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March 2011 Moms
Flu Shot
Anyone else out there NOT getting this shot? I know my OB is going to be ticked, but I'm absolutely refusing.
I've seen the posters in stores and in the doctors office starting to pop up about them and I'm just curious.
TTC #1 since October 2008
March 2010--initial b/w and SA - normal
What's next
May 2010 - HSG, SHG
June 2010 - IUI #1
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Flu Shot
Married 8 years - Aug 23/08
DD - 6 years old, March 17/11
#2 due July 19th! (It's a boy!)
They are recommended, but in the end, it's your own choice. My reasoning for not getting it is that I've never had one in my life. I realize that my immune system is compromised because I am pregnant, but I am also young and healthy. People don't die from the flu - they die from pre-existing conditions they had prior to getting the flu. I don't feel it's necessary and I don't buy into the hype. Plus, it's last year's strain of the flu - and there are no guarantees that even if I do get this year's shot that it will prevent me from whatever flu breaks out. Actually, I know more people who have come down with the flu and had the flu shot, then those that haven't. Do I think they're related? No, not at all, but it proves to me that it's not a cure all for the flu, so I'm not putting something into my body that I don't need.
July 2, 2010- BFP Beta July 5th - 931 Repeat beta July 7th - 2,779
July 13, 2010- First ultrasound! Gestational sac found!
July 16, 2010 - 2nd u/s due to bleeding. Twins found! Baby A is great! Praying for Baby B!
July 23, 2010 - 3rd u/s. Saw Baby A's flicker of a heartbeat! Lost Baby B. :-(
March 16, 2011 - Nathan James was born
November 26, 2012 - surprise BFP! It's a girl!
July 26, 2013 - Lilianna Jean was born
Please know that this is coming out of the goodness of my heart, because the seriousness of the flu for pregnant women scares me. Lots of people die from the flu every year, mostly people with compromised immune systems like the elderly, small children and pregnant women. And it's not because of preexisting conditions, it's because of complications after they get the virus.
According to the CDC:
"In the United States, on average 5% to 20% of the population gets the flu; more than 200,000 people are hospitalized from seasonal flu-related complications, and; about 36,000 people die from seasonal flu-related causes. Some people, such as older people, young children, pregnant women, and people with certain health conditions, are at high risk for serious flu complications."
Just make sure to really do your research before you choose. FYI, I have never gotten a flu shot and will not get it when I'm not pregnant.
ETA: Also, the flu shot does not contain any live viruses so can not give you the flu. And they have a shot for pregnant women that is preservative-free, so there's no mercury or other scary chemicals. I've done my research, b/c as I said, I'm not a flu-shot person to begin with.
Hey the flu shot works! Really! You get the shot, and it gives you the flu!
I am refusing it. Everyone I've ever known who has gotten it has been sick for a week after receiving it, and has never had a worse flu season. I take vit C capsules during the winter months.
<a href="http://s844.photobucket.com/albums/ab4/mrsskelton/?action=view
Thank you. I agree with what you have said 100%.
I do get a flu shot when I'm not pregnant though to help prevent the spread to my kids - especially with my oldest being in school. There were a LOT of kids in her school who had H1N1 last year. It was not something I wanted while pg, and definitely not something I wanted my newborn to have (who was too young to be vaccinated).
(m/c 1.17.07, m/c 5.15.07)
DS - 03.15.08
DD2 - 12.03.09
DD3 - 3.28.11
I have to get both the swine flu shot and the regular flu shot. My MFM (high risk specialist) requires it. I'm not a flu shot person either and I'm nervous about it but ultimately I trust my doctor. I'm also less nervous about the swine flu vaccine than I would have been last year, when it was new. A lot of my friends who were pregnant last year got it and they and their babies are fine.
I don't want to scare any of you and I know you'll still make your own decisions, but a very good (and otherwise perfectly healthy) college friend of mine passed away last year days after the birth of her baby girl. She developed the flu in the 9th month of her pregnancy, quickly developed pneumonia because of the flu, gave birth, and passed away only days later. Her doctors said her passing was a direct result of her catching the flu. It breaks my heart to know that a simple flu shot could have saved her life. Just something else to consider.
I'll definitely continue getting my flu shot now that I'm pregnant.
Thanks for the info! Yes, it is very important to do your research before making this decision. What I was trying to say - as you have ultimately stated - people die from complications of the flu. Those that do die don't have "the flu" listed on their death certificate, but rather whatever complication caused their death.
I do, however, also believe that people/media/doctors use scare tactics and propaganda to get people to get a flu shot, which bothers me. That's why it's so important to have real knowledge on the subject and research on your own.
It also bothers/annoys me that some people out there (and in this post) have insinuated that if you don't get the flu shot, you are harming your baby - I could potentially say the opposite, but I don't because it's just ridiculous. I don't work in a high risk job, around children or around sick people. The decision is an individual's own choice to make. I couldn't care less what people decide to do!
I'm a nurse, so I'm definitely getting my shot this year. I have too much contact with sick people not to.
For the record, the flu vaccine is an inactivated virus. It's not a live virus; therefore, you cannot get the flu from it. However, it does not guarantee that you won't get the flu at all. It will just make it unlikely that you will. Even if you do get the shot, you should still wash your hands regularly and limit your exposure to sick people.
