Hi, Melissa.
There are probably few topics when it comes to babies that are as controversial as vaccines.
I vaccinated each and every one of my children according to the schedule that's recommended
by the CDC, the Center for Disease Control, and the AAP because this is what my doctor
recommended.
My doctor's view was that not vaccinating is actually much risker than vaccinating.
But that's just me, this is the choice that I made, and this is a very personal decision.
And you have to get informed, seek out different points of view, and make your own decision
on this very, very crucial issue.
It's been a lot in the press over the past few year's etc. etc.
Find out and figure out what rights for.
What this show is really about is to introduce these different vaccines and to talk about
the schedule that's suggested by the CDC and the AAP so that when you choose, when you
go into your doctor's appointments if you choose to vaccinate, you'll sort of know what's
in front of you.
Because I know that personally that when I went in, and I do come from a family of doctor's
so I should have done a bit better at this, but I would see all these things but it was
like Greek to me I was like Hep B and this and that and I had no idea what it meant.
So that's really the point of this show and the first thing we're going to do is list
out what are the appointments at which place these vaccines are going to take place because
during your baby's first year you're going to be going to the doctor all the time!
Not just in order to have your baby be vaccinated, if you choose to have your baby be vaccinated,
but also because you and your doctor are going to be keeping very close tabs on your baby
watching her weight, how's she's eating, how she's doing generally.
Let's just start with these doctor's appointments and at which of these appointments is your
baby going to be receiving a vaccine.
The AAP recommends your baby be vaccinated over the course of 5 or 6 visits during the
first year of your baby's life.
When your baby is 1 month old, when she's 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, maybe when he's
9 months, and again when he's 1 year old.
Trust me, it does not seem like it when you're talking about shots, but before you blink
that baby is going to be 1 year old, it's going to happen so fast.
So now let's get right into the nitty gritty and start to go through each of these vaccines
and what they're vaccinating against.
So here we go.
Rotavirus this vaccine protects against a severe stomach virus and the baby gets vaccinated
2 to 3 times over the course of the first year.
It's commonly given at 2 months, at 4 months, and again between months 6 and 8.
DTap this vaccine covers diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis all very severe illnesses.
The baby gets vaccinated with this 3 times over the course of the first year.
It's given at 2 months, at 4 months, and at 6 months.
So you might already be noticing that there will be a lot of overlap and it might be that
at a single appointment that your baby will be receiving multiple vaccines.
So you have to kind of be checking out your little guy or girl as they come home from
the doctor's office with their Dora or their Spiderman Band-Aids.
There might be some very mild fussiness or irritability in which case your doctor might
prescribe a doctor safe medication.
But if there is any extreme or abnormal reaction in your view you should be in touch with your
doctor right away.
Okay, let's get back into our vaccines.
HIB this vaccine protects from the bacteria that is the leading cause of meningitis.
The baby gets vaccinated 3 to 4 times in the first year.
The vaccine is given at 2 months, 4 months, sometimes at 6 months (depending on the brand),
and again between 12 and 15 months.
Pneumococcal this protects again meningitis, pneumonia, and blood and ear infections.
The baby gets vaccinated with this 4 times over the first year to year and half.
It's given at 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, and again between 12 and 15 months.
IPV this protects against the virus that causes polio.
Polio was very common among prior generations before vaccines.
The baby gets vaccinated with this 3 times between birth and the first year to year and
half.
It's given at 2 months, 4 months, and again between 6 and 18 months.
Okay, I know this all seems like a tremendous amount and very overwhelming and you're asking
yourself "How am I going to take my cute little tiny baby in there to get all these shots
and how's the whole thing going to happen?"
So I just thought I would talk a little bit about my experience with having brought my
own kids in to get these shots and what I've sort of learned to do.
Now what I do is I try to kind of figure out at the end of the appointment whether there
are going to be some vaccines and then I ask the nurse where the vaccines are going to
take place.
And ideally, if they are taking place on the upper arm, I try to get my baby ready and
as dressed as possible.
I put back on the diaper, the onesie, the pajama, I get her all ready -- not the coat-
but everything's ready, the diaper bags ready, the stroller all ready to go.
And then once the nurse has given that vaccine in the upper arm [noise] I'm serious, right
onto the boob or the bottle.
Have your boob or bottle ready that is the best way to soothe your baby.
Bingo!
You have to be totally prepared.
Do not have your baby vaccinated hanging out there naked and then you've got to put on
the diaper, get her dressed.
No, no, no!
So that's the first thing.
The second thing I do and it's probably not necessary with such a young baby, but I actually
do hold the baby and use my arm to cover her eyes so that she doesn't see the shot.
It's very young and it probably wouldn't happen, but I just don't want her to have any sort
of negative associations with having seen these shots.
And when my other kids are there I try to kind of leave them playing like this and I
just like turn away and I ask the nurse to kind of come in over here because I also don't
want them to see these huge needles coming at them because I think it's going to freak
them out.
Okay, MMR this vaccine protects against measles, mumps and rubella, three very serious diseases.
The baby gets vaccinated 1 time between 12 and 15 months.
Varicella this protects against chicken pox, which is generally mild, but can lead to severe
illness as an infant, I've had it myself.
The baby gets vaccinated with this 1 time between the first year and 15 months.
Hep A this vaccine protects against liver disease caused by the virus hepatitis A.
The baby gets vaccinated with this beginning at the first year of age.
Okay, lastly a word about the flu or influenza vaccine.
My doctor told me that he preferred that my baby did not have this vaccine before 6 months
of age; however, he said that the baby was very susceptible to getting the flu.
So he recommended that all my other children and I get this vaccine.
And then if it was still flu season for some of my children, he recommended that the baby
do be given this at 6 months and my kids actually got a booster after that at 7 months of age.
So that's the flu vaccine.
Okay, got to check my notes to see what else I have.
This is a very complicated show.
Oh this is really, really important - if you're super organized, and I was not this organized,
I'm fairly organized, but if you're super organized or you travel a lot, take that little
card that you're given which is an immunization card and bring it to each one of your children's
doctor's appointments.
And then you'll have your own nice little record of every time your baby was vaccinated.
This can be really helpful if you travel to exotic locations or God forbid if there's
some accident it would be really nice and easy for everyone to know here's is exactly
what the immunizations are that this child received.
So anyway, this was a summary of vaccines.
I really wish you the best of luck and the best of health for your young baby and good
luck getting through all these doctor's appointments in the first year.