feel so bad

[SugarBlossom]

My little angel had his 2 month immunisations today and I feel so bad cos he's been miserable ever since. I tried giving him panadol but he vomited violently and choked and held his breath.......... I'm seriously considering not doing the restof the immunisations! There must be a more natural alternative....does anyone know of one?

It would be greatly appreciated if anyone could help with this, I know the diseases and illnesses are terrible but I think giving a baby alive strain is terrible too

Thanks, Jazz

[rynosmum]

Hi Jazz,

Poor little bubby to get a reaction. My 15 month old reacted to some needles but not others. I know it's tempting not to get them done but if they ever did get one of the diseases the immunisations prevent, you could risk so much more.

My little one can't take Panadol either (he gags and strains and vomits as soon as he tastes it). His Doctor recommended Nurofen for children and although they need to take more of it than the Panadol, it seems to go down so much easier and it takes the aches, pains and fevers away within about 20 minutes. When he was younger, I used another orange flavoured one which also was way less stressful than the Panadol.

I think the immunisations are a necessary evil - I don't know what other options we have.

Good luck with whatever path you choose ! ;)

[Briannabear]

I know it's tempting not to get them done but if they ever did get one of the diseases the immunisations prevent, you could risk so much more.



Im inclined to agree with you. Im a big believer in natural medicine, however, I just simply dont want to risk my DD getting any diseases.

My bub reacts to her needles too. But our natropath/homeopath makes us up immunisation detox drops to give her for the following couple of days. It seems to work really well.

[Ky]

Hi

My kids had a similar reaction to thier imms but it also included breathing difficulties requiring hospitalisation.

Talk to your doctor and he may be able to refer you to an immunisation clinic at a hospital where you can get you little one listed as having a bad reaction therefore exempt from immunisations.

The suggestion I was given was to wait until my kids were over 12 months to immunise. I waited until my son was nearly 2 and daughter nearly 4 and they have had no reactions at all - not even a slight fever! - to any of thier needles since I have started the regime.

You may be told that further immunisations could require a 24 hour stay in hospital for monitoring ... I was, but tried going through my local doctor (as I had moved) and for us, we were lucky to have no ill effects.

My sister has not immunised her kids as her mother in law is a homeopath and has agreed to treat her kids in a more natural way. The biggest drawback is the fact that her kids have to be out of school for sometimes 6 weeks at a time due to someone else having measles or similar. They are very happy and healthy children.

[SugarBlossom]

Thanks Kyra,
I was going to look at homeopathy, as thats where my mum usually took me when I got sick. Or maybe I could wait untill hes older

[xkwzit]

Hi Jazz
Baby panadol tastes vile (apparently). Although I wouldn't have believed it with DD1 - she didn't mind it. DD2 can't stand it / won't take it - even as a tiny baby. The chemist put us onto Dimadonn (sp?) same stuff, but its in suspension / not solution so baby can't taste it. DD2 takes it just fine.

My doc recommended that we give her panadol (or whatever) about half an hour before the shot, then you won't be trying to get panadol into a cranky baby.

Best of luck (probably next time they'll be no reaction at all - mine got better and better with each shot)

[nemosmum]

I do the same thing XKWZIT, I usually give DS panadol (which he seems to LOVE! :p ) 30 minutes before needles and I have to admit this even though I feel like a bad mum saying it, I dont take him to get his needles DH does as he seems to be able to cope with the whole experience much better then me. DS actually appears calmer and less distressed with him than me.....I dont know whether I unintentionally pass my fear/worry onto DS or not. But Dh has taken him for the last three and his been great. When they come home I do find DS enjoys a snuggle with me and that makes me feel alot of guilt for not being there but I feel I'm doing the best for all of us, at least I hope so :)

[peterpan]

Hi Girl's,
When DS had his 2 mth neddles I gave him panadol 30 mins before he had them He still got very upset so did his mummy and nanny (I made my mum come over from N.Z to come with me)
He is due for this 4mth ones on the 28/9/05 so daddy is taking the day of work to take him I know it's bad but i can't take him I will be at home waiting to give him a big hug :)
Hope you little one is ok Jazz big hug to you both

Angela
David (DH)
Peter (DS)

[Ffrenchknickers]

Hi:)

We are a family that chooses not to vaccinate (we dont do homeopathy either.) If you still want to do something but avoid the chemicals, Homeopathic vaccination is a great alternative!

