Ashu got her vaccination shots yesterday for MMR and Chicken pox. One in each arm. :(
Anyway, just thought to write some stuff as a reminder for myself. It might help young parents in India too.
1.Dress the child right. If the shot is going to be administered in the arms, make them wear a sleeveless top or some top in which the sleeves can be easily rolled up. Otherwise it is a pain to taken them off and even more painful to put them on again when the child is screaming her lungs off. Unlike in Europe or US, here they don't remove the clothings of the child. They even weigh the child with the clothes on!
2. Try to buy the vaccines,syringe, etc.. the previous day itself. Some vaccines you might have to store in the fridge, so ask the Doctor about it. Also the paediatric medicines or vaccines are usually not available in all the medical shops. You get them only in the medical shops the Doctor suggests or the ones near the Doctors clinic/hospital. If the Dr's appointment is before 9 am, then the chances of the medical shop being closed is more. So check out the timings.
3. Finish off all the formalities before the child gets the shots. Ask all the Q's you want, get the appointment for the next visit, get the prescription, write down all the details of the vaccination. Even pay the fees. Because once the child gets the shots, all you would want is to get out.
4. Take a bottle of water or milk if that will pacify your child. Or some biscuits or her favorite toy.
5. In Swiss, the doctor used to keep a ball of cotton and put a band aid over it after the shot to stop the bleeding. But here, the Dr just asks you to press the cotton tightly on her arm where the shot was given. Its really stupid as its impossible to hold the baby still. Either go with a band aid or ask the Dr beforehand for a plaster.
6. Usually there is a vaccination report card where all the details of the vaccines given for the child is noted down, in Swiss. No such thing here. But you might require it if you travel abroad. So you can ask the Dr to write the details in her prescription pad and sign it.
7. Some vaccines cost around Rs.2000 so go with enough cash.
Thats all I can think of. Life really revolves around the child for me, no?! :)
9 comments:
Even in India we get the vaccination card. We have one for our 6 yr old son. Make sure you ask for it as not all centers may not give one right away.
Thats good to know. But my Doctor does nt give one. When I asked her, thats when she told that she can write the details in the letter pad and sign it! Guess its not compulsary to have the records here.
Boo: Some comments.
1. Good tips on wearing appropriate clothes.
2. In Mumbai, most docs take care of everything. Parents just have to pay. No need to carry anything other than milk, water, food etc. We also carry a small bedsheet to lay the child down on as the beds are not always clean.
3. Very important to ensure that the hospital uses disposable stuff. If they are not doing so by default, change the doctor instead of telling them to use dispo stuff - they may be using contaminated vaccines.
4. It also helps to prepare the child first. We used to tell our son that he was going to get a shot but we were going to go to the park later. Sure he didn't want the shot but post-shot pacification was very quick.
5. To be honest, we have never used a plaster on the shot blister. I don't think there is any need to do that either.
6. Most docs in Mumbai have a vaccination record card.
We wanted to give him Prevnar but it apparently is not available in India. Do find out if it is available in B'lore. I will call their office in Mumbai once I am back to base.
Hmmm... 9 years ago in Blr, the doc we went to had all the stuff you have written about (inc new syringes etc)...
I hate injections! So whenever I go to the doc (when I was a kid that is), I used to go with my Dad and not my Mom - 'coz Dad was afraid of needles too and he'd kinda persuade the doc to gimme meds and not shots :-)
Bookmarkable post. Tanks.
All good things hurt huh :P, gosh I can still feel the sting of the needle from my vaccination .. or some other shot I got after I was able to think :)
ouch!! hope Ashu is ok now!!!
Are we (Indians) really a third world country where 10% of the population is leading the globe and the other lower 60% does not have access to vital necessities of life like dal, chawal, clean water, health care systems and basic medical facilities... where I have recently heard my friends make close to 35-50k per annum.
My new born (36 days old today) will be travelling to India in July and based on what I have discussed with my pediatrician and have read articles over the web, Prevnar is not available in India. I see people discussing about disposable stuff and clean bed sheets... I have not been to India for 9 years now but all this talk I hear honestly sets be back and scares me - Jizzzz,,nothing has changed...sounds like
Well can anyone provide assistance on how to get hold of "Prevnar"? My email is milanvijayshah@yahoo.com. Thank you in advance for your suggestions and help.
...........Milan.
boosbabytalk.blogspot.com; You saved my day again.
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