The Awe of Breastfeeding, Lactivism by Chance

I know that it has been months since my last post. I am working hard on it, it is really long and comprehensive...it's really informative. So please be patient! :)

I just wanted to share an experience I had on the bus today. I was really upset at first about it - I had planned a really last minute get-together with my friend and she cancelled when I was in the middle of my trip (taking public transport AKA "the T" as it is called here). I was really frustrated but after sleeping on it; in hindsight my trip had a purpose. It seems kind of extravagant for the purpose it entailed - but I really think that a conversation I had with the woman on the bus really need to take place for her sake; and it was just before my friend cancelled on me. I am glad I was there to inform her. I really wanted to ask her name and I wish I did; but I didn't get the chance. We'll call her Ana. So here is kind of how it went:

Ana: "Oh, please sit here, you shouldn't have to stand!"

I sat next to her, pulling my daughter's carriage close. "Thanks!"

Ana: Your daughter is soooo cute! How old?

Me: Almost a year! She is so big, I can't believe it!

Ana: Yes, it goes fast! I have one, he is almost five! You look so youuung!

Me: Really?? That's great. So you know how it is. I am a bit young!

Ana: I had mine when I was in high school, his father and I separated last year. I am glad that I had help and was able to go to college after though. Is her father still in her life?

Me: That's okay, sometimes it doesn't work out. Yes, we're still together! Are you going to "the local" [I am excluding the actual name] college?

Ana: Yes! I got a degree from somewhere else first, and graduated from it early. I'm trying to go on more.

Me: That's fantastic! I bet you love it! -- My daughter interrupts at this time and starts babbling to Ana, who talks a little back.

Ana: She is so big and healthy! My son was always so small and always slept! Does she wake for bottles in the night?

Me: No, never. She's a great sleeper!

Ana: That's great, my son was always a good sleeper too, I was lucky! Formula is just so expensive, that I would have had to buy a lot more if he woke at night!

Me: We actually breastfeed so we don't have to buy any, which is great because the money for it is awfully pricey.

Ana: Really? You are still going?? I could only breastfeed my son for one month. It hurt me so bad for him to suck! And I was always dripping dripping, I couldn't even pump. - Ana looked really bummed, so I thought I'd see how open she was to a few pointers.

Me: Oh, I'm sorry! Did you see any lactation consultants about figuring out the problem?

Ana: No, what is that? -- I was a bit bewildered she wasn't offered one at the hospital.

Me: They are trained in breastfeeding and can help figure out problems like latch for sucking, and tongue and lip ties.

Ana: Really? So breastfeeding doesn't have to hurt? What is a lip tie?

Me: No, I never had any pain! Lip ties are when the little piece of skin doesn't let him use his lip right for latching. Usually the pediatrician or dentist will just snip it. -- I showed her my daughter's lip tie, which is not clipped.

Ana: Oh, my son has that! He clicked a lot too. Does that mean that any other babies I have will have a tie?

Me: No, but it's very possible. If you think that this is a problem with your next baby, you can have it clipped and it will help.

Ana seemed so hopeful and excited that maybe next time she could breastfeed! She offered up some more.

Ana: I have a new boyfriend and we have been talking about more kids. But, what do I do when I have to work? I can't breastfeed there.

I laughed a little. Me: Of course not, but your work has to give you time to pump, and you can store that milk for the next day for daycare.

Ana: And what about dripping all the time? Don't you still drip?

Me: No, I dripped a lot in the beginning. After 2 months I only dripped sometimes, and after six months I never dripped anymore.

Ana: Really? That is great! It is so healthy instead of formula, I wanted to do it more with my son. They say it helps with infection and them not to be sick. Does she bite? I am afraid the teeth will hurt.

Me: A little, when they get used to having new teeth. It hurts, but you just teach them No! and put them off and wait five minutes, and try again. After a few days she never bit me again on purpose. Yes, my daughter has never been sick. It is really good for the immune system.

Ana: Wow, I am so happy that maybe I can breastfeed! Thank you. And you are so young and knowledgeable. Wow. -- Ana proceeded to talk to my daughter who was getting a little fussy from not having attention. haha!

