What I've Been Working on in 2013

We had a little unexpected surprise in 2013.  In April I found out that we would be having a special Christmas present, and we welcomed our baby girl 10 days early on December 15th.

So far she has been polar opposite from my son.  She eats a ton!  She sleeps.  She goes back to sleep after eating.  She has tons of wet diapers.  And she poops!  Since having her I can see why people decide to have more children.  With my son, I could never understand that concept.  He was such a challenge for us and I never would have willingly decided to have another one.  Quite the contrary.  But what a pleasant surprise she's turned out to be.  I count my blessings everyday.

Going into this pregnancy, my body was so much healthier than with my first.  I religiously take probiotics and vitamin D, I have avoided process foods as much as I can, and also avoid soy and GMOs to a large extent.  I also try to use more pure cosmetics and skin care products.  Earlier this year I also started NAET in case it could positively impact the baby, and I was able to make it through the basic 16--hormones took me 3 treatments to pass.

So far breastfeeding has been a breeze (aside from the initial pain that it causes.)  Baby seems to actually enjoy nursing, which is apparent when my husband tries to top her off with a bottle and she looks at him like he's crazy if he thinks she'll drink it (she's so hungry she'll eat for an hour+ and sometimes I just need a break.)

When she was born we declined the  HepB vaccine and opted for oral Vitamin K (the Vitamin K shots have a large amount of aluminum.)  We delayed cord cutting, which we had planned on only for a minute or two but ended up being much longer as the doctors worked on stitching me up and she just laid on my chest during that time.  The cord was bone dry by the time it was cut.

All-in-all it's been a very positive experience so far, and I'm optimistic about what the New Year has in store for us.  Big brother is so proud and helpful, it really is a joy watching him interact with her.

Happy New Year from my family to yours!

What's actually in that vaccine?

Stumbled upon this gem of information taken from the CDC's own website.    Take a look at the additives and adjuvants that the vaccines contain.  Watching my child suffer after an anaphylactic reaction to the DTaP, I personally find this very disturbing.  I mean, if I left these substances out and my child were to ingest them, wouldn't that require a call to poison control?  Instead, I held him down as a "healthcare" provider injected him with such poison. http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/downloads/appendices/b/excipient-table-2.pdf

Vaccine Excipient & Media Summary

Excipients Included in U.S. Vaccines, by Vaccine

This table includes not only vaccine ingredients (e.g., adjuvants and preservatives), but also substances used during the manufacturing process, including vaccine­production media, that are removed from the final product and present only in trace quantities. In addition to the substances listed, most vaccines contain Sodium Chloride (table salt).

Last Updated February 2012

All reasonable efforts have been made to ensure the accuracy of this information, but manufacturers may change product contents before that information is reflected here. If in doubt, check the manufacturer’s package insert.

