Pinky Reacts to DTaP

Pinky had a slight reaction to the DTap shot she got on Monday at her 6 month checkup. I came home from work on Wednesday and noticed the site of injection was a little red, swollen and lumpy. I called the nurse line and they told me to bring her in to see her doctor since it had been two days since she received her shots. I started to worry, but I was confident that everything was okay.

After, a 20 minute ride to the doctor’s office a $20 co-pay, and a 2 hour wait, my prediction was correct, thank God! Pinky was fine. She had no fever, she wasn’t throwing up, in fact she was cracking up at my jokes in the waiting room.

Doctor said:

1. The lump and redness is common with the DTaP and she should have warned me about it during our visit
2. The reaction is actually a GOOD sign because it means that her immune system is working to fight off the virus
3. Bring her back if the redness spreads, if the site is hot, or if the skin begins producing puss

Thank GOD again and again she is okay. Daddy and I had our reservations about immunization shots to begin with so we wanted to make double sure she was okay, even if she was acting like herself. After this, episode, for lack of a better term, here are a few things I can share Mommy to Mommy when your child is scheduled for shots:

1. Prepare them, talk to them and let them know what to expect. Even if they don’t quite understand, they will appreciate it. Just because they’re young, doesn’t mean they won’t know when you’re tricking them. Babies are smarter than we are! The more prepared they are, the more confident they will be in themselves and in you.
2. Comfort them, before, during and especially after the get stabbed. I helped hold Pinky down as the nurse poked her right thigh, she was okay. Then the nurse poked her left thigh, that’s when Pinky said, Mama in a little whining voice. I picked her up as soon as I could and stared hugging her, kissing her and just caressing her back.
3. Praise your child, and let them know how proud you are of them. It may sound silly, but I told Pinky she did such a good job…because she did. She didn’t cry, she stayed down and let the nurse do her job!
4. Love…Love…Love…I need not tell you this, but just tell your child how much you love them and keep telling them. They love to hear it and feel it!
5. Rest. It is important that you let your baby rest after they get their shots. Their little body was just introduced with a foreign substance and it needs time to recuperate. Pinky took the longest two naps ever the day after she got her shots. I got a lot done, but more importantly she rested her little body.
6. Hydrate. Feed your baby often and make sure they get lots of fluids.
7. Observe…Observe…Observe. It sounds like common sense, but even I missed this one. Observe the injection site, take baby’s temperature and just make sure baby is being herself. Ig baby still has a band-aid on change it and make sure the site is not oozing with puss, hot in temperature or red. Also, observe baby for pain when the are is touched. Our nurse mentioned that by applying heat and/or pressure to the site helps in distributing the virus evenly in the muscle. Do whatever makes your little one happy.
8. When in doubt, call the doctor’s office!

To read more of pinky’s adventures visit our blog at http://thepinkyproject.com.