We sat in silence for a minute or two and then my stop came. I apologized for having to get off, and that she should have a nice day. I told her if she ever needs help, to ask for it! There is a lot she can do give herself the best chance! I am sure we chatted a little more about other things, but this is mostly what I remember.







In hindsight this was very humbling for me. It is a stark reminder of how uninformed women are, and how little help they really are offered. How are women supposed to achieve their goals if no one gives them the pointers they need to find the path that leads them there? I am so thankful that I was able to help "Ana" and I am thankful that she will get a chance to do something she really seemed to care about. I love helping women and I'm glad to be blessed with knowledge to do so. It does sadden me how little help "Ana" was offered, but I am glad to make a difference. Perhaps she will pass this knowledge to her friends, and they will pass it to theirs. And perhaps their children will then be encouraged to make that decision for their children. You never realize how important and far-reaching a five minute conversation can be until after it happens. I am very privileged and lucky to have had this information to give her.

Thank you "Ana" and I hope you got the information you were seeking, even if it was five years late.

What is Hepatitis B? Why vaccinate for it? [Part One]

Hepatitis means 'liver inflammation' itself, and there are five prominent strains. One of these is called 'B' virus, therefore, Hepatitis B.

For those who don't know or have forgotten, the functions of the liver are as followed.

• Helps remove harmful chemicals from your body by filtering the blood
• Helps fight infections
• Helps digest food
• Stores vitamins, nutrients, and energy 



Copyright WebMD, LLC 2009

• Metabolizes drugs

Hepatitis B is caused by a virus. Anyone can catch Hepatitis B however their is a 'high risk' group of people who are at higher risk to catch it. 

Am I 'high risk'? Those at 'high' risk are:

• Infants born to mothers with Hepatitis B
• Sexual partners to those with Hep. B
• Sexually active homosexual men are the most likely to catch it of all sexually active groups
• Injection drug users
• Household contact with a person with chronic Hep. B [my own emphasis]
• Healthcare workers who deal with blood or bodily fluids
• Hemodialysis, end-stage renal disease patients
• Travelers in countries with medium-high Hep. B rates
• Staff in care facilities for the developmentally delayed

You cannot contract Hepatitis B from shaking hands or coming into 'normal' contact with another infected person. It is not airborne. Hepatitis B can live for 7 days outside of the body. The incubation period for Hepatitis B ranges from 60-150 days. [1][2]

What are the symptoms?

Tell-tale symptoms include jaundice, dark yellow urine, light-colored stool, diarrhea, upset stomach, loss of appetite, fatigue, weakness, fever, problems halting bleeding or long time for wounds to cease bleeding, easy bruising, swollen ankles/stomach, angiomas, weight loss, and nausea. [2]

How is it diagnosed?

Hep. B is diagnosed by either a blood test or a liver biopsy, sometimes both. If your doctor tells you that you are positive for Hepatitis B surface antibodies (anti-HBs), this is a good thing, it means you have already recovered or are immune to Hepatitis B. [1][2]

Is it treatable? Is it curable?

It is treatable, but not curable if it becomes chronic. There are three stages. Acute infection, which is asymptomatic or very mild nearly all of the time with full recovery expected of most adults. Acute infection has a death rate of about 0.5%.  Infants and small children are more likely to develop chronic infection from acute infection, with the chances being 90% of infants and 25-50% of children.

With Chronic illness there are medications to help support the condition and those with chronic infection should be screened regularly to make sure liver damage is not occurring and carcinomas are not developing. Then there is perinatal infection which occurs during the birth process transferred from the mother.

Why vaccinate my newborn or infant for Hep. B?

"Infants born to HBV-infected mothers require Hepatitis B vaccine and Hepatitis B immune globulin (HBIG) withing 12 hours of birth to protect them from infection. However, because errors or delays in documenting, testing, and reporting maternal HBsAg status can and do occur, administering the first dose of Hepatitis B vaccine soon after birth to all infants acts as a safety net, reducing the risk for perinatal infection when infection maternal HBsAg status is either unknown or incorrectly documented at delivery. Also, initiating the Hepatitis B vaccine series at birth has been shown to increase a child's likelihood of completeing the vaccine series on schedule." [1]

