"GET ME OUTTA HERE!"
The dreaded immunizations... 2, 4, 6, 12 AND 18 months... I am not saying that I wish we didn't have to give Sienna immunizations but can't they give them in a different, less traumatic way?
Sienna's 2 month shots I bawled, 4 month shots I cried, 6 month shots I got a little teary, 12 months, I laughed a little because it was just the worst, most awkward ones yet!
Let's just say we were pretty unprepared after my mom said that these ones were "the easiest! It's only one shot!" Should we have listened to the woman who hasn't taken a baby to their 12 month immunizations in 25 years? NO!!! Turns out it was FOUR NEEDLES! As the nurse was putting together the shots, getting the band-aids ready and tearing the alcohol pad packets open, I realized there were more than ONE needle :( OHMYGOD there's FOUR NEEDLES??? WHY!!!!!!!! Poor Sienna didn't know what was about to hit her... The poor girl was looking around the room at all of the cute Disney appliques and thinking, "hmmm, this is strangely familiar to me, and I am pretty sure I met this lady when I was two-months old, and there's that strange little plastic tray again, oh and there's those SHARP NEEDLES, F#@K! OH NO OH NO, NEEEEEEEEDLES!!!!" The nurse gets everything prepared down to the second because what nurse wants to be pulling the plastic off of a band-aid with a screaming baby in their face, and she says "these ones are the worst!" Oh thanks, real reassuring! Oh and did I mention these needles were going into her ARMS! The reasoning, "well it's better than their legs because we don't want to hinder their walking for a day!" Ummm, Sienna is still crawling so I am pretty sure her arms do most of the work lady! Anyway, we take Sienna's arms out of her long sleeve top and Kyle gets briefed on how to hold her arms, Sienna tries to struggle away immediately, definitely more difficult than holding ONE leg at a time! So here we go, needle in hand....... JAB! GASP, LONG PAUSE, BLOODY MURDER BLOODY MURDER, BAND-AID. JAB! BLOODY MURDER BLOODY MURDER, BAND-AID... TURN, JAB! GASP, BLOODY MURDER BLOODY MURDER, BAND-AID IN WRONG SPOT... JAB! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH, GASP, WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! Sienna has complete and utter devastation written all over her face and she's looking at the nurse like "WHAT THE F#@K IS WRONG WITH YOU? YOU JUST STABBED ME! 4 TIMES! PEOPLE GO TO PRISON FOR LESS THAN THAT!" We go into the waiting area where there are other crying little babies and I want to say "oh you just wait until the 12-month ones! You think this is bad!" Sienna gets a little boob, but in between sips she remembers the JAB! and gasps and cries a little more... 5 minutes later she is completely fine... 10 minutes later we are riding home in the car as if nothing happened, even though she is still doing the odd gasp... At least we got to wait two days after her birthday before inflicting the pain! She's a tough little one-year-old!
I think you'll find that while there was bloodymurder screaming while it happened, you've also summarized how long the trauma lasted for Sienna. You on the other hand, as a mom - saw it with even more emotion, and will remember it as very horrible for much longer. My guess is the nurse has it down to the slickest procedure possible to minimize the trauma. For Mom, Dad, and Baby. Sadly, many drugs are not compatible, so must be given in separate syringes. Sad but true fact. BTW, much of what you've written here illustrates the "why" of my own nursing specialization with adults.
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Poor Sienna! Do you know that you can change the immunization schedule? 4 shots is a lot at once! We've been thinking of breaking that session up into two for Tyler. I've heard you can ask for numbing cream ahead of time too. I've never seen my kids get their shots- I'm always outside the room do my dislike of needles (ironic because I took 1 a day through both pregnancies!). Even outside the room it's traumatic for me to hear my babies cry!
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