Flu Shot While Pregnant?

hupp0013 · October 2013

I did get the flu shot.

MunchkinMoon · October 2013

Yeah. I'm a TA. I already witnessed the majority of my students coughing and wheezing and stuffed up. So, I got my flu shot.

Just because you wash your hands and "try" to stay away from people that are sick doesn't mean you successfully will. Some people can carry around the flu when it's contagious and not show any symptoms right away (maybe a few hours or the next day they will. Or they don't show noticeable symptoms to everyone else). Also, there are just some jobs you just can't avoid being around sick people.

I was a teacher for 6 years (high school, where you ASSUME these kids actually practice some sort
of hygiene) and would see some kids go from "hey, you look perfectly fine" to "OMG you're dying! Go home" in the span of the day. No amount of sanitizing door knobs, desks, classroom, assignments... (And yes, I might have been guilty of inconspicuously sanitizing a kid or two haha with sprays when tier backs were turned LOL) will keep you from getting sick sometimes. :-/

Just my $0.02. I just figured it isn't worth the risk.

PrimRoseMama · October 2013

Agree w/ @rowanthefrog. The benefits far outweigh any risk, IMHO.

Also, for fun, @etoille

ea529@yahoo.com · October 2013

I just got an email at work offering a free flu shot as well. It states if you are allergic to eggs or are pregnant in your first trimester, NOT to get the flu shot. I haven't done too much research on this but im staying away just in case.

abbyful · October 2013

ea529@yahoo.com said:

I just got an email at work offering a free flu shot as well. It states if you are allergic to eggs or are pregnant in your first trimester, NOT to get the flu shot. I haven't done too much research on this but im staying away just in case.

Your work is either (a) misinformed, or (b) taking the "CYA" approach of not wanting to get blamed if a women miscarries, which by the way there is NO INCREASED RISK of miscarrying related to flu shots.

It's perfectly safe to get the flu shot in 1st trimester. I work at a hospital, flu shot is a requirement; no shot = no job. (Exemptions must be approved and are few and far between.) Pregnant women included, all trimesters.

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/vaccine/pregnant.htm

https://www.mayoclinic.com/health/influenza/AN00651

PrimRoseMama · October 2013

The anti-flu-shot stupid makes my common sense hurt.

jessican08 · October 2013

I got my flu shot when I was about 34w PG, right before the start of flu season. I've gotten the flu shot for several years now and the only s/e I've ever had is a sore bicep for a day or so which Tylenol will knock right out.

ETA: Just finished reading the comments. Please ask a medical professional when you have questions about whether or not a vaccine is safe. If, after discussing it with them, you still decide you don't want it that's fine, but I'm astounded that people are so willing to believe all the anti-vax articles they stumble across on the internet written by neither medical professionals nor people with degrees in infectious diseases over their Dr. The Dr., I might add, they're going to entrust to deliver their baby. Why not trust them on this as well?

awc1986 · October 2013

Got mine today. Told the doc i'm 9.5wks pregnant and he said that's why they'd called me in. Do some people not realise that it's literally a deactivated version of the flu virus? no crazy chemicals. it's just dead flu. that's how you build up the immunity to it for the season. they take the most prominent strain of flu for the year and pump your arm with a dead version of it. to me that sounds much safer than actually getting real life flu. I had that last year when i wasn't pg and i swear i wasn't right for months afterwards.