By Sherri Tenpenny, DO, AOBNMM, ABIHM
You were a new parent; you trusted your pediatrician. And you liked him. He was playful, cooed with your baby and had a tiny teddy bear attached to his stethoscope. You believed him when he said, “Vaccines are safe. They’ve been tested and reactions are extremely rare.” Together you laughed and made fun of the “anti-vaxxers.” The two of you agreed that parents who didn’t vaccinate their children were cavalier at best, dangerous at worst.
Without hesitation, you went to all the well visits. You held your baby as she cried and you watched as the nurse injected many shots into her chubby little thighs. You had no reservations about taking her for her 1-year shots, the day after her playful birthday party, complete with cake, balloons and too many presents from doting grandparents, aunts and uncles. You grabbed a sucker out of the jar on your way to the car, whimpering baby in tow.
Shortly after you got home, the crying began in earnest. She was fussy, clingy, and irritable. Something was wrong. This was not your fiercely independent child. Concerned, you called the office. She had not responded like this after her other shots. You were reassured she would be fine.
And then, it happened. Actually, then it began…