There are so many pros and cons to vaxxing/not vaxxing....everone feels different so you must go with your heart and gut feeling....do heaps of reading on both sides (most info. is biased either one way or the other.) and then make a decision based on the facts and how you feel about it and whats important to you :)

It's such a hard, hard decision to make and in the end we all make the decision that we can live with. Good luck and I hope your bubba is OK now:)

[Ffrenchknickers]

Oh, and the other option would be to delay the vaccinations until your baby is a bit older to give their immune system a chance to mature a bit, I know a few people who have chosen to do this:)

[wattle]

Apparantly there is vanilla panadol available as well as cherry. I reckon the cherry tastes gross - way too sweet. Ds had the vanilla when he went to hospital and he liked it heaps more than the cherry.

Might be worth looking for as an alternative.

Immunisations aren't much fun :( and I really think they pick up on your vibes, so if you're really nervous it's probably better for them to go with someone else. Don't feel bad about it if they go with someone esle - it's a win win situation.

[mimi]

If you are going to continue with the vaccinations, you will no doubt want to give panadol [or should we say Paracetamol!] and the alternative way to give that is always .... not very nice OR natural!! ... but by suppository. You could ask the clinic or your doctor to give it to your bub when the vaccination is given and they could show you how to do it. This is what they have to do for babies who are unable to swallow the medication - or who are vomiting.

It may sound like a horrible thing to do to a baby - but probably less 'horrible' than making them gag and choke on some foul tasting medicine???! maybe??

I hope you find a solution that suits you and your little man!
:)

[SugarBlossom]

Thanks for all your posts, i've decided I'm going to wait till codies a bit older and his immune system can handle it, and in the meantime i'll keep looking for a natural alternative :)

[AM]

Good on you for deciding to delay the vax's, I am a complete non-vaxer, so I know where you are coming from.
I second the suggestion that you do heaps of research before proceeding, it is a real eye opener, when you read about both sides of the issue.

One of the best things about delaying vax's is that when your child is old enough to be able to actually move around, walk and jump, the lymph system is just so much more active and efficient at processing poisons, and foreign bodies which enter the system, and kids do seem to be able to process the shots a lot better.

A tiny inert baby has no real way to get the toxins out in a timely manner, so just has to suffer through the effects of the shots until they slowly work their way out.

I would tell you doc about the adverse reaction, they are supposed to report any reactions.
Someone mentioned you can get a waiver for vax's due to medical reasons, and that is true, but you don't have to do that, you can simply download a conscientious objector to vaccination form off the net, and have it signed by a HCP, send it in to Medicare before your child is 18 months old and you not only get the $200 vax allowance form the gov, you need not have any problems with daycare, school etc.

[Savannahsmum]

Hi
Im a Registered Nurse that gives babies needles at our surgery (Yes Im the Mean one :( )
i know its awful my Savannah is due now for 4mth needles and im not looking forward to it!
Panadol 30 mins before is a good idea. At our surgery we tried a trial that one of the doctors read about, a tiny bit of sugar disolved in cooled boiled water. The sugar is suppose to send of endorpins ( happy homones!) not sure if it worked well but the babys that we gave it to didnt cry that much.
Just remember that you have to be cruel to be kind! these diseases are nasty! and there are no natural alternatives.
I hope this helps!
Cherie :)

[mimi]

At our surgery we tried a trial that one of the doctors read about, a tiny bit of sugar disolved in cooled boiled water. The sugar is suppose to send of endorpins ( happy homones!)
Breastfeeding is a proven pain reliever too!! So always great to have them on hand in times of baby's pain/stress ;)
:D

[peterpan]

Hi Girls
Thanks for the tip savannah's mum
Peter is going need week for his 4mths needle
DH is taking him
Take care
Angela david & Peter

[Savannahsmum]

Breastfeeding is a proven pain reliever too!! So always great to have them on hand in times of baby's pain/stress ;)
:D
Breastfeeding is great for after the needles, but the sugar is suppose to help for when the needle is being inserted and also the actual serum (which is the bit that hurts the most!) But breastfeeding definalty calms down babys afterwards.

