Reactions to First Immunization Shots, Anyone?

Updated on November 19, 2008
B.L. asks from San Francisco, CA
18 answers

Our little 2 month old little girl had all her shots today. She was fine with the initial pokes, but in 3-4 hours, had a two + hour inconsolable crying session. She has been sleeping since, nursing fine. Is this as bad as the reactions could get? What could we expect over the next couple of days?

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So What Happened?

Thank you! It's always good to know you are not the only one going thorough things like this! I appreciate the websites about the vaccines and effects and info on the no vaccine route. Two days later, our little one seems fine. We only gave her tylenol on the day of the shots. Next time, I will do that BEFORE the shots. I will also consider getting the shots spread out over a few days to see if there is a specific reaction to a certain one. Good idea. Thank you!

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C.B.

answers from San Francisco on

You may see some irritability, soreness at the injection site and possibly a fever. Just love her! This too shall pass!

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L.T.

answers from San Francisco on

My son was definitely out of sorts for the 2 days following his 2 month shots. Did you give her more Tylenol? That's what we did. Also I've heard a bath can help the sore muscles in the legs. He also slept a lot. FYI - the 4 month shots weren't as bad. I gave him Tylenol twice more after the initial dose at the Dr's office, but he was back to normal by the next day.

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C.C.

answers from Fresno on

That sounds pretty normal to me. My kids are always super irritable after they get shots, and usually get sleepy as well. I always make sure that if they are set to get a shot (even a flu shot), that I don't plan much for the rest of the day since they always seem a little off their game. Sometimes they get a little sore at the spot where they got the shot, and sometimes the spot gets hard or bruised for a day or two.

All that being said, your daughter should be absolutely fine by tomorrow. It's hard work building an immune system! =)

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J.H.

answers from San Francisco on

Our son seemed to have no reaction for the 1st round of immunizations. Hence, I thought nothing of the 2nd round. He was fine right after them and the whole evening, however the next day we were in a restaurant and he kept crying and crying. Thankfully my friend had baby Tylenol w/ her. I gave that to him for the rest of the day and he was fine. This was as bad as it got! Our doctor gives us hand-outs w/ each immunization that tells you about reactions. If you got one, see if it says anything. Best of luck!

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J.S.

answers from San Francisco on

No, she could have seizures, stop breathing, or worse. Check the PDR before giving each of the shots. Most kids are fine, but I've talked to some moms who have seen some pretty bad reactions.

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A.T.

answers from Stockton on

A little Tylenol will help - the injection area can bruize.
Next time, bicycle her leg where the injection happened afterward to get the vaccine going out of the area - it really helped! My ex-jock hubby told me that trick.
Baby will be grouchy and tired for 2-4 dayz. give her extra cuddle time, bicycle her limbz that got poked, and a little Tylenol.

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G.D.

answers from Modesto on
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W.H.

answers from Phoenix on

Most likely that'll be as bad as it gets, maybe lasting for a few days. There could be more or less, but it all depends. Mine was about like yours, sensitive and you definitely want to be gentle and give them TLC and make sure they get good rest for the next few days.

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C.M.

answers from Sacramento on

I say just keep up on the Tylenol. Start the first dose before the shots, and then every 4 hrs after that for 2 days. That's what our pedi. says and our girl has been fine at every appt. and she's 10 months. Good luck

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L.H.

answers from Sacramento on

WATCH HER REAL CLOSE
She is starting to show reactions to the SHOTS, it can get so bad she can have seizures. I have more than one of my children that reacts to baby shots very badly. In 3 weeks you will know if any permanent damage has occured. Do not let the public (family, friends, doctors, nurses) dictate what you need to do next --- stopping the shots may be the only answer to protect your child. Day care may have to be stopped so your child does not get exposed to so many things all at once.LTH

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N.P.

answers from Modesto on

Hi B L

I am shocked your doctor/nurse didin't tell you any of the signs to look at. But, when you are a first-time mom, you learn what to routinely ask when you leave the Dr's Office :o)

Some signs that I remember: Fever. I always gave my boys regular doses of Motrin/Tylenol for a couple of days AFTER the shots. I actually would bring Motrin with me, and give them something before we left the DR.

