18-Month Doctor's Wellness Appointment

Klaudia's pediatrician whom we used to see has a policy that all children in his office have to be fully vaccinated by the age of 18 months. Since K had 0 shots so far and is turning 18 months next week, it was time for us to hit the road in search for a shot-free friendly doctor.

Can I just add here that the previous doctor had told us that if we waited with the shots until K was two, then there would be no need to give her any vaccinations since her immune system would be 'adult like' and able to fight off various diseases? Also, according to him, K wasn't supposed to 'make it' without the shots by the age of 1. Had I not known friends who chose our path and whose children lived healthy passed age 1 and more with no shots, I'd be scared.

Back to our new doctor... Dr. SK was recommended to us by a friend of ours. When I called to make an appointment, I was asked if I was switching the doctors, or if it was just a one time appointment. I chose the 2nd option since I still wasn't sure how Dr. SK would react to our 'no shots' decision.

First K and I were seen by a nurse whose one of the first questions was: How does K react to her vaccinations? When I said she hasn't had any yet, she stopped whatever she was doing, turned around and gave me the longest and weirdest look, to which I mumbled: 'What?' She asked: 'Why isn't she vaccinated?' First the look, then the question! I knew she wasn't ready to listen to all the research I've done, nor was there enough time for it. And even though I was irritated by her attitude, I ended our discussion with 'I'll be discussing this with Dr. SK.'

Dr. SK turned out to be extremely nice. The appointment lasted fairly long and it never felt as if she was rushing (can't remember such an appointment lately). She gave us a lot of information about K's development and what to expect within the next few months. She wasn't absolutely happy about our 'no shots' decision and was very willing to give us 2 that day but respected us when we said NO, THANK YOU and agreed to care for K regardless of our opinion on vaccinations.

One of the shots she was recommending was the H influenza B vaccine which was not a flut shot, we were told. Since I'd never heard of it, I agreed to listen to a short lecture about the disease. I learned that we don't die from it, but eventually we may become deaf and brain damaged after contracting it. Naturally I got worried and asked how many cases of this disease she had seen in her practice, to which I heard: 'None.' The disease has been spotted only in New York and Chicago, according to Dr. SK; the disease is not in California because of the great vaccination programs we have here. This triggered many questions in my head that I didn't ask: Why would NY's and Chicago's vaccine programs be so much worse than ours? How many Californians have been vaccinated against the H influenza B? Have all the NY & Chicago people who contracted the disease not been vaccinated? Why is it that those who haven't been vaccinated here in CA have not gotten sick yet? What are the stats on all the H influenza B shots given? Have all the children reacted wonderfully to the shots? I didn't ask any of those questions. Instead I said I'd talk to my husband about it. Dr. SK told me we had 6 months to make the decision because after K turns 2, she will not need this vaccination. I guess after 2, there is no brain damage nor deafness when contracting the H influenza B.

During our time with Dr. SK, I asked about how much a toddler should eat. K has been slacking on eating for a while now. She used to be the best eater on this planet, but recently everything changed. She can go forever with a teaspoon of food but will drink 8oz of milk whenever given a chance. Veggies are out of the question; however, fruit is being inhaled. Dr. SK said not to worry. K gets all her vitamins from the berries she eats but suggested to offer her veggies every day. Dr. SK told us that K looks very good and does not need additional vitamins. She's doing well lengthwise (75th percentile) and weightwise (90th percentile); her head is still off the chart.

After stopping breastfeeding, Ive been very concerned about K's not eating as much as she used to (she has days where she'll eat tons and then weeks where she eats only fruit). With our decision not to vaccinate, Len and I knew that there will be things we'll have to compensate with to keep her healthy. Keeping her immune system up and ready to fight is our priority. And the fact that K simply 'looks good' doesn't calm me down. I want her to get all the nutrients she needs during the day. So, we'll continue offering her meat and veggies hoping she'll one day pick some and eat.

Overall, the appointment with our new pediatrician went well. We're scheduled to see her again when K turns 2 unless we decide to vaccinate before that. We'll be seeing Dr. SK in 6 months.