4 month vaccinations

Today I took the little munchkin to the doctors for his 4 month vaccinations. He watched the doctor prepare the injections and did not take his eyes of her. He did not want to breast feed and was a bit upset. I finally got him to feed and the doctor jabbed him in his leg and he cried when she pulled out the needle. He cried poor little thing. I tried to comfort him and then I swapped sides and he tried to feed and she jabbed him again. He cried again when she pulled the needle out. He was very upset but it only lasted a few minutes. I was so hot in the doctors office. I had the doctor measure him and weigh him.
He is 69.5 centimeters which means he is off the charts.
He weighs 6.73 kgs with clothes on. Which is average.
His head circumference is 43cm, which is average.
She called him Mr. average, but he is a long baby.
On the way home he was very calm in the baby bjorn. I bought some olive sourdough bread and came home to Jas who had worked from home.
I fed him some more and changed his nappy and then made lunch for Jas and I. Some salmons sandwiches and carrot and corn salad.
I then got myself ready to go to the Uni to do some work.
Jas got Joaquin ready to take him for a car ride. He was quite happy but very hot from the heat.
In the end I did some work at the uni and got a lift home with a colleague. Jas sent me sms telling me the little munchkin had gone to sleep without much fuss and was very well behaved and had fed him up well. It made me feel so happy.
I think overall it is good for me to get away to do some work and do grown up things while Jas looks after our little son and plays with him and is a dad.

2 month vaccinations

I took Joaquin with the baby bjorn to the Doctors today. It was drizzling with rain outside so I walked as quickly as i could around the corner and he fell asleep in the bjorn.

Once I got there of course with me stopping and not moving he woke up. He looked around the doctors surgery, there were other babies there I think for vaccinations too. Then after about 10 min he got restless, I rocked him, he was more restless and cranky and wingy and so I breastfed him and he calmed down, ate and fell asleep. By the time it was our turn (over 30 min late) he was asleep and I took him upstairs and then he woke up.

The doctor did a double take on him and said " He is a big baby, I thought he may have been here for the 4 month vaccination". I just said well he is lean really but very long. He is also strong and holds his head up and very alert all the time.

The doctor gave him 2 injections in the leg and he cried a bit. I was breastfeeding during this time and so he kept on feeding after the intitial shock of the pain and his cry. He also had a oral vaccination for gastro and he seemed to like that and gulped it down.

The immunizations that he had now at 2 months are:

• Hepatitis B (hepB)
• Diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough (acellular pertussis) (DTPa)
• Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)
• Polio (inactivated poliomyelitis IPV)
• Pneumococcal conjugate (7vPCV)
• Rotavirus (the oral one that is a new vaccination given now since May 2007 for free).

• This info is from the Immunization site
• Hepatitis B vaccine should be given to all infants as soon as possible after birth. The greatest benefit is if the vaccine is given within 24 hours, and it must be given within 7 days.
• A total of three doses of hepB are required following the birth dose, at either 2 months, 4 months and 6 months or at 2 months, 4 months and 12 months.
• A total of 4 doses of Hib vaccine should be given (2 months, 4 months, 6 months and 12 months) if using PRP-T Hib containing vaccines.
• Here is another link with Facts on Immunization for Australian children
  

His next injections are at 4 months of age. And then at 6 months, but we will be in Argentina then so he will get his 6 months when we are back in Early February 2008. The vaccinations are free under Medicare and I think that if your child gets all the vaccinations the parents get some money back from the Australian government.

This is Joaquin's stats:
Weight: 5.3kg (50th percentile) He is still a lean machine and this is with clothes on and without a poo.
Height: 61cm (90th percentile) I think he may even be more than 61cm as he was 59cm at 6 weeks of age.
Head circumference: ? don't know but over 40cm (75th percentile). He was 39cm at 6 weeks of age.

After the Doctor's visit I went to the chemist and bought infants panadol just in case he had a fever in reaction to the injections (this is what the doctor recommended) and I went to the local corner deli and bought an eggplant, celery, olive sourdough bread, milk and a croissant.
I guess the croissant was my treat as the doctor had told me now he will start to feed more and require more breastmilk and so i must make sure i was eating well. I mean a croissant is not a healthy option but I new that once i got home I would have to feed him and comfort him after his vaccinations and had no time to make a quick bite to eat.

So at home i heated the croissant and had it with jam and made a cup of milky tea and just breast fed him all afternoon. he was very tired and hungry and upset i think after the injections.
He cried all afternoon and then fell asleep in my arms as I paced the room and had "The Beautiful girls" on the myth tv.
Jason came home at 6 and he bathed him. I fed him some more and then Jas gave him an ebm (expressed breast milk top up of 50mls) and I started to make dinner (stuffed eggplants).
Jas put him to bed and miracously he slept from 7.30pm to 5.30am and then had a feed. I checked him all night to see if he had a fever or not but he was fine.