Cherub was all primed with explanations of what was coming up and a bag of gold-wrapped chocolate 'moneys' for afterwards, plus a $5 knock-off Spiderman race-car set from the $2-Shop (not to be opened till afterwards either!!), because he was still looking dubious when I explained the needle malarkey to him. What can I say, I'm soft. So the first needle was a doddle and only elicited a small ow. The nice nurse had already given him a lollipop bribe of her own and had him sucking on it while she administered the needles. The second needle hurt a bit more and the ouch was much more indignant this time and was accompanied by a raised small hand intent on removing the nasty needle - his gentle restrainer (me) clearly falling down on her duties. Then it was all over and the Spiderman cars were let out of the box and I thanked my lucky stars that he hadn't freaked out like another little boy there who screamed and cried in fear and beseeched his poor father Please, no more which broke the hearts of all adults present.
And now my baby, he's all dosed up; no more needles (touch wood) required, and another parenting milestone / rite of passage behind me. Just the little government payout for having him fully immunised to look forward to now.
what? they pay you for doing that? good golly. do tell. oh, and then explain why my 11 yo still has some shots (I read too many american blogs) to get and your duty is done. strange.
ReplyDeleteNever fun, is it?
ReplyDeleteLook at those rosebud cheeks.
ReplyDeleteI want to kiss them like some overexuberant and unwelcome Aunty.
How very stoic of him! He deserves chocolate money and a knock-off spiderman car!
ReplyDeleteHe really is outrageously beautiful.
ReplyDeleteMy kids coped because I pushed jelly beans in their mouths as fast as they could eat them whilst the needles were being administered.
I seemed calm and collected but I was absolutely NOT.
I will never forget Blossom's 4 yo injections. On her doctor's instructions (he knew her well) we had her dosed on FOUR TIMES the adult dose of phenergen (ie a pre-med dose) half an hour before arriving at the surgery.
ReplyDeleteTrouble was, having not tested phenergen on her before we weren't to know that it would turn her into a raging bull. It took the doctor, his wife, myself and another doctor to hold her down.
I should've just bribed her with chocolate money.
Huh, gov't payout for shots. That's interesting. Do they cover the cost of the shots too?
ReplyDeleteAnd I thought I was done with my slightly older ones and I saw a new immunization for a Menningitis strain the other day. Something new to investigate.
The Australian government really really wants all their kids immunised. They pay for the shots AND give you an "immunisation bonus" when you do. But if you are a conscientious objector (as opposed to a slack-arse) they will still pay you the bonus. For a while there some diseases like chicken-pox and meninggococcal were not subsidised, but I think even that has changed now.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I'm really pro-immunisation too. I had whooping cough as a kid, even though I had been immunised, but I live to tell the tale.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, getting Grace immunised was my first lesson in causing pain to my child for a greater good. And I think I cried more than her last time. Only one more set to go...
Reserved toys and chocolate money is an EXCELLENT idea for the post trauma! Must remember that.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely can't look at the actual administering of the needle, when applied to my child. I would sob. LALALALALALALALALAL, I don't see it, so it isn't there...
I don't even know our immunization schedule - the pediatrician has it all figured out and we just show up for the well child checkups and they take care of them if they're due. Seems like there are a lot at first, and they taper as the child ages, and then there are boosters for some things every so many years throughout life, in fact.
He did so well. He IS absolutely scrumptiously beautiful. He deserved that Spiderman in the biggest way!
He is so pretty.
ReplyDeleteWhen I took Abby last time, the nurses practically drew straws to see who HAD to administer the shots (four at one time)... even they didn't want to the bad guys. Our favorite nurse ended up doing them, but she looked at me and whispered: "Don't let her see me doing this... she'll hate me!"
We all had tears in our eyes. Abby recovered more quickly than I did. Lunch at McDonald's is an excellent memory eraser.
He is so pretty.
ReplyDeleteWhen I took Abby last time, the nurses practically drew straws to see who HAD to administer the shots (four at one time)... even they didn't want to the bad guys. Our favorite nurse ended up doing them, but she looked at me and whispered: "Don't let her see me doing this... she'll hate me!"
We all had tears in our eyes. Abby recovered more quickly than I did. Lunch at McDonald's is an excellent memory eraser.
Yes, very ouch for the mum. Terrible.
ReplyDelete(Just you wait till you have to stand by and watch some young person break his heart. Hmm.)
Re teeth. I still have all my children's baby teeth in a container - or, a few have gone missing, but I have most. They think it's rather gross and suggest I make a necklace out of them. But perhaps not. The trouble is, once you've kept them for 20 years you go on keeping them. Not that I have any idea whose teeth are whose.
