First Injections

[EdenJayne]

Hello, my LO has his first injections today at 2pm and I am SOO SCARED he's going to be poorlie and screaming after.. How long did it take your LO to get side effects if any and how long did they last?

Take a tip... have the Calpol handy but otherwise carry on as normal. Most children don't react badly to injections and, for the ones that do, the Calpol will help them sleep.

Yeah I have some Calpol ready.. Some friends have said to give him some before we go in.

My DD cried when she had them but calmed down after 5mins. She was sleepier than normal for a couple of days but fine apart from that.

Dr said to me don't give calpol unless they need it :)

My DD barely noticed - just a little cry with the pinprick and then fine.

Most babies don't get effects from these injections (MMR ones aredifferent but they are much later - 14 mths).

I hated the thought of injections but my mother said "imagine her lying in her cot with typhoid, really ill, in danger of dying". I clung on to that image which helped me get through the injections bit (which were far less bad than I thought they would be).

I know I did the right thinge i've had whooping cough so I know how painful it is so I keep trying to picture and remember that. He was fine when the first needle went in he just wimpered but when second went in he screamed! like it really hurt my heart sunk! He seems fine at the minute.. but i'm dreading if he's poorlie tonight.

I was surprised how much DD screamed (not sure why really, they must wonder what on earth it is!) but sure he'll be fine tonight. Like you say it's definitely worth than whooping cough!

In a lot of cases, babies are usually held in a certain way, so don't see or associate the needle with the pain they feel. All they know is that whatever has happened, it's very sore.

I have always given Calpol half a hour before my DC's had their jabs, and when it came to the pre-school jabs, they were given children's ibuprofen and told to suck really hard on a lollipop when the needles went in - no problems and absolutely no side-effects so far.

If your DC has a rising temperature which you can't bring down with Calpol, please see your GP/Out-of-Hours service. It's never a good idea to risk the health of a child under 5yo and it's always better to be safe than sorry.

Hope things go ok for you and your LO. Take care.