Infant Vaccinations: What You Need to Know
Soon after the first cry, after cuddling through the golden hour,
after the first lesson from a medical professional on the art of diaper change,
Your baby gets a first "Ouch" experience: First Vaccination shots.
Vaccines are proven to protect, especially children, from the known diseases. There are quite a few sicknesses that are common in children. Doctors and the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) strongly recommend vaccination at birth.
But why?
Let's take a look at the benefits of these vaccines in this blog post. I'm not a medical professional, so if you have any concerns about the shots, please consult with your doctor.
First Vaccination Shots at Birth
Hepatitis B (HepB)
Hepatitis B is a liver disease. It can occur in either a short-term or lifelong illness. It spreads through body fluids such as blood, which makes your baby vulnerable at birth if the mother has it. It's possible that it has only mild symptoms, but it can cause death as well.
The good news is the vaccine can immunize for life.
Your baby needs to get the first shot of the hepatitis vaccine within 12 hours of birth. This will be the 1st dose of 3. The next shots will be every 2 months. (Birth - 2 months - 4 months)
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)
RSV causes a severe respiratory illness, meaning difficulty breathing and eating, and it's common in infants and young children. The vaccine of 1 dose provides the baby's body with extra help fighting an RSV infection.
It is recommended by the CDC to give the shot before or during RSV season, expanding from fall through spring.
If the mother receives a shot during her pregnancy, the antibodies will pass on to the baby. If the 32 - 36 weeks into pregnancy is in the RSV season, you will probably be asked to take the shot during the routine visit to the OBGYN doctor.
More Vaccinations
Two Month Visit
In your baby's two-month visit, your baby is going to get a bunch of vaccines in a couple of shots. They are grouped into a combination vaccine, which combines more than one vaccine into one shot.
Some of the common ones are DTaP, Polio, PCV, Hib, RV, Hepatitis B, and RSV (if not already given).
DTaP Vaccine
It can prevent diphtheria (difficulty breathing, heart failure, paralysis, or death), tetanus (painful stiffening of muscles), and pertussis ("whooping cough," out-of-control coughing). This shot is for children younger than 7 years old.
There is a shot called Tdap, which all parents and child caregivers need to take, that prevents the same diseases.
The 5 recommended doses are 2 months - 4 months - 6 months - 15~18 months - 4~6 years.
Polio Vaccine
Polio (Poliomyelitis) virus can infect the spinal cord, leading to paralysis. The incident rate is low in the U.S. due to the vaccination. Without the vaccination, your baby may be vulnerable to a disease that can paralyze certain body parts and permanently disable them.
Four doses are recommended at 2 months, 4 months, 6-18 months, and 4-6 years.
Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV)
Pneumococcal disease is a bacterial disease that can infect and damage the lungs, ears, sinuses, tissues covering the brain and spinal cord, or blood. CDC recommends pneumococcal vaccination for all children younger than 5 years old.
Four doses are recommended at 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, and 12 ~ 15 months.
Rotavirus (RV)
Rotavirus causes very severe watery diarrhea, vomiting, fever, and abdominal pain. It leads to dehydration, which requires hospital treatment. There are two vaccines available in the U.S.
RotaTeq (RV5): 3 doses at 2, 4, and 6 months
Rotarix (RV1): 2 doses at 2 and 4 months
Following Vaccination Schedule
There are more vaccines to come in the next visits to the pediatrician. You can find the CDC's recommended vaccine schedule (downloadable file available) in this link: CDC Vaccine Schedule
After Getting Vaccine Shots
.png "Vaccine Checklist")
Most of you probably experienced vaccine shots recently due to the outbreak of COVID-19. The side effects varied depending on people. Most vaccines are the same way. It hurts where the shot was injected, a little bit of muscle cramp, and a slight fever at times. It's a natural reaction from your body. It's how the body learns to deal with the sickness and get immunized.
Your baby, however, probably won't be able to describe how or where it hurts. So, you have to keep a very close watch on your child. Check the temperature often. See if he is sweating. Unusual crying. Sleeplessness. If you find something out of the ordinary, let your doctor know. Ask for advice. Go get checked.
While your baby is healing from the shots, you might need to feed bit more often than usual. It's easy for the baby to get dehydrated. Our daughter slept more than usual. She recovered overnight. So, keep the times and feeding amount in precise check.
Conclusion
Any cure is not better than the prevention of sickness. The vaccines have been scientifically proven to be very effective. If we can prevent any of the diseases mentioned above, you need to do it. We can't risk our baby's life on chances. Unless your baby has known health issues, it is strongly recommended to get the vaccines.
Let's keep our babies healthy and strong!