Flu Shot

[pedi08]

Wondering what other women pregnant with twins thought about getting the flu shot?

[titania8]

Not currently pg, but I was 5 years ago. my thoughts on pg women getting a flu shot are this: I feel it's a dangerous thing to do. It is not known how the ingredients in vaccines effect developing brains, and it's not worth the risk for me. I stick with washing my hands and eating well. There are lots of natural immune support supplements available, which I would (or do, rather) use when I feel it's needed.

My 2 cents.

[Zevy]

When I was pg with my girls last year I got the regular and the H1N1. I was hospitalized on bed rest and saw a few pregnant women end up with H1N1 and severe respiratory problems, including one who lost her baby.

Granted, last year was a different horse all together, but I didn't have a problem getting the regular shot last year either. I'm a neurobiologist and work for a pharma company, so I have experience on how the vaccines are made and manufactured to the public as well as the research behind them. It doesn't concern me. But obviously do whatever you are most comfortable with.

[dolcib]

My husband and I are health care providers and we would tell you to get the shot.

Last year, our state lost 6 pregnant women who did not choose to get vaccinated. As far as I know, there is no research that states that the flu vaccine harms a developing fetus. We give the shot all the time with no adverse effects and the first people on our list are PG women, the elderly and mothers of young children. This is the recommended protocol from the CDC.

Do your research and do what is right for you.

Best wishes,
Gabrielle

Mommy to Franklin & Callan

[annettemarie]

No way, no how, no chance.

[Liora]

Originally Posted by annettemarie

No way, no how, no chance.

[lauradbg]

Originally Posted by dolcib 

My husband and I are health care providers and we would tell you to get the shot.

Last year, our state lost 6 pregnant women who did not choose to get vaccinated. As far as I know, there is no research that states that the flu vaccine harms a developing fetus. We give the shot all the time with no adverse effects and the first people on our list are PG women, the elderly and mothers of young children. This is the recommended protocol from the CDC.

Do your research and do what is right for you.

Best wishes,
Gabrielle

Mommy to Franklin & Callan

I'm curious about the bolded.  Do vaccine manufacturers test vaccines on pregnant women?  Is any data generated to see if vaccines or their components harm developing fetuses?  Is most of their considerations for recommendations based on an assumption of safety from years of use where they see no safety or efficacy issues?

I can guess the answer to a lot of these questions and those answers would probably give me pause.

[tntmom]

Take this for what it's worth. I have no affiliation with pharma and I don't have anything other than an associates degree. I work in medical records at my local hospital. After the disclaimers....I will not be getting the flu shot. I'm currently pregnant. I will not get the flu shot when not pregnant either but that's a different topic. According the the FDA's website the flu shots being offered this year are either category B or C. I am not comfortable with that as my understanding is that cat. B are tested on pregnant animals with no noticable effects and cat. C are not tested on pregnant anyone. I also believe but could be wrong that no vaccines have been tested on pregnant women as it is deemed unethical...but I could be completely wrong.

All this said, you need to do what you feel is right for you and your family regardless of what other people tell you to do! I firmly believe that these things should be looked at on an individual basis as I don't believe anything is one size fits all from OTC medications to vaccinations. Good luck with your decision making!

[mylilmonkeys]

We don't do vaccines in our family.  I don't believe they are safe enough for my kids, and I wouldn't risk my unborn babies, either.  

[Strong Mama]

I dont ever get them, and nobody told me to this time either. No nurse, no OB...which was......strange. But I got it anyway. To me, even if I do get the flu, at least I have peace of mind I did what I could to try to prevent it. I just do NOT want the flu hugely preggo with twins. I have enough pain.

[umsh]

I felt uncomfortable getting it while pregnant, and I didn't get it last year while my girls were still only being BF-ed.  I did get it this year though b/c one of my girls has a rare serious condition which puts her at major risk if she gets sick.  I was able to find a flu shot without thimerosal (not sure if that is even what your concern is, but I was worried about it).  That was in the US.  Now back in Canada, I can't find a thimerosal-free shot for my kids, so they haven't gotten it.  Instead we're just practicing extreme caution with them and praying my neutropenic baby stays safe!

[~Adorkable~]

I have been sitting on the fence with this this and so far have said no.
For me I'm not sure if I think they are bad to get, but simply that since i have never ever gotten one, I have no idea if I am one of the very few that may have a reaction to getting it and I certainly don't need that at 30weeks!

My other question is that they say that it gives your babies some immunity, so my question is , does the shot get to them and they build the immunity or does the immunity that I build get passed to them?
This is two very different things IMHO and the former makes me nervous. Does anyone know anything on this aspect of it all?

I would also be more inclined if it was actually a total immunity from the flu rather than a best guess based on last years strains.
I had actually planned on getting it last year as we were TTCing, but could never get it since not being preggo at the time placed me no where near the top of the list and by the time it became widely available it was a timing and type that I felt was not compatable with TTCing. Didn't get preggo till May so it was a non issue, till now.

[~Adorkable~]

I was thinking of maybe getting it really soon after they are born, so I might lesson the chances that I get sick and pass something to them. Since that will be sometime in Jan it seems like it could still be pretty helpful.