I remember that the 2nd & 3rd day could always be worse than the first, so you always have to be emotionally prepared.

I remember that if i touched the shot area, then I would get tears from my babies. It is so soar for them, so it's best not to touch the area.

I also remember diarreah, & change of appetite sometimes.

Other than all that, you little girl will be just fine! :o)

Congratulations on your new baby!

~N. :o)

S.A.

answers from Salinas on

She is probably a little tender at the injection site and feels kinda achy all over for the first 24 hours, she may even have a slight temp. But it will end and it's worth the protection!

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K.B.

answers from San Francisco on

First, give her some infant tylenol/motrin. Call her doctor to find out how much. Some of those shots can really make you sore and miserable feeling for a few days. A good rule to follow is: If she has a firm red warm circle of skin around the shot site, she is probably pretty miserable and would benefit from some infant tylenol or infant motrin.

Second, for her next set of shots, INSIST that your doctor give them one at a time over the course of a month. That way if she has a bad reaction to one, you will know exactly what she is reacting to. In addition, it won't be as much for her tiny system to handle all at once, and she won't be nearly as miserable.

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C.T.

answers from Sacramento on

Did you have all of the 2 month vaccinations at once? If so you won't know which one caused the reaction. I would suggest you break down the vaccinations and do a couple each month. We did rotovirus and pneumococcal in month 2 with DTaP and Hib in month 3. We have opted not to do polio until later and neither are we doing Hep B. I would not give Tylenol before injections because while it will mask the reaction it will mean that you won't know how severe the reaction actually was. I doubt that any truly severe reaction would be masked but personally I would rather know there was a reaction and then medicate than try to hide the reaction and assume there wasn't one. It is hard to watch our kids in pain but I would rather live with a little pain if it meant possibly being able identify a serious reaction. Plus if there is no reaction you haven't medicated for no reason.

Personally I found Dr Sears vaccination book very helpful. It has allowed me to ask for certain brands of vaccines that contain ingredients that I am comfortable with. I work in epidemiology so I am not anti-vaccine but I wasn't prepared for my daughter to have 6 shots on one day or be loaded up with unnecessary amounts of aluminum. Which is why we are doing shots each month to spread the load, thin them out and lower the aluminum content at any given time.

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S.L.

answers from San Francisco on

Sounds like she was letting you know she did NOT like that at all!!! Lots of babies are too surprised by the intial poke to cry, but the shots do leave you feeling sore and can make her cranky and cry. Next time, give her some Tylenol about 30 minutes before the shots are given and try nursing her during the shots. It means getting up on the table and holding her so that the nurse can still reach her little thigh, but it's amazing. After reading about it in a medical journal, I tried it and my daughter barely even noticed the shots first 2 shots, and only lifted her head and looked around at the third shot, then went back to nursing. The Tylenol will help with the soreness. Give her more Tylenol 4 hours later. Keeping ahead of the pain, and not letting the Tylenol wear off will help, too. My mom's been a pediatrics nurse for 40 years and that's teh advice she gave me. Good luck!

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N.M.

answers from Chico on

That happened to my son and it was diagnosed as a reaction to Pertussus (sp?). Subsequently when my son got his shots, he got immunizations that did not contain Pertussus. They had to be special ordered. I am happy to report the immunizations went well after that. No more crying! (Except for the initial jabs.)

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L.M.

answers from Fresno on

When my children had their fist shots I cried right along with them at home. Since she is pretty sensitive, I'd give her a dose of Tylenol before her next appointment to help prevent such a reaction next time. My babies just wanted to be held and loved for 48hrs after their shots. I just put them in a sling and did the housework with them hanging on as close to me as possible. If you don't have a sling, I'd recommend getting one. I have a friend who makes a wonderful one and you can even pick the fabric you want. It is so easy to use and so beneficial to baby and mommy (and sometimes grandma) bonding. Email me if you want to know more ____@____.com

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K.H.

answers from Modesto on

"The Vaccine Book" by Dr. Sears reviews all potential side effects.
Given your baby's reaction, I'd seriously consider spacing out the vaccines. You can still get them all but do so much safer than the current recommended schedule. It just requires more visits to space them out more appropriately. But, I feel, definitely worth it to make the vaccination process much safer for your little one!

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