I recently took my son for his first immunizations. My husband and I decided on two that we felt were necessary, and I brought my son to his pediatrician for these two shots. His doctor was quite insistent that we allow her to give him all the recommended shots (four total at almost two months old), and we know immunizations are important, but we just don't feel they need to be given all at once, or at such a young age when our son is not even around others much (especially not around any school-aged children) so I stuck with the two shots that I had decided upon before the appointment. When I was a baby, these shots were started at four months, so two shots so early was already beyond my comfort zone. The pediatrician asked me to hold little man in my arms facing her, so I could cuddle him while he received his shots. Two prefilled syringes (are they always prefilled? I was expecting to see vials) were presented with inch-long needles, and the first was thrust into little man's thigh.
I'm not sure what I was expecting (duh, shots involve needles) but I somehow forgot or blocked out the whole needle/pain aspect of getting immunizations. Little man was startled, and his whole body jumped at the pain of the long needle plunging into his teeny thigh. He immediately started to cry, his precious, innocent face distorted with surprise and anguish. I can't believe how guilty I felt. This was the first time he was ever in pain, and certainly the first time it was ever intentional (however necessary). I felt so guilty that I held him there to receive the pain, basically presented him to his torturer, while he innocently, unsuspectingly, lay in my arms expecting to be protected and loved. As he cried, I felt tears come to my eyes as well.
I remember reading that having a child means your heart will forevermore be walking outside your body, and that day was a reminder of how true that is. I wished I could have taken the pain for him, and as much as it hurt him to be pinched, it hurt me a million times more that he had to bein any sort of pain while I was around. I'm dreading the next round of shots in two months. How I am going to go through eighteen years of this, I do not know.
I am so there with you. I didn't start any immunizations for Blaze till he was 2 years old and I hated it.
ReplyDeleteOh, Penelope!! I remember those shots. I couldn't be w/ my boys when they were circumcised because I wouldn't have been able to bear to hear their pain!
ReplyDeleteGood for you for standing up for what you wanted in shots!! I did the same for my Doodle when it came time for the MMR, that's been rumored to be part of Autism symptoms. I made sure they waited until he was over 2yrs old to begin those shots. Same with the hepatitis. He would have no exposure to it at birth, so we waited on that also!
~Mimi @ Woven by Words
wow, you both waited until your kids were 2 years old? Now I wish I did too...I gave him DTaP and Hib, and am being pushed for the flu vaccine, the pneumoccocal vaccine, and next month polio (what on earth are the chances of him being exposed to that???)
ReplyDeleteMimi, I didn't realize MMR is the main one linked to autism. Thank you for telling me, I plan to wait on it now too. I really need to do even more research.
I can't BELIEVE the pressure I got while pregnant to get vaccinated against flu and swine flu (did neither) and now to immunize little man too. Since he isn't going to be getting tattoos or using intravenous drugs, I don't see the need for the hepatits vaccine either.
There are some doctor's in England that feel that multiple immunization shots shouldn't be given at the same time because it's too taxing on the immune system for the little ones. Some believe it may be one of the causes of Autism. So I'm glad you decided to only get two of the recommended four shots.
ReplyDeleteI can't look at my daughter's face when they give her the shits. It hurts my heart too much. The good news is that now that she's 18 months old she's pretty much done until she turns 4. Whew... of course now my son starts his next month...
ReplyDeleteI am so with you! I cried the first time he had shots,
ReplyDeleteOk, thanks to this I now have tears in my eyes. I think I'm PMSing. But awwwww to do such an evil [yea yea, necessary whatever] thing to such an innocent baby angel :(
ReplyDeleteGood for you for reading up on it and standing your ground! Vaccines are pushed so hard and most people don't read up on it at all. I really think it's horrible how they try to give vaccines to babies in such large doses from birth! I read, and my family doctor also told me, babies don't have their own immunity until they are 6 months old, up until then they are living on the mother's immunities they were born with and/or get through breastmilk. They can't make their own immunity yet that young. So Docs pushing for vaccinating them at that age seems ... well it just doesn't make sense to me, ya know? They can't use it yet and they are so tiny and it's hard on their little bodies, especially when they're giving them these supercocktails of multiple vaccines at once.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest with you back in 2002 I researched for years, just stacks and stacks of literature on vaccines, testimonials, info from many sources, and as a result my husband and I have opted not to vaccinate at all. I'm thankful that we have found a doctor who doesn't pressure us every time we go in about getting a vaccine for this or that. If your doc doesn't start to respect your decision to vaccinate on a delayed schedule, you might have to switch doctors. It's your right as a parent to decide that but some doctors will be a real pain about it if you don't go with their every reccommendation. I hope he realizes you're serious, smart, have done your research, and he needs to chill out about the pressuring.
I'm surprised they advise flu this early.
ReplyDeleteI don't believe the autism talk, and in fact I think it is over-diagnosed these days.
But I am with you, it breaks your heart to see them in pain!
Being a military dependent, we don't have a choice whether or not they get certain shots. Good for you doing your research.
ReplyDeleteJust remember that the little bit of pain could save him a HUGE amount of pain later on. that's what got me through.
Our doctor told us to lay him on the bed/table and then they will give the shots. Then I could pick him up and love on him....that way you aren't the bad guy. Just a thought. Also I grab Connor a bottle to drink for his 4 month shots and he didn't even cry. I've been doing that since and it seems to work great.
Pretty much you do it because you know it's in their best interest. Do you remember your parents ever saying "it hurts me to punish you more than it hurts you?" I know my own parents said that a few times. It wasn't until I had kids of my own that I truly understood.
ReplyDeleteLFH, I agree with those docs in England. Too many shots are given at once, and too soon. It used to be that immunizations started at 4 months the earliest, if even that, now they start at 6-8 weeks...why?
ReplyDeleteI kept my son indoors (only recently started to take him out) so his exposure to anything was minimal anyway. They do go overboard. I suspect they worry if you wait until 1 or 2 years old, when children visit docs less, all children won't be immunized (fall through the cracks, especially if they aren't sick and don't visit docs at all for a while, thus costing the pharmaceutical companies lots of money).
Mirage, are you saying that getting shots that early is useless? That would mean that they are wasted and just give to make money (and putting babies at risk for nothing). That is really, really scary.
ReplyDeletePenny-Pinching Mama, autism may be over-diagnosed (not entirely sure) but three couples I know who have five year olds have autistic (for sure- these children are just in their own little innocent worlds, totally unaware of what is going on around them) children, and it spooks me. It makes me wonder what was going on with those vaccines, or public water, or in the air, 5 years ago, that ALL the kids we know who are 5 have autism.
Kritta, I know military families have stricter rules. At least you can cuddle your babies when they are in pain.
ReplyDeleteAudrey, I remember my dad telling me that too. I get it now.