4 Month Well Baby Visit

Gemma's poor thigh and her "rad" 90's Band-Aid :)

Today was Gemma's 4 month well baby visit. I have been dreading this appointment for weeks. Maybe even longer as I was pretty anxious about it from the moment it was scheduled after her 2 month well baby visit. I HATE the vaccines. HATE them. I really do not like to use the word hate (it is just so...negative), but if ever it were to have an applicable use it to describe the way I feel when I see my poor precious baby being assaulted with needles.

FOUR needles.

I feel worse because I can't warn her, I can't prepare her, I can't explain that it is a choice that I am making for her own good. The most I can do is cuddle her and kiss her afterwards but somehow that just doesn't seem like enough.

I know that there is a lot of debate surrounding vaccinations and to be honest, the research on both sides is overwhelming to me. I feel like there is so much research available but it is all so...biased. I have read literature on different stances but ultimately I have decided that I will trust the advice of my pediatrician who I am sure has read so much more about vaccinations that she has been trained to better understand and she has also seen lots of babies who have been vaccinated. Her pediatrician sugests vaccinating on the "normal" schedule, as recommened by the AAP.

It still sucks. So much.

She cried immediately after, for 10 minutes or so. Then she passed out. But not for long. Pretty soon she was up, herself and flashing little baby smiles like this:

I thought we were out of the woods. I thought she was going to be fine.

And then...

She started screaming. Bloody murder. Out of nowhere. For 15 minutes. Of course, it wasn't just a regular 15 minutes, it was a "my baby is hurting and there is nothing I can do about it" 15 minutes. Believe me, those are the worst.

She eventually fell asleep and that is what she is doing now.

They also measured and weighed Gemma today. She is now 25.2" long (75th percentile) and 13 pounds and 2 ounces (25th percentile). The doctor seems comfortable with her weight and says she is pretty much on track.

I am happy to see her growing.

 She has gained over half of a pound in just a few short weeks!

That nap she is taking looks pretty good, I think I am off to snuggle with my little string bean!