?'s about the flu shot & vaccines in general

melnericproper

I had an argument with DH earlier this week about getting a flu shot this year. Usually, we never get them. This year, since I'm pregnant, I'm pushing DH to get a flu shot and also to go to his Dr. to see what other shots he might need boosters on.

DH basically said that I need to do all that (like I plan to do anyway), but he refused. He said that I'm the one who usually gets sick, not him. He said he has a great immune system and doesn't need any shots. He thinks that since he almost never gets sick, he can't pass sicknesses to our baby Cody when he's born.

DH is allergic to penicillin, and was diagnosed with allergies and asthma when he was 3 months old. When he was little he was always at the Dr and having to get shots & take meds. I can see why he doesn't want to get shots, but if there's a chance that Cody (our baby) would be allergic to penicillin too, I feel like we should vaccinate ourselves so Cody won't have as much chance to catch something from us.

That got me thinking. What should I be vaccinated for, and what can I be vaccinated for when I'm pregnant or breastfeeding? And with allergies, could Cody inherit something like a penicillin allergy from DH? I want both me and DH to make appts with our regular Dr to see what we both need in the way of vaccines, but I need to convince DH of this too. Any ideas?

Mikejustine

I am anti-vax for a number of reasons, but I wont get into that here...as far as it relates to your DH going to the doctor or getting shots, you cannot force him to do anything to his body that he doesnt want or feel in necessary. You can ask him to consider it and explain why you think it's important, but ultimately it is his decision.

As for the probablility of your LO inheriting allergies to penicillin, it is possible, but i think he is just as likely not to. My father is allergic to penicillin yet neither of my brothers or myself are. My FIL has severe allergies to pretty much everything and so does my husband. So, I think its just a hit or miss thing.

As for what vaccines to get while pg or breastfeeding,if you are comfortable with vaxs in general, then the best thing to do is talk to your doctor about what he/she recommends.

sandylou

You DH should do a little research and learn that just because he doesn't get sick doesn't mean he can't carry a flu virus.

He can get a Tdap vac now although with his allergies you definately want to check with his doctor to make sure there isn't anything in it he can't have.

You can get the Tday PP, but I'm not sure about getting it while PG. I will defer to the ladies who have done more research!

Tracy6450

I agree that he should check with his doctor to see what he should get.  DH and I normally do not get the flu shot but I started getting it last year because I have to since I work at a hospital (even though I don't work for the hospital).  Even if I didn't have to get the shot for work I would have gotten in anyway since I'm pregnant.  DH also got his flu shot and will be getting a Tdap shot - which I will get once LO is born.  The only reason he's getting these shots is because we don't want to get sick and pass it on to our newborn.  Next year when he's old enough to get the shots himself we will probably go back to not getting them. 

Soap1

There have been quite a few pertussis epidemics in the United States.  Adults often skip the tdap boosters, and the youngest among us can't get them.  An adult can fight off pertussis pretty easily, but it can quickly become fatal in a small baby.

I would definitely push him to get the Tdap at least, and the flu can't hurt either.  Isn't it worth it so that your baby doesn't get a fatal disease?

MichelleL1118

According to my OB & the RN who runs our childbirth class, the only thing you can get while pregnant is the flu shot.  You should get the TDAP (pertussis - whooping cough) after LO is born.  Your DH should strongly consider both of those now, just for this year, since your LO won't be getting ANY of his vaccines until March & flu season will be over.

I'm not anti-vaccine, but I do agree with PP who said you can't "make" your DH get the shots.  You can, however, either insist he go with you to an OB appointment and ask point-blank in front of the OB if s/he recommends dads-to-be getting certain shots so he hears it from the doc, or make him an appt with his primary care doc to discuss the benefits/risks of vaccines & whether they're needed for primary caregivers of newborns.  If you're interviewing pediatricians, you could also ask this question as part of the interview process.

Oh, and FWIW - DH & I both generally skip flu shots, but since we're teachers, we were both vaccinated this year since LO won't be able to get a flu shot until NEXT flu season. 

lsugirljen

My dad is allergic to penicillin.  There are three of us kids, and I am the only one that is allergic to penicillin.  Your baby may not be allergic to penicillin.

jaejaevee

I agree with most of what was already said, but I do want to add that Tdap is also important because of the tetanus part of it.  We are all potentially exposed to that everyday and should be regularly vaccinated against it.  I was told that one is okay to get during pregnancy, but it seems like most others are told it's not so I am probably going to check with my OB again before I get it.

pawcall

While I agree that you can't "make" him get the shot, I understand exactly how you feel because my husband is being very difficult about this too. He finally agreed to do get the shot yesterday, and when I got home, he refused again.  He just "didn't feel like it."

I am not backing down though.  This year is very important, since Aidan can't have his own vax.  My husband is not anti-vax, so I'm not bumping up against philosophical differences - he just doesn't see the point and doesn't want to be bothered.  I wish I could have my OB convince him, but it's not possible since my husband doesn't see the point in coming to my doctor visits either.

This has been the cause of more than one fight already, and I hate it, but imo it's worth the effort to keep A protected as much as I can.  If he wants to be in my delivery room and hold my baby when he's born, he will be getting both the flu shot and his Tdap. 

broccolitree

Which vaccines you can/should get depends more on you & your health record than anything.  Personally, I got a full round of boosters before I went to college, but that was 10 years ago so some have worn off... I need to re-up my rubella in particular.  I'm fine on the tdap though, because I got a booster for the T part 5 years ago and it's another 10 year booster.  Just ask your doctor to either re-test or review your bloodwork.  They usually test for rubella immunity if nothing else.

As to your H, you can't force him to do it if he doesn't want to.  In terms of penicillin, if memory serves, only pertussis is a bacteria so your son likely wouldn't be treated with it anyway.

tfarabians

I had dh and ds get flu shots this year because without them being vaccinated too I'm not as protected and getting the flu when pg is dangerous for so you might remind your dh about that.  Even if you are vaccinated you can still come down with a milder form of it. Maybe his Dr would talk to him about that? 

As far as allergies go there isn't much you can do.  Dh is allergic to penicillin as well and ds has a mild allergy to amoxicillin so that could be inherited.  Ds also has an allergy to cats and peanuts.  Neither dh or I or anyone else in our families for that matter have those allergies so I think those are sort of luck of the draw.