Jonathan had his 2-month appointment last week, and not only was I blown away by his weight (12 lbs. 11 oz., a good pound and a half bigger than either sibling at this age), but I was reminded why I love our pediatrician. She embodies the balance that is such an integral part of the mission of Kitchen Stewardship.
Not to make anyone jealous, but here’s why I love her so much:
- She was able to look at Leah two hours after her birth and say, "She looks just like Paul." We the parents still thought she looked like a wrinkled alien, so I’m pretty impressed with her connection with her patients! (She was right, too.)
- She knew I was going to tell her about our natural success getting rid of cradle cap before we arrived…because she read it here at KS! How cool is that?
- She said, "I fully support your decision not to circumcise Jonathan. Just about any medical professional who’s read the literature will agree that, although there is a higher risk of penile infection or STDs, the risk is so slight that this decision is not even a medical one anymore – it is a purely social decision, a cosmetic surgery."
- We see her at the Farmer’s Market during the summer (my 6-year-old gets a huge kick out of that), and she told me this week that cloth diapering will be simple – she used cloth for three of her four kids.
- When the subject of vaccines came up, I told her we had decided, after over an hour of research and discussion the night before, to hold off on all vaccines until six months. She asked for our reasons.
While she is okay with skipping things like tetanus for an infant who’s not exactly running around in the dirt, and polio since there hasn’t been a case in the U.S. since the 80s, she had to talk seriously with me about the Hib and Pc (pneumococcus, vaccine called Prevnar) vaccines.
Because there’s still a pretty good chance of becoming exposed to both these diseases, and because meningitis can be the end game in both, and meningitis moves from "feeling icky" to "fatal" very quickly in infants especially, she hates to see infants unvaccinated.
She referenced the post I wrote on vaccines for Green…Your Way and the sad vaccine injury stories there. She said she’s seen the other side’s ramifications, and teared up talking about being at the bedside of an unvaccinated baby who passed away from Hib.
As I fought back my own tears, I thought, "Oh, boy…now I need to look into this again."
But that’s why I love being a patient with this doc – she’s balanced. She reads the literature and makes informed decisions, and she cares about her patients. She said she won’t ask us to leave the practice if we’re fully unvaccinated (perhaps another reference to the article), but that "we’re always going to land on different sides of the fence on this issue."
Ultimately it’s a bit of (strong) positive peer pressure. I wish I had thought to ask her about vaccine injuries and issues, and if she’s ever witnessed any of those.
My next step? I need to re-check my facts on Hib and Pc, weigh the risk, severity and treatability of disease vs. risk and severity of vaccine, and finally check the brands our office carries against the list of vaccines that include aborted fetal cells. (Good – those two don’t ever cross the moral line. One less thing to worry about…)
Our doc also reminded me that babies are supposed to have a Vitamin D supplement of 400 IUs a day. With our Green Pasture fermented cod liver oil, I’m figuring that to be 1/5 tsp., which is a little squirt but still plenty!
We all can’t wait to see how that goes, and I’ve been scared to try thus far. I think I’ll nurse him, take him off and squirt some FCLO in his mouth then nurse him right away again. Wearing grungy clothes. And a bib close by. Maybe a disposable one. I hear even my favorite soap nuts can’t really get the FCLO smell out of baby clothes.
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Kitchen Stewardship is dedicated to balancing God’s gifts of time, health, earth and money. If you feel called to such a mission, read more at Mission, Method, and Mary and Martha Moments.
Disclosure: I did let our doc read this post and asked permission to share it with the world. 
Green Pasture is a November sponsor receiving their complimentary mention in this post. The story is totally true though – can’t you hear how petrified I am of this process??? I am an affiliate of NaturOli soap nuts, so I will earn commission from any sales made through this link. You can feel free to buy some as long as you don’t expect it to get out the FCLO, you know. See my full disclosure statement here.
We’ve found an amazing ped here who has begun a strong lean toward natural medicine after her son’s autism was greatly improved by the treatments of our shared naturopath.
After lengthy discussions w/ her about vaccinations, it seems she has landed w/ Dr Campbell-McBride (GAPS) that vaccinations should be administered, but only to a patient w/ healthy gut flora.
After two children who developed auto-immune issues (severe food allergy, periodic fever syndrome) after infant vaccinations, I was feeling helpless b/c I don’t feel comfortable leaving them un-vaccinated. Now I am pumping them full of probiotics, fish oil, and real food, and using a very slow shot schedule (my youngest will begin getting one shot per visit when she’s 3 1/2, two years after being fever-free).
