Flu Shot?

[hoping42]

I am late in finding this board (have been focused on the CD forum trying to figure out my stash) but at my appointment last week the flu shot was recommended I declined asking to read and think over the info and thankfully they forgot to bring it up this week. I am 37 weeks - just wondered what input others have for why they did or did not get the shot. I typically don't ever get it - the sickest I remember being was after I had a flu shot a long time ago. They said it would cross the placenta so just trying to decide what is best for both of us and wondered what others have done/thought about this issue.

[Magali]

No flu shot here. I've never had one, and don't plan on ever getting one, especially while pregnant. The flu just doesn't seem like enough of a risk to me to warrant a vaccine that doesn't really appear to do much to prevent the flu anyways.

[momasana]

Originally Posted by Magali

No flu shot here. I've never had one, and don't plan on ever getting one, especially while pregnant. The flu just doesn't seem like enough of a risk to me to warrant a vaccine that doesn't really appear to do much to prevent the flu anyways.

As we approach flu season it is a good idea to take extra precautions (hand washing, avoiding germy crowds, continuing to eat well and rest, etc.) but I would not get a flu shot while pregnant (or any other time for that matter).

[CherryBomb]

I usually get one for me and the kids. None of us have ever had a reaction to the flu vax or gotten the flu after getting it

[rparker]

Since becoming a mother, I get a flu shot every year. (I didn't feel there was a point when I was healthy, childless, and in my early twenties.) This is my second October baby and I'll be getting the flu shot after she's born. If I were due later in the fall/winter I'd probably get it while still pregnant, but my doctor didn't think that there was any point to getting it before late October. My husband and 3 year old will also be getting it.

I'm married to a pediatrician though and there are very few vaccines that we skip/delay... so I'll admit that bias up front. I'm also updating my DTAP and MMR vaccines after the baby is born (but my rubella titers are equivocal/low and it's been 6+ years since I've had DTAP) and my husband just updated his DTAP. We're skipping Hep B at birth though!

Edited to add: Um, not trying to start a debate or promote vaccines btw... just figured that I'd offer the perspective that even by "conservative"/mainstream standards MDs think it's perfectly reasonable to wait until later in the fall to get the flu shot. Neither my husband nor the family practice doctor who is providing my OB care (and will be this baby's pcp) are the least bit "crunchy" when it comes to vaccines and they've both said it's fine to wait.

[lachingona1]

I would never get the flu shot. Do more research before you decide, especially when pregnant. I would suggest Mercola.com for info.

[Dancinmommy]

I recently asked my MW about this, though I didn't plan on getting one, I wanted to know her opinion. She believes that Vit D is better at protecting you by boosting your immune system, and the reason the flu hits around this time of year is b/c sunlight is decreasing, therefore Vit D levels are dropping. Made sense to me! SO Vit D it up

[peainthepod]

We are a vaccine-free family, so no flu shot here. The one year in my life I allowed myself to be talked into getting a flu shot, I spent Christmas in the hospital with influenza. Never had it before, or since.

I would most especially not be comfortable getting it while pregnant. If I were worried about the flu, I'd dose up on Vitamin D3 and sodium ascorbate (Vitamin C).

[hyz]

I just got it last week--it was recommended by both my OB and my pediatrician. My 2yo DD also got the vaccine this season, and my DH will soon. DH works at a hospital and my 2yo is in daycare with many kids whose parents work in the hospital, so it's safe to say we (AND the baby) will definitely be exposed. The flu can be very dangerous for babies, so if we want to do what we can to protect him.

[ILovePie]

I'm considered part of a high-risk population because of my chronic illness (thought to be autoimmune). So I get it whenever I can find the thimeresol-free version (which was REALLY difficult to come by last year!). We skip some vaccines and delay others, but flu is not one we skip. DH works at a university and comes into contact with all kinds of gross stuff (I swear, college students bring back nastier things than pre-schoolers).

I got the flu vax before I was discharged from the hospital. So, not pregnant.

[hoping42]

Thanks for everyone's thoughtful comments - much apprecited and gives me more to think about and some different options to consider.

[CherryBomb]

Originally Posted by lachingona1

I would never get the flu shot. Do more research before you decide, especially when pregnant. I would suggest Mercola.com for info.

FTR, it's really irritating that anti-vax people always assume that people that vax must be uneducated. Also, I'm well aware of mercola.com. I am not impressed by him, I'll just leave it at that and avoid violating the UA.

[Amila]

Vax free family here No flu shots for us. But I might have to agree with Cherrybomb about Mercola. something about him rubs me the wrong way. Maybe it is because he sells a hundred billion things on his website to promote his claims?

Its a tough call, but I definitely would not get it while pregnant- I don't think it is very effective in general, and unless you can get a thimerosal free version, I think thats taking a big risk to the baby. JMO.

[hoping42]

Sorry did not mean to start a bigger debate - I did not get the day they offered originally b/c there was no thimerasol free version on hand and I was not prepared for the offer.

