2 month vaccination at 6 weeks?

[Where there's hope]

During our community nurse visit on Friday, I was advised that DS should get his two month immunisation early - at 6 weeks - because of the whooping cough outbreak in NSW. Anyone else given this advice?

DH and I do take this seriously - we and the grandparents have been immunised for whooping cough and swine flu. But I figure the immunisation schedule is set at 2 months for a reason...

Any thoughts?

Thanks
WTH

[ss_storm]

we were told that too, but i still got her done at 2 months. 6 weeks just seems so little to be jabbing them with needles! and then it kind of mucks up the rest of their vaccinations, I think with the littlies it is important to get them done as close to the mark as possible, i.e.. as close to 2 months, 4 months etc as you can get, so if you get them done at 6 weeks, do you then get them done 2 weeks before they are 4 months old or stretch it out, in which case the booster may not work as effectively had it been done at the correct time.

We didn't go out much during the first few months and didnt really have anyone visit so didn't worry too much about it. we didn't get our whooping cough boosters until DD got her needles at 2 months.

[~Raven~]

I was told that the vaccinations are scheduled the way they are because the babies immune system is unable to "hold onto" the antibodies before 8 weeks and it would be a waste to give it to them. Not sure how true that is.

[tenar]

I suggest you ask a GP.

We've messed around with DD's schedule to have her have as many of her 6-month vaccinations as possible a couple of weeks early, so she would be protected from those things in time for our trip overseas (the only one we couldn't is the Hep B, because you have to have at least 56 days between the 4-month Hep B shot and the 6-month one, and there wasn't time). So she had a bunch of things about 2 weeks earlier than she should have. I was able to discuss with with the doctor, which helped me to feel happy about doing it this way.

But 6 months is quite different to 2 months, as the baby is so much more developed. So I don't know whether the same kind of thing would be OK for yours.

Hope you can come to a decision and that, whatever you do, your baby stays well.

[Snacks]

We were given the same advice by three different HPs. I had DD vacced at 6 weeks.

[rach2281]

Yep was given the same advise here to, by the midwives, peditrician and family doc. So in 2 wks Evangeline will be getting her first needle

[tk1999]

We had this same discussion in our belly buddies group as I had recieved the advice to have the vaccs at 6 weeks rather than 8 weeks. One of my belly buddies used to work for a vacc company and advised us that the vaccs had been ok'd for use at 6 weeks rather than 8 weeks.

The advice I was given by my ECHN and Paed was that this was the only one I needed to have 'early' and that the others would be as per the schedule.

[Mum2]

I was told the same. We got Emily done at 6weeks & 6days old. I also got the whooping cough shot. Dh has to get it this week. I almost died from whooping cough when I was a baby and after that it was one illness my mum was always worried about. I think it rubbed off on me.

[Where there's hope]

Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and POV's on this subject

I rang my GP's surgery this morning and learned that yes, the surgery has just recently been advised to do the 2-month immunisation at six weeks due to the current WC outbreak. They were able to advise the 4-month immunisation would still take place at 4-months, not 2 weeks early. Anyway, he now booked in for 6-weeks and 1 day...

WTH

PS: anyone choose to give Baby Panadol beforehand? Any temperature spikes after, etc?

[Mum2]

I gave Emily baby panadol beforehand. I don't know if they still recommend it or not, but I thought it wouldn't hurt.

[Snacks]

Phoebe didn't have any reactions. Not even a bump on the thighs where the needles went. I reckon you're better off just seeing how they go. Panadol works pretty quickly if they do get unsettled. I have found with my two however that lots of cuddles and extra feeds were all that were needed to keep them happy and settled. After P's 4 month shots she was super sleepy. (Slept for 11 hours overnight then had a 4 hour nap the following morning! Very unusual for her.) That's been our only reaction here.
GL - I hope it goes ok.

[LoriRae]

Bother. My GP told me this and I forgot about it. DD is already past the six week mark, so i should probably book her in.

I found all his vac's made my ds very very sleepy for the next 24 hours. He didn't really need panadol with any of them.

[tk1999]

DD was a little bit more sleepy and wanted lots of feeds... she had a long sleep that night (it was also our first long overnight sleep) but that was it - oh she did have a slight bruise and it was slightly raised but wasn't really a bump where the needle went. She didn't have a temp.

We didn't give her panadol - just boob.

[Artechim]

In New Zealand the first lot of vaccinations are scheduled for 6 weeks.