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That is so encouraging! I live in the GR area and would love to know who your ped. is. I’m not very happy with the one I have now and would love to switch. Thanks
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Michelle Reply:
November 8th, 2011 at 5:47 pm
Me, too! I am looking for one!!
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Maybe you could give him the cod liver oil when he’s wearing only a diaper! That way it won’t accidentally get on his clothes if he fights you about taking it.
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Having a good pediatrician is a very good thing. I recently switched (my son is 19 mos) because I didn’t feel like he was getting the doc’s full attention, and it’s AMAZING the difference between an interested, engaged pediatrician and a burned-out one. (I’m assuming, but he did resign from practice and go into hospital administration just a few wks after we left his practice.) On the Vit D supplement — I exclusively nursed for 6 months and never gave Vit D… of course, that might be bc my slacker ped never told me to!
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We didn’t vaccinate any of our children {They are all grown now}. We believed the key was to keep healthy immune systems…Vaccinations kind of scare me. Too many weird diseases and allergies these days…I just encourage people to really research it and pray a lot, asking for wisdom. He promises wisdom if we just ask.
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What a blessing you have in finding this pediatrician. If more medical providers were like her, I wouldn’t be so distrustful of them! On the FCLO–I tried it, but the taste was so bad, the burping so horrible, that compliance was less than 1 dose a week. My blood levels were too low. So I switched to Mercola’s Vit D spray and within 2 months, my blood tests were normal and I felt better. My point is this: if the FCLO won’t work, is there another method that will?
May the Lord grant you wisdom to know what to do in this situation!
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I love our pedi too. He’s so relaxed about vaccines. The past two checkups for my son (at age 2 and 3), he asked if I wanted to do the scheduled vaccines. I was uncertain in both cases, and he said, No problem. let’s just hold off for now, especially considering his food allergies.
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Katie – does your doctor have a probiotic she likes to recommend for infants/babies? We have one brand that we’ve been using as a GAPS family (Udo’s Choice), but it turns out that the infant version has maltodextrin in it as a binder … and considering that me, my mom, and our 3yo DD are all allergic to corn, it’s not something I want to risk with an infant! I’d be curious if your doctor has any recommendations, given her balanced approach?
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Katie Reply:
November 7th, 2011 at 9:33 pm
Bethany,
Katie
We’ve never talked probiotics…but maybe she’ll read this and email me!
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April Reply:
November 7th, 2011 at 10:57 pm
Bethany, you asked me this question in person and I don’t think I ever gave you an answer. When I saw it here, I figured I might as well answer here in case it helps someone else. Our ped recommended Kyo-Dophilus for our little guy. It contains Lactobacillus gasseri (formerly called L. acidophilus) Bifidobacterium bifidum and Bifidobactreium longum, and the other ingredients are gelatin, potato starch and silica. I’m not sure how that squares with GAPS, but it is dairy, corn and gluten free. Hope that helps!
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You didn’t mention looking into the efficacy of the vaccines. That seems like an important thing to find out, if you can. I mean, if babies are contracting these diseases even *after* being vaccinated, perhaps it’s not worth it.
Also, Vitamin D transmits through breastmilk, does it not? Couldn’t you just supplement yourself, instead of supplementing the baby directly?
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Katie Reply:
November 7th, 2011 at 9:32 pm
Jessie,
Katie
Actually, Vit D is one of the few nutrients that doesn’t transmit well through breastmilk…
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Jessie Reply:
November 7th, 2011 at 9:38 pm
KellyMom.com and its sources beg to differ: http://kellymom.com/nutrition/vitamins/vitamin-d.html
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Katie Reply:
November 7th, 2011 at 9:44 pm
Welllll…I live in Michigan entering winter, and I hide inside typing on the computer all day b/c it’s COLD up here!
Also, kellymom says “Anyone aged 1-50 years should not exceed 2,000 IU (50 µg) per day,” when another commenter just rec’d 4000 IU and said it’s perfectly safe. Just goes to show ya can’t trust everything you read on the Internet. Tee hee! At some point, I have to trust the doctor who’s read the research, and she’s willing to cite research, you know?
Totally appreciate you sharing the source! It kind of confirms that we probably DO need Vit D supplementation, as we’re way up north, and also John’s daddy was wayyyyyy low on D last October; I don’t know my own levels (but am getting curiouser and curiouser!). TU!
