To not want DS to have all 4 jabs at once?

[InMemoryOfSleep]

My DS has just turned 1, and so he's due his vaccinations next week. I'm wondering if anyone has any experience of asking your local GP surgery to not give all 4 jabs at once - maybe two one week and two a week or two later? I'm just worried that if he has all four he'll be so sore afterwards, and he's a side sleeper (when he does sleep ) so he won't be able to roll on either side! I feel like I wouldn't have 4 injections at once as an adult, so I'm not too keen to put my DS through it either. Or AIBU and it's just better to just get it out of the way all in one go?

I can't remember there being any soreness,far better to get it all done in one go and not take up another appt.

Just get it all over and done with. Besides anything else Dr and clinic waiting rooms are full of sick people why expose him to the cocktail of illnesses twice.

There are far worse things that children will have to go through.

He won't remember and he won't have to go through the side effects twice.

Won't the injections be in his legs? I don't remember dd being sore.

My son had his a couple of weeks ago and it was nowhere near as bad as I thought. He didn't seem sore after. Personally I think getting it over with is better.
Our nurse did 2 in each leg rather than in arms and legs, might be worth asking about that instead.

Thanks @boatyroo that seems like it might be better, I shall ask.

DD has just had them done. Three of the jabs sites went down within three hours, whilst the fourth (MMR?) stayed red and swollen for 48 hours. She sideways sleeps as well and ended up on her stomach for those two days. She had a lot of cuddles and calpol and I am relieved it's over.
HTH.

BTW, our practice jabs them twice in each leg - much less horrendous than arms!

Give him calpol but he probably won't need it.

better to get it over and done with in one appointment, although I must admit I wimped out and got dh to take ds in for the jabs while I sat outside ready with hankies and a special treat. It was over really quickly and we didn't have any noticeable after affects.

Don't be precious and waste nurses time asking for two appointments, I bet few would if they had to pay for the extra appointment!

Agree he'll be fine and bettter to get over and done with for his sake than put him through two lots. Imagine if he's really ill sometime and you can't get an NHS app because they're all being wasted by mums getting their babies jabs done in more than one appointment.

I'd be worried he'd remember if you give him them in 2 lots.
I've had 6 in one go as an adult (3 each arm), which was rubbish, but at least it was all better after one day.

My daughter wasn't sore on all of them if I recall well. Two had a big reaction but the others were fine.
One way of reducing soreness that is due to the injection of fluid into the muscle (which pushes the muscle fibres apart) is to gently massage the area after injection, or so I was told.
It's your choice to make OP. I prefer the all at once and it's over approach but I understand the rationale of doing it in 2 batches.

Only certain immunisations cause particular discomfort at the injection site afterwards. Others, it's more a general feeling of malaise. Personally, I wouldn't want a general feeling of malaise two weeks running!

Id get it out of the way but I know when I took my son they asked me if I wanted them all at once or split.

With the NHS under the pressure it is, it seems a bit unfair to take up two appointments rather than one just to avoid a bit of soreness.

^ This.

OP you're being massively PFB here, just get the jabs over and done with like the vast majority of people. Don't waste precious NHS resources for no good reason.

When DS had 2 in one thigh, and one in the other (he's also a side sleeper) he was fine - in fact the only ill effects seemed to come from the little round plasters they put on and he seemed to react to the glue (and was not pleased at me taking them off - in fact, to this day, I have to use those special wipes to take plasters off, but he's always fine about medical stuff including jabs)

I understand your thought process though - I was surprised at how bruised my arm felt, and for how long, after the whooping cough jab when I was pregnant (and I've had other stuff done by that particular nurse - she's excellent, so I don't think it was anything to do with technique)

In Switzerland the paediatrician recommended giving DC paracetamol before the injection and again after.

Thanks for everyone's opinions, I'm thinking I'll just get it out of the way in one go and be prepared with the Calpol. As an aside - our injections are done as a clinic, so they whizz you in and out without an appointment. So I wouldn't be taking up two appointments, as some have suggested, which I agree is unreasonable.

It would still be time wasted , imagine if everyone did that. Glad you're getting it all over and done with, I bet it won't be as bad as you're imagining. Give Calpol half an hour before the jab.

Ours said much better for DD to do them all at once.

Friend's dr just up the road split then without being asked!

So I think it will depend on your dr. Have to say I was dreading them after she'd had a painful reaction (localised, as in her tiny thigh looked like a Swiss roll) at 8 weeks. But apart from crying at the time, she didn't even notice the 1 year ones! Friend's baby was grumpy for a month or so. Again, think it just depends on your child.

You're still taking up double the amount of time

I split them over 2 visits. I just asked and the health visitor who was doing them said it was fine. She didn't try to change my mind at all. No drama at either visit.

I'm not sure I see it as time 'wasted', if you're doing what you feel is best for your child. We barely ever go to the doctors, so I wouldn't feel guilty for using an extra time slot if I felt it would be better for my DS.

Our surgery are happy to do it however you want, they just want as many people to vaccinate as possible. We actually did 5 in one go (the usual plus chickenpox). Only one of them looked sore after. I had to take him back for the second chicken pox a few weeks later and he definitely remembered! So I would say get them all done together (it's two in each leg) but if you feel more comfortable splitting them then do that.

We spread them out to minimise side effects as out ds had a hard time with the earlier ones. There was at least a month in between, but he was fine going back - he wasn't upset beforehand and they were soon forgotten each time.

I think quite a lot of parents do the same, and our HV was fine about it - they just want them vaccinated and don't mind how it happens. Ultimately they can't force you to have any anyway.