This Dad Is All Of Us Watching Our Newborns Get A Shot
It hurts us more than it hurts them
Nothing prepares you for your first baby’s first round of vaccines. Of course, you know they’re necessary to keep them (and those around them) healthy, but that doesn’t change the fact that your sweet infant is in searing pain, however briefly.
That’s why a viral video of a dad’s reaction to his baby’s first shots is slaying the internet — because every single parent on earth can relate.
New dad Antwon Lee shared a video of a recent visit to the pediatrician where his two-month-old son, Debias King, got his first shots. Not only is Lee’s reaction to his first child’s pain absolutely heartwarming, the way he speaks to him throughout the visit is really something to see.
We see Lee talking sweetly to his baby boy as the nurse takes care of him, telling him to “stay strong.” He starts giving him a pep talk about the coming pain of the shots and when it’s time for the little boy to go up on the table, Lee continues to soothe him with Debias staring fixedly.
This baby adores his daddy already.
It’s when the nurse gives him the shots that we see Lee lose his chill a little bit, exclaiming right along with his crying son about how much they must hurt. His anguish on his son’s behalf is palpable, even if his dramatic cries are clearly done in jest.
But any parent whose been there knows the baby stops crying pretty quickly, as Debias did shortly after his shots were over. It’s us moms and dads who have the lasting scars of seeing our little ones in pain. It definitely hurts us more than it hurts them.
Lee tells Scary Mommy that when he shared the video, he never expected it to go viral — but he’s glad it did. “People are loving him and I want them all to see him grow up,” he tells us. To that end, he’s dedicated a Facebook page to the infant where he can share photos and videos of him throughout his childhood for others to follow.
When posting the video, Lee had motivations other than showing the world his precious baby boy. “I want fathers to be in their child’s life,” he says. “Every father should take care of their child and show up for things like doctor’s appointments.”
For now, Lee is just enjoying his new baby boy, who is bringing much-needed to joy to his family over the last week. He tells us that the day the video of Debias receiving his vaccines went up on Facebook, his own father passed away. As Lee grieves his loss, he’s even more full of gratitude for his new baby.
“I signed up for fatherhood. And I thank God that I did.”
