First (of many) arguements with our pediatrician

Yesterday we had 2 doctor appointments. the first was a neurological pediatrician for Robbie and the second was a "well visit " for Lexi- because she turned 1. Robbie's appointment went pretty much the way we'd anticipated. "Your son is somewhere in the Autistic spectrum." I was hoping to get a little more information- but I am realizing we may never get more information than that one statement. The nurse was did the evaluation said we should be hopeful. At first she didn't think there was anything wrong with him. He held eye contact and responded to tasks- for about the first 5 minutes. After that he seemed to fade and didn't respond to many of her requests. The doctor was a real disapointment. He brought us int his office and regurgatated the information we had relayed to the nurse. "thanks Doc" Rob asked what he thought about the possible link to vaccinations. " I hate shots- the needles always hurt" ha, ha, ha. I understand that many professionals have lost empathy because they deal with the same issue all day. However- that attitude does not sit well with me. He stated there is no link between vaccinations and autism. We should "stay the course" because whatever we're doing is working.

The next doctor's appointment was Lexi's "well visit." I knew this one would be a battle. When I called to make the apt. i told them she will not be getting shots. I had to re-tell this 2 more times when I arrived. The doctor tried her best to explain how there is no correlation with ASD and how children have died from not getting all their shots. The scare tactic really pisses me off. I explained that Lexi will get some shots after she turns 2- and not all at once but space out with at least 6 months in between and some- she will not be getting at all or for many years. She has had 14 shots in her first 9 months. Doesn't that seem like a lot? 2 of these are a series of Hep b shots. My question to the doctor was- why does an infant need a hep b shot?? She's not sexually active, around anyone who has it - or binge drinking. This shot can wait- I've heard until a child in 12 years old. Her response was astounding to me. "The reason infants get that shot- and so many others- is children don't go to the doctor when they get older. Now- not necessarily in Medford (where we live)- but nationally." So what I heard her say is- it's easier to give children under 2 - over 30 vaccinations because some parents aren't taking care of their children's health. Once again I hear myself "ARE YOU KIDDING ME??" Maybe some parents don't take adequate care of their children- but don't you dare lump us into that category. I explained Lexi is not in daycare anymore. We've hired a nanny. Lexi is not getting shots today- my foot is down. with that I signed whatever waiver they gave me and we were on our way. -- Didn't we all survive chicken pox??