Cruel To Be Kind

For a saying I'm not particularly fond of, it seems I repeat it to myself ad nauseum, when it comes to preparing for the task I had today. It was that time again, it seems to roll around in the blink of an eye. Immunisation time. As Felix is now six months, he was up for his fourth set of routine injections. 


I am becoming better at tackling the ordeal these days. With Angus, it would make me feel sick with worry leading up to, during and after the jabs. Until I realised (or accepted) it had virtually no impact on him whatsoever. Sure there were a few cries and a couple of tears shed, but when I stood back and surveyed the situation, they were mainly my cries and tears. 


It is glaringly obvious to me how essential immunisation is for my boys. Whilst I understand opinion is somewhat divided on this topic. Personally, I feel it is almost my obligation to do everything in my power to protect them, our family and society in general. The alternatives are too devastating to comprehend. Dare I say it, sometimes we have to be cruel to be kind. Alright. I said it.


As it turns out, Felix is made of the same hardy stuff his big bro is made from. There were No tears. No cries. Plenty of smiles. Oodles of charm. And a massive sense of relief for his mama when it was all over. Add to the productive visit, his somewhat impressive six month vital stats. Little-big-man now weighs 11.5kg and measures 76cm in length (no wonder those size 1's are fitting him like a glove!) He is hands down off the chart of "averages" in weight, height and head circumference. Our doctor's only concern... my back. Apparently it shows I have good core strength to be carrying such a heavy load of baby around. Who knew?!


This evening has proved a tad more challenging, with a slight fever and a couple of unsettled outbursts... from Felix, not me, this time. Nothing a drop of panadol and some TLC from Mama hasn't been able to cure though.


So, immunisation is complete, at least for another six months. In the meantime, I'll be working on a new line of thought to help calm the nerves next time round (I kind of stole this one from my Dad, who mentioned it the other day in relation to a matter he has been dealing with and well, I like it). 
Anticipation is often greater than realization.