First vaccines 8 week old baby - advice please?

[Christmastrees12]

Afternoon all, baby is 9 weeks this week, he was due his first set of jabs tomorrow, I had a message off the surgery earlier saying they’ve had to be rearranged for Monday 23rd afternoon instead. Looking on the NHS website it states that baby can have side effects for 48 hours after which takes us to Xmas day afternoon which isn’t ideal. I’m also concerned that if he does have a bad reaction and needs treatment it will have to be A&E because the Drs will be closed Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day - our hospital is already in emergency measures and has had ambulances queuing outside this week, plus he will be 10 weeks by then which will push his 12 and 16 week injections on. Do I try to call up tomorrow and see if they can offer me another appointment elsewhere or even see if I can pay privately for this week? Or do I leave it until after Christmas, I don’t really want him to have them later but I feel the Monday before Christmas is a bit too close if he’s poorly.

Thoughts please? x

Mine were all quite unsettled for about twelve hours, but I would absolutely try and bring that to sometime this week. Nobody wants a grizzly baby at Christmas.

Thank you, yes I thought the same x

If they can't move them forward then stick with the 23rd. I expect they've no staff/sickness etc. I'm a practice nurse and have no appointments for a month. None. I also wouldn't go private, the storage of private vaccines isn't subject to the same stringent monitoring of the cold chain for example.
The vast vast majority of babies don't end up going to hospital. They mat be grizzly and are prone to a temp but you will be advised about prophylactic paracetamol anyway.
At this time of year I also wouldn't postpone deliberately, the surgery may push the appointment back yet again and baby will end up very overdue. It needs protecting. This is more important than an ideal Christmas. I'd suck it up I'm afraid.

@Sunnnybunny72 I’ll call tomorrow and just see, I was worrying more about the extra pressure on the hospital over the Xmas period and baby not being seen as quick if the worse did happen (fingers crossed it doesn’t) but thank you for your advice, I do appreciate it x

I honestly can’t see your baby having a reaction that requires hospitalisation. That’s incredibly rare. But I wouldn’t want a potentially miserable feverish baby on Christmas. Just say you aren’t available and re-schedule for sometime after. There will be someone who really needs that pre-Christmas appointment slot and will be very grateful for the availability.

If it makes you feel any better my Ds slept through after his 8 week jabs … He is 17 now I remember it well because it was the only time he slept through in over 2 years .

At this time of year I also wouldn't postpone deliberately, the surgery may push the appointment back yet again and baby will end up very overdue. It needs protecting. This is more important than an ideal Christmas. I'd suck it up I'm afraid.

I agree. With whooping cough cases high this year (and some tragic deaths), I'd just get it done tbh.

Honestly I wouldn't move them. The chance that baby will have a really bad reaction is tiny. The chance that he could catch something nasty that he should have been vaccinated against is higher probably. Better to have him protected over Christmas, than take the risk of him being really poorly, just on the off chance he was ill with the jabs.

Kindly suggesting you're over thinking it. No harm ringing to see what other appts they have though.

I wouldn’t postpone. Do give calpol as instructed
If the worst happens and hospital is required, it’s usually really quiet on Christmas Day as people apparently wait until Boxing Day to be ill.

The chances of a sever hospital requiring incident are absolutely tiny and you are over thinking that.

yes they might be a bit grizzly but it’s better they are protected. It was also the first time my baby slept for more than 1.5 hours so there were definite perks!

Hopefully your baby will only be grumpy for 12hrs or so. By 25th they'll probably be fine again.

I perhaps am overthinking it, it took 5 years to get pregnant so I have been a bit over cautious with everything, he’s super special and extremely precious. I’ll keep the appointment for the 23rd if they can’t rearrange. Thank you all so much for your replies x

I'm a private GP and our vaccines absolutely are subject to the same cold chain monitoring as NHS ones! The CQC would eat us for dinner if not!

OP, your NHS GP will be open on Christmas Eve. It's not a Bank Holiday.

Personally I'd crack on and have the vaccines on 23rd Dec. I wouldn't want to delay significantly. Your child is unlikely to be significantly unwell due to the jabs.

@Christmastrees12 I absolutely get that, I do. I had, have extreme post natal anxiety 😟

I recorded the temperature every half hour after the vaccines, as the nurse told me it would peak at whatever. Then as it started coming down I absolutely broke.

Same circumstances for babies for me. Every little thing like this was a big deal. In reality, it was a little grizzly for half a day as I said.

That's all.

I still see no harm in asking if anything this week or if you can be called if anyone cancels, loads do.

If not go for it.

My baby was ill for her 16 week jabs last week so I cancelled. I plan on rearranging for after Christmas for the same reasons you’re worried about. I wouldn’t have the vaccines so close to Christmas, my kids have always needed at least a full day or two of sofa cuddles/constant breastfeeding for comfort after their vaccines.