Flu Shot? Anyone Get It And Was Okay/Baby Okay?

[gummibears]

I know this is a touchy subject. It is with me as well. I'm of the camp that I don't like it or want it (I NEVER get it), but I had to get it against my will (due to travel and a 98% chance to get flu during travel based on prior years) to be safe. The only problem is I don't feel safe.

I don't feel safe getting it (I was 11 weeks when I got it) and I don't feel safe playing Russian Roulette knowing that most years I do get the flu while on vacation (long train rides expose one to a host of germs)

Has anyone gotten it either this year or in the past and had their baby okay? I mean I've seen info online from both sides, and I'm terrified of what can happen in either case (get it or don't get it) I don't want to live each day scared, but I have a feeling that's where I've landed myself.

Perhaps someone here can offer some words to ease my fears. My doctor, who was new - the first time I saw him he had the shot ready to go upon my saying I hadn't had it - said it's safe in first trimester, but of course as a mom I'm going to worry. It's our nature to worry over the unknown, or, at least it's mine.

[Jenne]

Okay, if you have already been injected just let it go. Yes, there are babies around the world born just fine from women who have had the flu shot. A bigger risk is stress and worry. No need for that. What's done is done. Relax, enjoy your pregnancy (and vacation!). Here's to a happy and healthy pregnancy!

Jenne

[major_mama11]

I had the flu shot in 2008 when almost exactly that gestation, while pg with DS. Pregnancy went great, and he's fine and healthy in every way.

[EllisH]

Very limited risks associated with the flu shot. The main ones of those are to do with you, guillain-barre (reversible muscle paralysis), but if you haven't had any symptoms, you and your baby should be fine! And on top of that you're now also be protected against the flu (the flu isn't too wholesome).

[gummibears]

Jenne, I know what's done is done, and I knew no matter what choice I made I'd have regrets and worries. I've read how horrid the flu can be and the additional complications it poses (Hospital, pneumonia, preterm labor) and ultimately I had swallowed my pride before the apt and accepted more likely than not he'd say to get it. I just didn't see it coming before my 2nd trimester. I'm not worried 24/7 type stress it just comes and goes in sorta mini panic attacks 'what ifs' mostly. I've told myself I'm not allowed to Google the situation anymore as there's some bad stuff up there that might be coincidence or maybe it wasn't.

I've been enjoying the pregnancy much more since we caught the heartbeat, until the shot worries, but I am enjoying it. The vacation we all look forward to despite it being a 16 hour ride (and 6 hours overlay in addition) each way. As you can tell, that's some heavy duty germ exposure. It's no wonder 9/10 times we are sick with the flu there.

I was told my shot was mixed with the H1N1 one as well, which scares me as I feel we don't know enough about it. BUT last year 2 relatives out there had it, so I know I could be exposed to it again this year via them or someone on one of the ways there.

major_mama11, I can't tell you how relieved this makes me feel. I know at this gestation the baby's mostly done growing, and that does help. I just worry. Maybe too much. DH has assured me we made the right choice and that all will be well.

EllisH, thank you. I've only had some tenderness at the injection site. I got shot Friday late afternoon and came out of the apt doubled over in pain. Turns out it was a mixture of a full bladder (because I loaded on water to give a sample and my system went 'shy' and couldn't produce it, LOL) and way more gas than I thought anyone's body could hold. I think the doctor pushed it around during the exam or something. I've been fine otherwise. No sickness (aside from the rare extreme morning sickness from staying up too late) that's not from the shot, though.

Gosh, I read all about the flu in pregnancy I had no idea. Spooked me. On top of that we are always run-down and sleep deprived out there and that weakens the system. There's just too many strikes against me that it's a pretty high risk and chance that I'd get it out there. I think all but maybe 2 or 3 years (out of 8) we were sick with it - all of us. Not good odds, lol.

Thanks all. I do feel better now.

[MountainMamaGC]

I have a flu shot while pregnant with DD. She is alright. Having said that I will never do it again. When I asked if it was safe then never told me it was pregnancy Cat. C. If I would have known that I would have said no.

[gummibears]

I had to stop and Google pregnancy Cat. C to even know what that was. Never even heard of it. (DS was born in early fall and I wasn't at risk for flu via travel then. He was 6wks when we took the trip)

Having known that I seriously would have been torn between the risks and very high chance of getting the flu and the shot. Both seem unacceptable to me. We need more choices that are safe!

[MountainMamaGC]

If I am ever pregnant again, handwashing, vitamin D and C, and elderberry lozenges is what I will use. There is even a study that shows elderberry protecting the fetus in utero. That is good enough for me.

You have to also take into account that they are more likely to hospitalize a pregnant women for just that reason; she is pregnant. She may have the same symtoms as a non pregnant person but they are more likely to admit her as a precaution. Lots of women get the flu while pregnant and they are just fine.

[gummibears]

Lydiah, not much of that would be of help for me those 2 weeks. I've got a 90+% track record over the last 8 years of getting the flu out there. On a small train for 16 hours with many sick people in the middle of Dec (the height of flu season), sleep deprived, pregnant, (two strikes against immune system) and shopping 8 hours a day for last minute gifts makes it nearly impossible to get away without being sick. In addition one household in the family is ALWAYS sick every year and guess where the gathering is for Christmas? Yup THEIR house.

I don't know at this point if handwashing and vitamins (which I've been loading up on) would cut it. Despite all the info (I read it to DH) he thinks we made the right choice. I still think I'm regretting it. And I'd regret NOT getting it, too.

One of my worries was landing in the hospital and being 1,000 miles from my primary caregivers. That alone did not feel right to me - to go all that way to spend the vacation hospitalized. There's no promise that still won't happen, but you know.

