2 month shots + inconsolable crying (repost from 0-3)

3003girl

LO got her 2 month shots yesterday around 4:30 and at 8:30 she started screaming & crying for about an hour. inconsolable, all we could do is hold her. This is the first time she has ever done that.

we called the pedi and he said to put warm compresses on her leg where the shot was and try Tylenol. He said it was local pain from the shot. I don't really feel it was local pain. 

does anyone else have experience with this?

we want her vaccinated, but don't want to go through this again. she was obviously in extreme distress. 

BabyButler2010

After ds got his 2 month shots he was soooo uncomfortable for about 24 hours.  He really just wanted to stay still b/c everytime he moved it seemed like the pain got worse and he would cry like never before...holding im and cuddling him did not help...usually he wants to be held ALL the time and likes to play, but that night and the next day he wanted to sit in his swing (which we never put him in b/c he doesn't usually care for it, but we tried it as a last resort)  he settled down in his swing and we just sat and talked/sang to him...

It did get better, within 24 hours, but honestly it was terrible and I felt so awful for putting him through that.  With that said, I want him to be vaccinated, so we will be struggling with this again in a couple of weeks when he gets his 4month shots.

GL!  I hope that your LOs reaction is just the norm and she will be feeling better soon!

 

ctbride08

Yes! the 2 month shots were HORRIBLE - she was so clearly in pain, inconsolable, and i was devestated.  If she wasn't a foster child and vaccs mandated, I would have seriously thought about continuing wiht them.

The good news is, every round since then has been cake.  Mild fever and mild irritability, but nothing compared to the 2 month shots.

So if your baby is anything like mine, you've gotten through the worst

Kelly-renee

I don't know if you can remember the last time you had a tdap, but I had one last summer, they hurt!  It's a muscle pain that doesn't go away for a few days, and everytime you move it hurts again. I hadn't had one for about 10 years, so I had forgotten how much it hurt later on.  My pain with it went away within 5 days though, and got less each day.  

I know one of my friends has her daughter only get one vaccine a month, and she said it was tremendously better than with her first child.

ddr262

We do a modified schedule (similar to Sears but I didn't know his recs when we started so we just broke them down into smaller doses and extra visits) and had reactions at 2 and 4 months. At two months his little leg was warm and swollen at the injection site (and I think that was the DTaP plus one other like pp said) and he screamed for 30 or so minutes. A cool compress and Tylenol helped then. For the other round of our broken down schedule he did not get a fever or the swollen leg, but he was obviously uncomfortable (same thing at 4 mo). From 6 mo on he had no reactions at all.

missjade21

Sounds familiar. We just did 2 shots (I'm ashamed to admit that I can't remember which ones) and it was still awful. But when we went at 3 months (to get the ones we didn't get at 2) it was way better. Hopefully the ones we're getting on Tuesday will be too!

mrsfirefly

Lots of nursing comforted my LO.  Right after the shot and later at home.

JimsBride08

I'm a little late, but DS did something similar.  After his 2 month shots he took a nap.  He woke up a few hours later and screamed for about 2 hours.  His leg was all hot and swollen.  The pedi had us put ice on it, and he got a lot of nursing time and cuddles.  I was terrified to give him any more vaccines after that.

Fortunately, he hasn't had any reactions since, other than a little crying for the first few and extra sleepiness or grumpiness.  I think the experience was a lot more traumatic for us than him.

erinkate23

((hugs))  Our 2 month shots were terrible.  LO would only relax in the tub with me holding him and warm water on his thigh. Have you tried taking the baby into the bathtub?  It really helped.

I was really reluctant about the 4 month shots but they were nothing - he cried right after the shot until I gave him a bottle, fussed in the car on the way home, but was fine, if a little fussy, from then on.

 

I think part of it was that he had really never felt pain prior to his 2 month shots.  We didn't allow any shots or painful procedures at the hospital, and he had never been injured in any way.  I'll never forget the look on his face when he got them - it was SO hard.

deltadawn79

I've read in various vaccine books that inconsolable crying is a side effect of some of the shots. 

daisyterp

nurse in the bathtub. 

My DD had this after her 2 month shots and that calmed her right down.  It reminds them of being in the womb.  

terri_doula2010

2 month shots were horrible. DS screamed and screamed. He was sick for 3 days.

We started following Dr. Sears schedule at 4 months, but it really wasn't a ton better. I'm thinking at 6 months I may just go for it all so that he is only this miserable every two months instead of every month.  It did help to give him tylenol right when we got to the doctor's office (I understand some drs don't wnat you to do this, but luckily ours was fine with it), and then he had fallen asleep in my arms before shot time. I had the nurse give him the shot while he slept and it was SO. MUCH. BETTER. than having to hold him down while he got shots. He of course woke up and cried, but never got inconsolable. That was DTaP and he also got Rotavirus, and he hates anything being in his mouth that isn't breastmilk, but it still wasn't terrible. Then I nursed him and he calmed right down.

That was yesterday and he is still having intermittant pain. I've been giving tylenol, using cool compresses, and snuggling lots. Poor kid. I wish I didn't feel so strongly about most vaccines!

3003girl

thanks ladies. it just sucks watching your LO be in pain. She is fine now - but been sleeping ALOT more than usual. Her leg doesnt seem to be bothering her. I just have a hard time believing that it was her leg that was hurting her.

anyway, the whole vaccination thing sucks. we want to do it, and will, but it's hard to put LO through it. we feel guilty! I think we are still going to to the regular schedule though - i don't think i could go through this or put her through it every month. 

she was fine with the actual shot - the nurse was great and did it so we didn't even have to hold her down. she just laid on the table and he gave her the first one, she looked surprised, and before she could react, the second one was done.  then DH held her and she cried for literally 2 minutes and was done. we nursed but i don't think she was even upset.  it was just the nightime crying/screaming that was bothersome...