"Firsts" as a Mother

There are many "firsts" as a mother. The first bath, the first walk around the neighborhood, the first time to church, the first time getting spit up on your clothes, the first changing of baby's diaper and so on.

Yesterday was the first time for some vaccine shots for Ruthie. She first received some liquid bubblegum tasting Tylenol with my permission. This was to help with the fever brought on by the vaccines. Ruthie screamed and sputtered. Her eyes darted side to side looking big and glassy with tears in them. Then it was time for the vaccines. It was the first time I saw my child held down to receive a stinging painful DTaP shot in the meat of her thigh and then forced to take some nasty tasting Rotovirus vaccine in her mouth.

Before all of this happened, I was able to explain to the nurse that if possible, I wanted Ruthie to receive two particular pharmaceutical brands of the vaccines. They possessed one of the brands of the DTaP shot but not for the Rotovirus. I think the nurses were surprised that I made requests of vaccine brands. I suppose most women bring their infants in and subject their child to the battery of vaccines without questioning the brands.

I have learned through research that there are two brands of the Rotovirus vaccine. One has five live and whole virus strains and fetal cow blood in it and the other contains just one live and whole virus strain with no fetal cow blood. Guess which vaccine was available? The one I did not want (by Merck) but knew that the benefits of a Rotovirus vaccine outweighed the risks of Ruthie contracting Rotovirus during early childhood. I watched with anguish, with my heart ripping as five live and whole virus strains with fetal cow blood drained into Ruthie's mouth as she screamed bloody murder as only an infant can do. I asked if it tasted nasty and the nurse replied she did not ever want to find out. I prayed that there wouldn't be mild or serious side effects as a result of the vaccine such as seizures, intestinal complications that require surgery to correct it, fussiness, abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting and bloody stools. Unfortunately, most children catch Rotovirus during the first few years of their life, so with this in mind, we chose to get Ruthie vaccinated against it. It just gives me an unsettling feeling knowing that "medical scientists" create vaccines with controversial ingredients such as cow blood in them.

As for the DTaP vaccine, this is a shot that combines the vaccines for Diphtheria, Tetanus and Pertussis. I specifically requested that the Daptacel brand be used for Ruthie since it does not contain cow extract, however, the painful truth is that all brands of the DTaP vaccine contain controversial ingredients such as aluminum and formaldehyde. That is pretty DISGUSTING! The pharmaceutical scientists claim that aluminum and formaldehyde help the vaccine to work better but common sense tells me otherwise. These components "may help" but introducing CHEMICALS that should not enter our bodies is dangerous.

My thought on having Ruthie receive this combo vaccine is this: Pertussis is common in the United States because infants contract the disease from infected adults and die from it. This is my only reason for requesting the DTaP vaccine. Diphtheria is virtually non-existent in America and Tetanus is not an infant disease. It is too bad that the DTaP vaccine is the only vaccine made available to inoculate infants against Pertussis. A Pertussis vaccine has not been created at this time. So us parents have to live with the fact that our children have a chance at having one of the following reactions to the DTaP vaccine: lymph node swelling, heart inflammation, serious swelling of injected limb, diabetes, seizures, bruises, bleeding disorders, blue color from poor circulation, severe allergic reactions, skin infections, brain damage, nerve dysfunction, and Guillain-Barre syndrome.

As a parent, I have done my research and requested the best options for our child when it came to the first round of vaccines. Lawson and I have had to diligently watch for any signs of side effects. Some side effects could take place up to a couple of months later. There is a chance that anyone who changes Ruthie's diaper could contract the Rotovirus through the stool so precautions such as cleanliness and washing of hands are necessary to keep from getting infected.

I am REALLY looking forward to another "first." Next time, I hope it will be a pleasant one.