Your Baby's First Vaccines And What You Need To Know

The sight of a newborn baby crying is a nightmare, we, parents experience. It is the hardest thing for a parent to see. However, if that crying is over a vaccination shot, then nothing can be more relaxing and satisfying for the parents. 

Becoming a parent is a fascinating experience, which comes with a sense of responsibility, as a new tiny new life is now dependent on us completely and we have to take care of every need of the baby, including feeding, bathing, nursing. We wonder if we are doing a good job as a parent by providing basic necessities to our children and if our children are safe! Here, Vaccination tops the chart. Probably the best we can do for our kids is to be concerned about their safety. One of the best ways to protect a child is to make sure he/she gets all the vaccinations on time. 

We have to be accurate and cautious with the vaccinations. The Nursing home (or the place of delivery) itself provides parents with the schedule for vaccination and is available at various other platforms too. The sheer importance of Vaccinations makes the task a daunting one. There is no denial in the fact that missing a single vaccination may mean a lifetime of suffering for the baby and the parents. This is why parents have to be very vigilant with the vaccinations. 

Administration of proper vaccination on the baby and as per the correct schedule, is what matters. From birth, babies are exposed to different viruses, bacteria and microbes. Many of them cause diseases. Their immune system helps protect them against infections. They develop lifelong immunity when they have had a disease. However, some diseases lead to serious complications. Vaccination aims to obtain this immunity without any risk of having the disease. While the baby is in the womb, its immune system is already prepared to tackle various microbes that it encounters after birth. 

Vaccination usually begins when a child is 6 weeks old. Infants are vulnerable to infections, so it is important to protect them with immunization. Vaccinations not only protect our child from serious illness and deadly diseases, but they keep other children are safe by decreasing dangerous diseases. If children are not vaccinated, they can spread disease to other children who are too young to be vaccinated or to people with weakened immunity systems. Infants tolerate vaccines well. Vaccines use a small part of a child’s immune capacity. Vaccines are the safest and effective medicines we have and they have made many dangerous childhood diseases are rare today. A good vaccine provides adequate and prolonged protection against the disease. The number of doses needed varies from vaccine to vaccine. 

Immunization or Vaccination or Shots is an effective way to protect an infant’s health. Failure to vaccinate may put children at risk for serious and fatal diseases. Immunization works by triggering the immune system to fight against certain diseases. If a vaccinated person comes in contact with such diseases, their immune system is able to respond more effectively. This prevents disease from developing or reduces the severity. Vaccine is a way to build our body’s natural immunity to a disease before we get sick. It activates our immune system without making us sick. Many dangerous infectious diseases can be prevented in this way. This keeps us from getting and spreading a disease. To build up our immune system, our body must be exposed to different germs. When our body is exposed to a germ for the first time, it produces antibodies to fight it. 

Here are some important tips that tells how to deal with babies after vaccination.

Reasons to vaccinate a child  

Immunization is safe and effective. 

Vaccines do involve some discomfort and may cause pain, redness or tenderness at the site of injection, but this is nothing compared to the pain, discomfort and trauma of the diseases these vaccines prevent. The disease prevention benefits of getting vaccines are greater than the possible side effects for almost all children. Vaccines are given to children after a long and careful review by scientists, doctors and healthcare professionals. 

Vaccinations save our child’s life. 

Advances in medical science protect our child against more diseases than ever before. Some diseases that once killed or effected thousands of children, have been eliminated completely and many are close to extinction, only because of safe and effective vaccines. Polio was once America’s most feared disease, causing death and paralysis across the country, but today, thanks to vaccination, there are no reports of Polio in the US. 

Vaccination protects future generations. 

Vaccines have reduced and even eliminated many diseases that killed or disabled people a few generations ago, for example, Smallpox vaccination has eradicated this disease worldwide. Our children do not have to get smallpox shots anymore because the disease no longer exists. If we continue vaccinating now and vaccinating completely, parents in the future will say the same and believe that diseases of today will no longer be around to harm their children in the future.

Komal Gupta, multiple award winning freelance content writer, has authored 2 solo poetry books- 'Strings Of Emotions' & 'Panoramic Vision'. After quitting her banking job and being a happy stay-at-home mom of a 2.5 years old boy, she is now fulfilling her dream of writing her heart out. She has co-authored over 45 anthologies, and has also written content for Digital Magazines, Upgrading India Official Blog and Happy Motherhood website.