In layman's terms, they believe that even if a mother tests negative, they may still be positive and it is just an error in testing. Considering pregnant women are tested long prior to delivery, this is highly unlikely. While I'm sure this does happen, it should not happen so often they must administer the vaccine as a safety measure in case they make a mistake.., or else we have a larger issue on our hands. It is also wise to note no such conclusion can be made about the vaccine schedule being completed on time if the Hep. B vaccine is given at birth. They are manipulating this statement. It is possible that it is true that those given Hep. B at birth are more likely to complete the vaccination schedule simply because they have no health contraindications, philosophical, or religious objections. Those who have such objections and contraindications are less likely to vaccinate at birth or to stop immediately thereafter.


An infant is recommended to be vaccinated three times before they are a year and a half. They will receive a shot at birth, one at their 2 month well visit, and another between 6-18 months old. [4]

So, if you, a partner, or a close family member or caretaker have Hepatitis B, you should have your child vaccinated. If not, there is no point as there is an IgG antibody injection that you can get should your child ever become exposed.

I'm pregnant or nursing. Is it safe for me to be vaccinated for Hep. B?

"Yes. Hepatitis B vaccine contains no live virus, so neither pregnancy nor lactation should be considered a contraindication to vaccination of women. On the basis of limited experience, there is no apparent risk of adverse effects to developing fetuses when Hepatitis B vaccine is administered to pregnant women. Meanwhile, new HBV infection in a pregnant woman might result in severe disease for the mother and chronic infection for the newborn." [1]

The CDC has really no idea whether or not it is actually safe, but they are making an assumption based on mostly epidemiological and animal studies. It is not known whether it would affect nursing but it is probable the infant will be slightly affected as other pharmaceutical drugs are deposited in small amounts into the milk via the mother's blood.

There is a system set up, called VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System) which is not analyzed or monitored by the CDC. The number of adverse events are only 1% of the projected 10% of adverse events due to care providers not knowing when an adverse event is occurring. The number of associated adverse events related to the Hepatitis B vaccine number over 50,275, including 979 deaths as of October 2011. There have also been spontaneous abortions (miscarriages), and birth defects listed in VAERS as adverse events to Hepatitis B vaccinations. [3]

Also noted, however, is that on the manufacturer package inserts of the vaccines manufactured by the two vaccine-makers who make Hep. B vaccines, Merck and GlaxoSmithKline, list inadequate or a lack of safety trials done on expecting or nursing women.

"Pregnancy Category C: Animal reproduction studies have not been conducted with the vaccine. It is also not known whether the vaccine can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman or can affect reproduction capacity. The vaccine should be given to a pregnant woman only if clearly needed. -- "It is not known whether the vaccine is excreted in human milk. Because many drugs are excreted in human milk, caution should be exercised when the vaccine is administered to a nursing woman." Recombivax, Merck [5]

----

"Pregnancy Category C: Animal reproduction studies have not been conducted with COMVAX. It is also  not known whether COMVAX can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman or can affect reproduction capacity. COMVAX is not recommended for use in women of childbearing age." Comvax, Merck [6]

 ----

"Safety and effectiveness of ENGERIX-B have not been established in pregnant women and nursing mothers. ENGERIX-B should only be given to a pregnant woman if clearly needed." Engerix-B, GlaxoSmithKline [7]

 ----

"No clinical data on use during pregnancies are available with Fendrix. 

Animal studies do not indicate direct or indirect harmful effects wit respect to pregnancy, embryonal/foetal development, parturition, or postnatal development. 

Vaccination during pregnancy should only be performed if the risk-benefit ration at individual level outweighs possible risks for the foetus." -- "Adequate human data on use during lactation are not available. In a reproductive toxicity study in animals which included post-natal follow-up until weaning (see section 5.3), no effect on the development of the pups were observed. Vaccination should only be performed if the risk-benefit ration at individual level outweighs possible risks for the infant." Fendrix, GlaxoSmithKline [8]

 ----

 "Pregnancy Category C -- Animal reproduction studies have not been conducted with PEDIARIX. It is not known whether PEDIARIX can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman or if PEDIARIX can affect reproduction capacity." Pediarix, GlaxoSmithKline [8] 

---- 

"The effect of Twinrix Adult on embryo-fetal, peri-natal and post-natal survival development has been assessed in rats. This study did not indicate direct or indirect harmful effects with respect to fertility, embryonal/fetal development, parturition or post-natal development."

