Baby vaccines

[Sunshinesamba21]

Just took baby for vaccines. First, the appt was delayed by 1.5 hrs so we were a bit out of kilter for naps etc but we eventually got seen. 4 jabs to get, 2 in each leg. Dd screamed and cried her eyes out. I had to hold down her legs. Never seen so many tears. I felt terrible. The room was very small. Baby was wriggling about crying and i couldn't get her trousers on, never mind her coat. There was basically no room to swing a cat, I stood up whilst wondering what i was meant to do or how I was going to dress her. She wasn't sitting nicely on my knee anymore like she had been when i took them off. The nurse just got up, opened the door, stood beside it waiting for me to leave. I had to put a bawling dd in the pram (she did not want to go in the pram) with no trousers or coat on. Maybe IAMBU and this is the way it is for everyone - the nhs are on a tight schedule so take the vaccine and go. There was no one else in the waiting room though, surely she could have spared me a few mins for baby to calm down or offered help to get her dressed again?! I was told to give dd calpol immediately afterwards on the letter, i ended up administering this outside since i was basically turfed out! Is this normal??

That sounds v stressful- the delays are a right pain with a little baby. Maybe they thought you’d get her sorted out in the waiting room as there might be more space there.

Was there nowhere to wait the time you are supposed to with them directly after the vaccinations either?
That is a long wait for the jabs too and not ideal with a new baby. Hope she’s ok and the calpol has done the trick

They were running 1.5 hours late so probably best to just get it done and then get you our of there

I’m sorry it was upsetting. Time and budget pressures mean that they don’t have 5 minutes to stop, chat or help you redress the baby. Just because there wasn’t anyone waiting doesn’t mean that the nurse didn’t have 101 things she had to be doing - it sounds like she was already running very late if you had to wait. There’s usually more space in the waiting room so you can sort out clothes.

They usually ask you to hang around for 15 minutes after in the waiting room.
After 15 minutes baby would had probably calmed down and you could dress her in the pram or use the baby change in the toilets.

I’m sorry OP, I hope you are both okay. I wouldn’t say this was normal as it wasn’t my experience. With my DD’s first jabs the nurse helped me administer the Calpol after the injections and certainly didn’t rush us both out. They also asked me to wait in the waiting room for 15 mins after just in case of any reaction etc. I would complain to the practice manager but I can understand that many wouldn’t.

@Whiskeypowers @benjoin sorry,i should have said. I was told when i got there my appt was moved to 1.5hrs later because a staff member was coming from another practise so i left and went back but its a 30min walk from my house so its not like i had much time to do anything. I was still just killing the time even though i wasnt sitting in the waiting room if that makes sense.

@Prawncow just seems a terrible way to do it. The waiting room was empty but its at the other side of the surgery beside the exit, it could have been full of patients and it doesnt feel very great that iv got to drag a screaming baby there and somehow change them in the middle of the room with strangers walking by. Surely my baby should be entitled to a bit of privacy? I do appreciate what your saying though and maybe she was busy with other things.

it could have been full of patients and it doesnt feel very great that iv got to drag a screaming baby there and somehow change them in the middle of the room with strangers walking by. Surely my baby should be entitled to a bit of privacy?
Popping her trousers back on isn't really changing though. And if you mean a nappy change then surely you'd go to the toilet anyway.

I went straight back to the waiting room for a feed to calm them down for mine. Never expected to take up time in the actual treatment room.

@Historygirl91 thanks.thats made me feel a bit better. I can feel my heart thumping now i could honestly cry. Maybe i should have just went to the waiting area and sat down but i just felt like its a public area and i just wanted 2 mins. I even asked before the vaccines whether to give the calpol beforehand as the letter said take it with you and give immediately before or after and the nurse just said do it within 30mins of getting home. But she was quite short in the way she said it, no warmth or anything. Im sitting panicking that its a 30min walk to get home and up a steep hill so thats 30mins at a good pace. I think i might actually put in a complaint. Il just frame it that it would be better if a bigger room could be available but if not some guidance on what to do afterwards would be helpful as its probably a stressful experience at the best of times let alone when you feel like you are being thrown out. I was unprepared for dd's level of upset too which threw me, although i expect thats totally normal.