Vaccine	Contains	Source: Manufacturer’s P.I. Dated
Adenovirus	sucrose, D­mannose, D­fructose, dextrose, potassium phosphate, plasdone C, anhydrous lactose, micro crystalline cellulose, polacrilin potassium, magnesium stearate, cellulose acetate phthalate, alcohol, acetone, castor oil, FD&C Yellow #6 aluminum lake dye, human serum albumin, fetal bovine serum, sodium bicarbonate, human­diploid fibroblast cell cultures (WI­38), Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle’s Medium	March, 2011
Anthrax (Biothrax)	aluminum hydroxide, benzethonium chloride, formaldehyde, amino acids, vitamins, inorganic salts and sugars	December, 2008
BCG (Tice)	glycerin, asparagine, citric acid, potassium phosphate, magnesium sulfate, Iron ammonium citrate, lactose	February, 2009
DT (Sanofi)	aluminum potassium sulfate, peptone, bovine extract, formaldehyde, thimerosal (trace), modified Mueller and Miller medium	December, 2005
DTaP (Daptacel)	aluminum phosphate, formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde, 2­Phenoxyethanol, Stainer­Scholte medium, modified Mueller’s growth medium, modified Mueller­Miller casamino acid medium (without beef heart infusion)	July, 2011
DTaP (Infanrix)	formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde, aluminum hydroxide, polysorbate 80, Fenton medium (containing bovine extract), modified Latham medium (derived from bovine casein), modified Stainer­Scholte liquid medium	November, 2011
DTaP (Tripedia)	sodium phosphate, peptone, bovine extract (U.S. sourced), formaldehyde, ammonium sulfate, , aluminum potassium sulfate, thimerosal (trace), gelatin, polysorbate 80 (Tween 80), modified Mueller and Miller medium, modified Stainer­Scholte medium	December, 2005
DTaP­IPV (Kinrix)	formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde, aluminum hydroxide, Vero (monkey kidney) cells, calf serum, lactalbumin hydrolysate, polysorbate 80, neomycin sulfate, polymyxin B, Fenton medium (containing bovine extract), modified Latham medium (derived from bovine casein), modified Stainer­Scholte liquid medium	November, 2011
DTaP­HepB­IPV (Pediarix)	formaldehyde, gluteraldehyde, aluminum hydroxide, aluminum phosphate, lactalbumin hydrolysate, polysorbate 80, neomycin sulfate, polymyxin B, yeast protein, calf serum, Fenton medium (containing bovine extract), modified Latham medium (derived from bovine casein), modified Stainer­Scholte liquid medium, Vero (monkey kidney) cells	November, 2011
DTaP­IPV/Hib (Pentacel)	aluminum phosphate, polysorbate 80, formaldehyde, gutaraldehyde, bovine serum albumin, 2­phenoxethanol, neomycin, polymyxin B sulfate, Mueller’s Growth Medium, Mueller­Miller casamino acid medium (without beef heart infusion), Stainer­Scholte medium (modified by the addition of casamino acids and dimethyl­beta­cyclodextrin), MRC­5 (human diploid) cells, CMRL 1969 medium (supplemented with calf serum).	July, 2011
Hib (ActHIB)	ammonium sulfate, formalin, sucrose, Modified Mueller and Miller medium	May, 2009
Hib (Hiberix)	formaldehyde, lactose.	December, 2010
Hib (PedvaxHIB)	aluminum hydroxphosphate sulfate.	December, 2010
Vaccine	Contains	Source: Manufacturer’s P.I. Dated
Hib/Hep B (Comvax)	yeast (vaccine contains no detectable yeast DNA), nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, hemin chloride, soy peptone, dextrose, mineral salts, amino acids, formaldehyde, potassium aluminum sulfate, amorphous aluminum hydroxyphosphate sulfate, sodium borate	December, 2010
Hep A (Havrix)	aluminum hydroxide, amino acid supplement, polysorbate 20, formalin, neomycin sulfate, MRC­5 cellular proteins	July, 2011
Hep A (Vaqta)	amorphous aluminum hydroxyphosphate sulfate, bovine albumin, formaldehyde, neomycin, sodium borate, MRC­5 (human diploid) cells	December, 2010
Hep B (Engerix­B)	aluminum hydroxide, yeast protein, phosphate buffers.	October, 2011
Hep B (Recombivax)	yeast protein, soy peptone, dextrose, amino acids, mineral salts, potassium aluminum sulfate, amorphous aluminum hydroxyphosphate sulfate, formaldehyde.	July, 2011
Hep A/Hep B (Twinrix)	formalin, yeast protein, aluminum phosphate, aluminum hydroxide, amino acids, phosphate buffer, polysorbate 20, neomycin sulfate, MRC­5 human diploid cells	November, 2011
Human Papillomavirus (HPV) (Cerverix)	vitamins, amino acids, lipids, mineral salts, aluminum hydroxide, sodium dihydrogen phosphate dehydrate, insect cell and viral protein..	July, 2011
Human Papillomavirus (HPV) (Gardasil)	yeast protein, vitamins, amino acids, mineral salts, carbohydrates, amorphous aluminum hydroxyphosphate sulfate, L­histidine, polysorbate 80, sodium borate.	March, 2011
Influenza (Afluria)	beta­propiolactone, thimerosol (multi­dose vials only), monobasic sodium phosphate, dibasic sodium phosphate, monobasic potassium phosphate, potassium chloride, calcium chloride, sodium taurodeoxycholate, neomycin sulfate, polymyxin B, egg protein	November 2011
Influenza (Fluarix)	sodium deoxycholate, formaldehyde, octoxynol­10 (Triton X­100), ­tocopheryl hydrogen succinate, polysorbate 80 (Tween 80), hydrocortisone, gentamicin sulfate, ovalbumin	April, 2011
Influenza (Fluvirin)	nonylphenol ethoxylate, thimerosal (multidose vial–trace only in prefilled syringe), polymyxin, neomycin, beta­propiolactone, egg proteins	May, 2011
