Anyone change their mind about swine flu vax now that your LO is here?

[Pandme]

A good friend of mine has a son who just came down with swine flu. This is really starting to bug me because my toddler is unvaxxed and I wasn't intending to get the vax but now that I have a 5 week old, I'm getting really concerned. We cannot deal with flu in this house with a newborn. I usually come down with whatever my son gets and last winter it was awful. All of us completely out of commission.

I am thinking of getting the vax, for me and my son. I don't feel great about it but I am sick and tired of worrying about swine flu. I'm starting to feel completely helpless to protect my newborn.

[Andel]

I'm thinking about it too. I get pneumonia when I get the flu so I'm worried. I have 4 kids that are all in school and they also go to ballet and gymnastics 5 days a week. I'm worried about them bringing something home.

[Pandme]

Originally Posted by Andel

I'm thinking about it too. I get pneumonia when I get the flu so I'm worried. I have 4 kids that are all in school and they also go to ballet and gymnastics 5 days a week. I'm worried about them bringing something home.

Yeah, my friend has no idea where her son got it....probably the mall. I mean, if you can go and get it from a mall without really coming into contact with a sick person, then you can get it anywhere.

If I didn't have a newborn, it'd be a definite no (and I have asthma too). We've weathered illness and while it sucks, we always soldier through. But with a newborn? I honestly cannot imagine it. I don't even know what I would do if a newborn got the flu. Seriously have no idea. I imagine we'd have to run off to the emergency room, which is exactly where I do not want to be. Honestly, thinking about this is scaring the hell out of me.

[Kmama2]

Originally Posted by Pandme

A good friend of mine has a son who just came down with swine flu. This is really starting to bug me because my toddler is unvaxxed and I wasn't intending to get the vax but now that I have a 5 week old, I'm getting really concerned. We cannot deal with flu in this house with a newborn. I usually come down with whatever my son gets and last winter it was awful. All of us completely out of commission.

I am thinking of getting the vax, for me and my son. I don't feel great about it but I am sick and tired of worrying about swine flu. I'm starting to feel completely helpless to protect my newborn.

It scares the hell out of me too. I have a toddler with asthma and the newborn... I try not to take dd ( the toddler) to too many public places and when we do purell for everyone except the baby obviously.
But the vaccine scares the hell out of me too... its untested, unstudied, they don't even know if it works, and some of the chemicals in it are scary!!!
But I won't get it. We are staying clear of the docs office too. My newborn was born at home and has not been seen by a doctor because I am too afraid to go to the office since I know its probably crawling with it!! I am just worried about the kids getting it- not me.

[lil_stinkyfeet]

No I am still not getting it, we don't do any vax's though.

[paradoxia13]

Nope, not doing it.

I have an almost 3 year old, a 12 day old, a husband with asthma, and me (who hasn't had the flu in 13 years). I will admit to being paranoid (d@mn media hype), but, I am more paranoid of the vaccine.

I have known my husband for 12 years now, the sickest that I ever saw him get was the one time in his life he got a flu vaccine. There's just no way I'm taking the chance.

We're all taking our vitamins, increasing our D, washing our hands more and just going about life as normal otherwise.

~heather

[star*mora]

no
my midwife had it, and her 2 teenage sons - said it was bad for 2 days

technically we've been exposed (two wks ago) and didn't get it. my midwife had full blown symptoms the day after we had an appt with her

i am more concerned about the vaccine than this flu

[pjs]

Nope, not getting it. Our family doc said the vaccine efficacy in kids under 3 is the same as a salt water injection. He recommended we give the kids extra vit d (2,000) and up our vit d to 5,000, in addition to frequent handwashing, etc

[Pandme]

I can't up my vitamin D. I'm at a toxic level already. My son takes CLO. I try to wash his hands, but come on. He's almost 3. He cannot keep his hands off his face.

Without a newborn, this decision is easy. But I cannot afford to get smacked down with the flu now.

However, I can't find this stupid vax anywhere as of right now, so the decision is being made for me, at least at the moment.

