Baby screaming after first injections

[Babyaug2020x]

Hi everyone,

My little boy is 9 weeks old and he’s just had his first round of jabs today.

He’s been really really unsettled for about a week anyway due to his reflux, and was already screaming before the appointment, but after the injections his scream was one I’ve never heard before and it was heartbreaking. I cried 🤦🏼‍♀️

He slept for half an hour after once he’d had some calpol but then woke up screaming again for a few hours.

We’ve managed to get him back off to sleep after his second dose of calpol but he seems to have totally slept through his last bottle (he usually goes 3.5 hours and it’s been 5.5)

Is this normal?a bit worried and also kind of dreading him waking up in case he’s screaming because he’s totally inconsolable 😩poor thing.

IT is the first time he experienced pain, so it is normal to be unsettled by it, but he will soon forget.
DD was born in Switzerland. there the paediatrician asks that you give paracetamol at home 30 minutes before the appointment and the nurse gives another pain kileer at the surgery before you leave for home. They will also hold the child and then hand it to you to do the consoling . Their reasoning is that the mum is not associated with pain. sadly the other countries we lived in requested that we pinned down and immobilise them.
Next time, give Calpol before as well.

If you're breastfeeding at all, stick him on the boob, even if he isn't hungry, it'll soothe him and calm him down enough to sleep. Basically magic.

If you're FF, I'd stick him in the sling or hold him in your arms, put some music on and have a sing and a sway, which will hopefully calm him down.

My DD cried for hours after her jabs. Really normal.

Totally normal. Injections hurt! Of course he’s going to cry for a bit afterwards, that’s how babies communicate, and he’s trying to tell you that his arm is uncomfortable. It doesn’t last long, he’ll be feeling better in no time.

DD screamed blue murder after her first set. To the point where I couldn't get out of the car park as I couldn't drive and had to get my ticket revalidated. The parking guy who did it for me (at no charge) was, bless him, deeply sympathetic as by then it was about 45 minutes of straight screaming and I was crying too.

Hopefully he woke up from his long nap feeling a million times better.

As well as the sore arm, babies very often feel unwell for a while after their vaccinations generally, which is why calpol is recommended. A raised temperature probably makes them feel a bit grotty and fluey. One of my babies was particularly unsettled all day after those vaccinations. Just crying and couldn't settle when normally he was so laid back. He was like that all day, but slept well that night and was OK the next day. I just nursed him all day basically. But as a PP said, alternatively, if you're FF, lots of cuddles and perhaps carrying in a sling?

Give calpol before the injections not after. Makes a huge difference to pain levels.

Totally normal, DS is 15 and I still remember his first set of injections! But funnily enough, all the other ones I don't remember at all. Pain is also tiring (think how tired you get when you hurt yourself) so he's sleeping it off, wee soul.

It’s now not recommended to give calpol before the injections as it could mask an adverse reaction.

Aw, I’d forgotten about this! I cried too (first baby’s first injections only, got over it quite quickly ). Mine also slept deeply afterwards. I think it’s a mini-trauma for them, they exhaust themselves with the crying and the shock. Is it wrong that I used to request the last appointment of the day once I’d figured this out

Totally normal. Both my BF babies, who were terrible sleepers, slept through the night after their injections. The following night (and all the nights after that till 12+ months!) we were back to multiple wakings between the hours of 10:30 and 5 a.m.

I know lots of babies who slept through for the first time or slept for a longer period if the first time after jabs. The crying tires them out. Let him sleep unless you've any other reason to be concerned. Sending sympathy, it is hard. x

When DS has his first injections he was very, very cranky all day and night. I remember having to hold him in a particular position that would only stop him crying and if I dared to hold him slightly upright or switch arms, hell broke loose. We spent the whole night like that and the next day, he didn't feed properly but was very quiet and everything was back to normal on the 3rd day. It gets better and the next set of injections will be much better experience for you guys.

Mine slept for 12 hours after hers, had to wake her to feed 4 hourly and give calpol during that time (we are in Scotland and here it is NHS recommendation to give 2-3 doses following the first set of jabs because the Men B vaccine can cause a fever) and she was straight back to sleep - unheard of! She was cranky and slept badly for the next couple of days and then back to normal. She handled the next set much better, but I think calpol is your friend here.

It's normal, OP - I cried after the 8-week ones too! It's a 'pain cry' that's hard to hear, and most of us don't hear our babies cry in true, sudden pain very often so it's really heartbreaking.

Give him a couple of days and he'll be fine. The 12-week ones are much easier as they don't cause fever or as many side effects, but at 16 weeks it's more of the same! My LO was unsettled, napped longer and cried more, was very sleepy overall.