Katie
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About the vaccines, we do not vaccinate our kids. But, one of our sons, when he was about 6 weeks old did contract Hib. If we had decided to get the vaccine, it wouldn’t have mattered because it is not administered until 2 months. I will say that is moves very, very fast. Our son had a red, swollen eye, no fever, nothing and I had an overwhelming prompting that he needed to be at the emergency room (like someone had hit-me-over-the-head overwhelming). Within an hour of being at the emergency room he had a fever of 104 degrees (he did not have one when he got to the emergency room). When it was all said and done he spent 10 days in the hospital hooked up to pretty nasty antibiotics, had a spinal tap (which was negative, thank goodness, although his blood was septic) and then spent a month at home with a pic line pumping anitbiotics in him. He is a perfectly healthy and happy 5 year old now. When he first went in the hospital we gave our other two sons (who were unvaccinated) a Hib booster. Nobody else got sick. The point of all that is not to scare you into getting the vaccine. We had one more son after that and we did give him the 2 vaccines that your doctor mentioned. Just be aware that those diseases do still exist. I’m still very grateful that we do not fully vaccinate our children because they have other issues that I believe would have been exacerbated had we vaccinated. My advice for anyone would be to make it a decision of serious prayer and to stay close to the Lord and lean on Him for guidance during this time. Chances of you child contracting either of these diseases would be very low, but your pediatrician is right. They are quick and deadly. Good Luck!
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Katie Reply:
November 7th, 2011 at 9:29 pm
Lanise,
Thank you for sharing your real story…terrifying. Praise God for giving you that SHOVE to the ER. I bet that was totally out of character for you, too, right?
You’re so right about this: “make it a decision of serious prayer and to stay close to the Lord and lean on Him for guidance during this time” – that’s something I need to remember. Sometimes I lean too heavily on my own intellect and research and “stuff” of this world. Thank you, sister in Christ! Katie
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Reminds me of my ob-gyn, 20 years ago, when our twins were born. It was a Sunday, my water broke at 4 am, labor slowed way-y-y down around 8. A couple hours later, Dr. Hartmann said, “Things are slow; I’m going home to shower and then go to Mass. I’ll be back later.” I knew right then I was in good hands and everything would be okay.
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Katie Reply:
November 7th, 2011 at 9:27 pm
Barb,
Katie
What fun! I used to go to that very OBGYN’s office. Awwww…
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I’ve read that HiB rates increased after the vaccine came into widespread use, something else to look into.
I don’t give my baby FCLO or anything by mouth until at least 6 months. Once he is eating solids he will get it. Until then, I just make sure that I take it and he gets it through me. Take a larger dose yourself (fun, right?) and he’ll be okay.
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Wow! She does sound amazing!
FYI… Medical literature supports that if nursing mothers take 4000 IU of Vitamin D daily, their babies get the correct amount in moms milk. I can send you journal links later. Most people, especially women are D deficient to start with, and 4000 is perfectly safe even if you aren’t (deficient).
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Katie Reply:
November 7th, 2011 at 9:23 pm
Amy,
Katie
Yes, please on the links. That would be great news! Pretty sure I already take about that much, usu. one big Tablespoon or two regular spoonfuls…
Thank you!
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Amy Reply:
November 8th, 2011 at 11:58 am
Lets see if the link shows up properly here. If not, I can email it to you.
http://www.ajcn.org/content/80/6/1752S.long
Another: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3813608?dopt=Abstract
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I have found the book “The Vaccine Book” by Robert Sears to be extremely helpful in making decisions about whether or not to give vaccines, and if so, which ones. The book exams each vaccine – it tells what the purpose is, what it’s made out of, pros and cons of getting it, etc. Very readable. I have ended up giving two of my children a few select ones, because of particular circumstances. Reading the book gave me the confidence to explain why I didn’t want to give a bunch of others. Thankfully my kids pediatrician is not pushy about vaccines!
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Katie Reply:
November 7th, 2011 at 9:22 pm
Lisa,
Katie
Ditto that! Awesome resource!
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Why supplement such a young baby with vit D? I don’t suppose there is any proof that he is deficient?
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Katie Reply:
November 7th, 2011 at 9:22 pm
Sarah,
Katie
I think it’s getting to be common practice. Was rec’d when my first was a baby, and now I am pretty sure research is showing that we ALL are D deficient, especially in these northern regions, and Vit D doesn’t go through breastmilk, so I can’t help Jonathan. I think? He does have trouble with D, I would guess, b/c he was jaundiced for about a month after birth, and the sunshine totally helped the yellow – after a cloudy day, his eyes would turn yellow. We’d get him in the sun the next day, and it would clear up enough that we didn’t think we had to get him checked. I was so thankful it was August and not December!