[boobs4milk]

i'm pretty sure my older kids have already had it. we've been exposed to it already i do know that. i'm breastfeeding amelia and when i take her out, i either hold her or use the sling so that we are both exposed to whatever is out there. come on mama milk!

we've also upped our vit d, but not initially because of the swine flu. millie is at risk for osteopenia (a bone disease aka rickets) and she needs extra vit d. i'm taking about 6-8000iu/day and millie takes about 1000iu/day. the 3 yr old is at about 1000iu as well.

the only time i've gotten the flu is when i've gotten the vax so no thanks. my son has asthma and has had the cough for about a week and a half now, but it's just naggy and not causing any inflammation or wheezing.

[Ms. Cellaneous]

Yes, I have changed my mind about it, and am going to get it (if I can) at the earliest opportunity. Two reasons why:

-It's the same vaccine as the seasonal flu vaccine, just with H1N1 plugged into it -- so not a totally new formulation. And I've gotten the seasonal flu vax in the past with no ill effects, so that's my personal experience.
-I weighed the risk for me of getting the vaccine versus the risk for my baby of getting the swine flu. Obviously there's no contest there -- if there's a health risk to be taken, I'll take it, not my baby.

Living in NYC I am TOTALLY paranoid about flu, swine and otherwise. I take every precaution, handwashing, limiting exposure, etc., but there's only so much you can do when you live in such a densely populated area.

I don't think there's one right answer. I wish it were more clear-cut. I really hope this swine flu thing turns out to be overblown -- before I had a baby I was much more skeptical about these health "threats" -- I guess I'm still skeptical but just way more paranoid these days.

[Friendlee]

I'm still not getting it. But, the research I acquire comes from other sources than the media so I've definitely been pulled in a different direction.

Does anyone read the Mercola articles about the flus? That's some VERY interesting information.

[lil_stinkyfeet]

Originally Posted by Friendlee

I'm still not getting it. But, the research I acquire comes from other sources than the media so I've definitely been pulled in a different direction.

Does anyone read the Mercola articles about the flus? That's some VERY interesting information.

I do

[Pandme]

I get the Mercola articles in my email. So I have read them.

The thing is, is Dr. Mercola going to come over and treat my newborn if my 3 year old comes down with it and gives it to us? If there was no newborn in this equation, then it's a no-brainer for me. But there is.

What are some of the natural things he discusses in preventing swine flu? Here's a good one: get at least 8 hours of sleep a night. Yeah, RIGHT. With a newborn, YOU CAN'T. I can't. Nor does my husband. So there's one strike against us and there is NOTHING I can do about it. Here's another: up your nutrition with stuff like garlic. Lots of veggies, etc. Um, I'm on an elimination diet. I CAN'T. Unless I want to get even LESS sleep with all the gas and fussiness.

[firewoman]

Originally Posted by Friendlee

I'm still not getting it. But, the research I acquire comes from other sources than the media so I've definitely been pulled in a different direction.

Does anyone read the Mercola articles about the flus? That's some VERY interesting information.

Funny you should ask Friendlee! I'm listening to Mercola right now! Here is the link.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/ar...-Pandemic.aspx

I'm not scared of the flu, swine or otherwise. I have seen my kids make it through many illnesses unscathed. I know they are strong and I personally feel the flu vaccines only weaken them. That is just my own personal belief. In twelve years of having been a mother and four other newborns, they have all made it through infancy alive, with and without vaccines. The children I vaccinated were less healthy and actually caught more illnesses than the unvaccinated two. If I'd had a different experience, perhaps I would feel differently but for now, no shots for us.

All that being said, Pandme, you have to make that decision for yourself. When I contemplate whether or not I want to get a vaccine I ask questions about the vaccine like efficacy, and side effects. I also a assess the current health of the family and what the illness is LIKELY to bring: Fever, body aches, misery for a week. If you learn that the swine flu vaccine is effective at fighting the swine flu and that particular virus is what you are most worried about, then get it. It won't protect you and the kids against all the colds and other icky viruses that are out there, though. Those viruses will likely cause all those same symptoms in you and your newborn. According to a report CBS did, those are the types of viruses most people are getting.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/...n5404829.shtml

Just out of curiousity what was your vitamin D number? I must have missed your post in the other thread about vitamin D.

