jul, 27th - final jabs...well for a bit...

day 165:

final jabs today...(yes, a bit later than usual but we staggered them around the various travels). one jab to the left thigh and two to the right...at one she was still smiling, at two her lip started to drop and at three she let out an outraged wail....followed by an accusing look at the nurse who had previously been receiving plenty of grins and babbling-tales-of-limi's adventures....

the sharing of stories came to an abrupt halt and all smiles were withdrawn for the rest of the appointment.

[today's jabs were for DTP-Hib, Polio, PCV and Meningitis C....we have come a long way since those first jabs on day 65.]

jun, 2nd - jabs...

day 113:

second round of vaccinations today. after the first round (day 65) i was completely prepared this time with 'distractions', calpol and a digital thermometer (my lackadaisical approach having abandoned me after i completely let it down last time). i cancelled any evening plans, ready to rock her to sleep (a complete rule-breaker) and made sure that A. wasn't working late so that we could tag-team.  

i even considered a friend's approach for a moment....which is to make her partner take care of every vaccination (after she witnessed the trauma of the first round) but decided that A. would never fall for that!

when the first snowy white thigh was exposed and the midwife brought out the HUGE needle i even flinched....but as it went deep into her unsuspecting thigh, did Limi even squeak or squirm....nope.....not one indication that anything sharp and menacing had come near her! same on the other side.....and THEN...i prop her up and she gives the midwife a big GRIN!!!

the midwife was quite startled!

no tears, no fever, no grumpiness!

although....after working myself up for the appointment...i was the one in need of some gentle rocking!  

apr, 14th - you give me fever....

day 66:

We have just survived our first night of a sick Limi. I did get warned that the jabs could result in a fever and that this would be a good thing....a sign that her immune system was fighting the vaccine but a fretful Limi still came as a bit of a shock when you've become used to the contented version who seldom cries without reason.

After the initial upset around the jabs (see day 65)....things settled down and she seemed perfectly fine....and even seemed to have forgotten my evil treachery as I was getting plenty of smiles in the afternoon. we did the bedtime routine...bath, massage, 'lullaby' soundtrack and feeding. I had double-checked with the midwife whether a bath was fine and received the all clear but now it appears that I maybe should have avoided both the bath AND the massage:

- a bath can aggravate fever, who knew (well except for the midwife who probably should have told me)

- while, it's also suggested that you avoid massage for about 3 days after any vaccination because massage can stimulate the immune system and for a tiny baby their body can become 'overloaded/ over stimulated'

Anyway, all seemed fine and I was just getting ready to put her down in her cot...when BAM...out of nowhere, she started screaming like she was on fire...which she was...her temperature had suddenly sky-rocketed! So, I stripped her down and managed to slightly calm her using the 'drape-kitten' hold over my arm, whilst calling A. and shouting over the noise to please pick up some Calpol.

We managed to administer the smallest dose of Calpol (her very first taste sensation in 66 days) and after some tag-team rocking we managed to put her down for her first small snippet of sleep. It felt like we were back in day 4 with Limi waking every hour. But eventually...well 11 hours later and into a new day...things were back to normal and we could say that we had earned our first sick-baby-survival stripes.

So, these are my 6 top tips for baby vaccinations:

1. before you go for the vaccination make sure that you have stocked up on Calpol and bought a baby friendly thermometer (no one warned me)

2. cover your baby's nose in lots of egg white and let dry...so that people avoid her in the waiting room (see day 65) ...take a wet cloth to remove egg white before meeting the midwife to avoid a baby bathing lesson

3. don't put on a tough facade as it will all come crumbling down when they haul out that needle...and you will just look silly

4. take along something to distract both yourself and your baby, including food in whatever form necessary. warning: this may start a lifetime of comfort eating.....

5. avoid the evening bath for one day and any massages for 3 days. this applies to baby only!

6. have someone on standby for tag-team rocking or to make you a stiff drink once you do eventually get the babe to sleep

apr, 13th - to jab or not to jab....

day 65: It was time for the first vaccinations today: DTaP/IPV/Hib (scheduled for around 8 weeks/ 2 months). These were given in two jabs, one to each thigh (considered to be the fleshiest part on a baby...although maybe they should consider the cheeks). These are the first of three sets of jabs by the time that she is 4 months and protects against the following five diseases:

* diphtheria (D)

* tetanus (T)

* pertussis (whooping cough) (P)

* polio (IPV - inactivated polio vaccine)

* Hib (haemophilus influenzae type b)

There was a moment, after briefly succumbing to reading the dreaded forums, that I was concerned about the jabs and the small percentage of babies who have had horrific side effects ....but then you consider the impact of getting any of the above diseases, and the 'side effects' that they used to have on a large percentage of babies, and it puts things into perspective.

So off we went to the surgery....Now, I'm not big on ranting (usually) but why is it that sick people think that it's completely appropriate to cough and sneeze on their hands and then come along...lean into the buggy...over your disease-free-baby-who-is-just-there-to-get-her-jabs and TOUCH her with those sneeze-covered hands cooing...'are you sick little baby'. Well no she wasn't....but now, well there's a good chance.

Needless to say that by the time we went through for the jabs, I was slightly jittery from all the blocking manoeuvres that I'd had to complete to stop those pesky, germ-ridden digits. This mood combined with a childhood where the motto was 'toughen up princess' and a father who took great delight in treating every small scratch with bubbling peroxide and Merthiolate (the evil burning twin to Mercurochrome) and I was probably coming across to the midwife as fairly cavalier about the whole needle-new-baby thing. [By the way, as a complete aside....in looking up the spelling of Merthiolate, I discovered that Mercurochrome and Merthiolate were pulled from the US shelves in 1998 after almost 60 years of widespread use, due to the new discovery of a risk of mercury poisoning. One of the side effects of mercury poisoning is a lack of coordination....and given the quantities that were applied to my roasties....this explains a whole lot.....and also provided a fantastic vicious circle of more Merthiolate treatment.]

Anyway, the midwife said many mums choose to nurse their babies directly after the jabs to soothe them...to which I responded: 'oh she'll be fine...she's already had antibiotics that involved a large needle and she hardly cried.' So, there I am, holding down her lily-white, naked, innocent looking thigh...with her looking up at me with these trusting, big eyes when the nurse hauls out a GIGANTIC looking needle (yes, it was normal size..but boy did it suddenly look big) and jabs it into her thigh with force (okay, she was gentle but it LOOKED forceful) and Limi's eyes get very big and then large tears start forming and then she starts wailing....looking at me accusingly all the time. And then we have to do it ALL again on the other side. Well of course my uncaring facade crumbled fairly rapidly and besides feeling like a battle-axe mother at the tender age of two months the midwife did smile at my lightening-quick nursing response with a look of....Not so tough now princess!