The effect of Twinrix Adult on embryo-fetal, peri-natal and post-natal survival and development has not been prospectively evaluated in clinical trials. 

Data on outcomes of a limited number of pregnancies in vaccinated women do not indicate any adverse effects of Twinrix Adult on pregnancy or on the health of the fetus/newborn child. While it is not expected that the recombinant hepatitis B virus surface antigen would have adverse effects on pregnancies or the fetus it is recommended that vaccination should be delayed until after delivery unless there is an urgent need to protect the mother againts hepatitis B infection." -- "It is unknown whether Twinrix Adult is excreted in human breastmilk. The excretion of Twinrix Adult in milk has not been studied in animals. A decision on whether to continue/discontinue breastfeeding or continue/discontinue therapy with Twinrix Adult should be made taking into consideration the benefit of breastfeeding to the child and the benefit of Twinrix Adult therapy to the woman." Twinrix, GlaxoSmithKline [9]

 ----

"The effects of Ambirix on foetal development has not been assessed. Ambirix should not be used during pregnancy unless clearly necessary." -- "The effect on breastfed infants on Ambirix administered to the mothers has not been evaluated in clinical studies. Ambirix should not be used during lactation unless clearly necessary." Ambirix, GlaxoSmithKline [10]

What are the ingredients? Is it true fetal cells and aluminum are used?

It is true that most vaccines are cultured using human diploid cells and also true that nearly all vaccines contain aluminum. Many of the ingredients are common in each of the following vaccines and other vaccines. Ingredients used in the culture medium but is removed or is left in trace amounts are marked with an asterisk (*). [11-16]

Recombivax: Yeast protein, soy peptone, dextrose, amino acids, mineral salts, potassium aluminum sulfate, amorphous aluminum hydroxyphosphate sulfate, formaldehyde, thimerosal, gelatin.

Comvax: Yeast protein, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, hemin chloride, soy peptone, dextrose, mineral salts, amino acids, formaldehyde, potassium aluminum sulfate, amorphous aluminum hydroxyphosphate sulfate, sodium borate.

Engerix-B: Aluminum hydroxide, yeast protein, phosphate buffers.

Fendrix: 3-O-desacyl-4'-monophosphoryl lipid A (MPL), yeast protein, sodium chloride, aluminum phosphate, water.

Pediarix: Aluminum hydroxide, formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde, neomycin, 2-phenoxyethanol, polymyxin B, polysorbate 80, yeast protein, Bovine protein*, Lathan medium (bovine casein)*, Linggoud-Fenton medium (bovine extract)*, monkey kidney tissue vero (Vervet or African Green monkies)*, Stainer-Scholte medium*.

Twinrix: Formalin, yeast protein, aluminum phosphate, aluminum hydroxide, amino acids, phosphate buffer, polysorbate 20, neomycin sulfate, MRC-5 human diploid cells, 2-phenoxyethanol.

Ambirix: Aluminum phosphate, hydrated aluminum hydroxide, sodium chloride, MRC-5 human diploid cells, yeast protein, water.

My child or I have an allergy to one of the ingredients. What should I do?

If you or your child has an allergy to one of the ingredients in any vaccine you should alert your care provider and refuse any vaccines with the ingredient. If your allergy is not serious and you would like to vaccinate, talk to your care provider about your options. Unfortunately, there are not many for those who are allergic.

My child's school/my work requires me to be vaccinated for Hepatitis B. I have a health/religious/philosophical contraindication or objection. What should I do?

Check your local or state laws of exemption. All states have medical exemptions, 48 states have religious exemptions, and 18 states have philosophical exemptions.

Information on your state's exemptions can be found here.

My child goes to private school/I work in a privately-funded workplace. Can I still use an exemption?

Yes and no. If the private school or workplace receives any government funding at all, then they must accept an exemption. Unfortunately, if they are exclusively privately funded, they can accept or reject an exemption on their own basis.

