I feel like I failed my son.

thunderstorm

Fri, Nov 29 2019, 2:34 pm

OP, my concern is having a four month old who hasn’t seen a doctor and is not being monitored for growth , weight and healthy development . The vaccines would be the last thing I’d be concerned about. But in either case , that no way makes you a mother that failed her child. You did the best under the circumstances. This is just the beginning of many more years of child rearing. Situations will come up where you’ll feel mother’s guilt. It would be wise to work on yourself so that you don’t overly criticize your mothering abilities. That could get in the way of healthy parenting.

amother

Jade

Fri, Nov 29 2019, 3:05 pm

You're doing great! You're a loving mother and new to this whole thing so give yourself some grace. Unless there's an outbreak, no need to stress over vaccine scheduling, take your time. As long as he gets them eventually, all is well.
Many good BP pediatricians take Medicaid so you should be fine. It's a good idea to stay on top of well visits so you can see how your baby is growing and developing.
A little self care might help you too. Go easy on yourself, motherhood is a wild ride and doing it with no family around is really no small deal.
Your baby is in wonderful hands!

amother

Burlywood

Sat, Nov 30 2019, 11:49 am

amother [ Fuchsia ] wrote:

Do you still have some milk left? Can you stimulate and start nursing again?
Even just once or twice a day will help your child's immunity.

My child is 6 months old.
His siblings are vaccinated. I don't plan on giving him anything as long as I'm still nursing. And I'm hoping to continue nursing up till 2+ years.

If you don't nurse please do give him his shots. But personally I'd, be careful where I'd take my baby and not give shots before and the least 12 months.
Also do one at a time to not overwhelm his immune system.
There are remedies and other things to do a few days before and after to minimize side effects. Do your research on the shots you will give. Not all are absolutely necessary.

Good luck and Mazal Tov to your new baby!

Actually I think it's better to give the vaccinations while the baby is still nursing. It helps baby handle them better, integrate them better, respond better, have less side effects, etc.

Also by about 6 months babies don't have any more placental antibodies left. It's true that breastfeeding provides immunological benefits but as dozens if not hundreds of hours researching showed me, the breastmilk provides some protection - it does not provide full immunity. Not going to diminish the importance of that protection (I am a long-term BFer myself) but please don't spread misinformation.

Also breastmilk helps most with enteroviruses. Some (not all, of course) of the worst viruses are decidedly not enteroviruses.

I think it is a real shame to insist on denying your child the benefits of breastfeeding while s/he is getting vaccinated.

FranticFrummie

Sat, Nov 30 2019, 1:00 pm

OP, a lot of women don't produce enough milk, no matter how hard they work on it. It's not your fault, so please don't let anyone make you feel guilty. It doesn't make you any less of a mother, or a woman.

Delayed vaccinations are actually generally accepted by most doctors, unless there is an active outbreak in your area. I did delayed vaccinations with DD, and also had them separate instead of compounded, with one vaccine per office visit. I paid more for the separated vaccines, which had to be ordered, and I paid the copay for every visit. B'H, my DD is as healthy as a horse.

Just look at what you can do going forward from now, and don't beat yourself up. A happy mommy is one of the very best ways you can take care of your baby.

Rappel

Sat, Nov 30 2019, 3:56 pm

amother [ Burlywood ] wrote:

You said it better than I could.