Flu shot during pregnancy

[lillymonster]

What are your views? I have a person who calls through DH insurance and she mentioned I should get h1n1 and regular flu shot. I didn't get the h1n1 when I wasn't pregnant, so I am not sure how I feel about that. Midwife has said nothing so far.

I got flu maybe once in my life before I ever got pregnant, then twice in one year when DD was like 2 (she never got sick either time - never got a flu shot either)

I got the flu shot when I was pregnant with DD when she was 4 or 5 months, sometimes I wonder if it was the causes of her multiple food allergies and eating delays and sensory issues. She has outgrown everything but soy, and still has some sensory issues. She was vaccinated up until 6 months, but she had issues starting at 6 weeks and seemed to have issues in the womb (constant hiccups in the womb, which was always the beginning of her allergic reactions after she was born)

I do not want to get it, but I do remember getting sick a lot when I was pregnant with DD.

So thought? Articles I should read either way? I am on the fence

[scrappin-mama]

Totally my (admitedly very biased) opinion - HELLS NO. I've never gotten the flu shot, and I would definitely not get it when I'm pregnant. There have been many reported miscarriages after getting the H1N1 shot, which I've *heard* will be included in the regular Flu shot this year. Could anyone confirm that?

[QuestionGal]

I asked about getting the shot last year just before we started TTC. Both the pediatrician and the midwife said "if you wouldn't get the flu shot normally there's no reason to get it now" and the ped told me that this year's flu shot would include H1N1 (so no separate shot necessary).

I've also read alot about the flu shot causing pre-term labor & miscarriages. I don't know of any research established link but still not a risk I'm comfortable taking.

[AFWife]

Ditto to everyone. I haven't had a flu shot since my early teens (and, coincidentally, I got Epstein Barr that year...) and I never get the flu. If you're not at risk already (like, immune compromised or something) I would just make sure you were eating properly and avoiding sick people.

[kythryne]

I will be getting it. I have asthma, and on top of that the fibromyalgia takes a heavy toll on my immune system. Until I started getting flu shots a few years ago, I spent every winter nearly bedridden from one respiratory illness after another. Since I've been getting the shot, I haven't had a single major respiratory infection, and the minor ones have been over in a week or so.

[baglady]

Well, I can tell you that I'm not as anti-vax as many on MDC, and I don't get flu shots while pregnant. I don't get flu shots normally anyway except when I worked in a hospital and it was required. If you are healthy, there's probably no reason to expose your baby to something that you probably won't get anyway. Plus, there always seems to be a shortage. I feel like I'm young and healthy so I shouldn't take one that could go to an elderly or immunodeficient person who may need it more.

I think they have to recommend it to everyone. My last OB asked, I said no thank you and that was that.

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

The flu shot only "prevents" flu it does NOT prevent any other upper respiratory infection. It isnt made that way.

[MamaJenese]

I have never had one before and I won't start now!

[kythryne]

Originally Posted by MCatLvrMom2A&X

The flu shot only "prevents" flu it does NOT prevent any other upper respiratory infection. It isnt made that way.

I'm well aware of that. However, when I get the flu (and I would always get it, every single winter) it takes months for my body to fully recover, during which time I tend to catch every respiratory illness that crosses my path. When I don't get the flu in the first place, I'm able to fight them off quickly and they don't inevitably progress into things like bronchitis or sinus infections.

YMMV.

[rabrog]

The one time I got an "I want to die" case of the flu was when I was pregnant with DD and had had the shot. I've never had it again. I won't be getting it this time and no way will I be getting the H1N1 shot. DD got swine flu last fall, we handled just fine here at home, never went in.

Jenn

[mamatoElias]

I will be getting it, but I am a healthcare worker, so I have more exposure than most people. And I work with patients from newborn to adult, so I get a flu shot every year in an attempt to protect both myself and my patients, many of whom are too young to receive a flu vaccine themselves. I am admittedly quite pro-vaccine compared to most of the ladies on this forum. Though most of my coworkers would consider me to be slightly anti-vax.

http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/vaccination/pregnant_qa.htm

"Getting the flu shot is the single best way to protect against the flu. It is important for a pregnant woman to receive both the 2009 H1N1 flu shot and the seasonal flu shot. A pregnant woman who gets any type of flu has a greater chance for serious health problems. Compared with people in general who get 2009 H1N1 flu (formerly called “swine flu”), pregnant women with 2009 H1N1 flu are more likely to be admitted to hospitals. Pregnant women are also more likely to have serious illness and death from 2009 H1N1 flu. When a pregnant woman gets a flu shot, it can protect both her and her baby. Research has found that pregnant women who had a flu shot get sick less often with the flu than do pregnant women who did not get a flu shot. Babies born to mothers who had a flu shot in pregnancy also get sick with flu less often than do babies whose mothers did not get a flu shot."

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/influenza/AN00651

"Pregnancy puts extra stress on your heart and lungs. Pregnancy can also affect your immune system. These factors increase the risk not only of getting the flu but of developing serious complications of the flu, such as pneumonia and respiratory distress. In turn, flu complications may lead to miscarriage, premature labor or other pregnancy complications. A seasonal flu shot can help prevent these potential problems."

[Magali]

No way will I be getting any vaccinations, especially when pregnant.