Resources

[1] http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/HBV/HBVfaq.htm#overview

[2] http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/hepb_ez/
[3] http://vaers.hhs.gov/data/data
[4] http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/schedules/downloads/child/0-6yrs-schedule-pr.pdf
[5] http://www.merck.com/product/usa/pi_circulars/r/recombivax_hb/recombivax_pi.pdf
[6] http://www.merck.com/product/usa/pi_circulars/c/comvax/comvax_pi.pdf
[7] http://us.gsk.com/products/assets/us_engerixb.pdf
[8] http://www.medicines.org.uk/EMC/medicine/16906/SPC/Fendrix/
[8] http://us.gsk.com/products/assets/us_pediarix.pdf
[9] http://www.medicines.org.uk/EMC/medicine/2061/SPC/Twinrix+Adult+Vaccine/
[10] http://www.medicines.org.uk/EMC/medicine/20491/SPC/Ambirix+suspension+for+injection/
[11]http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/downloads/appendices/b/excipient-table-2.pdf
[12] http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/downloads/appendices/B/excipient-table-1.pdf
[13] http://www.ema.europa.eu/docs/en_GB/document_library/EPAR_-_Product_Information/human/000550/WC500021704.pdf
[14] http://www.medicines.org.uk/guides/fendrix/hepatitis%20(all%20types)
[15] http://www.medicines.org.uk/guides/ambirix/Vaccinations%20(all)/
[16] http://www.ema.europa.eu/docs/en_GB/document_library/EPAR_-_Product_Information/human/000426/WC500024579.pdf

Whaaat? You don't Vaccinate? Part 1

Nope. Never. Not once. This has to be one of the most 'controversial' parenting decisions that people say I have made.

You're a terrible parent! You're putting your child at risk! Child protective services should take your kid!

No, not really. I have continually done close to, or over, 200 hours of research in peer-reviewed medical articles, web resources (including the CDC, WHO, NCBI), and continually read debates on the subject in attempt to gain perspective or see if I can't come across any information I have yet to look into. As far as CPS taking my child...if parents called CPS for every little thing they didn't like about another parenting style, no child would be left in their parents' care. I have determined the risks outweigh the benefits for us. You may have come to another conclusion. And that's okay. 

You're just another anti-vaccinator. You're ignorant and you just want to bash my parenting skills for vaccinating.

On the contrary. I am not inherently "anti"-vaccination. Also, sharing opinions on something ≠ judging/bashing opposing opinions. If you are insecure in that you feel that way, you should re-evaluate why you made that decision and firm your confidence in that decision, or change it.

But....you're taking away from herd immunity!!!

This is one thing we don't know for absolute certainty. 'Herd immunity' is a phrase that sprung up in 1933 in reference to the natural life-long immunity cattle received after getting an illness naturally in the American Journal of Epidemiology. It is just theories when it comes to humans at this point. Researchers and doctors can't even agree on what percentage of the population needs to be immune for artificial 'herd immunity' to be effective if it exists. Some say 80%, some 85%, others 95%. We just don't know. Any studies that use 'herd immunity' as a given fact are basing their study on assumptions, which negates their study by definition.

There have been studies since the dawn of time on herd immunity. You're lying! The government wouldn't tell us this if it wasn't true.

Again, incorrect. There has been a total of one study done on artificial herd immunity in humans. [1]

It is not a true placebo-controlled study. They use the Hepatitis A vaccine as their placebo to the flu vaccine, which negates the placebo. A true placebo would have no relation or ingredients that the drug/vaccine/etc being tested may share. Since the Flu vaccine and HepA vaccine share similar ingredients, then any reactions or responses caused by those shared ingredients cannot be identified. How would they know what is 'normal' then? They don't.

It itself only claims to be "experimental proof" and not definitive; it states "Selectively vaccinating youngsters against influenza may interrupt virus transmission and protect those not immunized." May. As in, 'we're not sure.'

 It only follows the children for six months following vaccination, and therefore many adverse reactions and side effects will not have been included in the experiment. It also does not measure the immunity 1 year, 3 years, or any amount of time into the future to see how it affects flu transmission and the child's overall health over time. Natural herd immunity is supposed to be life-long with no side-effects, and artificial herd immunity must be kept up on (a great deal of the population must receive regular boosters) and at a price. Do you know many adults who run out to get booster shots every 3-7 years? A very small portion of adults get boosters, and therefore, we wouldn't have artificial herd immunity to begin with.

