vaccine
Honey Badger Demands Shots Once a Week
Just before leaving the pediatrician’s office, Maddie stared down the doctor. With defiance plastered across her face she declared, “Next time, hit me with a bigger needle and put your back into it!”
Maddie took her cue from Rocky IV this week when her poor little body was covered with bumps and she was racked with sickness. The evil Russian from the movie, Dolph Lundgren tells little Rocky, “I must break you!” Sly Stallone, always the smart one replies, “Go for it!”
That was just a movie, but my little Honey Badger is toughness personified.
Maddie took the worst her one-year vaccinations had to offer and shrugged it off in a little more than 24 hours. As if being sick wasn’t enough, Maddie bounced her left cheekbone off the corner of the living room table. She cried for less than 30 seconds and kept on playing as if nothing had happened.
Her grandmother MiMi always called Maddie a “Toughie,” but this is just ridiculous. Maddie even has a grizzly bear carpet in her room. The bear isn’t dead, it’s just too scared to move.
Baby Falls Victim to New Round of Vaccination Sickness
The best part of getting your baby vaccinated in the United States is the CONSTANT misinformation, secrecy and idiocy surrounding the shots. Make sure you read about the shots before you take your baby. In our experience, doctors don’t seem to be very forthcoming no matter how many questions you ask them.
Nine days after her shots, Maddie started getting a few bumps and was unusually cranky. If we thought that was the end of it, we were sorely mistaken. Maddie woke up the next morning covered with bumps from head to toe and feeling absolutely miserable.
We went back the doctor’s office to get an expert medical opinion. “Well, it could be a number of things,” said the doctor. Really??? Doc, you found the missing piece! What a stunning diagnosis! You cracked this one wide open – Move over Dr. House!! All those years in med school really paid off – Another feather in the cap for the medical community.
We have been very lucky that Maddie has only been sick three times in her life. It just so happens that every bout of illness has been associated with her shots. Maddie is tougher than nails and refuses to let this latest bout of shots drag her down. It’s her parents that really seem to be having the tough time when Maddie doesn’t feel well.
Baby Shrugs Off Shots for Friday Festivities
6-Month Shots Put Household on High Alert
Tomorrow morning, Maddie goes under the needle for her 6-month vaccinations. This might sound overly dramatic, but the 2 and 4-month shots proved to be both sad and disruptive for all parties involved.
Seeing Maddie in great discomfort is a helpless and debilitating feeling. Your little girl is hurting and confused and is equally curious as to how you allowed this pain befall her in the first place.
The other issue is the glut of information out there about the potential hazards of these vaccines. At one point, the government insists that a particular shot is critical for your child’s health and the next year crosses it off the list.
I’m sure that keeping a positive attitude about the process can only help, but it sure won’t appease my little girl.
I’m also not convinced that knowing what to expect provides any tangible peace of mind. Maddie’s worst reaction seems to come almost four hours after the injection. She suddenly breaks down into panic as if its all taking place again. At this point, Maddie becomes completely inconsolable.
During the last two rounds of shots, Maddie was out of sorts across the board for at least four to five days. All naps and normal sleep schedules are truncated by these vaccination events as well as Maddie’s appetite.
So shields up and prepare for impact because tomorrow morning we are going in!
Maddie Using Sleep to Combat Vaccination Blues
Two days after our vaccination misadventures, Maddie is feeling a little bit better, but still struggling to sleep off all the nasty drugs churning in her system.
The baby not only slept until seven this morning (WHICH IS A MIRACLE!) but is making sure to catch extended catnaps at every turn. The first nap came after we had a couple pieces of furniture delivered this morning, including a new recliner! As soon as the delivery guys left, Maddie and her PaPa raced over to check out the new recliner. We looked at each other and decided to take that bad boy for a drive.
We plopped down into our new seat and Maddie knew exactly what to do – she passed out dead asleep in my arms in less than a minute. It was an hour and half before she finally woke up, but it was clear that this little nap of hers was just an appetizer. It was also apparent that this new recliner might work out very nicely in our happy home.
I really had to prod Maddie during her afternoon feeding just to keep her awake. The baby was only half way through the bottle when it became obvious that she couldn’t finish. Just before Maddie fell asleep, we decided to pay one more visit to the new recliner in case it was feeling lonely.
The leather chair greeted us like a long lost friend. Maddie’s little temper was flaring, but as soon as we settled in, the chair’s comfort assumed control of the situation. Maddie and PaPa both succumbed to the charm of the chair as we were forced to take another nice long nap.
Maddie ended up sleeping for two full hours and indicated that she is a big fan of the new chair! Good job Mom!
Sister’s Sage Advice Overcomes Vaccination Angst
I will always be eternally grateful to my younger sister Rachel. Her vaccination advice continues to be a lifesaver after poor little Maddie had another bad reaction to her scheduled shots last night.
Having some idea of what to expect during this round of vaccinations made things a little bit easier – but not much.