[baglady]

Originally Posted by kythryne

I'm well aware of that. However, when I get the flu (and I would always get it, every single winter) it takes months for my body to fully recover, during which time I tend to catch every respiratory illness that crosses my path. When I don't get the flu in the first place, I'm able to fight them off quickly and they don't inevitably progress into things like bronchitis or sinus infections.

YMMV.

I'm an asthmatic too, although luckily I'm not prone to upper respiratory infections at this point. If I were in your shoes, I would get the flu shot.

[Mrs.Music]

I only got the flu shot because I had preemies. With both of my kids no longer at risk, I doubt I will get the shot this year. I'm not a fan of getting shots. And DEFINITELY not if the h1n1 is included.

[~Demeter~]

Originally Posted by kythryne

I will be getting it. I have asthma, and on top of that the fibromyalgia takes a heavy toll on my immune system. Until I started getting flu shots a few years ago, I spent every winter nearly bedridden from one respiratory illness after another. Since I've been getting the shot, I haven't had a single major respiratory infection, and the minor ones have been over in a week or so.

Actually there have been quite a few studies that have shown that the preservatives in vaccines (thimerasol, aluminum, etc) exacerbate (and there's some speculation about causing) fibro. I have fibro-like symptoms (never been dx) and wouldn't get a flu shot for that reason. Most people I know that do get the flu shot, wind up sick.

[thebeljur]

I won't be getting the flu shot. We don't do any shots/vaccines, though. Admittedly, MDC probably won't be the most unbiased place for information about vaccinations. I would do some hefty research and wait to make a decision until you feel well informed. You can always get vaccinated, but you can't take a vaccine out of you.

[lillymonster]

Originally Posted by thebeljur

I won't be getting the flu shot. We don't do any shots/vaccines, though. Admittedly, MDC probably won't be the most unbiased place for information about vaccinations. I would do some hefty research and wait to make a decision until you feel well informed. You can always get vaccinated, but you can't take a vaccine out of you.

I am having trouble finding information about the flu shot while pregnant. I can find stuff on vaxes for kids, but not for pregnancy, so I thought I would ask. I rarely get sick, I stay at home with DD, she is not in preschool. While I understand I can be at risk for problems without taking it - I just find it odd that my daughter had so many issues, that I know started in the womb. No one can predict allergies, but her eating delays and sensory issues make me wonder, because for a while there therapists were trying to label her as autistic. She got better after I cleaned up her diet and stopped her vaxes for 2 1/2 years.

I don't understand this statement thought "Babies born to mothers who had a flu shot in pregnancy also get sick with flu less often than do babies whose mothers did not get a flu shot."

Don't you have to get a flu shot every year for that to be true? Is this only in the first year? Because yes I got one, but my daughter has never had a flu shot, she is 3, even with DH and I both had the flu, so she was exposed 4 times in one year. She never got sick. In fact, she has never been sick with a cold or flu. I can't believe that one shot I got protected her that long, especially since they only do the strains they think will be the worst.

The problem is too my DH is very anti flu shot. whether it's coincidence, I don't know, but he gets sick after he gets it. His dad got the shot, and 24 hours later got sick and was sick for 2 weeks. Maybe it was something else, but it seems to be a pattern in his family so he refuses to get it.

Other vaccines I can look at and judge, but there seems to be so much more news about the flu, especially h1n1, I find it hard to find unbiased info.

[kythryne]

Originally Posted by ~Demeter~

Actually there have been quite a few studies that have shown that the preservatives in vaccines (thimerasol, aluminum, etc) exacerbate (and there's some speculation about causing) fibro.

I've seen the studies. My parents were very anti-vax and I was never vaccinated for anything as a child or teenager, and I had had fibro for over a decade before I ever started getting flu shots. I occasionally get a mild flare for a day or so after getting one, but any intramuscular injection (not just vaccines) will do that to me, and overall my health has been much better since I've been getting them.

I am not saying the flu shot is right for anyone else (and indeed, most of the people I know don't get it) just that I respond well to it, find it beneficial and intend to continue getting it. I will bow out now, since I appear to have a rather unpopular opinion on the matter and I have no wish to get involved in a debate.

[goldfinches]

Originally Posted by lillymonster

I don't understand this statement thought "Babies born to mothers who had a flu shot in pregnancy also get sick with flu less often than do babies whose mothers did not get a flu shot."

Don't you have to get a flu shot every year for that to be true? Is this only in the first year? Because yes I got one, but my daughter has never had a flu shot, she is 3, even with DH and I both had the flu, so she was exposed 4 times in one year. She never got sick. In fact, she has never been sick with a cold or flu. I can't believe that one shot I got protected her that long, especially since they only do the strains they think will be the worst.

Is it because of building up the immunity? We do get flu shots, we are an asthmatic family with some allergies. Whenever any of us get any sort of resperatory illness, it lasts forever, (3-4 weeks for me), and becomes very serious. DD coughs so violently she vomits. What I've learned with my two is that they actually need 2 shots their first time, a month apart. So, maybe that's what getting a shot while pregnant helps start? I have no idea, just guessing.

I did get the regular flu shot last year while pregnant, but not the H1N1. I didn't think it was worth the risk, since it was so new.

(I am a member of MDC but not nearly as anti-vax as others, so my opinion isn't reflective of the majority, probably.)

[c'est moi]

i am not anti-vax. have been getting the flu shot every year since i can remember. my asthma in the winter without the flu is challenging enough. i have no interest in complicating it with the flu. with that said, i have had the flu before and it was a horrible experience.