too young to be vaccinated. My baby did not get measles and was vaccinated as early as possible- in fact, actually had to be vaccinated three times because of the extra early vaccination. I was glad to be breastfeeding during those early months before it was possible to vaccinate, especially since I had older kids who were going to elementary school each day. |
Do be "that afraid" of preventable communicable diseases? I dunno - seems pretty reasonable to be afraid of those. |
| I am not afraid of most diseases...because I believe in vaccination. Ebola scares me, but I am not at risk. AIDS scares me, and changed behaviors when I was 20 or so. MMR not so much. I have immunity. |