Ready, aim ...

I'll save my take on the whole "vaccination debate" for another post, but mention here that I did feel somewhat bullied today when trying to make an informed decision about Roscoe's immunization schedule. In the end, we decided to follow the guidelines suggested by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Roscoe received shots to protect him against Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis; Haemophilus influenzae type b4; and Pneumococcal. He also got an oral vaccine for Rotavirus.

I researched vaccine related pain management for infants, and my plan of action was to give him a dose of baby Tylenol once we arrived at the office, breastfeed before, during, and after the event, and request that they "double team" the vaccines, so he could get them simultaneously instead of four, one right after another.

First off, the Nurse Practitioner poo-pooed my Tylenol idea ... and I conceded (I need to get bigger balls for these appointments). They also wouldn't let me nurse during the shots for "safety" reasons. On a positive note, they did bring in two nurses to administer the four vaccines.

When they poked the four long needles into his little baby thighs, Roscoe let out a cry I'd never heard before, but within 5 seconds I was nursing him and that was all he needed. We decided to hang around for a while to continue nursing and to enjoy the nice weather. Roscoe quickly fell asleep and the three of us headed home.

We spent the remainder of the day alternating between comfort nursing and napping.

This is the sad little face we've been keeping company all afternoon: