Mums these days are a stark contrast to how our parents were, when we were babies. The parenting styles are so different now. For our parents, making decisions about the baby was based on hear-say and intuition. While the latter continues to influence the parenting techniques of tech savvy moms, one massive change is the advent of technology which has led us to research every detail when it comes to making decisions for our kids.
When I became a mother, I was very involved in every little thing that we had to decide regarding the upbringing of the baby. While my own mother was there to guide me, I still preferred to talk to the doctor as well as research online. One of the first things my husband and I had to take a call on was the vaccination schedule for our daughter.
As a child, I was terrified of vaccines and the thought of taking an injection made me break into cold sweat. Now that I was a mom, I became anxious all over again. I really did not want my daughter to go through the fear and the pain. At the same time, I knew that skipping or even delaying vaccination for my daughter was not an option. My daughter’s pediatrician drilled into me that vaccination for babies is crucial especially in the first year. At this time, I heard about less painful injections but I was not sure, so like any modern mom, I decided to do some research.
I found out that babies need to be protected from many diseases which are infectious in nature. When my research threw up the names of diseases like Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus, my mother warned me that these were deadly! Another trip to the pediatrician and he told my husband and I that we had access to advanced vaccines now, that came in a combination and could protect the baby against 3, 4, 5 and even 6 diseases at a time. This meant fewer injections for my baby with the similar protection from diseases.
At the time of vaccination, I also enquired about the less painful versions of the vaccines. There is an acellular component vaccine for disease called Pertussis that makes the vaccination less painful for the baby with low chances of side-effects like fever. It was just what I had always wanted for my daughter.
Another thing that I learnt during this time was that it is important to check if vaccines are WHO prequalified. What does this mean? A WHO prequalified vaccine is safer to use because its development and manufacturing processes are as per WHO guidelines. For a parent, nothing could be more reassuring than this.
Now, as a mother I feel happy and relieved at vaccination time because I am sure that I have taken into consideration the safety and the comfort of my daughter.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in the blog content are independent and unbiased views of solely the blogger. This is a part of public awareness initiative supported by Sanofi Pasteur India. Sanofi Pasteur bears no responsibility for the content of the blog. One should consult their healthcare provider for any health-related information.
Reference:
https://www.sanofipasteur.com/
https://www.who.int/immunization_standards/vaccine_quality/vq_index/en/
https://www.who.int/immunization_standards/vaccine_quality/pq_system/en/
(Image courtesy- parent24.com)
www.akswrites.com 