@Sunshinesamba21 crying babies in the waiting room are a part of life. Don't worry about what other people think.
As for dressing her - as I said change in the baby change or just discreetly pull on her little trousers/leggings in the pram.
No one will see (or care).
Also babies don't get much privacy. If you go to a weight clinic you have to strip them naked in front of whoever else is there (the HV team, other parents and frequently nosy older toddlers)
Some baby change facilities are communal too.
That's just life with a baby.
Hope she is feeling ok though 💐

@DappledThings no, i didnt need to change the nappy. Only put trousers on and the coat all in one suit. But she was arching her back going in the pram so it was hard to strap her in i was wondering if i should carry her but she is heavy and i was thinking there is no way i can carry her home and push the pram, and i had the clothes in my hands too. I was just panicking of what to do and where to go.

@Needmorelego thanks,she is absolutely fine so far since getting home so thats great. It just felt like a horrible experience. I guess il be more prepared of what to expect next time.

Don’t underestimate the primal sense of panic that comes from listening to your baby screaming - especially for something different to normal. And the nurse doesn’t sound like they were very sympathetic- that would have helped to calm you down. You’re racing full of adrenaline- take some time to let it work out of your system. You’ll be ok xx

@Sunshinesamba21 it is hard to watch the first time.
It's easier when they have their 13 month jabs because they are old enough to stick a chocolate button in their mouth when they burst into tears and while they are happy with that you can eat the rest of the packet 🙂

@Talipesmum thank you, your totally right that has really helped x . Everyones messages have really helped too. I wont bother with the complaint since it seems like what i experienced is fairly typical with maybe a friendlier nurse. It would of been beneficial i had been told to go to the waiting room but il no for next time and maybe if anyone else reads this then they will no too.

Sounds very stressful. Our nurse let me sit and breastfeed DD2 to help her calm down after her jabs.

Why didn't you just say, "sorry I'm just gonna pop her trousers on and we will be out of your hair"?

This is so true

Aw that’s such a shame you were made to feel like that. the nurse was likely stressed as obviously there was some sort of issue if your appointment was changed like that perhaps she had to fit many more babies in a shorter time period.

However, this is not good, we are trained to be professional and caring and to make sure families have a good experience so she should’ve kindly told you if there was a baby change in the building, and explained tight schedule and An apology for keeping you waiting. I never rush the appointments it’s Important that families have the time and space to ask questions and I have time to make up vaccines, make sure it’s safe to give and that baby is ok afterwards, it’s cold too so I wouldn’t have babies going out half dressed. Most of the rooms I use have a change mat I wipe between babies in case they are used. 1year Imms are full on with 4 vaccines and they are always so upset. I’m sorry you were made to feel like that, there’s no harm in passing on how you felt and re the room/being rushed etc I’d always appreciate feedback. Hope your wee one is ok op

@Hufflemuff because dd was wriggling about screaming, i was trying to get her trousers on but i couldnt so i stood up thinking maybe i could lie her on my seat but it had big metal arms and in that moment, i didnt no how to get her trousers on or where to put her.

@Shopper727 thank you x please could i ask, when you say make up the vaccines, do you do this in advance? When i went in the room all the vaccines and the plasters were out and ready to go? Is this normal too? Iv only ever seen vaccines come out a box before. I can see it made it very quick which was good. There was no changing mat in this room, there was no room for one. I wish id came to your surgery lol!

It is rushed and hectic but that nurse also sounds horrible!

With mine they did the vaccines and I maybe spent a minute comforting baby and popped their legs back in (always dress them in easy clothes for a vaccine appt!)

Sometimes they asked me to feed them while they did the injection to calm the baby more

This honestly sounds more like the nurse's issue though. Hopefully you get a nicer one next time!

The vaccines can only be out of the fridge for 20 mins prior to administering so I make sure my babies are in the building, make them up, 2 for one year Imms you just pop needles on, 2 you have to reconstitute and draw up so I find it’s easier to do right before the appointment.

So it depends which vaccines you’ve seen previously they all come out of a box we also avoid making them up in front of people as there are lots of parents who are needle phobic so can get quite anxious if I do it very obviously in front of them. sounds like a stressor nurse (not an excuse) and an inappropriate room, ours are usually a decent size I rotate round a few clinics and some are better than others. You’d have been very welcome in my clinic, I love my job and really enjoy meeting families and babies, even though I make them cry I do try to make the experience as positive as I can.

My GP has a nappy change/feeding room. Nice and private. I bundled.baby up and took in there to calm down etc. He cried over 20 min so I certainly wasn't going to be able to hold them up that long!

Also the nurse administering probably does loads of these and hates making babies cry all day! If it was me I'd certainly need to distance myself. Nurse also made clear they couldn't help with calpol etc also. I had to administer myself entirely to cover themselves.