I was hoping that Maddie wouldn’t suffer from the same reaction to her shots that she had last time, but that was obviously wishful thinking. About four hours after Maddie’s vaccination – my sweet little girl literally went berserk. She screamed with a fear and desperation that was more than enough to rip your heart out.
I instantly remembered my sister’s strange, yet very successful advice that she had shared with us when she was visiting two months ago. She said, hold the baby tight, rock her and sing to her. (You can’t be serious!) It worked then, I prayed it might work again!
I scooped up Maddie and held her tight, but for the life of me, I couldn’t think of the words to any songs at all. After 30 seconds, Maddie was screaming with an intensity none of us had ever heard before. Suddenly, through the fog of her wailing – the words to the song Everyday by the Dave Mathews Band came spilling into my swirling brain.
“Pick me up love, Everyday!”
The words spilled out into a jumble at first, but then turned into the song that I hoped would calm my panicked precious child. Like a magic spell, in less than 30 seconds she started to scale down. I kept on singing like an obsessed street person, terrified to stop even for one second. Two minutes later she was quietly staring at me, as I went over the song verse by verse, again and again.
Another few minutes passed by and the baby was sound asleep in my arms as Gina started coming by and applying warm compresses to the leg where Maddie received the offending shot.
It was a tough night for all of us, but once again, my sister’s unorthodox cure was a true lifesaver. She has two amazing children of her own, so I am thankful that she was able to share some of that critical knowledge with us.
Upon further review of why this strange solution actually relaxes the baby – I can only guess that when an infant reaches an uncontrolled panic mode, he or she is looking for a specific form of warmth, security and protection that allows them wind down in an active, yet completely safe environment. I’m not sure why singing (especially mine) conveys a sense of security; I just know that it works.
Maddie Squashes the Flu Bug
After going back and forth, Maddie finally sided with the medical community and insisted that her parents go in and get their flu shots. After weighing the pros and cons, Maddie decided that she was not willing to risk a potential flu outbreak in her home.
Personally, I think Maddie was looking for a little payback after her vaccine issues in early October. (READ: Baby Pays the Price) But we decided that even though neither of us have ever gotten the shot or contracted the flu in the past ten years, we would comply with our daughter’s wishes.
So after an almost two hour nap on her PaPa – Maddie was ready to escort her parents out on the town for some nice flu shots. We saddled up the baby and headed downstairs for our walk. I was in the process of placing the wind guard over the baby’s stroller when the buggy was rocked by a frigid blast of wind. Maddie’s eyes went wide with confusion and she wondered if the weather was actually a greater threat than the flu bug.
We started walking and Maddie was on full alert, collecting every bit of visual data she could absorb. Once we made it to the drugstore with out anymore rogue winds buffeting the stroller, Maddie was content to grab a quick nap while her parents got their turn with the needle.
Trying to get the flu shots presented a little more of a challenge than we originally anticipated. The girl behind the counter seemed overwhelmed by not only her job, but by the sheer act of taking down our information. I could already tell that interacting with her was certainly going to be more painful than the flu shot itself. Even Maddie woke up long enough to eye the clerk with complete dissatisfaction and let out a few disapproving snorts.
Once the shots were over, Maddie seemed to lose all interest in the process. However, on the way back home she did a crack a little smile that seemed to say, revenge is a dish that it best served cold. Little does she realize that her next round of shots have already been scheduled for early December.
Baby Pays the Price for Rigorous Vaccination Practices
A combination of doctor trickery and parental ignorance led to a great deal of pain and suffering for our baby Tuesday night.
I have always wondered about the controversy surrounding infant immunizations and the adverse impact on young children. I’m here to tell you folks – there is great reason to fear your doctors and their half-assed policies regarding shots for babies.
Our pediatrician (not for long) told us that our 11-pound, 2-month old baby needed two shots and an oral Rotavirus vaccine. Three doses of WHATEVER seemed like a lot for such a tiny creature – but like an idiot – I deferred to the doctor. Moments later, we found out that these two shots actually contain FOUR different vaccinations. Now I’m pissed and praying that the baby is ok.
Turns out that praying was not enough, because four hours later – the dam ruptured and all hell broke loose. Out of nowhere – Maddie started screaming with a desperation we could not have even imagined in our wildest dreams. She was inconsolable for nearly two hours and clearly suffering from her vaccine cocktail. We contacted the on-call doctor who told us that this was a very rare reaction to the shots. Being lied to by a witch doctor didn’t make the situation any better at all.
Despite all the warnings from friends and family who had bad experiences with their kids – we just had to learn the hard way.
Watching my baby suffer has made me a true believer in the ineptitude of the CDC and these so-called medicinal practitioners. There is no reason to load up such a little person with such a potent cocktail of drugs when these vaccinations could be spread out over time.
The CDC and its rigorous shot schedule is for the birds. It is completely up to the parents to modify the shot schedule and defy both the pediatricians and our wonderful friends at the CDC.
Our doctor was very slick – but our eyes have been pried wide open. One shot at a time is more than enough from now on – but thanks anyway.
Stay Home PaPa 