Natural Mamas - Flu Vaccine?

[jannamo]

My work is offering them for free next week. I've never gotten one before but now I'm wondering if I should since being pregnant and getting the flu could be worse than when I wasn't pregnant.

Any opinions on flu shots when pregnant or otherwise?

[cameragirl]

I usually skip the flu shot. I don't particularly like the idea of squalene, and I believe it is in this year's shot again. I was advised to avoid the additive because I react strongly to other vaccines (not influenza), and there is a possibility of a reaction. This time I can't get it at all, because the infusions I get would negate the effects of the vaccine.

[sh118]

I'm not planning on getting it, and so far my doc hasn't brought it up.

[Bobbys]

When there was the swine flu outbreak, I got the shot. My midwife group said the flu becomes dangerous for pregnant women because of our risk for dehydration and preterm labor, but they were not necessarily telling their patients to run out and get it, but again, they did offer it at their office.

That said, a great immunity boosting cocktail that they did recommend is this:

Black Elderberry Extract 1-2 tsp daily

Vit. D3 4000 IU

Emergen-C 1000mg (power you can buy in the supermarket)

All this taken daily.

I did with my son and never once got sick. Not a cold, not a sniffle, not a nothing. I can't recommend it enough. We're susceptible to colds all the time just be being pregnant. If you decide to get the flu shot or not, definitely try this regimen for a healthy winter.

[SageR]

I've seen the signs at the OB's office but no one has said anything about it to me.  I won't get one. But we don't do any vax.  

Definitely yes to vitamin C and D.  I eat a lot of fermented veggies and blueberries (not fermented!) for my C and get my D from salmon oil.  Oh, the fermented veggies provide probiotics which are good for immune system health too.  And a heck yes to elderberry.  We use something called AnthoImmune which is made here in Maine. I can't say we never get sick but the few times of the year we do we recover in a day or two. I am totally sold on this stuff. One more thing I like is raw garlic and raw honey - I mince a clove of garlic, mix it with a teaspoon of honey, and swallow that down like a lozenge, with each meal.  If you take it with food you won't be too stinky!  And of course lots of tea. Hot water with honey and lemon is good too.  Oh, and chicken broth.  Oh, and coconut water is really good for hydration and it has potassium which is especially good for pregnant mamas.  Actually anything coconut is great for us - I also eat a teaspoon of coconut oil each day as a supplement.  IIRC coconut oil is good for immune system support.

[cameragirl]

That reminds me - I need to get back to making and eating lacto-fermented foods. They're great for you, and they taste pretty darn good, too. My favorite is ginger carrots. I'm going to switch back to a high-vitamin cod liver oil that supplies plenty of D and A. (This summer they were sold out.) For us north of San Francisco, there is no way to get enough D from the sun once the days get short.

[Dandy Lion]

I'm not going to get the flu shot. I've never gotten the regular flu, but I did get the swine flu (I didn't realize it at the time it was so mild). I'd rather not put all that crap into my body while I'm pregnant. Maybe postpartum I will though if I feel the need.

[mamathomas]

NO!  We don't do flu shots for anyone in our family.

I agree with all the immune boosting suggestions of the previous posters.  Can't say enough about good ole' elderberry extract!!!  I also regularly use my neti pot, apple cider vinegar and homeopathic remedies if I feel something coming on. 

[Fly Girl]

I'm not going to get one.

[dooo]

Me neither... i was never afraid of regular flu (being or not being pregnant). There are so many natural remedies, I'm sure that I can find one if i need it (oranges for vitamin C are plenty here..).

[cameragirl]

The part that I don't get is that they use last year's viruses to make this year's vaccine. Wouldn't that be kind of pointless in most cases?

[Kyamo]

Hmm... thanks for bringing the topic up, I hadn't thought of it. I don't normally get the flu shot in the past, except I did get the swine flu shot because I was TTC and the swine flu was a lot more dangerous for pregnant women. Not sure what I will do this year, I think I will ask my midwife about it next appointment.

[SageR]

Originally Posted by mamathomas 

NO!  We don't do flu shots for anyone in our family.

I agree with all the immune boosting suggestions of the previous posters.  Can't say enough about good ole' elderberry extract!!!  I also regularly use my neti pot, apple cider vinegar and homeopathic remedies if I feel something coming on. 

This reminds me of a couple more things - this spring  I started doing a nasal wash.  I use this little bottle system that was created by the man who developed Neti pots.  I got it at the supermarket with these little packets that are basically salt and baking soda.  You mix them with warm distilled water and then shot it up your nose - I think it's easier to use than a Neti pot.  A lot of people swear by this as both a preventive thing to do everyday the same way you brush your teeth, and also to treat acute illness. My doctor reccomended it to stave off sinus issues. It feels weird when you are doing it but after it feels pretty good. 

Also master tonic - you grate/finely mince garlic, onions, horseradish, ginger, and some kind of hot pepper and marinate it in raw apple cider vinegar for a couple weeks.  Then you strain it and use the vinegar (you can eat the veggie pulp leftover).  It's fierce but awesome - I like to put it in a cup of warm chicken broth with a little sea salt.  ALst year I also put tumeric root in it but I am not sure that is safe for pregnant women.
 

[cameragirl]

I swear by my neti pot, especially when I'm sick or have allergies. So much so, that I've bought them for family as gifts. I tried the bottle that is made by NeilMed, but it just doesn't work as well for me. Some people really love it, though.


There was also some question this year about the timing of the vaccinations. I saw signs up at drugstores and the hospital for shots starting in late July and early August, and typical timing is in October. Even though they had it ready early, there were serious questions about if the immunity would last through the flu season if you got the shot that early. I think that if I were in a high-risk group, such as the elderly, I might take the pneumonia shot and skip the flu shot.

[Janel47]

No flu shots here.  DH usually gets one since he works in education, but none for me or our kids.  I am taking elderberry for this season and I think I'll put DD1 on it too since it's her first year in school. 

[amycorinne]

I'm undecided about the flu shot but I just wanted to chime in with neti pot love. My seasonal allergies have been acting up and the ol' nose pot has helped so much.

[RachaelsMommy]

I'm not getting it. To me the risk of the flu is not as bad as the risk of the chemicals in the vaccine. Especially when we don't even know if they're vaccinating against the right strain. I do a lot of the natural immune boosters mentioned above and take oscillococcinum at the first symptom of flu.

[bcblondie]

We're a non vaxing family. In general I feel the risks are greater than the benefits. We're all pretty healthy here. I get a mild cold once or twice a year. I'm all about the probiotics and vit C, eating less sugar ... yahdi yadi yadi...

[bluebutterfly]

No flu shots here.  From all the studies I've read, I'm not entirely convinced the flu shot helps that much.

I am pretty sure we all had the swine flu when it was going around.  Although everyone else got over it quickly, it knocked me off my butt for over a week.  I was so sick.  So I figure I have some immunity to that.

I think I had a mild flu last season.  The viruses circulating this year are supposed to be similar as last so I figure I probably have some immunity to those too.

BTW, the live vaccine (nasal mist) is not recommended for pregnant women so be sure to pass that one up for your family too if you do decide to get vaccinations - it shouldn't really be given to family members of pregnant women (or other high risk groups) either.

[jannamo]

Thanks everyone. Yeah, I'm pretty settled now that I won't do it. No reason to start now if I've never gotten one before. Now, time to start my reading on vaccinations of kids, but I have a little more time to figure that one out