Just Another Manic Mommy

Dear Manic Mommy: My daughter is scheduled for her 4-month vaccines next week. At her last doctor's appointment she had her 2-month shots and I was a wreck. Seeing her get shots and not being able to calm her down immediately was very upsetting to me. My daughter calmed down after a couple minutes but I couldn't stop crying for almost 10 minutes. My husband was there and remained completely calm. Do you have any suggestions to help me get through this appointment? I can't seem to get it off my mind and it's still a week away.

Thanks, Kristin

Manic Mommy: The first thought I had was, "Just let your husband deal with it." But then I came to my mommy senses and realized that is not an option for a first-time mom with her newborn. Although it causes you incredible pain, you WANT to be there, you HAVE to be there for your daughter.

But, consider this: She's NOT in that much pain. She stopped crying only after a couple of minutes the last time, right? And you being there helped her through that, for absolute sure. If she takes a pacifier or breastfeeds, a way to quickly calm her down after her shots is to either feed her or soothe her with the pacifier immediately after her face scrunches up in that painful expression. (And when I say painful here, I mean it's painful for you to see her like that.)

You may be feeling so much anxiety because you're still a post-partum mommy. There is a lot going on in your life right now, and keeping your new daughter safe and comforted is your number one priority. I think that most of why you were upset is because of the crazy mommy emotions that just come with giving birth. It will get easier each time she gets her shots, and you'll get through it.

One thing you will definitely want to do that I did when my kids got their shots, was make sure to give her a dose of Tylenol BEFORE you head to the appointment. She may spike a fever and be irritable after the shots, so just be there for her in the following hours.

And holding your daughter and being able to comfort her and KNOWING she's comforted after the shots should be enough to calm you down a bit. It's hard - the whole parenting thing is hard - and things will get much harder than this, you know. It's all part of the package. But it's wonderful that you are so connected and concerned for your little baby girl.

Good luck!