[SugarBlossom]

After doing some research, my friend gave me this web address www.avn.org.au

It has some not so good info and stories about vaxx's

I have decided not to vax for at least a year, and then maybe not.

Homeopathy offers natural tonics to help combat illness and disease, but I have to look into it further

[mimi]

Excellent that you have found some good information and are continuing the research!!

Best of luck to you and bub!
:)

[Funkychicken]

As an advocate of natural therapies, I usually bypass mainstream medicines in favour of more gentle approaches to illness and treatments. When I had to decide on vacc's for my firstborn I made the decision to go ahead with it and again with my 2nd born. My reasons? My sister-in-law, who is now 40 was born with no complications or problems and for two years was a normal child. This was pre-vacc days and at two she picked up measles. From this seemingless minor disease, she developed encephalitis and was a very sick child. The end results for her were serious epilepsy which required an operation recently as she was fitting up to 12 times a day and only ever reaching a maturity level of about 16 years of age. I know this is an extreme case but witnessing her on a regular basis sealed my decision for me.

[sugar n spice]

My son had his four year old needles on thursday (2 days ago). He was so brave didn't cry or anything. Friday night my husband was dressing and showed me my 4yr old DS arm where the ingection went and it has swollen up hard like a golf ball. im not worried as my 9mnth old had a similar reaction in his leg at the 6mnth ingections and the doctor said to massage it and it will slowly go down. Takes awhile. I will keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't get worse. looks a bit better this afternoon and the baby immunisation book says inflammation is common. I think it is the DTP needle.
Bride83 :(

[HoopDeeDoo]

My DS just had his 12 month needles. It was so sad, he knew exactly why we were there, and started crying when the docter started measuring his head! :( But all worked out fine though (so far) no reactions, but my GP said that he could have a rash a week later. I guess we'll see. He cried a bit, but once we left he was fine. I was very proud of myself for not crying cause usually I get more upset then he does. I made hubby come with me though ;) It's definately worth doing because these things we are trying to prevent are much worse than bubs being tired and grumpy for a day

[JenNT]

Just a thought here on panadol- you can get it in baby suppositories form. I always kept a bottle handy in case they had fever and vomiting and could not take it orally.
J.

[NEDSMUM]

Hi, my son just had his 2mth needles this morning and screamed & cried so much he lost his breath. He settled down soon afterwards though. He fell asleep before we got to the car and until we got home. Had a feed and slept until 2.30pm when he woke up crying. Nothing I could do would calm him down. I tried feeding him but he was crying so much he wouldn't take it. Gave him the baby panadol and he coughed & choked for about 15 mins. He finally settled down after about an hour. I read the panadol bottle and it says an alternative is to put it with water or juice in a bottle. So, I have a small amount of cooled boiled water mixed with a dose of panadol waiting and ready if/when the last dose wears off (hopefully he'll be ok by then). At the moment (5.15pm) he's gooing and smiling, so that's a good sign. Not looking forward to the 4mth needles :mad: ...

[Clesthaven]

The vaccine preventable diseases are far worse than colds or gastro and although you may worry about the side effects of the vaccine the effects of the diseases are far more dangerous. Worrying about vaccine side effects is like worrying about car seatbelts bruising your child when they would be at far more risk travelling without one. I research child deaths from the Metropolitan Cemetaries Board of WA and record them by year. Virtually none past the 1960s, a few more between the 1930s and 1950s and there were many, many before the 1920s. Some years in the early 1900s I have found over 100 child deaths - a lot considering the population was far smaller than it is now. I have tracked some of the people down, those who are now older and lost a sibling or parent or friend to one of the vaccine preventable diseases, or suffered themselves and recovered. Hearing their stories makes me run to check that mine and my daughter's vaccine status is up to date. These include:

- My grandfather who died aged 81 in 2002. He had a friend in his teens who died of tetanus at 17 whom he visited whilst the lad was dying. To put it in my grandfather's words "The poor bloke died in absolute agony. Make sure you're always vaccinated against it".

