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??

It very much sounds like you've not done even one inch of research into any of this. Perhaps if you had, you wouldn't have gotten into such a flap. Doesn't sound like you even gave informed consent either? There's quite a lot to read on the vaccine insert. It's very important to read everything prior to giving consent, including knowing all the side effects to look out for and appropriate action to take in the event of them.

@ReadingSoManyThreads i did do research into what the vaccines were for but not how the appt would run. Im not sure how i could have researched that? The letter said arrive at x time and bring calpol to take immediately before or immediately after. I wasnt given a vaccine insert to read? I was asked to sign a form confirming the names of the vaccines and thats the only info i was offered other than dd would probably get a temperature so take calpol within the half an hr.

@Shopper727 sorry to ask another question but pp has just brought up informed consent. I obviously consented to my dd getting the vaccines, i signed a form and held her legs down but after reading a google page im not sure i actually gave informed consent. When i sat down, the nurse said 'baby sunshine is here today for vaccines x, y and z', i said yes. She presented me with a bit of paper which had the kind of code names of the vaccines as per what they had been referred to in my appt letter. I signed a box beside each one and off she went. When i asked about the calpol she made the half an hr comment i mentioned previously and said dd would likely get a temperature. The guidance for informed consent states that the healthcare professional should 'dicuss risks and benefits of proposed treatment and reasonable alternatives'. None of this was discussed with me. Should it have been? When i was pregnant and offered vaccines it was the same type of thing. Im not sure it matters as i did want dd to receive the vaccines but now im questioning myself because of pp comment. Many thanks

Honestly just move on

Baby is now vaccinated so less likely to die early if a horrible disease

It is what is

When my DC had to have vaccinations age 3/4 one ran to the door trying to open it and the other ran and hid under the table

DS was screaming at me 'You promised no more vaccinations' which is true I had

But a DC at my DD nursery had died of Hepatitis A after travelling abroad for a short trip so everyone had to have one and family members

It was carnage in that room but I no one was leaving there unvaccinated

14 years later and DS was laughing about this the other day

Luckily your baby won't remember

Both my DC do although more as a comical event

This confirms what I thought. You've not given informed consent. The inserts are available to read online, prior to the appointment, it is very rare for them to offer you them to read. Think about why that is. Keep an eye on baby, any side effects, report via the Yellow Card Scheme. I would also recommend researching calpol, it's banned in some countries for a reason, I've two children and never ever bought or used the stuff.

@ReadingSoManyThreads paracetamol is banned in some countries? It’s not, some preparations are no longer available and there are limits to the amount that can be purchased but as an analgesic medication paracetamol is effective and medication.

@Sunshinesamba21 the nurse doesn’t sound very caring and you could feed that back. In terms of consent you’re there for the vaccine and anytime I’ve been it’s similar, you’re there because you want your child to have it. I suppose if you have questions they expect you to ask them (not saying the way it works is best practice in terms of consent but it is what it is) Things like the baby needing to have calpol within half an hour aren’t exact timings, it’s not not going to work if you have it 45 minutes after so try not to worry so much the next time.

I hope your baby doesn’t feel to poorly after her vaccines and just put the whole thing out of your mind!

• a safe and effective medication!

@Oinkypig I did not say paracetamol was banned in some countries, I said Calpol (a brand) was, which is true.

@ReadingSoManyThreads out of curiosity which countries is "Calpol" banned? Can you link some proof on that.
I know it's sold under different names in different countries (ie Tylenol) so there may be variations in things like the added colouring.
I feel you are trying to derail this thread with some type of conspiracy nonsense which isn't going to help the OP.

I think what you have here is a nurse who is rushed off her feet (came in from another practice) and a bit brusque and rushed with a small room that’s not ideal, combined with the absolute trauma of your baby’s first immunisations.

I remember taking DS1 for his so clearly. His anguish, my sobbing, the bleeding when she nicked a capillary.

The second (and other) lot(s) are so much easier. The best thing to do was use the waiting room and get yourself together. Our surgery does vaccination on a specific day, so if you’re sat in there it’s a constant stream of angry babies. Sounds like the whole thing triggered your fight or flight reflex and I’m not surprised because it’s pretty traumatic.

I'm sorry that this was stressful. Baby immunisations often are.

But no, you shouldn't expect to stay in the nurse's room to administer Calpol. That's generally not the done thing. The nurse may have had calls or other work she was running behind on, so an empty waiting room means nothing. Also dressing a screaming baby can take time and the nurse likely needed to crack on with things. Was there no changing area in the building?

It sounds stressful for you but please don't assume the nurse is unpleasant or uncaring. She might have been desperate for the loo or something to eat or drink. She was probably feeling exhausted if everything was running late. I have friends who are practice nurses who often miss their breaks completely to enable them to get the timing back on track. Hopefully, next time it will be easier.

Baby and toddler vaccines are never fun! I remember my DD1 got a reputation for being the baby who screamed the surgery down - my mum went in the following week and a different nurse asked if it was her granddaughter they’d heard about - and I struggled to keep her leg still so the needle scratched her. 🤦‍♀️ I have now been through it all with two DDs and have a DS due imminently. I do find it best to try and stay as calm as possible (really not easy, I know) as that helped my two calm down much more quickly. Giving Calpol immediately just means don’t wait several hours. If you’d tried to give Calpol whilst baby was screaming, it would have all likely been spat up again from my experience.

In terms of privacy, I really don’t think your baby would care who saw them having their leggings put back on. It’s rubbish you couldn’t do that before leaving the room but it doesn’t sound like there was enough space in there anyway. Your nurse doesn’t sound sympathetic (strange as my experience with the nurses giving child vaccines has always been great and they do their best to try and at least offer soothing words) but she was probably overworked and stressed.

