Vaccines 101

The time had come and here they were: my son’s two months vaccines. The check up was over: he had ‘passed’ I suppose, much like a car oil change for the first few months. Breathing, check; heart, check; fingers, toes, check; growing, check.

As a pediatrician, I was excited to help my son get antibodies as soon as possible against as many nasty diseases as I could. But that did not prevent me from wondering how I would react to seeing my son get 3 injections into his perfectly plump thighs. I had heard from other health care providers that they cried with their child’s first vaccines. We are, after all, still in the throes of postpartum emotions.

The MA came in the room with the vaccines. First, the Rotavirus vaccine. It’s a liquid that he had to suck down himself. The syringe went into the mouth and he looked up at me with confused but trusting eyes. I felt like he was asking me if this was okay, if it was safe. I stroked his head and told him it was okay as I stared into his big blue questioning eyes. It was the first time I truly felt like a mom, guiding my son and feeling that he trusted me. I was so swept up in the gushing of my heart over making this unexpected connection that I scarcely noticed the three shots. He cried – less vehemently that he typically cries when he is hungry – and I scooped him up to hold him close and feed him.

He did just fine, and so did I. And I will always cherish that moment of looking reassuringly into his eyes. In that moment, I felt I truly became a mom.