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Amy Reply:
November 8th, 2011 at 12:02 pm
I’m sure you have read in my previous post by now, that yes! Vitamin D absolutely does go through your breastmilk to your baby
Studies show taking 2000-4000 IU will give your baby as much in breastmilk as if he were taking the supplement orally himself.
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You can also use Carlson’s Baby D Drops. You just need 1 drop a day, and a bottle lasts a full year.
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All of you (including your pediatricians) need to read the book called Vaccination is Not Immunization by Dr. Tim O’Shea. It doesn’t get any less complicated than the way he tells it.
Your pediatrician teared up while telling you a story . . . really. I find that beyond amusing.
What you need to check for in those shots she wants your baby to have is mercury in any form, formaldehyde, squalene, aluminum – and any other adjuvants the manufacturers are sliding into the vaccines these days. If you find any of those things, steer clear. Choosing not to vaccinate isn’t an easy road (because there are so many well-orchestrated but false stories and rumors out there) but it can be done. We did it with 3 kids. We fought with EVERYBODY but we did it anyhow. They are all now adults, healthy and happy adults.
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Katie Reply:
November 7th, 2011 at 9:15 pm
D, I was copying down the book title, but you lost some credibility when you picked on my pediatrician for loving her patients and mourning one she lost. There’s nothing amusing about a family whose child died; I don’t care what the reason was.
Katie
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D. Reply:
November 7th, 2011 at 10:46 pm
I didn’t say the death was amusing, c’mon here folks. I said the fact that your doctor was tearing up was amusing because if anyone knows the detrimental effects of vaccinations, she does. Don’t forget, those people went to the same schools as any regular MD who supports vaccines, so you must keep the whole thing in context and stop reading between the lines.
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I also have a wonderful pediatrician. She is very thorough with the kids and willing to listen to any concerns I have; she gives me peace of mind about decisions I have made for my children.
I find the whole vaccination debate so confusing. There seem to be scare tactics on both sides and it seems like, no matter our decision, our kids will have an increased risk for disease or terrible side effects.
I am looking for unbiased resources to find more information. I saw someone recommend the Sears’ vaccine book- anyone have some other suggestions, too? Possibly from an online resource?
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Katie Reply:
November 7th, 2011 at 9:09 pm
Alicia,
Katie
I hear ya. The comments at this post: green.yourway.net/vaccines-peer-pressure-propaganda-or-prudence/ became a huge resource, complete with online links to info. A good place to start!
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If you want another option for vitamin D, I’ve been happy with Carlson Lab’s Baby D drops liquid vitamin D3. Ingredients are Vit D3 (cholecalciferol) and fractionated coconut oil. My ped was fine with it. You just have to give them one drop, and I’ve tried it, it has practically no taste at all. Before my daughter started solids (now I put a drop on the spoon), I just put a drop on my pinky and let her suck on it for 30 seconds, as per the directions. I got mine from amazon, I think. It was around $15, but it says it has 365 drops.
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Amanda Reply:
November 9th, 2011 at 11:16 am
I should have specified, one drop is 400 IU.
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Katie Reply:
November 9th, 2011 at 10:44 pm
Thank you! that sound pretty doable…I didn’t even think about sucking on my finger, I suppose I could try that w/ FCLO too…
Katie
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Aha, I kept coming back to this in my head that I knew I had read somewhere about vitamin D in breastmilk. Here is that study, I finally looked it up,
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17661565?dopt=AbstractPlus
“There were no differences in circulating 25(OH)D levels of infants supplemented with oral vitD versus infants whose only source of vitD was breast milk.”
This was in mothers who had a healthy serum level of vitamin D.
Why don’t you just get your serum levels checked as a little experiment? It’s not that expensive and I think it would be edifying to see how well these holistic lifestyles work (or don’t). When your doctor suggests you supplement your baby, I read, she doesn’t believe your lifestyle has anything to do with health or well-being. Maybe that’s not true, but then why don’t you just get tested and we don’t have to wonder.
There is a lot out there on vitamin D these days. I have a lot of thoughts on the subject and am still formulating my opinion on the topic. I want to read more on the subject. And I HATE that AAP just skims the surface of the problem by prophylacticly prescribing vit D across the board with no real concern for the individual.
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Katie Reply:
December 1st, 2011 at 1:33 am
You know you’re tempting me with “a little experiment” don’t you?
Perhaps I will…when I dig out from boxes! 
Katie
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cirelo Reply:
December 1st, 2011 at 1:45 am
I don’t judge on procrastination.:)
And since you are all into baby steps– I just happened to stumble across an at home vitamin D test kit promoted by the vitamin D council! http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/about-vitamin-d/vitamin-d-deficiency/am-i-vitamin-d-deficient/
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