Round Two

Baby Gray had his two-month well baby check-up today. All was well. He weighs 14 pounds, 4 ounces; is 24.5 inches long; and his head is 16.5 inches. He’s in the 85th-95th percentiles in everything. The doctor was quite pleased with his growth, his alertness, and his other developmental tasks. 

I have to really hand it to our pediatrician’s office. I have been speaking with the nurse supervisor about every other day for the past two weeks working on getting Pediarix instead of Pentacel for Baby Gray. At first they only gave me the individual shots as the alternative to Pentacel (its Polio vaccination contains electively aborted fetal cells). I told them I was not OK with giving Baby Gray four or five shots instead of one, and the supervisor told me she would look into ordering the Pediarix for me. We had to pay for it, but she got it, and I felt much better about it all. 

He was also scheduled for RotaTeq, which I declined, and Prevnar 13. When it was time to get his vaccinations, though, I realized I forgot Pediarix is short one medication that is in Pentacel. Baby Gray’s pediatrician gave me the name and the prescribing pamphlet, and I was unable to quickly find any information about whether or not it contained cells from fetal origin. I quickly texted a friend who is knowledgeable about vaccinations, and she was not in a place where she could check on it right away. Thanks to my iPhone and a search through my emails, I was able to very quickly get enough information to make a confident decision about whether or not to allow them to administer the ActHIB.

While the actual administration of the vaccinations broke my heart, Baby Gray did an awesome job. He only cried briefly when each needle poked him, and then he was back to his cheerful self. He took a good nap afterward, and when we got home, I gave him a little acetaminophen to help keep him from feeling sore. He did not have any adverse reactions this afternoon or evening at all. I was quite pleased.