Shots?!

Cutie Pie recently went for his six month well-check appointment. The visit went well. The doctor checked him all over and declared him perfect. All except for a little cold. Then the doctor asked me, the most anxious new mother in the world, if I felt comfortable with Cutie Pie getting his shots today. "Uh.. I guess so? He only has a little cold. The worst of it passed days ago. I got plenty of sleep last night so that must mean he's not sick, right?" What I should have said was, "You're the doctor! Tell me if YOU feel comfortable with Cutie Pie getting his shots today!"


Well, as you may have guessed, Cutie Pie got his shots. This led to 24 hours of anxiety and nervousness for Mommy and crankiness for everyone involved. I had just finished reading Jenny McCarthy's book, "Mother Warriors." OK, you got me. I didn't actually read it. I listened to the audio version in the car whenever Cutie Pie wasn't there and I could safely turn off the never ending Wee Sing CD that haunts my brain all day. Her book was terrifying. Many of the parents she interviewed said their children were sick when they got their vaccinations. She explained that their teeny tiny immune systems couldn't fight off the germs and the shot at the same time. Those babies became autistic after they got their shots. One Mommy said that she gave her baby medicine to help with the pain of the shots and that the medicine likely contributed to her child getting autism.

So there I was, a nervous wreck. The nurses got out their syringes and I'm cringing and wondering if I will live to regret this day. They gave Cutie Pie his shots and he didn't even cry. He got a second shot and he whimpered but he stopped in the one second it took the nurse to pick him up and hand him to me. He smiled and laughed while I got him dressed and I took my Cutie Pie home.

Between jars of baby food and countless verses of Old McDonald, I watched my Cutie Pie for signs of a reaction. Nothing. Whew! He's been his usual self all week. I realize that I am very lucky to have a healthy child.

No more books for Mommy. I think I'm going to go back to listening to that baby CD. It may haunt me but at least it doesn't cause anxiety attacks.

http://theadventuresofcutiepie.blogspot.com/