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3rd Trimester
Flu vaccine
So, I dont want to beat a dead horse, but here goes. I have decided against getting the flu vaccine for myself but my DH will be getting it. We are also using a alternate vaccine schedule for LO. This being said, I want to know just how much research you did/have done before getting the vaccine? If you have any good links, please share! I feel like I am online/talking to my dr about it ALL THE TIME! I want to make the right decision and be as informed as possible but there is SOOO much stuff online that I am going cross eyed! I read a post on 2nd tri that got me started again and at my dr appt today I was asked if I wanted to get the shot today since they just got it in. TIA!
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Flu vaccine
You feel like you are online researching it or talking to your doctor about it all the time? FFS, it's just a flu shot.
I didn't do any research...I went my doctor's recommendation to get it and my own personal experience. For the last three years that I have gotten the flu shot, I didn't get the flu. Many years that I didn't get the flu shot, I got the flu. I guess I don't get why it's a huge deal? It's not elective surgery or anything.
Carina 12.28.2010 | Aurelia 9.23.12 | Chart - Round 3
I thought the same thing.
Well, I guess it all depends on if you care about what you put in your body or not. I realize it's a shot but in certain countries, they have banned our vaccines and for some odd reason, that just makes me question it a little.I also read food labels before I buy things at the grocery store. I just don't want to put something into my body or my LO without researching it and making an informed decision. Maybe its just me.
As of right now, I'm not getting one. I'm going to talk to my doc about it on Monday.
Last time I got a flu shot ( probably 10 years ago) I had a really bad reaction- I got really sick, uncontrollable chills then sweats and vomiting and it was terrible (It wasn't an allergic reaction it was a very bad flu)
I haven't had a flu shot since and I haven't gotten sick so.... It's hard to say
Not just you - I'm dealing with the same issue! I find it almost comical that everyone is worried about Formaldehyde being used in Johnson and Johnson products but not worried that Formaldehyde is used in shots to mix vaccines!
OMG, these flu posts are killing me.
First of all, if you get a fever, muscle aches, etc., after the flu shot - YOU DON'T HAVE THE FLU. The flu shot is not a live vaccine. You are just having a reaction to the shot.
Anyway, I'm not sure why you wouldn't get the flu vaccine to protect your baby. Honestly, that makes no sense to me. Yes, I care "what I put in my body" and that's why I got the flu shot - to put something in my body to protect LO.
This is a great article on vaccines.
https://www.wired.com/magazine/2009/10/ff_waronscience
The two men in my life. Oh, and I have a husband too...
I wrote a more lengthy response in tne November board, but in a nutshell... This is the first year that I have ever gotten a flu shot. I generally do not like taking medication and avoid vaccines that I don't think are necessary, but I did it this year in order to protect LO. In the past, I preferred taking the risk of getting the flu to the vaccine, but I do not want to unnecessarily put the baby at risk. Both the seasonal flu and H1N1 kill people with weaker immune systems -- including pregnant women and infants. This year is just not worth the risk.
My OB also strongly recommended getting the vaccine.
The seasonal flu annually kills more people than H1N1, so even if you don't get the vaccine and aren't worried about H1N1, please continue to be diligent about hand-washing and avoiding sick people.HAHAHA, I agree with you! Wasn't it just a few days ago that there was a big topic on the Johnson & Johnson and the chemicals they use??
I have never had the flu shot in my life, I also have never had the flu. I am struggling with getting it while pregnant. I do like that it protects my LO from the flu for the first six months of her life - that is almost enough for me to go ahead and get it. I am still on the fence as well.
P.S.
I also read food labels at the grocery. I try to be as informed as possible.
I appreciate your link and read it. I personally didn't find it any more/less helpful than the other articles I have read. Autism is not my concern with the me getting the flu vaccine. There are other symptoms that are far more common. BTW, if the flu post are KILLING you then don't open them.
lol at "it depends on if you care about what you put in your body or not." Yeah, I guarantee if you end up in the hospital with a serious flu you are going to get a whole lot of crap you have never heard of pumped into your body.
Seriously, it's not a conspiracy to poison you and your baby.
American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Association of Women?s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses, the CDC, American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American College of Nurse Midwives all strongly recommend that pregnant women get the flu shot. Is the "research" you're doing on google more thorough than all of theirs?
Just get the shot... or don't. You know, whatever you want.
OK, then what ARE your concerns? That's what I'm getting at. I don't understand not wanting to protect your vulnerable baby from an illness that can kill him/her.
Also, did you read the WHOLE article? It really doesn't talk that much about autism. It is several pages. Just checking.
The two men in my life. Oh, and I have a husband too...
Wow, that is a trashy jab.
Exactly.
I get wanting to be informed, but I'm not sure how the "risks" of getting a flu shot even come close to outweighing getting the flu, or worse, your infant getting the flu. As a former neonatal nurse, I can promise you that if a shot freaks you out, the idea of your kid in the NICU in severe respiratory distress from the flu should freak you out a hell of a lot more. You think a beyond miniscule amount of fomaldahyde is scary? How about your infant being hooked up to a ventilator, being pumped full of IV antibiotics, fluids, and on all sorts of monitors, being poked for blood draws, and lumbar punctures? And if you think I'm being over dramatic, whatever. But it happens to babies (and kids and adults, for that matter) every single year. And some of them die.
THAT is scary. A flu shot is not.
I try to avoid scare tactics whenever this question comes up, but I have to agree here. I'm all for being a conscientious consumer and patient - but until you've seen a baby or child on a ventilator, you just can't tell me you truly understand the risks of foregoing certain vaccinations.
OP - if you can clarify what exactly it is about getting a flu vaccination that concerns you, I will try to find you some references and links that can give you some more information. Unfortunately, the general comment, "I'm concerned about what I put in my body" doesn't tell me what your specific concerns are.
And as for the formaldehyde concern, please just google formaldehyde before you make a decision. This chemical is everywhere in our environment - and completely harmless at low levels (like in a vaccine). Your body metabolizes it rapidly and it poses virtually no danger to you.
My research...when I don't get the flu shot, I get the flu. When I get the flu shot, I don't get the flu.
I got it while I was pregnant with my daughter last time, the entire family got the flu shot last year and this year I already got my flu shot and DH and DD will also be getting it.
Please, allow me to translate:
Read: You all are crappy moms because you would rather protect your newborn baby from the common flu by getting the standard flu shot than spending every **god-foresaken minute** worrying about the chance you might have a freakishly rare side-effect from the shot.
This obsession will lead to annoying everyone from your mailman to your OB to complete strangers through your constant need for validation of your choice. Proving, of course, that you doubt the fact you are actually making the right choice.
You suck at life.
/translation.
He's the single greatest thing I've done in my life and reminds me daily of how fun (and funny) life can be. He's turned out pretty swell for having such a heartless and evil mother.
https://www.chop.edu/export/download/pdfs/articles/vaccine-education-center/vaccine-ingredients.pdf
And secondly, look at my signature. You're welcome.
I have never received a flu vaccine before, by this year I got it as well as my DH and DD. We probably won't get it next year, but this year with a newborn I felt like it was a good idea for all of us to get it. My DD got a cold when she was 10 days old and that was bad enough, I don't really want to risk this baby getting the flu. My DD is also on a delayed/alternate vaccination schedule so we are cautious about vaccines. She is fully caught up on her vaccines, we just opted out of the Rotavirus oral vaccine and the Chickenpox vaccine and insisted on no more than two vaccines per visit. I read Dr. Sears Vaccine Book.