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3rd Trimester
why i'm not getting the h1n1 vaccine
flame if you must, but this is how i'm looking at it:
- what is the ratio of people who actually contract the virus compared to those who don't? (ratio of those who don't is MUCH higher)
- by the time the vaccine is available, i'll be well into my 30 weeks. if i contract the virus and i can't fight it, they can take the baby early. are there facts to show that the baby contracts it in utero? i don't know, i need to follow up on that. but if that were to happen, sure he'd be premature, but he'd have a great chance at surviving and they can treat him on the outside if he were to contract it too
- if i get the shot and have a bad reaction to it which causes something to horribly go wrong, then the guilt is on me. and it's on me for the rest of my life.
i'd much rather know that i made the decision that i believed to be best, especially since there is limited data on the effects of the vaccine not only on pregnant women, but people in general. i hate statistics so i'm not buying into the 20/100 women who contracted the virus died. i'm sure others have contracted it and it was never documented because maybe they thought they were just sick or had morning sickness. and going back to my first thought on ratios, so 100 women, eh? how many pregnant women are there in this country? in your state? in your town? much more, no?
i'm not responding to any negative comments i receive for this. it's just my food for thought and i'm not trying to talk anyone out of doing what they think is best. take it for what it is: my own opinion.
you all who feel the need to call any other woman irresponsible for doing what she thinks is best for her and her baby really need to mind your own business. congratulations, you're getting the shot and you made the decision you felt was best for you. i'm not coming on here calling you an irresponsible person! i love my baby and want what is best for him. thanks.
This discussion has been closed.
Re: why i'm not getting the h1n1 vaccine
I am with you on most of this, except for the taking your baby out early. Because your only 29 weeks. I'm far enough along that if I contracted it, it wouldn't be as big of a deal for me to deliver.
Its your body your choice! I don't agree with getting the H1N1, due to lack of study.
GL with the flames!
I don't understand why people flame either way on this topic. It's a waste of time.
As far as your question of: "are there facts to show that the baby contracts it in utero? i don't know, i need to follow up on that.", there have been babies born to mothers who eventually died from H1N1. From what I've read, the concern is really for the pregnant mother surviving because, like you said, viable infants can be taken out if the mother if they end up in the ICU.
Hmm. you are pretty pre-defensive about your decision for no reason. I don't think anyone on here is considering the H1N1 vaccine based on recent posts and polls.
I think it's the seasonal flu vaccine that some of us are actually unsure of and being accused of being irresponsible for declining.
Not sure what prompted your post. I do think your logic is severely flawed in your "why nots" of the post, but I do overall agree that I too will not get the vaccine
Here's a statistic that I just want to throw out there to go along with one you've already got, even if you don't like them. Pregnant women account for 6% of the people that have died from H1N1...and we are only 1% of the population. So if you think about it, that is a pretty high percentage.
I'm still on the fence and don't know whether I'll be getting the vaccine or not. But a lot of it has to do with whether or not it'd even be beneficial to me. Our health department won't be getting the shots until end of October/beginning of November. Like the regular flu shot, it takes 2 weeks to take full effect. I could very possibly have my baby by the time the shot is effective. So I'm not sure if it's worth it to get it.
Like you said, it's a personal decision that we all have to make.
i don't plan on getting it either, nor do i plan on getting a regular flu vaccine. and i agree that its a personal decision every mom needs to make. i don't understand calling people irresponsible for not doing things the way they do it. besides you could flip the judgement either way- some may say its irresponsible to get vaccines while you're pregnant. ANYWAYS, to each her own
as far as the baby being endangered in utero, if you were to get H1N1... i don't think that's the main issue. i think the concern is really for the mom- she has more of a chance of it getting life-threatening while pregnant. so its really for your own safety if you get the H1N1 vaccine.
Also, one last thing... i heard that if you get the vaccine now, it won't even become effective until sometime around Thankgsiving, so if you are expecting your baby before then, or around then, it may not be worth it, really.
i'm actually more concerned about her catching H1N1 AFTER she's born than me catching it and having complications now... and i may get the vaccine for myself, once she is out of me... that makes more sense to me.
its a tough decision, imo. we'll see...
From what I've heard, the concerns aren't with the baby but with the mom. But yes, 30 weeks is early to get the baby if something does happen.
My doctor wants me to get the shot when it comes out (I'm a teacher), but I'll be about 1.5 weeks from my due date. I'm not sure how comfortable I feel getting it that close to birth, so I'll probably wait until after my LO is born. They have said that anyone with a 6 month old or under should also get it, so we will. I've also heard that it's basically just the regular flu shot, but with a different flu strain, so it should practically be the same.
