Thomas had his flu jab today I had to put up a little bit of a fight to get it for him as he doesnt automatically fall into the at risk category. Although with his previous history of severe Bronchitus just last year as well as Thomas seems to catch every cold and flu going which goes on his chest giving him a cough, I thought enough is enough Ive got to get my boy the flu vaccine for this winter! I rang the doctors and explained my concerns, they said that they feel he does not fall in the at risk category but I can pay for Thomas to have the vaccine at the chemist. I thought great thats good I will simply take him to the chemist and pay for the vaccine no problem, I rang the chemist first only to be told they do not vaccinate under 18′s I was so frustraited. It was this point I thought no I am going to get back on to the doctors again and see what they have to say. Thankfully my doctors are quite good, they offered to write Thomas a prescription for the flu vaccine, I have to order the vaccine from the chemist once they have it in book an appointment at the doctors for the vaccine to be given making sure I collect the vaccine just before the appointment so its not out of the fridge for too long.

It has been a bit of a long way to go about it, but the main thing is Thomas had the flu jab today, he didn’t like it! But it Puts my mind at rest for the harsh winter months. I have read a lot of stories online about worried parents who can’t get the flu jab for their children, all I can say is just persist with it ring your doctors, ask about the prescription method that I did. The main issue with the flu vaccine is that the doctors are issued a set amount for their at risk patients and the chemists are equally given a certain amount for their over 18′s customers who wish to pay for the vaccine. Therefore if your doctors give you a prescription for the vaccine then the prescription has to be ordered therefore it doesnt actually come out of anyones budget so in essence everyone is happy.

I hope that Thomas doesnt have another winter like last year where he had illness after illness, we spent most of the winter indoors! I like to think that I am a responsible mum in my persistence to ensure Thomas has the flu vaccine, it wont do him any harm but could do him a lot of good.

I have been doing a lot of reflecting recently looking at how we are raising Thomas, are we meeting all his needs? Do we do enough with him during the day? Being a first time parent is a rollercoaster ride, everything is  a “First” for us and quite often you just have to take the “Suck it and see” view and just get on with things stop analysing everything! Todays blog is a bit of  a I wonder if…. kind of blog, is there a loose correlation somewhere there between a strict routine and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). I am by no means experienced in this topic, or qualified so please do not take this as scientific fact. I would be interested in reading more about the topic if there are any papers out there, but I very much doubt that there is a significant enough correlation between the two.

Nathan and I have a strict bedtime routine with Thomas that we go through every night – It works for us! Thomas knows he has a bath followed by some playtime in his bedroom, we close the curtains,  Turn the TV off, brush teeth and then a warm bottle of milk with mummy. After his milk a kiss from daddy then I take him up to bed. Thomas usually settles to sleep straight away. On valentines day Nathan and I had a table booked for 8pm in our local Indian restaurant. We thought that would be enough time as Thomas usually goes to bed at 7pm – We stuck to our routine as we always do, we even delayed getting dressed until after Thomas had gone to bed as we didnt want him to think anything was different.

I put Thomas to bed as usual, then I went into my bedroom to quickly get changed, usually I would go into my bedroom get the baby monitor and then go straight downstairs. But this night I went into my bedroom and stayed there in there a little longer then usual….Well that was it! I think Thomas listens out for me going straight downstairs and so on that particular night things were slightly different therefore he decided to play up a little. He clapped his hands, made noises, stood up in his cot…Basically anything but sleep. It got to 8pm the babysitter was here, I was a little nervous about leaving him awake as I know what he can be like, but Nathan convinced me to. The good news is Thomas did finally settle around half an hour after we had left when I heard that I could finally relax and enjoy the night.

The next day I thought to myself – Is our strict bedtime routine doing more harm then good? Could a strict routine encourage OCD? Does it encourage you to expect things to be done in a set way? For instance Thomas expected me to go straight downstairs after putting him to bed, he was probably listening out for the living room door closing as I do every night. The door did not close therefore he was unsettled as the usual routing had not been adhered to. I can see how there may be a loose correlation between the two, but on the other side where would we be without our routines. It is important that babies know what to expect, they know when its settle down time and when its playtime.

Because of this I dont intend to scrap our good route we have spent time building, I think next time I will get changed downstairs What are your thoughts on this topic? Do you think there is a link between a routine for your baby and OCD? I would love to hear your thoughts!