[1] M Loeb et al. Effect of influenza vaccination of children on infection rates in Hutterite communities. JAMA 303:943-50 DOI: 10.1001/jama.303.10.943 (2010)

The government doesn't lie to us? If you are that naïve to think the government doesn't lie or promote its own agenda, you are well-deserved to get duped.

But....smallpox! Polio! I suppose vaccines didn't get rid of those diseases. You're out of your mind.

As far as smallpox. Smallpox was well on its way to eradication well before the vaccine was ever introduced. Only a small portion of the population ever got vaccinated for smallpox, and many of the trials had catastrophic side effects, such as leprosy. Even before vaccination, smallpox had less than a 1% mortality rate worldwide although secondary problems from smallpox arising from pre-existing conditions have a maximum estimated mortality rate of 30%. So, that's right...if you're healthy, even smallpox has a very very small chance of killing you. And if artificial herd-immunity isn't protecting you (since we no longer vaccinate for smallpox, not that the population would have any immunity), what is?

Even the modern vaccine has a serious adverse reaction statistic from 1/100 to 1/1000 people including spreading smallpox to other individuals. 1-2 people in 1 million will die as a result of smallpox vaccination. [2] And that's the modern vaccine, which isn't regularly in use.

[2] http://www.bt.cdc.gov/agent/smallpox/vaccination/facts.asp

With polio there are some important facts you need to know.

1. There were successful insecticide programs with DDT, BHC, lead, and arsenic which surpassed FDA approvals in the 1940's by a hell of a whole lot and persist in our environment in the form of neurotoxins. The symptoms of illness associated with this match that of polio almost exactly. Including temporary paralysis. [3]

[3] 'Images of Poliomyelitis; A Critique of Scientific Literature. Pesticides and Polio'  http://www.harpub.co.cc/overview.htm

2. The clinical definition (which they used to diagnose Polio) changed the year that the vaccine was introduced. The criteria was reduced and therefore reflected less cases of polio. So the CDC graphs are skewed to look in favor of the vaccine. 

3. Even using the newer clinical definition, 95% of people who contract the illness never even knew they had it. 4% had cold-like symptoms and 1% got very ill and SOME were paralysed. Less than .1% of people died from polio. Sound scary? I didn't think so. Considering they say 95% of people never even knew they had it, how were they diagnosing these people? How do they know how many people ACTUALLY got polio and lived? If they don't know how many actually contracted polio, how could they draw up a mortality rate? Their current rate is just guesstimation.

But but but but.........you're just a lousy conspiracy theorist!!!

No. Everything I've stated is fact or is based in fact.

You're just afraid of Autism!

You're right. I am afraid. I am afraid for our generation's children. I am saddened that many with severe Autism will never experience life, that some will never be able to communicate and run on the playground as children...never hold a fulfilling job, never find a spouse, never have children and grandchildren. Anyone who has a severely Autistic (or moderately, or mildly) child will tell you...it is HARD. It is worth it and they don't love their child less, but if they could undo their child's Autism, I'm sure all of them would say yes. Not because it is tough on them...but because their child deserves better.

And for those Autistic who can live a nearly-normal life, what is their quality of life health-wise?  For those who can't live on their own or function without help, what will the cost of their care be? How will it impact taxpayers? How will we fill those jobs up?

I am afraid of the future. The number of children with Autism is 1 in 86. Who wouldn't be afraid? Who wouldn't be afraid how Autism will impact their non-Autistic child? Who wouldn't be afraid they are going to have an Autistic child who has a myriad of health and/or mental issues which they now have to try and afford care to and help with? Who wouldn't be afraid their child will never speak 'Mommy!' or be able to tell you where it hurts when they are in pain? Who wouldn't be afraid their Autistic child will become too old, heavy, big for them to be able to care for? Who wants to put their child in hospice care? It doesn't mean I think vaccines cause Autism, and it's not even a great concern. But Autism isn't a joke, and the concern about it isn't something to throw around as an argument for why someone is a bad parent.

My question is.... Who wouldn't be afraid? If you're not, you should be.