DH did listen in on the baby earlier. He said he heard the heartbeat (he's certain it was it as it'd stop then he'd hear again, as though it moved) and he can feel it moving. I've had no signs of trouble, so I'm TRYING to calm down a bit. I still have scared moments and I still cry during them, but it comes and goes.

[phathui5]

Is the traveling something that you really want to do? Your posts don't make it sound like you are completely comfortable with it.

[cappuccinosmom]

Calm down. It is a difficult decision. But it's already been made and you're hurting yourself by stressing over it.

I normally don't get vaxed for the flu, but I got the flu shot last year (H1N1) because the doctors in my life are people who love me, are intelligent, are open to alternatives when proven beneficial (they're my parents! ) and they were concerned particularly with H1N1 and complications that can arise in pregnant women who get sick with it. Unfortunately that baby didn't stay with me, but it was a molar pregnancy which had been growing long before I got the shot. If I were pregnant this year, I'd get vaxed again. There are risks on both sides. To me the risks are weighted more heavily on the side of getting the illness right now, so I will do what I can to avoid it.

[MountainMamaGC]

I agree, whats done is done. No sense worrying about it now.

[gummibears]

phathui5, Since this 2 week trip is the only time I see my family between now and next Dec yes, I want to do it. We've had tickets for months, now. My only qualms are that I get sick most years and I'm concerned over that, but I can't really live not seeing my family at all for 2 years. Aside from that I'm excited (just as excited as I am concerned, to be honest) to be seeing them again.

cappuccinosmom, The risks on both sides will have me beating myself up no matter what I chose. But I've spent most of this time worried and/or in tears since Friday. If I could feel it move, I could remain calmer, but not knowing anything worries me. Instead of enjoying what likely is my last pregnancy, I live it with fear and regret - and this goes for either decision I would have made. If I didn't get it I'd be fearful and have regret, too.

I am both anxious for the upcoming u/s but scared now because I'm afraid I'll see negative effects of the shot. Before I got it was plum excited. It just isn't fair. We are supposed to love this - and if the flu thing didn't come up I would be. Now I'm not. I've been doing a lot of prayer that all will be okay, but I still can't shake the worry and fear. I hide it well from others, but inside... not so much.

Lydiah, I'm trying to adopt that stance, but it's failing as you can tell. I think once I get through today and things appear to be okay I can likely calm. From the personal stories I saw out there most of the miscarriages after happened 24-72 hours after the shot. While we don't know if it's linked to the shot or purely coincidental like cappuccinosmom's we might never know.

I've only been sore at the sight of shot, no other problems, so it'd seem things are okay. Each day that passes I feel slightly more relief. I hope to enjoy this again when I can finally feel it move - which I think I've been feeling already but it's sporadic - not even every day do I feel it. DH has been listening to it and claims he can hear it's heartbeat by laying his ear on my belly. He knows it's the baby's not mine because he can only hear it in certain areas and sometimes it stops and starts again (as though it moves away and back) he tells me he felt it move, too last night. This home monitoring calms me greatly, so at least for that.

[Otto]

Originally Posted by gummibears

I had to stop and Google pregnancy Cat. C to even know what that was. Never even heard of it.

FluLaval, Fluarix, and Agriflu are category B, FWIW.

[gummibears]

Originally Posted by Otto

FluLaval, Fluarix, and Agriflu are category B, FWIW.

Really? I'm going to ask which it was that I got. He didn't mention it by name, but it might make me feel better if it was one of those.

[OpenMama]

Millions of pregnant women get the flu vaccine every year and have absolutely perfect babies.

[gummibears]

Yeah, I know there's many that do. I guess more so than that, the worry was my still being first tri than anything else. Granted I'm at the end of it, but still.

Things seem fairly normal here and the soreness finally went away - took around 3 days for it to, though!

[rabrog]

I agree, what's done is done and I'm glad the soreness went away for you.

You're asking a vaccine that changes every single year, so asking us if we've had it in the past while pregnant means nothing for you or your baby with this vaccine, this year.

That said, I got it in '04 when pregnant and still got a horrid case of the flu. Baby was just fine. I've never gotten it again and never will because it's not worth having crap injected into me (pregnant or not) when the chance that it even works is marginal. This is my second pregnancy without the flu vax.

Jenn

[~PurityLake~]

Originally Posted by Jenne

Okay, if you have already been injected just let it go. Yes, there are babies around the world born just fine from women who have had the flu shot. A bigger risk is stress and worry. No need for that. What's done is done. Relax, enjoy your pregnancy (and vacation!). Here's to a happy and healthy pregnancy!

Jenne

[ma2two]

I don't know what you mean by "okay." I don't think anybody has ever claimed flu vaccine causes obvious birth defects. And if you don't miscarry, you don't miscarry. So typically, I don't think any harm a flu vaccine could cause would be obvious in the newborn stage. If it was a full mercury flu vaccine, perhaps the baby could have slight neurological problems, such as poor sucking or reflexes. Neurological problems, if any, (and these days, 1 in 6 kids has some form of learning disability), would start to become more apparent in late toddlerhood.

Since you are looking to feel better, now what's done is done, find out if the shot contained mercury. If it came from a multi-dose vial, it contained either 24.5 or 25 mcg mercury. If it came from a pre-filled syringe, it contained either 1 mcg mercury or no mercury. And if it came from a single dose vial, it contained no mercury. A no mercury vaccine would be the best case scenario at this point, and hopefully that is what you got.

Here are the package inserts for all the flu vaccines licensed in the United States. http://www.fda.gov/BiologicsBloodVac.../ucm094045.htm