Trauma:Life In The Pediactric Center

Today we started out the day with a brisk walk and lunch with a girlfriend who was in town from Colorado. All was going well until Jared called to remind me of Evelyn's doctor appointment-the dreaded day of first time shots. It had completely slipped my mind-I usually write everything down in my day planner but this particular appointment was on a post it in my car. I was very nervous during the 45 minute ride to her doctor. While sitting in the waiting room I was startled by the cries of a young boy. He was screaming at the top of his lungs and it made me very uneasy. Once we got back into the room I was a little tense. We got Evelyn down to her diap' and had the regular weight and length taken-10 lbs. 10 oz. and 26 inches long. After a quick look from the doctor the dreaded nurse came in. Evelyn was so happy looking up at me and Jared. She held both of our index fingers in her tiny little hands smiling. Then BAM!! Shot number one. I've never heard her cry like that. Her face immediately got red and she was screaming out in pain. BAM!! Shot number two. Crying even harder now. BAM!! Shot number three-hysterical. Even mommy was crying at this point. I was told then I could pick my poor little baby up so I wrapped her in her blanket and held her so close, crying my eyes out. It was one of the hardest things I've ever had to watch. She was so scared and I think it really did hurt her-although the nurse said she really wouldn't be in that much pain. As her mother, I know she's never cried like that before, I know it really hurt her. And what's worse is we were right there and the pain kept coming. I felt like she wasn't going to trust me afterwards. After a quick nursing she settled down a little but was still fussy. For those of you unfamiliar with Evelyn, she NEVER cries-not unless she's hungry. And lately she's begun this new shrieking process-she'll squeal a little bit and if nothing comes of it then she'll cry a little. But after this traumatic experience she was horribly upset. She would settle down and then cry a little bit and her little legs were swollen, as well as her eyes from crying, her face was all red. After leaving the office we went for a short walk on the river and for a quick visit to Grandma Jill's house. She had a hard time going to sleep and continued through the night with these little shrill cries-it was as if she was having flashbacks of what had happened. After a dose of Tylenol and some TLC she finally fell asleep in my arms. Because of the horrible day she had I allowed her to sleep in bed with me-Jared was on the couch due to the flu. I had a hard time falling asleep-I couldn't stop staring at her wondering how she felt-Jared's mom said those shots can make you achey like you have the flu. After finally falling asleep I'm relieved to say that she slept through the night and woke up as happy as she usually is. After the rough night she had and the pain I was going through from watching her suffer I was more than relieved to see her smiles this morning. She's a tough little gal.