The first round of shots my infant had to be rushed to the hospital, because of a fever that spiked at 103, and my baby was screaming mercilessly. Needless to say we were terribly concerned, but according to the ER pediatrician at Doctors Hospital in Augusta GA, that it's safe under these kinds of situations to give 1.24ml of infant Tylenol. This was at 6 months, although, I would never administer (even now) more than what is recommended without a Doctor present, at the risk of an overdose.
The last set of shots my child got was almost worse, he was more aware of the pain of the shots, and had another horrible reaction. This shot set included the MMR, among others. They say that combined it makes no difference, but I would almost like to see how he reacts to just one shot at a time in the future. This time, my baby had violent vomiting, to the point of dry heaving, it was terrifying. He could not stop crying, and hyperventilating, and it took us a long time to get him to calm down. My advice for any mommies to be, or current moms dreading shots, I would really consider listening to your inner voice and allow the shots to be given a little at a time. Thankfully my mother in law is a nurse, and we just had to keep him calm, keep changing his clothes from the vomit spurts, and try not to move him too much, and try to keep him hydrated. Of course Tylenol to the rescue. The best brand I have found (in the US) is the Walgreens brand infant Tylenol,
for some reason the Walgreens infant pain reliever seems to work the best for little Ben. He likes the taste of the grape the best, and it doesn't upset his tummy. For some reason the Little Fevers brand, is the worst, he upchucks the minute it goes down his throat. Vomiting of course yields a number of concerns, so if your child does vomit when sick, Pedialyte is great! Just make sure you get the plain kind, the flavors might taste better to you, but the regular is like water, and for my little man he rejected the flavors. Also the flavored ones have Sucralose in them (an artificial sugar derivative). T
Make sure to refrigerate it after opening, and use withing 48 hours. WHY? The reason Pedialyte asks you use it withing that time frame is
NOT because drinking it after will hurt your baby, the active electrolytes are just no longer effective. Pedialyte is not like Gatorade that has so many preservatives it will last for years in your fridge. I also from time to time, will buy the Smart Water for my baby, it is electrolyte enhanced water, with no sugars, sodium, or fake sweeteners. However it's often the sodium component that helps your body absorb the electrolytes but there are different kinds of dehydration, and it often seems to help him in times of diarrhea, or vomiting. While pricey, I do tend to lean on the Pedialyte, because of it's balanced ingredients. And if he's really in need to rehydrate the bottle will be gone within 48 hours anyway.I have known mothers to give their kids regular Gatorade, I don't really agree with this. It's not the same as Pedialyte, and is not designed for babies, and toddlers, plus there are artificial additives flavors, and aspartame. But this is just my opinion, everyone is entitled to one. I believe that aspartame is poison for the body. If you would like to read more about aspartame please check out this link: http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/healthy-eating/5-reasons-aspartame-is-bad-for-you.html
This is a great article I found about sports drinks if you would like to learn more as to why grown ups, and kids, shouldn't just be drinking them any ol' time: http://foodaries.com/2011/06/everything-you-want-to-know-about-sports-drinks/
Needless to say shots sucks, but your baby will be fine, but there are some things to keep in mind before your baby has shots. Make sure your little one is not allergic to eggs, because most vaccines are derived from egg proteins, and then you COULD be dealing with a way more serious issue than just a bad fever, or vomiting. Because my husband, (and babys daddy, he he) had a very serious allergy to eggs as a child, these kinds of things could not be administered, especially the flu shot. Even now he cannot get a flu shot. Sadly because of the horrible reactions my son has had to shots, we have chosen to avoid the flu shot this year.
Regardless however of allergic problems, alot of people do choose NOT to do certain vaccines because of the controversies that surround them, and other risks that are included. While some of these accusations cannot be proven, and many of them are stated to be incorrect, the stigma of autism still surrounds the MMR shot. WHY? There were studies that found a link from the MMR shot that heightened the risk of Autism. No one really knows what causes Autism, but this finding was ruled as a phony, and was found to be a completely unfounded study. For this and other reasons some people avoid them anyways. And frankly I don't blame them. However, because my son is exposed to so many children on a day to day basis, and after talking to my pediatrician, I felt it best to brave the controversy. Our pediatrician has lived in many areas, she has actually seen cases of these rare strands (measles, mumps and even rubella) kill children. She told me most people think that so many kids get these shots, they then have nothing to worry about, but I suppose the risk of death is too much for me to risk, so we did it. Because of illegal immigrations, etc... there are kids out there who pose a risk to other kids, and this is actually how (my doc said) the kids she treated got sick and died, from being in contact with a child from another country who had not been vaccinated. She said she had seen several outbreaks, and this was enough to convince me to do it. Most pediatricians I have talked to had not had that kind of close encounter, so before I didn't want him to get the MMR. I knew my doc wasn't just telling me this to scare me into doing either. She said, it was up to me, and she didn't look down on me either way, but wanted me to know what the risks were.
I still maintain however that every parent has the rights to his or her beliefs and opinions, and never judge those who choose to abstain from shots like the MMR. It's so hard to know what to believe sometimes, so I don't blame those who don't. For me it was a simple choice, a myth about the link of Autism and the MMR, or the reality that my child could catch some deadly disease and die from it. For those who believe in conspiracy theories, it's true, there is a chance it was all covered up, and that there is a link to the MMR and Autism, or one could realize at the time, there was a much higher awareness of Autism in children.
Which ever way you go, remember to give that little baby of yours lots of love after those shots, bring books, a favorite blankie, and tissues, cause trust me, your baby won't be the only one in tears over his/her shots :)
If you are interested to read a summary of the controversy surrounding the MMR shot here is a link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MMR_vaccine_controversy
More information about Vaccines (this is a good site for those with questions wanting real facts: http://vaccinateyourbaby.org/?gclid=CJb65If04q0CFaYSNAodOkZa6A
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