Vaccines, Why does it have to be sooo painfull ?!

[bolekilolek]

I am going with my dd for 2 lot of vaccination soon and I can not stop thinking about great deal of pain it caused for her last time ... I got so upset last time when I saw her screaming her lungs of and these huge bean like tears coming down her cheaks ( real tears !!! ) Horrible butcher like HV and Gp said that it was painfull becaus it was painfull . But is there any reason for vaccines administration to be painfull ? is anyone there who knows about anaesthetics (Local of courese ) which can be used to ease the pain ?? Like maybe Lidokaine ?? I have heard that in some european countries they use lidokaine ... I dont really see a point in my dd suffering short but obviously great deal of pain. Any advice ??

My HV told me that some of the vaccines sting, so there's no point in using any anaesthetics, which would numb only the skin. I'm sure part of it is down to the skill of the person doing the vaccinating - dd recently had her Hib booster, and didn't cry at all.

Because ds got so upset after his first set of jabs, I popped a medicine-dispensing dummy with some sugar water in it in his mouth immediately after he had his second and third sets, and he didn't cry at all. DD was breastfed, so I thought the boob would do instead, but she cried her head off. Sugar water is a very old-fashioned remedy, but aparently works as a mild pain-relief for very young babies. I got well told off for using it, but went ahead anyway!

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I too think it depends the person giving it. My ds didn't cry at all for half his jabs. And my dd cried for most, but not all. Neither of them cried for longer than 10 secs or so and they've cried longer for not getting their way, so I figure it really doesn't hurt that much. (my dh who won't go near a needle, disagrees and says it hurts horribly ...then again he is male.)

I was told that a lot of the crying is not because it hurts but because the vaccine is cold and feels funny/is a shock to a baby/small child. The meningitis C one apparently does sting though but neither DS1 or 2 seemed to notice that one and neither noticed their MMR either. I agree that in part it must depend on who's doing it and the child concerned.

Much as I despise having jabs myself, I don't recall any of them really hurting so I don't believe that it really hurt a baby either. Not so blood tests or drips or local anaesthetic injections though...

It doesn't make it any less stressful taking your child to be vaccinated though

I have heard of people using Arnica creme rubbed on the skin - does not make the pain any less though.

My ds cried like mad after first set, merely bleated at second, and barely noticed anything after that. I don't think it is really that painful tbh. For his measles jab I popped a chocolate button into his mouth at the exact moment the needle went in and he didn't even look down! I promise you this is true. He simply didn't even notice he had had an injection - so it couldn't have been that painful, could it? You can give Calpol 15 - 30 mins beforehand and chocolate at the same time and I bet your dd won't be bothered.