First vaccine shot - what to expect

fionashrek · May 5, 2014

Hi friends,
My baby is to get his first shot of dpt (painful). (The painless one is unavailable currently and we cant wait longer.) He is two months old. What do i expect at the doctor's office and later? For how many days do the side effects last?
I am so scared that i may end up crying at the doctor's office when they give him the shot and he cries..
Ineed some reassurance that will make me feel better..he is so tiny..he will not even suspect that we are going to do something that will hurt him so much..it almost feels cruel. . (I know i sound crazy but that's how i feel)
Fiona

ramyaramani · May 6, 2014

First thing stop being nervous. It is for his own good.

Babies tend to cry only for a couple of seconds after the shot is given. If you are nervous then they tend to cry even more. The area where the vaccine is given will be sore for 1-2 days. He may be having fever for 1-2 days. Warm cloth over the sore area would help.

Rakhii · May 6, 2014

When my dd was getting her first vaccine, I also got very worried. My doctor advised me to breast feed her while she gave the vaccine. My doctor was very quick though. before my DD realized what happened, the shot was done. Maybe it took about 3-5 seconds and not more. She started crying after the shot was administered. Bu not for long, I continued to feed her and she stopped right away. By the way, careful with feeding as you need them to calm down a little before you can feed them as feeding while crying can cause choking. But since you are at doctors office, you should be ok.

And yes, I cried while she was being vaccinated too. I couldnt help it. Don worry, tears of mom are a common sight to the doctors when the babies are being vaccinated.

She also got fever for which I was told to give drops (tylenol).