I Declined the Hepatitis B Vaccine for Baby
I was surprised to learn, in the hospital, just hours after my baby was born, that most babies get the hepatitis B vaccine in the first few days of life. I'm not anti-vaccine, however vaccinating a newborn baby before he leaves the hospital? This struck me as very odd.
Not being properly informed on the hep B vaccine, I managed to look it up online. Hepatitis B, I learned, is highly infectious and can lead to liver damage and death. However, it is mainly acquired through unsafe sex or sharing drug needles.
Basically, there is almost no way a newborn baby will contract hepatitis B unless he gets it from his mother. So I couldn't justify sticking a needle in my little one for this low level of risk. Further, I can't understand why it has been made routine at such an early age. If I'm wrong, please leave a comment below.
We discussed the issue with our pediatrician, who agreed the risk of hep b is low. We had the option to give the vaccine at baby's one month appointment. We declined, but we may reconsider it for his third month. Knowing how many vaccinations he'll face as an infant, I'd just rather let him grow and gain strength before I subject him to shots that I don't feel are very necessary.
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True that Hep B isn't necessary at birth, but it IS necessary for school. I think most people just have it done to get it out of the way - one less thing to think of as our babies get older :) At the 2 mo and 4 mo doctor visit, babies get so many shots, giving 1 at the hospital seems pretty harmless compared to the 2-3 needle sticks they'll have then. They also get a vitamin K shot and have blood drawn right after they're born...so its not as though declining the Hep B at birth will save them some pain.
Is Hep B really required for school? Do schools just go along with the full CDC vaccination schedule? I'm rather surprised, as Hep B isn't exactly the sort of thing that would go around on the schoolyard.
That said, I do plan to get him the Hep B vaccine at some point. Broadly, I believe vaccinations are important and essential to disease prevention. One less thing to think about...definitely. Something about overwhelming their little immune systems just seems questionable to me. Meningitis, whooping cough.. the danger outweighs other considerations. But Hepatitis B, I'm just not so sure about.
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