[Pandme]

Firewoman, it was 148. I know. I don't take a supplement! Only what was in my prenatal. But that is a HIGH number.

I just had it retested yesterday. Though the pediatrician thought it was awesome and there was no such thing as toxicity. I feel fine, anyway. I'm just not sure where that number came from. Pregnancy wackiness?

The vax is a more complex thing for me. If my kids came down with it, I'm sure it would mean automatic emergency room for the newborn. And here's the thing....EVERYONE in the family would blame me. And I don't have the energy to justify myself anymore.

[firewoman]

Why do assume it would be automatic ER for the baby? That is not what I take away from everything I'm hearing about it. I'm not trying to argumentative. I'm genuinely interested in why you feel this way. I do understand how it is difficult to bear the responsibility all by yourself if it is just you resisting the vax while the rest of your family feels everyone should get it.

And wow! That is a high vitamin D number! Usually prenatals don't have more than 400IU's.

[Pandme]

It's possible I could have high calcium levels too....we have a family history of kidney stones and I've had them in the past.

It's the fever I'm concerned with. A fever of over 100.4 in a baby less than 3 months old is a medical emergency, isn't it?

A big issue for me is just feeling responsible for everything. My gassy, cradle-cap covered infant is doing an awful lot of fussing. I am alone (my parents watch my son during the day). All I do is obsess over what am I eating that is wrong, what am I doing that is causing this. I am trained to feel solely responsible for these kids!

And truthfully, last year sucked not only because we all got sick a lot (and none were VPDs that I know of) but because EVERY time we did, I'd wonder if it WAS a VPD and if he was going to get meningitis or something. That wears on a pregnant woman! (There's also my asthma which was really a problem in the cold months).

[firewoman]

Originally Posted by Pandme

It's the fever I'm concerned with. A fever of over 100.4 in a baby less than 3 months old is a medical emergency, isn't it?

I believe the reason a fever in a newborn is a problem is the fact that it may be a late onset bacterial infection acquired at birth or soon thereafter (like GBS, meningitis or a UTI). If my whole family had the flu and my infant had a 100.4 fever it would be a good indication to me that the baby had acquired the same virus the rest of the family had. Without other alarming symptoms that may be associated with flu i.e. breathing problems, vomiting/diarrhea causing dehydration or symptoms related to one of the bacterial infections above, the fever would not be a medical emergency in my house. I would definitely watch the fever to be sure it wasn't suddenly spiking or causing febrile seizures. What I'm trying to say is a fever itself does not indicate a medical emergency, but what is causing that fever *may* be.

I understand your feelings about VPD. I've been there and I still consider getting meningitis vaccines for LO's. It is a hard decision and one that I don't take lightly. I can honestly say that refusing the swine flu vax for myself and my children does not inspire the same dichotomy in me. I AM NOT WORRIED about the flu and I have three other children in school. There have supposedly been 5 "confirmed" cases of swine flu at my children's school and 2 of my kids are in grades with affected children. I'm just not sure that all of these people actually have swine flu and even if they do, they recover and get back to school and are fine. I can't get too worried about that. Compared to meningitis, the flu isn't so bad. Miserable but not too bad for most people.

[Kmama2]

Originally Posted by Pandme

Firewoman, it was 148. I know. I don't take a supplement! Only what was in my prenatal. But that is a HIGH number.

I just had it retested yesterday. Though the pediatrician thought it was awesome and there was no such thing as toxicity. I feel fine, anyway. I'm just not sure where that number came from. Pregnancy wackiness?

The vax is a more complex thing for me. If my kids came down with it, I'm sure it would mean automatic emergency room for the newborn. And here's the thing....EVERYONE in the family would blame me. And I don't have the energy to justify myself anymore.

ARe you sure they tested you for vitamin D3 or cholecalciferol and not D 2?
I last had mine tested when pregnant and I was 17. I never wear sun screen, am in the sun alot, tan easily, and I take 8-10,000 iu of Vit d a few times a week. I have never heard of anyone even above 50.. its soo hard to get enough Vit D unless you live in Jaimaca or something and are in the sun all day every day.