Emily had her second lot of injections at the end of March and I thought it was going to be a lot worse than it was. This time there were only 2 parts to the vaccination process and thankfully, giving Emily a little break at least, it didn’t include the Men B vaccine. All parents know that scream that comes from the Men B vaccine. In her first round of injections, she was placed down on a mat, stripped to her nappy and poked with lots of needles which brought a public meltdown and lots of screaming and tears from both of us. It was horrendous. I was paranoid this appointment would include the same level of tears and crying but thankfully it wasn’t as bad – a few tears but forgotten about after her long nap.
In this appointment, Emily had Infanrix (IPV+Hib vaccine) and Rotarix. Rotarix was a sticky liquid given in a prefilled oral applicator and Emily kept trying to put her hands in her mouth. I think she liked the taste. The nurse was lovely, pulling faces, whilst Emily sat on my lap. The Rotarix is known as Rotavirus and it’s a live vaccine. It protects against rotavirus infection, a common cause of childhood diarrhoea and sickness. The NHS says:
Rotavirus is a highly infectious stomach bug that typically strikes babies and young children, causing an unpleasant bout of diarrhoea, sometimes with vomiting, tummy ache and fever. Most children recover at home within a few days, but nearly one in five will need to see their doctor, and one in 10 of these end up in hospital as a result of complications such as extreme dehydration. A very small number of children die from rotavirus infection each year.
Since its introduction into the vaccination programme, the rotavirus vaccine has prevented more than 70% of cases.
Side effects: The vast majority of babies won’t have any problems at all after having their rotavirus vaccination, although some babies who have the vaccine may become restless and irritable, and some may develop mild diarrhoea.
The second vaccination was by needle and that was the Infanrix. INFANRIX-IPV+Hib is indicated for active immunisation against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, poliomyelitis and Haemophilus influenzae type b disease from the age of 2 months. EMC says:
Primary vaccination:
The primary vaccination schedule consists of two or three doses given in accordance with official recommendations. The minimum age at the time of the first dose is 2 months. Subsequent doses of the primary course should be separated by a minimum interval of four weeks.
Booster vaccination:
After primary vaccination with two doses, a booster dose of INFANRIX-IPV+Hib must be given at least 6 months after the last priming dose, preferably between 11 and 13 months of age.
After primary vaccination with three doses, a booster dose of Hib conjugate vaccine (monovalent or combined) must be administered. The timing of this Hib conjugate vaccine booster dose should be in accordance with official recommendations. INFANRIX-IPV+Hib may be used for this booster dose if administration of the additional antigens at the same time is in accordance with official recommendations.
INFANRIX-IPV+Hib may be used as a booster dose for children who have previously been immunised with other vaccines that contain DTP, polio and Hib antigens.
I wouldn’t worry yourself over this lot Of injections, it’s really minor and your little one forgets about it pretty quickly. At most, you might have a spot of diarrhoea, but apart from that, nothing for you to panic about!
Missy, Me & Him 