Isn't it sad how you have to still tell people to wash their hands?? I'm sure as a nurse you've seen it all, but ick! This grosses me out completely. So much could be prevented by such a simple task that should be routine anyway!!
bfp#4 3/19/2014 edd 12/1/2014 please let this be the one!
beta @ 5w0d = 12,026! u/s 4/22/14 @ 8w1d it's twins!
I will be getting one. I get one every year and got the H1N1 shot last year as well (but not seasonal, it was given out too late in the season). I know that it's made with chemicals, and there are risks with getting it in general.
I work closely with people everyday, and I have asthma. For me getting a flu shot means I have a lesser chance of getting the flu, followed by pneumonia then a possible hospitalization.
Diagnosed with PCOS March '10 - Started 1000mg of Metformin
After 3 unsuccessful Clomid cycles, FSH+Ovidril+IUI+Progesterone=BFP!
Time to make Emilie a big sister!
May '16 2.0: Letrozole+FSH+Menopur+Ovidril+IUI+Progesterone=BFP! first beta-45.44, second beta-148
i really don't understand why people are so against vaccines. it seems like to me the people who don't want the vaccine are using their emotions or feelings and not science or facts.
i will graduate with my doctor of pharmacy degree in about 1 year. i know a lot of health care providers. my sister, BIL, SIL are all medical doctors. they all support vaccinations. i don't know a single health care provider who is against vaccines. these are the people who are the most educated about health and disease. if they are all for it. it seems like the people who are against it are not doctors.
i know for those of you who are dead set against it there is nothing that i can say to change your mind. but it is simply heart breaking to me that something as simple as getting a shot could potentially save someone's life and yet they refuse to get it. using logic like i have never had a problem before is flawed because NOW YOU ARE PREGNANT AND IMMUNO SUPPRESSED. i have never died before either, but i am sure someday i will.
No one is talking about vaccines as a whole - just the flu shot. Wayyyy different conversation if we're talking all vaccines. That's your opinion and you're entitled to it. Some people have different ones. You may disagree with me, but my reasons for not wanting it have nothing to do with emotions or feelings...in fact, my research and decisions have been based off of doctors, facts and science as well, so please don't assume everyone is making an ill informed decision simply because you disagree with it.
In the end, it's an individual choice. You can cap your letters all you want and it won't make a difference...in fact, it makes me roll my eyes. Just as you claim no medical provider is against the flu shot, I could just as easily say that no chiropractor out there is for it...yes, I know, your entire family probably thinks chiropractors are quacks...most doctors do.
My children will be vaccinated. As for the topic at hand, those that work in hospitals, with sick people, within the schools, or that have pre-existing issues should get it...or if it makes them more comfortable. I will not be getting the flu shot. I'm not against the flu shot. I'm against people like you.
Oh...and you're right. You probably will die someday. And it could be from flu complications even after you've received the vaccine (gasp!).
This! I never get the flu shot, I keep my immune sysytem strong with other techniques (exercise, nutrition, vitamins). I'm not afraid of serious complications IF I get the flu because I know my body is strong and healthy and can fight it (if I can push out a kid I can get over the flu!) Plus I just don't know/believe how effective the shots even are.
So I just moved to Virginia from Florida last month. I'm thinking that means I'm more likely to get sick this winter, since my body is really not used to any kind of cold, beyond the rare morning of it being in the 50's. I'm going to ask my Dr. at my next appointment, but am I crazy in thinking that a flu shot would be wise since I'll be more likely to get sick? Am I really not more likely to get sick at all? I'm new to this whole cold thing, or at least I will be come winter
Thanks,
Erin
Me too! There are no risks to getting the flu shot while pregnant, as long as you get the one without mercury.
As you should be well aware, medicine is a form of practice. A form of trial and error. My mother got Guillain-barre from the swine flu shot in the 70's. She spent most of that year in the hospital, had to relearn how to walk, eat, properly form words. Her rehab was very intense and she ended up leaving the hospital at a whopping 74 pounds. Many of the nerves in her back failed to re-myelinate. She has spent the past 30ish years in almost daily pain. Yes, Guillian-barre is a very, very ultra-rare side effect. The chances are so minor that it's almost not talked about.
Is her extremely rare case the reason I choose not to get the flu vaccine? Nope. That would be an emotional decision. My reason is much more pure. It's my body. My choice. Given how quickly viruses mutate, I'll take my chances rather than getting the shot and then getting the flu anyway.
And on a side note ... the research against vaccines, be the yearly flu or the pediatric vaccines, is generally done by doctors. Or you could go on the fact in the 2006-2007 flu season only 40% of healthcare professionals got the vaccine. Again leading to the assumption that not all support it.
I have worked in an ER for the last 4 years. The first 3 I never got a flu shot and every year I am horribly sick. I was very against the flu shot with many of the same reasons that some are preaching on this thread. Last year they made it manditory for us to receive the flu and swine flu shot. I ended up taking both of them, and it was the first year that I was not sick. So yes...I will be getting it again this year.
People sometimes forget that the flu shot doesn't protect you from everything such as the common cold, pneumonia, bronchitis, and any other respiratory illness that is not influenza.
It is also not possible to get the flu from a flu shot, since it is made from a killed virus. The possible side effects from the vaccine include soreness, redness or pain at the injection site, a low grade fever, and body aches. These will usually occur soon after the vaccine is given and last 1-2 days.
Symptoms of the flu are sudden fever with chills, exhaustion, aches and pains, congestion, and coughing either productive or non.