Consider Us Immunized

Yesterday was the day I was dreading- Max's 8 week check-up. I was having a really hard time deciding weather or not I would immunize him right away because there is so much conflicting information out there regarding the possible link between immunization and autism. Anyone in the medical field will tell you the two are unrelated, while any chiropractor or homeopath will tell you there is a direct relationship. I was so scared, especially since I have an autistic brother and there my be a genetic predisposition for my children (hopefully not). I was absolutely sick over it (and still sortof am), but me and Max had a little prayer about it in the doctor's office and I felt much better about allowing him to be immunized.

My doctor, Jan Johnson, was really awesome. I would highly recommend her- if anyone is looking for a pediatrician (Rachelle, Chrissy), she is with Seaview Pediatrics and came highly recommended by my OBGYN and the NICU doctors. We had a long talk about all of my concerns, and she let me make my own decision and didn't pressure me at all. So the nurse gave Max some cherry tylenol drops, which Max llloooovvvees, and then gave him four shots really fast (two in each leg). You can see one of his little band-aids in the picture. She was so nice and told me exactly what she was going to do and told me where to stand and that I should probably look away. I told her not to be alarmed if I cried more than Max, which I did. He did great! He let out one big scream and turned bright red, but as soon as I picked him up he stopped crying.

Later in the day he was pretty fussy, and despite about 12 normal temperature readings, I was convinced that he felt hot and had a fever. I was bawling and I told Danny to come home from San Diego because "Max is really sick." I also called my friend and Max's doctor, who reassured me that my thermometer is probably pretty accurate and that babies can sometimes be fussy after they get shots because of soreness at the injection site. Later I realized that he was really gassy, which was probably the real cause of his cranky disposition. Thankfully Danny was able to tell over the phone that I was over reacting and didn't come all the way home. Max was his normal self for the rest of the afternoon. It's amazing how easy it is for us new moms to freak out over nothing. I guess when you love someone so much it's easy to feel like the world is coming to an end if they're not okay. Especially if you feel like it's your fault! I am sure this will not be the last time I go crazy with worry for my baby!