I have at times struggled to separate the vaccines my other children get instead of combinations especially the MMR vaccine - this made me think about the fact that I need to look into what vaccines they will want to give after delivery - thank you RParker for putting that on my radar. Our birth plan asks them to review each vaccine before giving - but it's been 5 years since my last NB and I need to figure out which ones they want to try to give. Thanks again for everyone's input.

[southernmommie]

No flu shot here either. Australia actually banned the flu shot. The kids were going into convulsions 12 hours after their shot. But that isn't why I'm not doing it. I've never gotten the flu except one year after receiving the shot for school and I was out of school for 2 weeks because I came down with it pretty hard. So my mom never got me another one and I've followed suit since.

http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/fl...0423-tglp.html

[rparker]

Originally Posted by hoping42

I need to look into what vaccines they will want to give after delivery - thank you RParker for putting that on my radar. Our birth plan asks them to review each vaccine before giving - but it's been 5 years since my last NB and I need to figure out which ones they want to try to give. Thanks again for everyone's input.

In most of the US the standard vaccines/medications offered to newborns are erythromycin eye ointment, a vitamin K shot, and a Hepatitis B vaccine. Both the erythromycin and the Hep B are completely unnecessary if you are 100% sure about your (and your partner's) STI status.

The vitamin K shot is a little more controversial. The "short" version is that it can prevent an extremely rare complication that can be fatal in some babies, but it has the same issues as other vaccines with being an injection (i.e. the other ingredients in the shot) plus there is some debate as to whether or not it may increase rates of childhood Leukemia. Oral vitamin K drops given over 12 weeks are seen by many as a reasonable compromise, but they're difficult to obtain in some locations. The vitamin K injection is probably completely unnecessary in formula fed infants because there are such high amounts of the vitamin found in every commercial formula. There is also the option of supplementing the mother for exclusively breastfed infants but I haven't seen any definitive/great research that would suggest a clear protocol for that. There are also some instances when the vitamin K shot would be clearly recommended/beneficial which include some medical complications during pregnancy that impact absorption of vitamin K from food and/or a physically traumatic birth and/or the need for the baby to have surgery within weeks after birth.

Um, hope that helps. I don't know where you are located or how substantially different the protocols are in other countries but those seem to be the big 3 across the US. (The vitamin K protocols are DEFINITELY different in Australia and several European countries, but I have no clue about Canada, New Zealand, etc.)

Oh, for what it's worth, the MMR and DTAP while in the hospital for me are pretty optional... as in it doesn't seem like my doctor would aggressively push them if I declined. I think it's pretty unusual to have low Rubella immunity and my friend just had her baby a few weeks ago and declined the DTAP for herself with no hassle. The DTAP wasn't even offered at the last hospital I gave birth at, but that may have been because I'd had a tetanus shot within the past 3 years? I also probably wouldn't be quite so enthusiastic about signing myself up for voluntary immunizations if my husband didn't spend 80+ hours a week in a hospital (and we didn't visit him at work)... most people have way lower levels of exposure.

[hyz]

Our pediatrician told us the reason they especially want the mom to get a tetanus shot after birth now is that they have supplemented it recently (like in the last year or so) with a whooping cough booster, and that is for the protection of the infant since whooping cough is going around a bit now and the infant can't be vaccinated for it until 18 months. I am hoping the hospital will offer it, but if not I may seek it out from a primary care provider (I don't actually have a PCP now, so I'd have to go find one, which seems like a pain in the butt).

[lachingona1]

Originally Posted by CherryBomb

FTR, it's really irritating that anti-vax people always assume that people that vax must be uneducated. Also, I'm well aware of mercola.com. I am not impressed by him, I'll just leave it at that and avoid violating the UA.

I didn't say people who vax are uneducated. That would be a stupid generalization to make. Lots of peds and OBs tell there patients what to do and most of those patients don't do any further research. That doesn't mean they are uneducated. I recommended Mercola because he has lots and lots of flu vaccine info and they are all easy reads. There are thousands of other sites with the same info.

[honeybee]

Originally Posted by Amila

Vax free family here No flu shots for us. But I might have to agree with Cherrybomb about Mercola. something about him rubs me the wrong way. Maybe it is because he sells a hundred billion things on his website to promote his claims?

Its a tough call, but I definitely would not get it while pregnant- I don't think it is very effective in general, and unless you can get a thimerosal free version, I think thats taking a big risk to the baby. JMO.

I agree. We started out selectively vaxing ds1, but no longer vax any of us. I've discovered homeopathy, and just take a completely different approach to health and preventative health care now. But, I am not a fan of Mercola. He sensationalizes things in a way I don't care for. And then of course, there is the selling aspect.

[jennmk13]

Originally Posted by Dancinmommy

I recently asked my MW about thisShe believes that Vit D is better at protecting you by boosting your immune system, and the reason the flu hits around this time of year is b/c sunlight is decreasing, therefore Vit D levels are dropping. Made sense to me! SO Vit D it up

and good sleep