Shots All Around

by Alison Friedman in Marvelous Madelyn, Mommy's Musings

One of these things is not like the other: DTaP, PCV, IPV, Tequila.

They’re all shots, but the last one will be foreign to Madelyn until her first college party. The first three, however, made an appearance at her 2-month checkup in early October.

She had her regular physical first and checked out great.

She was calm and content the whole time. No whining, no fussiness, no discomfort. Our happy little Madelyn was more than pleased to be weighed and measured and pressed on and poked at. Easy shmeasy.

She probably thought she was getting out free and clear of any trauma, but what she didn’t know was that life was about to majorly suck. I felt like I had betrayed her with a happy-go-lucky morning on the doctor’s butcher paper table, but truth is, she was about to get butchered.

Her 2-month vaccinations started off with a taste of rotavirus vaccine. I imagine it doesn’t take like sugar and chocolate, but I’m sure it was a welcome change from formula and she lapped it right up.

I clenched my fingers as I knew the worst was yet to come. I saw the tray of three Band-Aids and three needles and held my breath in anticipation. Madelyn just hung out at the table, her big brown eyes looking around, with twitches of smiles coming from her happy mouth and then WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT THE $&@% WAS THAAAAAAAAAAT (I imagine Madelyn to swear in symbols).

She let out an immediate shriek like I’d never heard. In fact, I bet Princeton heard it at home, not because dogs have freaky deaky high pitched hearing, but because it really was just that loud. She was startled three times by these needles and she screamed so loud with each prick, I swear I could see her lungs coming out of her mouth.

I’ve often heard the shots are worse for the mommy than they are for the baby, and while I certainly didn’t enjoy watching my daughter get traumatized by modern medicine, I knew it would be temporary and that, in the end, it would be good for her.

Good thing is, unlike her mother, she recovers well. Madelyn stopped crying after a few minutes and then slept the rest of the day away. She was a cuddler, which I selfishly enjoyed, and I made sure to comfort and soothe her the few times she woke up a little irritated.

So, we both survived her first shots, but in December, when we go back for her 4-month check up, she’s going to reunite with those needles again. And this is why kids hate going to the pediatrician!

The worst part about the whole thing is that she’s too young to leave with a lollipop from the front desk. But don’t worry — mama got her Dumdum.

  1. K
    10/28/2011 9:49 PM

    She’s soooooo cute! Fiona can’t wait to meet her! One of these days….