Pediatrician

Recommend reading: The Vaccine Book by Dr. Sears

An unbiased view about vaccinating... or not.

I learned about this book through Kristen's Raw.

While touring a pediatrician's office, we quickly got the impression that they did not welcome vegetarians/vegans nor those who want a selective and alternative vaccine schedule. When we asked the coordinator if the pediatricians would support a vegan lifestyle, she quickly mentioned their concern would be if the baby was receiving appropriate nutrition - primarily protein. I thought it was odd since nutritionists would probably be concerned with iron, calcium, and B12 intake (IMO)... and maybe fat. Well, maybe she wasn't the best one to answer the question; however, I would expect the pediatricians to test for nutritional deficiencies and toxicity, then advise, and certainly not impose their values on us.

We were also disappointed to learn that this particular pediatrician's office would only accept patients that have all immunizations - mandatory or not. The office requires just about every vaccine, including the yearly flu shot and HPV shot (at appropriate ages, of course) on their schedule. (BTW, this is when we learned that the H1N1 will be in next year's flu shot.)

Well, after this visit, we thought that looking for a pediatrician would be extremely difficult and time consuming. Fortunately, one call to our midwives' office gave us hope. They recommended Whole Child Pediatrics where they allow for selective and alternative vaccines. If opting out, you must provide a reason. They start vaccines after 2 months of age, plus consider the weight of the child before vaccinating. Now, this makes much more sense to us!