-One 73 year old lady who got diphtheria when she was 4 back in the 1930s. She was hospitalised for 3 months and lost her voice and her brother who was 6 was far worse and they thought he would die. He had permanant larynx damage from the illness. The doctor who came to the house diagnosed them from the front verandah - he could smell the rotting membrane that grows on the throat in diphtheria victims.

- A 71 year old lady whose younger sister died in 1946. The 8 year old got measles and while down with that caught diphtheria as well. She ended up dead within a day.

- A 67 year old man whose father died a painful death of polio aged 40 in 1948, in addition to the grief, their mother had to go out to work to support the family in a time when women were generally not welcome in the workforce.

- A man only in his 30s who had measles when he was 7 and has now developed encephalitis and has come close to death on a number of occassions.

Stories like these should make us realise how fortunate we are to live in a time where we can protect our children from such suffering and an early death. You can put five, seven, ten years into raising a child and diphtheria, polio or measles :eek: could take them away within a day. These illnesses still exist in poorer countries and with all the overseas travel, someone only need to return to Australia with the sickness to spread it around to the unimmunised.

[HoopDeeDoo]

My son has had a terrible reaction to his 12 month needles and I would do it again.
He had a rash and spots all over, but being the trooper he is it didn't bother him, he just slept a bit more than usual. This may make me a bad mother to some of you, but I think him being spotty for a few weeks is nothing to him dying in a day, or passing a disease onto one of your children. Babies cry when they are tired or not feeling the best, it passes in a day or two. That is not going to hurt them in the long run. These diseases we are trying to prevent can have effects that last a life time

[elle101]

I have decided to vax, after doing alot of research into it I do have some reservations but I also have a lot of reservations about not vaxing. Anyway, I don't know if this advice is valid, but after I got dd done, she had a high temp, nothing too nasty, however the pharmicist said to give her paracetamol before her next one to alleviate the symptoms. I have not done this yet but it may work.
Just a suggestion, hope bubs feels better soon.
:)

elle
greg
Tara (26/07/05)

[reAllytee]

I guess im one of the lucky ones in that my little boy didnt have any major reactions besides the usual slight temperature crankiness & tenderness at the injection site.
His first lot he took like a trooper at 2mths but then the 4mths was horrible he cried & cried after making me feel awful he settled after we got home & had a feed. He has since had his 6mths no probs & we have to go back next week for him to catch up on his meningiccol (sp?) as the original doctor i went to didnt even advise me about it & luckily i saw the ad on t.v. So having been told of the immunisation clinic in my area i made that the place to go. Id advise anyone to get their child done at one of these if possible i found the nurses much nicer & willing to give advice & listen. I also advise like a lot of the other mums that giving a dose of paracetamol 30mins before is an added bonus & if bubs hates the taste of it ( i dont blame them my boy hates it, i had a bit on my finger & licked it off & nearly died at the taste its vile ! ) try them on Dymadon ive found not only do they take it easier as its orange flavoured but it seems a little stronger ( in my opinion ).
Im a strong advocate of immunisation i think the benefits far out weigh the risks.
My mum had polio. She was struck down with it at the age of 5yrs. She became paralysed & needed assistance breathing my grandparents were told she would always be a vegetable & to give up on her. She grew up in hospitals & had so many operations its not funny. My grandparents never gave up on her & she went on to lead a somewhat normal childhood, married & had us 3 girls. She has scars all over her legs from the operations to lengthen them as they stopped growing & one was longer than the other this also meant she has one foot a size larger than the other. But also emotional ones. I have always known her to walk with a cane but before i was born she didnt need one. See not only does polio disable someone if they survive but it then comes back to haunt them its then called Post-Polio Syndrome. All of her muscles are dying and soon she will no longer be able to even get around as she has done over the last few years with crutches. She will regress until she is wheelchair bound yet again.
Not something i would ever think of putting my child at risk of.