Prepare BEFORE you Vaccinate!!!

If you are vaccinating your kids, you need to be aware of this information. Recently on Facebook, in breast feeding support group, there was this post regarding the DTaP vaccine:

“He got the DTaP vaccine on Monday around 2pm. He seemed fine & normal until around 3am when he woke up crying, clammy, sweating, gray/pale and unwilling to nurse or stand up (both VERY out of character for him). Eventually, he projectile vomited 2-3 times and then went in & out of consciousness a couple times. Needless to say we freaked out! My first instinct was to throw him in the bathtub, which we did, as we waited for a return call from the Dr. After about 20 minutes in the tub, he seems to have returned to normal. What a scare! This was the 1st and only vaccine he has had so far.”

If your kids have reactions to vaccines, you need to make sure your Pediatrician reports that vaccine reaction. There is a government program dedicated to reporting reactions from vaccines called VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System) http://vaers.hhs.gov/index.

BEFORE the shot!

If your kids or others get future vaccines, there are ways to prepare your and your babies body for an immune response, especially if you are still breast feeding. Dr. Sears has some good tips on what to do before your child gets a vaccine. Check out http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/vaccines/boost-your-childs-immune-system

If Breastfeeding:

For mom, take 4000IU (or more!) of Vitamin D/day to keep the TH1 and TH2 immune cells balanced. Baby gets this Vit D thru mom's milk.

Avoid Coffee and Echinacea ahead of time to avoid creating a TH1 or TH2 dominant immune shift.

DHA supplements (1200mg). This is an omega-3 fatty acid that is a major component of the human brain and central nervous system. This will help decrease inflammation and protect the brain. You can find DHA naturally in fish. One study found fish oil higher in DHA than EPA lowered inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-6 and IL-1β, associated with neurodegenerative and autoimmune diseases. They note the brain normally contains DHA, but not EPA, though both DHA and EPA plasma concentrations increased significantly for participants.*

*Vedin I, et al. (1 June 2008). "Effects of docosahexaenoic acid–rich n–3 fatty acid supplementation on cytokine release". Am J Clin Nutr 87 (6): 1616–1622. PMID 18541548

AFTER the shot!

Do NOT overheat your baby. By overheating baby, it affects the temperature control center in the brain called the hypothalamus. After a vaccine, stressors to the body can cause the immune system to react in a negative manner.