Owain is finally vaxed.

I think, as a parent, I've done as much as I can to minimise the risk of any adverse reactions happening. These are:

Extended breastfeeding to build immunity
No vaccinations in the first year of life
Delay vaccinations until immune system is stronger - ie 6 to 7 years of age
Vaccinating only what is legally required
Single shots instead of combination vaccines
Supplemented with high levels of Vit C, Vit A, echinecea, probiotics before and after vaccination
Specified needle length
Specified location of shot
Spacing out the shots
Keeping him home from school for better recuperation

I dosed Owain with extra high levels of Vit C and A before the day. He had more than 5000IU of Vit A and I gave him 1000mg of Vit C. This is far above the usual norm recommended for children but for vaccination, which stresses the immune system, this was acceptable.

We went to the Japan Green Clinic yesterday. I promised him ice-cream and sushi if he would not panic and freak out on me. He asked if it was okay if "a little tear" came out and I said, it would be okay for him to cry if it was painful and I would hold his hand.

The doctor was surprised that he was not vaccinated yet and confirmed with me that the measles shot was his primary shot and not a booster. I asked the doctor to verify that the needle used is a 25mm and not a 16mm. He was happy to check the packaging and confirmed that the clinic only uses a 25mm or a 35mm. The needle, being longer, goes deeper and these lengths have been associated with less adverse reactions.

He asked where I would like Owain to be injected and I specified - upper arm. Less pain and swelling reported with an upper arm injection site as compared to the thigh. Doctor grinned and said, "Smart!" heh.

With all this about needle lengths and injection sites and questions on batch nos (I wanted to be sure that the batch nos were clearly reflected and in his notes too), he asked if I were medically trained. No, I said, just a very concerned parent who does her homework. As if to further reassure me I guess, he told me that the Japanese company manufacturing the vaccine has been around for more than a hundred years. Hmm, while that is interesting information, I am not and I guess I will never be, convinced of any vaccine's safety, so 100 years of history notwithstanding, I would not vaccinate unless I absolutely had no more choice but to do so.

The injection itself went smoothly. I think I was more anxious for Owain, as I gripped his little hand. He looked at me and grimaced a bit as the needle went in but otherwise, seemed fine. It looked like there was localised swelling almost immediately but he said it didn't hurt. After that, he was back to his usual self - rough-housing with Isaac, irritating the girls and pinching my butt again. I checked with him several times (paranoid!) but he seemed fine - did not report pain in the arm, no fever yet and his appetite was good (yes I made good on my promise and we took him for some sushi).

The injection, including consultation with the doctor, cost $96.30 (includingGST). Compare this with Raffles Hospital's Children Centre and Olive Tree, which charges around $200 for the whole thing. Moot point anyway because RH and OT both did not have ready stock when I called. As for the diphtheria vax requirement, I will give the DT vax at least a month or more from now. Incidentally, only the Japan Green Clinic has the DT vaccine.

Owain's health book, once pristine and free of any notations on the vaccination page, now has one lone mark in the box tagged 'measles'.

Hopefully this will be enough to get him registered for primary one for now.