Babies & Vaccines

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

30 Jul 2006 12:00 PM

Here's a little breakdown on the information associated with each time of vaccination your baby will receive. While the vaccinations are broken out over the first two years of life, there are so many of them that keeping them straight can be difficult. Here's a way to keep them all straight:

• DTaP is designed to protect your baby against diphtheria, tetanus (lockjaw) and pertussis (whooping cough).
• HepA protects against the viral hepatitis A that can cause jaundice, stomach pain and diarrhea
• HepB protects against hepatitis B that is a viral illness potentially passed from mother to child
• Hib is vaccination against Haemophilius influenzae type b that is a form of bacterial pneumonia and meningitis
• IPV is the vaccine against polio
• MMR helps prevent three types of viral illnesses including measles, mumps and rubella
• MMRV is another vaccine that protects against measles, mumps, rubella and chicken pox
• PCV is a vaccine for pneumococcal bacterial infections that can cause pneumonia, meningitis and deafness
• RotaTeq is a vaccine against a viral disease that causes severe diarrhea
• Varicella is the vaccine for chicken pox and was introduced to vaccine protocols in 1995

Vaccinations are never fun, because no matter how happy your baby is, those shots hurt and don't let anyone tell you any differently. Be prepared to comfort your very unhappy baby after those trips to the pediatrician. A good rule of thumb we always employed when my baby was little was to give her a dose of Tylenol an hour before we went. The Tylenol helped with the pain and potential discomfort and fever following the shots. Always consult with your pediatrician before you give your baby medicine.

Related Articles:

Can Your Pediatrician Fire You?

Interviewing Your Child's Doctor

Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

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