Blocking out the haters! Paola Mayfield wasn’t here for criticism after revealing that she and her husband, Russ Mayfield, chose to vaccinate their 2-month-old son, Axel.
“My baby boy had his first vaccination today,” the 90 Day Fiancé star, 31, wrote on Instagram on Monday, March 4. “Axel was so brave just like his mommy. @russ_mayfield has been reading The Vaccine Book by Dr. Sears. We have decided that we want to give our son specific vaccinations and avoid potential risks and side effects. #provaccine #proinformation.”
In the mother-son photo, Paola smiled down at her son while breast-feeding him. The little one wore a red onesie and tiny socks, while his mom dressed in an all-black outfit.
When a fan commented that the reality star was “brave” to post about vaccinations, Paola said, “Certain people tend to be nasty about anything I do, so I’m used to dealing with this lol.”
The model also opened up in the comments about how hard it was to watch her baby boy get a shot. “I was already crying before he got it, but then I was so proud [at] how brave he was!” she wrote.
Paola added: “He didn’t cry much, and I had my boob ready for him. That helped a lot!”
Jennifer Shu, MD and pediatrician in Atlanta, opened up to Us Weekly exclusively in January about why “some parents mistakenly think that vaccines are more harmful than getting the disease itself.”
“These misconceptions have come about partly because, one, vaccines have been so successful that recent generations of parents do not realize how serious these diseases can be,” she said. “Two, Dr. Andrew Wakefield and colleagues published a fraudulent but highly publicized journal article in 1998 that was instrumental in creating fears about vaccines.”
Paola and her husband, also 31, welcomed their son on New Year’s Day.
“What an amazing way to start a new year,” the TLC personality told Us Weekly in a statement at the time. “While I was hearing the fireworks and people telling me, ‘Happy New Year,’ I was just focused on meeting my baby. It wasn’t easy but it was totally worth it. My little miracle is so beautiful and calm. I feel so blessed and I can’t believe I am a mom now! I’m ready to start this new adventure and to be the best mom for baby Axel.”
