Shot

Poor baby got her first vaccines yesterday. She's coping very well, but watching her cry was Very Hard.

I am a devoted vaccinator, though. I wasn't with The Boy. Oh, I did it and all. But I had misgivings and doubts. This time around I don't.

Why?

Because of the fact that my son, at 12 months old, came down with a serious kidney infection caused by strep bacteria. The kind that's preventable by vaccines. He was a week away from his final booster. So no, this infection couldn't have been prevented. But had he come into contact with the bug a month later, it could have all been prevented: the days of fever, continued clinic visits, three days in hospital, needles, IVs, a screaming sick baby, painful tests and months of follow up. And I do mean months.

Not to mention the horrifying IV accident he had in hospital which required two plastic surgery consults, two months of bandaging, and from which he still carries a scar.

So that's my plug for the day: vaccinate! The alternative is worse. Trust me: ours was a minor one with a happy ending and it still pains me to think about it.