The Dreaded 2 Month Appointment

Yesterday was the big bad appointment day. It was a day I felt anxiety over since before Forrest was even here. Let me first start by giving you to good stuff - his stats!!! Forrest is 11lbs and 1.5oz and 23.5 inches long. The doctor showed us his chart and where he is on the growth scale and is very happy with is growth and development!!!
Okay now on to the bad stuff-haha! So I will preface this by saying that I did my research and John and I did not come to this decision lightly. I know that vaccinations are important and I understand that but I also know that there can be some very unfortunate side effects and that we are sticking our children with a lot more needles nowadays than we were 28 years ago when I was born!! So in my mind, it is still not long enough to know all the risks of these vaccinations. So we had to think long and hard about this. Now I also want to say very loudly here that when I say 'risks' or 'side effects' I am not talking about that discredited fraudulent report Dr. Wakefield did in 1998 about vaccines causing autism-that is not at all what I mean/think.
After reading and discussing with our doctor and each other and reading and talking some more, hubby and I decided to go ahead with the vaccinations. We decided because we really do believe this was the best option for our family right now!! When I go back to work our son will be going to daycare (not a private sitter) with other children and will be more likely to be exposed to germs and diseases and such. Also, John works with the public every single day. He is in people's homes every single day. Nice homes, not so nice homes, clean homes, dirty homes, healthy homes, homes with sick people, etc. So he could very easily pick something up at one of these homes that he is in every.single.day and carry it home to our little sweet pea and that is just not a chance we were willing to take. John was a bit more against these vaccines from the beginning than I was but after much talk we were both on the same page and satisfied with our decision.
NOW...the actual administering of these vaccines was a whole other story. Hands down-the worst moment of my life. He had to have 3 shots at this appiontment. The doctor explained what he'd do and that the last one (the Pneu-C7 shot) was going to hurt more than the other 2. So I asked how he would give them to Forrest and he said he would just lay him down on the table and give them in his thigh. I asked if I could hold him while he was given his needles and Dr. H said I most definitely could and assured me that this would hurt me more than Forrest. John stood by to comfort me Forrest. I held my little boy close and whispered that it would be okay and it would all be over in a minute. He gave him the first needle and Forrest cried pretty hard (a cry I had heard from him MAYBE two or three times in total since he was born). Then he gave him the second one and he cried even harder (heard that only once maybe). I kept trying to shh shh shh and tell him it would be okay but by the third one our baby boy uttered a cry I have NEVER heard from him ever and hope to never hear it again. He couldn't catch his breath and he was crying so hard I thought I was going to die if my little man didn't feel better! I cried with him. It was heartbreaking. Forrest shrieked cried, I cried and I could see it all over his face that John was upset by it too! After the needles were given and the little band-aids were put on his little thighs, I nursed him to calm him and then we got ready to go and we gave him his pacifier (sookie) and he was completely fine. It's like he forgot all about it in a matter of minutes. I was relieved by that but still felt like the worst mother in the world to make my son go through that ordeal!! The worst part is we have to do it all over again in 2 more months when he gets 2 more needles. Again-this decision is a doubled edged sword in my opinon! When we got in the car John asked me if I would feel the same way about the shots if I knew what it would be like for Forrest and while I hate the thought of him in that much pain or that upset, I do still stand behind our decision. I asked John the same question and he agreed although I still think he is more on the fence about them than I was. I snuggled Forrest all night. I checked his temperature a million times to ensure he would be okay. The doctor said we could give him a little tylenol if we wanted or if he got a fever that night as babies often do but we didn't need to do that as Forrest was completely back to his old self (maybe a tad bit fussy last night but nothing too major) and his temperature was always fine. I even woke up a few times during the night to check on him. I'd look over my bed into the bassinet and give his little head a rub and feel better knowing he was okay. The thermometer we were given as a shower gift by my friend Debbie has come in handy more than just this occasion-it really does set the mind of a first time mom at ease ;) What a great invention to stick the thermo scan into his little ear and find his temperature without him being any wiser to whats going on.
Anyway, today is a new day!!!