After my doctor, OBGYN, sister-in-law who is a doctor, and my husband urged me to get the flu shot, and my heart of hearts telling me to get it, I went to get it yesterday. It's all for my twins and I live in NYC, which may be the germ capital of the world.
But when I got there, my doctor told me he was out of the preservative-free flu shot, the one they give kids and pregnant woman, so he wanted me to wait until he got more in stock next week. I had no idea about preservative-free -- it's free of thimerosal...the mercury in the shot.
And even though my OB wants me to get the H1N1 shot as well, I just can't do that one. Too new in my opinion.
Apparently evidence suggests when a pregnant woman gets the flu shot (for the regular flu), once her child is born, baby is protected for six months from getting it as well?
That's good news for me since I will be having my twins during flu season.
Despite all this, many pregnant women do not get the flu shot according to Med Page Today.
The study by Pregnancy Risk Assessment and Monitoring System (PRAMS) cited any example that in the state of Georgia, 15.5 percent of over 5,000 pregnant women surveyed reported getting flu shots. As for those who weren't vaccinated, when asked why, the common response was that the doctor never mentioned the flu shot during pregnancy followed by "I don't normally get the flu vaccination."
The article notes that, "Both the Advisory Committees on Immunization Practices and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists that all pregnant women be vaccinated with trivalent inactivated vaccine during any trimester of pregnancy."
Did you get the flu shot? If not, will you be getting it during your pregnancy?
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Comments 26
All I'll say is you should really read the book "What your child's doctor may not tell you about vaccines"...there's a good chaper about shots for pregnant women.
My doctor offered me the flu shot at my last appt and I turned it down. Everytime I get the flu shot, I get the flu. I will not being getting the N1H1 vaccine either. Like you I feel that it is too new and they haven't done enough testing on it. Also right now as I write this my 7 year old has N1H1. Of course I freaked out since they are saying that it is really bad to get while pregnant and I went and got tested for it and it came back negative but my doctor still put me on tamiflu to keep me from getting it. So far so good. As for the baby being born during flu season, I will just make everyone sanitize their hands before holding him and will not have him around anyone who is sick.
I don't get any shots, and there is no way in h*ll I would get one while pregnant.
When i had my daughter two years ago, i had a flu shot but it was after she was already born. I don't think i would have recieved the shot had it been prebirth. I don't plan on getting the Swine flu shot. I'm scared about it . I have been contemplating the regular flu shot given that i'm going on 12 weeks and have passed the last 4 weeks being either ill with a virus or a cold. I'll be talking to my ob about it soon. Nice article. I also live in NYC. I think i've only had the flu once in my life and i was in my 20's. i'm 40 now. I am due in april .
There is no way I would ever risk the health of my unborn child to get a flu shot, 'preservative free' or not. And don't even get me started on the H1N1 vaccine! I'll just keep my body healthy with the foods I eat, make sure I'm hydrated (with water, nothing else!), and see my holistic doctor regularly to make sure there's nothing else going on while I'm pregnant or not.
I will not be getting any flu shots while pregnant. I always develope the full-blown flu when I get it & do not want to risk something that can be easily avoided by healthy living & sanitizing. I will also not be getting the H1N1 shot, for I find that to be more of a risk (especially to me - even more especially while pregnant). There is no way that I would intentionally get anything that has even the smallest chance of harming my unborn child, when preventive measures are much safer & natural.
I will never get the flu shot, and I wont be getting one while pregnant. I wouldn't even take advil and they want me to shoot a live virus into my body?
The problem with the regurlar 'ol flu is that the strand of virus is constantly changing and the shot they give you for the 'current' flu bug may not protect you against the one going around at all. Plus it ensures that you WILL be getting at least a mild case, in addition to any 'rare' side effects that could happen to your unborn fetus.
So....not for me. Not at all.
i plan on getting the flu shot, hopefully on my next visit to see the doctor, just because i'll be pregnant all winter long, but i don't plan to get the N1H1 shot for me or my daugther at this moment. up to this day i haven't gotten the flu shot ever, i just don't get sick so often but it seems that this year and pregnancy will be different, i'm already running with a cold so i need it.
Im definitely not going to get any sort of flu shot! I would run myself crazy with worry if i did get one..im just going to make sure i stay healthy & away from big crowds. I havent even gotten the flu anyway in about six or seven years.
I had a serious reaction to the flu shot when I was 15. I will never get another one and neither will my daughters or future children.