Influenza (Flulaval)	thimerosal, ­tocopheryl hydrogen succinate, polysorbate 80, formaldehyde, sodium deoxycholate, ovalbumin	December, 2011
Influenza (Fluzone: Standard, High­Dose, & Intradermal)	formaldehyde, octylphenol ethoxylate (Triton X­100), sodium phosphate, gelatin (standard formulation only), thimerosal (multi­dose vial only) , egg protein	May, 2011
Influenza (FluMist)	ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA), monosodium glutamate, hydrolyzed porcine gelatin, arginine, sucrose, dibasic potassium phosphate, monobasic potassium phosphate, gentamicin sulfate, egg protein	May, 2011
Japanese Encephalitis (Ixiaro)	aluminum hydroxide, Vero cells, protamine sulfate, formaldehyde, bovine serum albumin, sodium metabisulphite.	September, 2010
Meningococcal (MCV4­Menactra)	formaldehyde, phosphate buffers, Mueller Hinton agar, Watson Scherp media, Modified Mueller and Miller medium	November, 2011
Meningococcal (MCV4­Menveo)	formaldehyde, amino acids, yeast extract, Franz complete medium	March, 2011
Meningococcal (MPSV4­Menomune)	thimerosal (multi­dose vial only), lactose, Mueller Hinton agar, Watson Scherp media	January, 2009
MMR (MMR­II)	vitamins, amino acids, fetal bovine serum, sucrose, sodium phosphate, glutamate, recombinant human albumin, neomycin, sorbitol, hydrolyzed gelatin, chick embryo cell culture, WI­38 human diploid lung fibroblasts	December, 2010
MMRV (ProQuad)	sucrose, hydrolyzed gelatin, sorbitol, monosodium L­glutamate, sodium phosphate dibasic, human albumin, sodium bicarbonate, potassium phosphate monobasic, potassium chloride, potassium phosphate dibasic, neomycin, bovine calf serum, chick embryo cell culture, WI­38 human diploid lung fibroblasts, MRC­5 cells	August, 2011
Pneumococcal (PCV13 – Prevnar 13)	casamino acids, yeast, ammonium sulfate, Polysorbate 80, succinate buffer, aluminum phosphate	January, 2012
Vaccine	Contains	Source: Manufacturer’s P.I. Dated
Pneumococcal (PPSV­23 – Pneumovax)	phenol.	October, 2011
Polio (IPV – Ipol)	2­phenoxyethanol, formaldehyde, neomycin, streptomycin, polymyxin B, monkey kidney cells, Eagle MEM modified medium, calf serum protein	December, 2005
Rabies (Imovax)	albumin, neomycin sulfate, phenol, MRC­5 human diploid cells	December, 2005
Rabies (RabAvert)	­propiolactone, potassium glutamate, chicken protein, ovalbumin, neomycin, chlortetracycline, amphotericin B, human serum albumin, polygeline (processed bovine 14 gelatin)	October, 2006
Rotavirus (RotaTeq)	sucrose, sodium citrate, sodium phosphate monobasic monohydrate, sodium hydroxide, polysorbate 80, cell culture media, fetal bovine serum, vero cells [DNA from porcine circoviruses (PCV) 1 and 2 has been detected in RotaTeq. PCV­1 and PCV­2 are not known to cause disease in humans.]	September, 2011
Rotavirus (Rotarix)	amino acids, dextran, , sorbitol, sucrose, calcium carbonate, xanthan, Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM) [Porcine circovirus type 1 (PCV­1) is present in Rotarix. PCV­1 is not known to cause disease in humans.]	February, 2011
Smallpox (Vaccinia – ACAM2000)	human serum albumin, mannitol, neomycin, glycerin, polymyxin B, phenol, Vero cells	August, 2007
Td (Decavac)	aluminum potassium sulfate, peptone, formaldehyde, thimerosal, bovine muscle tissue (US sourced), Mueller and Miller medium,	March, 2011
Td (Tenivac)	aluminum phosphate, formaldehyde, modified Mueller­Miller casamino acid medium without beef heart infusion	December, 2010
Td (Mass Biologics)	aluminum phosphate, formaldehyde, thimerosal (trace), ammonium phosphate, modified Mueller’s media (containing bovine extracts)	February, 2011
Tdap (Adacel)	aluminum phosphate, formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde, 2­phenoxyethanol, ammonium sulfate, Mueller’s growth medium, Mueller­Miller casamino acid medium (without beef heart infusion)	December, 2010
Tdap (Boostrix)	formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde, aluminum hydroxide, polysorbate 80 (Tween 80), Latham medium derived from bovine casein, Fenton medium containing a bovine extract, Stainer­Scholte liquid medium	January, 2012
Typhoid (inactivated – Typhim Vi)	hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide, phenol, polydimethylsiloxane, disodium phosphate, monosodium phosphate	December, 2005
Typhoid (oral – Ty21a)	yeast extract, casein, dextrose, galactose, sucrose, ascorbic acid, amino acids	August, 2006
Varicella (Varivax)	sucrose, phosphate, glutamate, gelatin, monosodium L­glutamate, sodium phosphate dibasic, potassium phosphate monobasic, potassium chloride, sodium phosphate monobasic, EDTA, residual components of MRC­5 cells including DNA and protein, neomycin, fetal bovine serum, human diploid cell cultures	August, 2011
Yellow Fever (YF­Vax)	sorbitol, gelatin, egg protein	January, 2010
Zoster (Shingles – Zostavax)	sucrose, hydrolyzed porcine gelatin, monosodium L­glutamate, sodium phosphate dibasic, potassium phosphate monobasic, neomycin, potassium chloride, residual components of MRC­5 cells including DNA and protein, bovine calf serum	June, 2011

A table listing vaccine excipients and media by excipient can be found in:

Grabenstein JD. ImmunoFacts: Vaccines and Immunologic Drugs – 2012 (37^th revision). St Louis, MO: Wolters Kluwer Health, 2011.