It is rare to find someone who doesn’t suffer from this fear, or at least didn’t go through it during childhood. The fear of injections is one of people’s greatest anxieties, especially for children, and when the time comes it is a moment of great distress. That tiny needle causes panic and trembling in many people, who can even feel sick when receiving an injectable medication, a vaccine, or even just having blood drawn. Unfortunately, it’s a necessary evil and not always can there be another solution to replace it.
Baby getting a vaccineThe injection is used to introduce liquids and medications into the body, either intravenously or intramuscularly. An intravenous injection is when the procedure administers medication directly into the veins found in the upper or lower limbs, allowing it to go straight into the bloodstream for greater effectiveness. An intramuscular injection, on the other hand, is administered directly into a muscle. It is usually given in the gluteal area or the thigh region in the case of babies.
What few people know is that the needle itself doesn’t cause pain, but rather the depth at which it is applied and the substance used in the injection. Today we can count on modern technology and a variety of needle gauges, from the thinnest, almost imperceptible like a strand of hair, to the thicker ones that are hardly used nowadays.
Child Afraid of Injections – How to Help?
Children’s fear of injections also causes despair in parents—especially when the parents themselves are afraid and pass even more insecurity to their children. When they hear there will be a vaccination campaign and it won’t be just drops, their body shakes. The day of vaccination or needing an injection due to an infection or health problem is truly a moment of panic.
A lot of crying, screaming, and countless attempts to run away occur, leaving everyone stressed out and making the situation even worse, when it should be quick. The parents’ nervousness ends up causing even more trauma in the child who is already terrified. There’s no method to get rid of the fear of injections forever, but there are ways to calm the child by explaining how it works and why it’s necessary. That dreaded little prick can start to be faced bravely, and after the first time, it becomes clear that there wasn’t so much reason for all that fear after all.
Letting the healthcare professional know about the child’s fear is also a way to help, since with a gentle touch and a little extra care, the moment can be made more peaceful and, who knows, might even help get rid of the fear? When an injection is given in a relaxed, calm moment, and with a relaxed body, the sting’s discomfort becomes almost imperceptible.
For more specific cases where the child has a real phobia and can’t cope, a good conversation with the pediatrician might be the solution. In some cases, using an anesthetic is recommended to relieve the discomfort of the little prick—which doesn’t really hurt that much but causes anxiety and fear in so many people, especially kids. A thin layer of topical anesthetic applied on the area where the injection is to be given is enough so the child feels nothing at all.
For children who feel ill and faint just by entering the hospital or lab, a way to help them relax is to position them comfortably. Some places offer chairs, armchairs, or even gurneys to accommodate these types of patients.
Other valuable tips for making the moment of the injection less traumatic are to tell the child not to look, but instead to turn away. Talk, think of something else or distract yourself—this is the best way to get an injection without dwelling on it, so it happens and is over more quickly. If you want, sing, count to ten, or simply close your eyes, and remind your little one it will only last a few seconds and you’ll soon be home.
Fear is something inevitable, and the fear of injections will not be the only one to face, nor the biggest. Fear of the dark, thunder, dogs, or even that children’s character, the clown, or Santa Claus—there are so many fears a child will need to face in life. And even when they grow up and become parents, they’ll still have fears. They’ll be different from those in childhood, but there will still be fears. If kids learn to deal with these fears early on, they’ll know how to deal with them as adults too, and when it’s their turn to calm their own children, they’ll know exactly what to do.
See also: Child With Fear – How to Face the Situation?
Photos: jacco de boer, Ashley Ringrose
