Toddler traumatised at Doctors

[Froootlooop]

I am pro vaccines. Don't turn this into a vaccine debate please, waste your time elsewhere, each awful unnecessary comment will be reported.

DD had the MMR about 6 weeks ago maybe? She had an eye hospital check up 2 weeks ago, had a meltdown when we went into the room. And today for MY appointment at the GP surgery for something to do with MY health she had a humongous meltdown, tears like you've never seen, clinging round my neck for dear life, it was a 20 min appointment (not necessary but receptionist said it's procedure as it was for 2 things) and thank goodness it was because we had the mother of all PTSD episode 😭😭😭

I really think it's PTSD from the jabs she had. Anyone else's toddlers the same? Will she be OK by the time it's for the 2nd dose? It's about 3yo the second dose is isn't it?!

I feel so awful for her but I'm very mindful I've no doubt saved her life and others from these awful diseases.

I took her to the park immediately after and she forgot all about it.

wow you're so rude.

And your child is not "traumatised" or has PTSD 🙄

It’s a negative association. Take her into the waiting room bit a couple of times and then leave without going in. The next time you have a appointment hand her something she really likes as soon as you go into the GP’s room (a chocolate button or a toy.) She’ll soon forget.

🙄

Oh dear OP, I think you might get better advice by reposting a less aggressive version of this in Chat or Parenting. Maybe don't start your post by telling people you will report their post if you don't like it?

Next couple of visits, either you or her, take some distractors with you eg a new toy, a new book to look at, (personally I just bribe with food) so she doesn't get so wound up. Be very aware of your own tension as children pick up on that - keep your body relaxed when holding her. Using words like ptsd and trauma suggests you are perhaps tense and she's actually just responding to that?

She's not traumatised and she doesn't have PTSD. As someone who actually has PTSD, please don't downplay how horrific it actually is.

It's pretty normal for a child to be scared of the doctor and dentist etc, that's all that has happened here.
Nothing to worry about.

Yikes. This thread has gone well.

It's not PTSD, please don't overdramatise what happened, or minimise what those of us who do have PTSD and C-PTSD go through every day.
Your child was upset. It's not PTSD.

She may well remember the pain at her last visit.
May well have forgotten by the next.
If not, you just hold her tightly whilst the nurses get on with it. It's horrible but as you rightly state, it's a lifesaver.

As everyone is saying, she doesn’t have ptsd and isn’t traumatised. She might not even remember the jab. This sounds like one of those random toddler things where they just get scared of the clinical environment.

By that metric every kid in paeds a&e and on the paediatric ward has PTSD

Exactly what I thought . Not the best way to start a thread hoping for some help .

🤣 I dont think theres any trauma or terror involved. Maybe take a breathe and really reevaluate. It obviously shook you up.

She may not like the place and was expressing as she knew how. Very common and this will also increase as dc grows up into toddlerhood- it's a tantrum, she was scared and wanted you to leave. You didn't as you had a Dr. Appointment. She dealt with it vocally as her coping strategy. All done and over. Just be mindful as she gets older of how you will deal with these tantrums and have a few strategies in mind before they happen. Some ignore, some bribe, some stern words- just dont be the parent that gives in to the screaming !

What did you do with her either side of the injection? The jab is literally seconds, did you distract and entertain her? Did you talk in a serious voice about how brave she'd have to be? Did you point at things on posters on the walls (our Dr has some gruesome posters)? Were you stressed?

The idea she's traumatised from a jab is quite silly - by this stage she'll have bitten her own finger, fallen over, had hair stuck on a coat button... many things just as bad. You need to look at the experience as a whole and see what you can change.

My ds3 nearly lost the end of his thumb and the doctor at A&E 'stuck' it back on. She decided not to sedate him and he was very distressed. The next time we went to the GP with me he was very upset. However he forgot it after that! Your dc will forget about it all soon too.

Not traumatised!

If you treat every episode of her being upset as ‘trauma’ or ‘ptsd’ it will make you unpopular with those who have to provide education, support or healthcare. She was upset she got over it. Don’t inflate normal events into something they are not.

My kids were like this when they were small, hated the doctors and used to get very anxious. They are 4 and 5 now and love going, it's the highlight of their day 😂

Vaccines are a non negotiable, so there's really nothing you can do apart from continuing to explain that it's good for her and that it's super important. Lollipop/sticker bribe afterwards too. She'll be fine.

She can remember, it's not ptsd it's just her not liking being jabbed. My dog is the same, never forgave the vet for his neutering at 11 months - he's 12! (He was fine at the vets before)

I took food, stupidly forgot a toy or book not that it would've helped her.

It wasn't an average meltdown, it was a million times way more extreme. Probably a bit of a pfb perspective on it maybe but bloody hell you'd swear she thought she was going to be killed.

Prior jabs she's never minded the doctors or hospital and she's been loads, which I why I suspect trauma. It's a small thing to adults but huge to a baby and I'm not belittling those poor kids who spend their lives in hospital ffs.

OP, I have PTSD and your use of that term is offensive.

That said, after a stay in hospital when he was 11 months which involved repeated cannulation attempts and the placement of an NG tube which was awful, he definitely developed very negative associations with anything medical. For about 7/8 months after if a doctor came near him he was hysterical. Absolutely like someone was trying to murder him, the doctor was sure he was going to find an ear infection because of the way he screamed when he tried to put the light in his ear
He's grown out of it and he's fine. We were in a and e last week and he was totally fine with the majority of investigations. Your little girl will be too, like others have said it's just a negative association, there's nothing you can do about it except reassure her, it's part of parenting.

As others have said it’s probably just a negative association, all you can do is stay positive about the doctors/hospitals etc., make sure you’re calm and happy when you go for her or just for yourself. Maybe trying to watch happy episodes of tv shows she likes where doctors and nurses are helpful or reading her stories will help, definitely something to consider, but generally she’s likely to forget soon enough! As you said it’s a while till her next jabs so a lot of time for her to lose those associations

It wasn't an average meltdown, it was a million times way more extreme

you might want to look at YOUR over reaction & see how it's rubbing off on her. She was upset because the jib hurt the time before. Perfectly normal. 🙄🙄

It wasn't an average meltdown, it was a million times way more extreme
A bit prone to the old hyperbole, aren't you?

It's really, really not trauma.
Toddlers have wild screaming fits over everything - mine screamed to the point he couldn't breathe and was sick once because I wouldn't let him eat a snail. My neighbour came over as she was so concerned, he screamed that much.
He's not traumatised from me wrestling the snail out of his mouth.