Ouch. But, chocolate money...brilliant!
ReplyDeleteSG has just had chicken pox, & his 19 year old sister had them too. I am not sure how they missed out on immunisation, as we thought they had had them all.
Working in secondaray school we see the aftermath of a few immunisations - now is the time of the cervical immunisation. Girls around the age of 12 - 15 don't like needles at all. The boys (often for meningicocal) are just as bad. It is an interesting time. I might suggest the chocolate money to the nurses.
ReplyDeleteOh, brave boy and brave mummy. I hated taking my children to be immunised but I'm jolly glad I did.
ReplyDeleteWith my first one's 8 week shots, my husband rocked her till she was asleep and the nurse managed to jab her without waking her - miraculous, and never repeated!
The 4yr old ones broke my heart. I said we were going to the 'needle doctor', but he didn't ask, so I didn't go into it. He actually was looking forward to it, and ran to the car when it was time to go.
ReplyDeleteSo he cried a little, and then we did the wee one, who was due for his 2mo injections at the same time. When the elder saw the younger cry, he went up to him, arms outstretched and said 'it's ok, they hurt me too!', and crushed him lovingly.
And there was a Happy Meal on the way home.
:)
My best mate's mother works with immunisation in the health department, my best mate has therefore been immunised against pretty much everything it's possible ot be immunised against. I was quite horrified at the mis-information spread at my ante-natal classes and the inadequacy of the midwife in responding to it. It still makes me feel queasy.
ReplyDeleteGo Cherub! So grown up now. I remember the prep immunisations, and it was never fun. Lots of my classmates fainted after the year 9 ones, but they were drama queens.
Poor guy.
ReplyDeleteIt's bad enough when they're babies and they go in all doey eyed and smiley and then look at you like you're some traitor, but when they know what's coming it's oh so painful.
Jeez. He isn't even my kid and my eyes are tearing up from the photo!
ReplyDeleteI took The Impossible Princess to the GP for her 4yo ones recently, and she was actually all excited and raring to go about it. I happened to mention to the Dr before he did the shots that she hadn't been herself the past few days, he took her temperature, decided she had an elevated one and told me to come back another day as he couldn't give her the immunisation while she had a temperature. $65 to have her temperature taken!! And now I have to get her alll revved up for another go at it next week.
ReplyDeleteI HATED immunizations! I had one nurse who was angry at me for being behind on our jabs, so she took it out on my son by jamming the needle. Never anger the nurse dealing with your child I guess (I'm calm about it now since it was nearly 20 years ago).
ReplyDeleteHe's got such a beautiful face, I'm glad I'm not the one who had to make him say "ow".
After the stress of holding down two of the kids for their HepB shots x 3!! they had them done at 3 and 5 years old and the doctor telling me to go home and have a well deserved G&T - Hubby gets that job!!!
ReplyDeleteAwful.
What a gorgeous photo.
ReplyDeleteI can relate because of my first but we're on a very slow schedule with the others.
The chocolate moneys are a great tip, thanks Stomper! I have a few in front of me yet, with another coming soon for the almost 4yo Ratbag.. My cousin has not had her kids immunised which actually really pisses me off. I kind of think that she relies on people like me to hopefully eliminate diseases from her child's vicinity. She's also a hard-core vegan and her kids don't eat any animal products. AT ALL. No milk, cheese, or anything packaged that has any kind of additive derived from animals. This is a fine choice to make for adults, but to raise your baby on soy milk and deny them protein and calcium from natural sources except bloody BEANS is a crime, as far as I'm concerned. Oh, sorry.. was I ranting??
ReplyDeleteThat's a brave Cherub you have there. Excuse me as I sidetrack to tell you that Sophie loves his Australia hat - she noticed him in the school sandpit the other day after school. And I nearly said "that's Cherub" LOL
ReplyDeleteBack to immunisations, my girls are stoic, I hate it, but can't not be there with them (although I'll do anything to avoid accompanying on dental visits). All the girls got a special little toy for the 4yo shots. My unfavourite needle was Kate's 12 mth when she actually got the measles 10 days after the immunisation from the shot, poor little thing.
Oh, and I have baby teeth too and I creep myself out, but I can't throw them away - maybe I need to grind them?? Great thinking/parenting on your feet there, by the way, it looked like you had no way out there at all, well done.
xxxxx
Hii,
ReplyDeleteHe really is brave and you are a brave mummy,
TQ