what do you do to prepare for vaccination?

[carriebft]

A friend just asked me this question, and I know there are a few threads in the archives on this but they are pretty old. I thought i would post this question here and maybe we can collect ideas.

Do you do anything special to prepare for vaccination? what about during vaccination to deal with pain?

this can be anything from foods to supplements to pain relief to whatever!

[blessedwithboys]

Back when I used to vax, ds1 was still nursing, so I always latched him on before they injected.

My kiddos are weaned now and I don't vax anymore, but whenever they need a stick for a blood draw, I make sure to use EMLA, applied 1 hr before the stick and covered with an occlusive bandage (Tegaderm).

[carriebft]

Here is a recent study on how tylenol before vaccination can be a hindrance to developing good immunity:

http://children.webmd.com/vaccines/news/20091015/tylenol-may-weaken-infant-vaccines

here is a study on how the order in which you do vaccines can affect pain:

http://children.webmd.com/vaccines/news/20090504/easy-way-to-ease-infant-immunization-pain

They conclude that if you are doing PCV and DTaP/combination in the same visit, you should do DTaP/combination first. They say, in general, the least painful injection should go first.

Here is a study on breastfeeding helping with the pain of immunizations:

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/720176