The Protective Momma
November 2nd, 2009 at 9:58 am by Michelle Muscatello under General Talk
Something inside me fires up when it comes to my little guy…. an instinct stronger than any other to protect him. It brings out a pushy side of me I haven’t seen too often.
So when I heard my son’s pediatrician’s office got a shipment of the H1N1 vaccine on Friday afternoon–it was pure luck that we happened to be there for his 9month healthy check-up– I made sure he received one of the shots. Seeing as he’s an asthmatic infant, we were towards the top of the list anyway. But I’ve learned that sometimes you have to be a little pushy, and on Friday I wouldn’t take no for an answer.
I couldn’t believe it, though, when his pediatrician told me 1) she’s pregnant! 2) she hasn’t been able to get the H1N1 vaccine yet. Can you imagine being coughed and sneezed on all day by sick kiddos and at a high risk of complications due to pregnancy and NOT be able to get the shot? Scary.
I’ve heard many stories similar to mine from people who were able to get the vaccines through a little luck and persistence. A pregnant co-worker called her OB’s office every morning until she called the day they got a shipment of the vaccine in. She dropped everything she was doing and headed straight to the office. You gotta do what you gotta do, right?
Michelle Muscatello is the Morning and Noon Meteorologist for Eyewitness News. She is also a brand new mom to son, Charlie. She'll be blogging about all the adventures and sur...
Michelle, so sorry to hear that your sweet baby boy has asthma. I remember being in the Hasbro ER when my son was just about 4 months old. We went home with the Nebulizer and all the other fun stuff. Good news is he outgrew his asthma and doesn’t need a rescue inhaler. At 14, he is healthy and asthma free.
Is your pediatritian in RI or MA? My 9 month old son’s dr. is in RI and he has not received a shipment of the H1N1 shots yet.
Hi Tara: My son’s pediatrician is in RI… Barrington Pediatrics. When we showed up on Friday, they had just received a limited number of doses of the H1N1 vaccine that they were administering to high risk patients. Since Charlie has asthma (and has had back-to-back episodes of wheezing with colds in October) he was given a shot. I have many friends, though, who’s children are on waiting lists at their dr’s offices. Good luck and let me know when your baby gets the shot.
Debbie: thanks for the vote of confidence with the asthma diagnosis. We spent a scary day and night at Hasbro a few weeks ago when Charlie was struggling to breathe (and several rounds with the nebulizer weren’t helping). Less than 2weeks later, we had another wheezing episode–thus, the asthma diagnosis, inhaler, steroids, etc. It’s very scary to have a little one with lung weakness when you hear that the majority of the severe H1N1 cases morph into cases of pneumonia. Charlie’s uncle (my hubby’s brother) also had infant asthma (cold induced) that he outgrew by preschool… here’s hoping for a similar scenario for my little guy. Glad to hear your son is doing well!