I'm just tired of hearing about all of this. No one is going to convince anyone of anything related to this topic on these boards, so why keep stating opinions?
This is a tough one. I've never had a flu vaccine- I've not had the flu in 5 years, maybe more.
It's tough- Part of me is afraid of how much is still unknown about the vaccine, but then... there's two people in my house now who have jobs that deal with the public- one has already been exposed to H1N1, even though she hasnt' presented any symptoms yet.
I'm not sure. I think when it comes down to it, I'll discuss it with my midwife, and see what she thinks. I don't want to risk my life unnecessarily, but considering the exposure levels to the general public members of my family have I may end up getting it.
h1n1 is active now, and we don't even have the vaccine readily available. by the time "peak season" hits, i'll be well into my mid 30s if not nearing the very end. that's the point i was trying to make, sorry i wasn't clear on that.
I have read this statistic as well, which is why, I believe, the CDC has us pregnant ladies on the first tier for people who should be vaccinated.
Personally, I'm leaning more towards getting the vaccine if/when available. Mainly because I work with the public and I work in the NYC area, where this past spring, there were a lot of cases of H1N1 going around. Also because I have a 6 year old and, God forbid, I get it and pass it on to her.
You know, I really hate this stat because it is meaningless. The mortality rate of seasonal flu is around 2%, and probably higher for pregnant women or elderly people. Yes, pregnant women are more vulnerable, but we are more vulnerable to seasonal flu, colds, other viruses, and... everything!
Moreover, that stat is WAY old and is taken from a 4 week time frame - in April. It is likely a statistical anomaly.
https://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE56S1GW20090729
and
https://cbs5.com/national/swine.flu.pregnancy.2.1105588.html
"Among those, we have relatively complete information on 266 deaths. And of those, 15 have been among pregnant women, which is about 6 percent," Jamieson said. Pregnant women make up about 1 percent of the U.S. population, she said, so pregnant women "are definitely over-represented in terms of the proportion of deaths."
I am a runner, knitter, scientist, DE-IVF veteran, and stage III colon cancer survivor.
I am going to be getting the vaccine- because
1) I am required to because of my choice of employment (just like they require me to get the flu shot, which I get tomorrow)
2) I am going to be around the public when LO is little and if I am vaccinated against it, I may not get it and therefore there is less of a chance I can pass it on to LO
I've been on the fence about it, too. However, as a teacher at an elementary school, my OB is strongly recommending that I get it.
I'm really, really sick of people (well meaning colleagues and family members) telling me that once it "hits" our school that I should stay home and start my maternity leave. It isn't an option for me since the FMLA clock starts ticking and then I won't have any time with the baby once she's born.
I did get the regular flu shot (like I always do each year) two weeks ago b/c it was also highly recommended. I went to an orientation presentation at the hospital where I'm delivering.. and a pediatrician (who was 34 weeks pregnant herself) said that she's going to get it b/c each year they create a new flu vaccine based on that year's strain of the flu.. and the H1N1 flu is just a different strain of it, so they tweak it for this particular strain. I am nervous about getting it b/c like most of you I want the baby out of me first! I don't care about me, I care about the long term effects on the baby, which is such a big unknown... but they really are recommending it b/c pregnant women are 70% more likely to develop pneumonia with this particular flu.. since we have a diminished lung capacity (due to the baby taking up the space) and can't fight it off.. so that is why pregnant women are at a much higher risk of complications and death. Pretty freaking scary.
I read somewhere (I apologize that I can't find the article now) that one of the benefits of being vaccinated while pregnant for flu or H1N1 is that you pass some of that immunity onto the baby. With our babies being born in the midst of flu season--for both types--this is something to consider.
My doctor said that if I choose not to get the h1n1 vaccine than our little girl can't get the vaccine until she is 6 months only....which will be June (so well past flu season). She'll be headed to daycare at 6 weeks and I'll be headed back to work at a public school.
Of course we've already had TONS of kids (almost 10% today) absent and sick from our school so we'll see if the shot really even becomes available soon enough to offer much protection.
I think that vaccinations in general have become a very personal topic where people feel strongly for or against with very little gray. I think the most important thing is to make a decision for your family that you can live with no matter what happens.
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How about I don't give 2 shiits about you not getting or getting the vaccine. I really don't. So how about them apples? Your condescending post reminds most of us on here what a "delight" some pregnant woman are. Good Luck.