Thursday, August 26, 2010

1 year and 1 week check-up

So, after 2 months from the last visit, we had our 1 year old appointment.
Some results:

-height : 31 1/2 " ( 80 cm)
- weight : 21.5 pounds (aprox. 9,8 kg)

At one year old, he is also supposed to get the MMR shot (measles, mumps and rubella), the chickenpox shot and Hep A shot as well as drawing some blood to be checked for anemia.
We only went ahead with the anemia test and postponed the shots. The reason for which I postponed it is that Bryce is still recovering from a week in which he didn't feel that well.
However, I still have a different approach about the way I want to do this whole shot schedule:
- I know for sure that I don't want to do at all the chickenpox shot  (our doctor doesn't have anything against it)
- I also want to delay if not skip at all the Hep A shot;
- now when it comes to the MMR shot, I have mixed feelings, each disease by itself is not dangerous for him, as a kid. According to dr. Bob Sears, in his "The Vaccine Book":
"Measles is a virus that travels throughout the body and causes a fever, rash (red, round bumbs and spots all over the body) runny nose and cough. [...] Measles is usually not serious. Most cases, especially in children, pass in a week or so without any trouble. "
"Mumps is a virus similar to measles. It causes fever, rash and swelling of the saliva glands in the cheeks (right in front of the ears). [....] Mumps is not serious. In fact, most kids who have mumps have some fever and a slight rash but not enough for anyone to worry about or even make a diagnosis. [...] Fot teens and adults, however, mumps can be more serious. Males may have sore, swollen testicles, and men and women can have arthritis, kidneys problems, heart problems or nervous system dysfunction. Very rarely, the disease can make adults (men and women) sterile.
"Rubella, like measles and mumps, is a virus that causes a fever and rash ( red, round bumps and spots all over the body). It can also cause aching joints and swelling of the glands behind the ears and in the neck. In children, the disease is so mild the it often goes unnoticed. [...] We vaccinate for rubella because if a pregnant woman catches rubella, [...] it can infect her fetus and cause birth defects. So, we vaccinate the kids to protect pregnant teachers and mothers and their soon-to-be born babies."
So, after this brief presentation of each of the diseases, the bottom line would be: no shot for the measles, maybe a later shot for the mumps ( as it can be somehow dangerous in the teenage, adult years) and an early shot for rubella (depending on how much interaction with pregnant women he's having - is he going into daycare, kindergarden etc)
Taking in consideration that the MMR shot has by far too many side effects than any other shot, I'd rather pursue the splitting of the vaccine, meaning doing only the mumps shot and the rubella shot.
So, my alternative schedule would look like:

15 months - Pc, HIB

18 months - DTaP, Polio

24 months - Rubella (that's about the time when we would like to get pregnant again with another baby)

3 y.o - Mumps (he will start pre-school)

EDIT : Thanks to my wonderful friend MQ, I found out that MMR shot is no longer available into separate shots. There's a very useful article about it, here. Having said that, I will revise my schedule, as fallow:

15 months - PC, HIB

18 months - DTaP, Polio

3 y.o. or later (depending when he will start pre-school) - MMR


Shots are not an easy one!!!

4 comments:

  1. Big boy, Bryce!

    Clara, I thought the separate vaccines are not available any longer, that they are not being produced any more. Your ped told you she can go ahead with this schedule, or is just your thought?

    Asking 'cause I postponed this and have a vaccine counselling meeting with pepit's doc soon. Thx!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ops, no, is my thought. I thought they were still available. I still have to talk with her, because I'm kind of torn with this MMR and splitting it seemed to me a better idea.
    What's your intake with this particular subject? I've been meaning to write you a PM on DC to ask you about it??
    Thanks so much. Poti sa-mi raspunzi in RO. Merci mult, MQ.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Clara, it really depends on the time he'll go into community. In september-october I might have to leave him in someone else's care and that is the decisive information I don't have yet. If he'll go to day-care I think I'll give the shot. But I have the counselling meeting with the pediatrician and I have to see what he has to say about this.
    Chickenpox we'll refuse and try to... infect him if he does not pick it up by himself. :))

    Big hugs!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks so much, MQ. In our case, the pediatrician was kind of like "oh, but these diseases are so serious, blah, blah, that you need to do this vaccine". And reading the Sears book, talking with my mom (as I had all of them) seems better at this point in life to let him have them. He will build a lifetime immunity as opposed to the shots and to the their side effects. But, it all comes down with him going to pre-school and than school when he will need them. That's why I would want to postpone them 'til he will get into some sort of school establishment.

    ReplyDelete

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