I'm sorry you had such a stressful time, but a lot of it is just because it was your first time and you didn't really know what to expect or how best to manage. Plan out how you'll handle it next time and it will go a lot more smoothly.

-give the calpol in the waiting room before you go into the apartment, they'll be to upset to take it straight after.

• dress them in something soft and easy to get on (leggins or just a dress if warm enough), and if possible just pull legs down no off completely.

• an all in one coat was probably alway going to be difficult, a top only coat and extra blanket in the buggy if your worried about cold legs.

• I'd leave the buggy and coat in the waiting room, then just trousers down in the room, jab, pull up and carry back to waiting room for a cuddle.

• I also fed in the waiting room after, which was great for calming them down.

Well, this is unecessary! Way to kick the OP whilst she’s already feeling stressed.

Yes, it’s wise to look up the potential side effects so you’re prepared but I’ve got two children who have had all of their vaccinations and I did no research in advance. I’ll let the scientists do that as their area of expertise. I trust the NHS to offer vaccines that will keep my babies alive and I happily pay for extra ones that aren’t on the standard list. I gave informed consent in that I knew which vaccines and for what diseases.

Oh and I have also given both of mine calpol when they needed it. 👍

Move on OP, it wasn’t ideal but your baby is now vaccinated which is good. The Calpol is helpful re temps but it’s not like there’s a deadline for giving it.

The trick with baby vaccines is to put them in easy outfits, if it's cold you put their coat back on in the waiting room. They used to vaccinate sitting in a line when my brother was small.

All the vaccine information is online or you can request the information in paper form before your appointment but please please vaccinate your child, it's so important, children are dying of these diseases because parents read conspiracy theories online!

This is so true. Measles is making a comeback due to the low uptake of vaccinations, especially in the big cities. Those who selfishly chose not to vaccinate will no longer be able to rely on the fact that the majority of people have been vaccinated. It's going to cause a huge strain on the NHS and we will all be affected in one way or another.

Thanks everyone. Im feeling a lot better about the situation and really appreciate the supportive comments. The experience has made me very sad about the nhs though. A number of pp have made excuses for the nurse's attitude - i work full time as well and am often busy and stressed, but part of being in a customer facing role is to provide good service and i dont feel i was given the appropriate information or opportunity to ask questions as set out in the informed consent guidelines. A vaccine is a medical procedure. When i had my section i was talked through the info properly. If i treated my customers/patients at work, like my nurse did did, people would go else where. Upon reflection, i dont think its acceptable that i would be taking a half dressed screaming baby to the waiting room. If i took an adult for a vaccine and they were frightened and in a state, they wouldnt be sent to the waiting room in their pants. My gp practice is a funny shape and the waiting room is quite far from the consultation rooms, iv never seen anyone leave their belongings there while they go for their appt and i wouldnt feel comfortable leaving my pram incase it was stolen. Now iv had a chance to reflect, if i find myself in a similar situation il not be leaving the consultation room without my baby being fully clothed. My local practise doesnt have a car park and its in scotland so a full baby suit really is needed rather than just a coat, its freezing at the moment and we are being forecasted snow. If that takes a few extra mins then i hope the nurse will accept im putting my babies dignity and health first.

I do vaccines and it is stressful for all. I am sorry it wasnt a nice experience. I always give parents time to dress their LO and even help if they are struggling. Mine are in their 20's but I can remember the stress like it was yesterday. My eldest hid behind the GP;s filing cabinet and refused to budge. I told OH he could go with youngest for PSB at 3years when the time came as I refused. Guess what little bugger was as good as gold. If you find the thought of the vaccines terrbile LO will pick up on it, try and bring a relative or trusted friend with you to hold them. Failing that I have roped in a receptionist if desparate. Most surgeries have one receptionist who loves babies. I also tell the mums the bawling doenst bother me - much worse for them.

You're really overthinking this. It would have taken a few seconds to get her trousers on while she was lying in the pram and you could have done that before you left the room. Or directly in whatever corridor was outside the room.

Nobody enjoys taking their baby for their jabs but it doesn't need to be this much of a big deal worrying about their dignity and the "right" way to go about it.

Can I just stress if you rush accidents can happen . A colleague saw a mum pop baby in her car seat and in her rush mum didnt strap her in. Baby nearly fell out. Colleague just caught baby. Mum and my colleague were both in shock and I can say my colleague was not the type to rush a mum. I was chatting to a mum the other day and she had put babe in seat but not strapped him in . I told her she must do as it only takes a split second for a little one to tumble.
Please strap baby in - better to be trouserless than on the way to hospital.

Absolutely hated those jabs OP, usually the nurses are kind, patient and caring which atleast helps a bit. It sounds like this nurse was hassled and added to your stress.

Also some mums are anxious and possibly may have some PND. Health visitors seem to be in short supply. Most nurses are lovely but we all get stressed, Believe me some people can push all the wrong buttons with me but I do try to not take it out on others. I go for a rant in reception and we all have a moan. The troublesome pts are normally like that for all staff.
I had PND with my first I was a mess, its made me more able to spot moms who are struggling. Be kind.

It's strange to say you're sad about the state of the NHS in one breath then demand that the nurse treat you as a 'customer'.

You're not buying vaccinations from her. You are also very capable of doing pre-reading before the appointment. Your expectations seem very high for public services and this is in part what is causing the sad state of the NHS.

Anyway, I'm quite certain we will all be 'customers' very soon as private healthcare takes over in the next few decades. And those who can pay £££ will indeed get their extended appointments to be given all the information, ask questions to their heart's delight and have staff help you administer Calpol to your baby.