flu shot?

dkleid · November 2014

At my 8 week ob appt the first thing my Dr asked me is if I had my flu shot yet. I said no she said go get it asap. I got it that weekend incase I had any side affects. I was tired and a bit cranky but nothing out of the norm now a days. My arm didn't hurt which was surprising. I wod get it you don't want to out y oy r baby at risk if you do get it.

blu-eyedwife · November 2014

Just a FYI - there's formaldehyde and aluminum naturally occurring in the air you breathe. And most fish contain mercury in some amounts. Hope those of you who are avoiding the vaccine are also vegetarians who carry around your own oxygen tanks.

delujm0 · November 2014

blu-eyedwife said:
Just a FYI - there's formaldehyde and aluminum naturally occurring in the air you breathe. And most fish contain mercury in some amounts. Hope those of you who are avoiding the vaccine are also vegetarians who carry around your own oxygen tanks.

All of this.

I have never had the flu, even when my husband has had it. According to my doctor and blood tests (science) I was born with a natural immunity to chicken pox despite never having the disease or vaccine (the vaccine wasn't common until I was older). And yet I still get a flu shot every year. If I am offered a completely harmless shot that may stop me from getting sick, or may stop me from bringing an illness home to my husband and future children, I'm doing it.

I would love to know how many of the anti - vaccine sect on here are drinkers of diet soda or eaters of convenience foods. Do you have any idea how many chemicals are in there? And consumption of those items has very little effect on society at large. Herd immunity cannot happen if people aren't vaccinated. Step away from dr. Google and consult with actual medical professionals please.

beattykid · November 2014

I just got mine yesterday. I'm a little late but my husband has an autoimmune disease so when I saw that on the list of diseases which if you or someone you live with have preclude you from getting a shot. So I waited so I could check with the doctor. It turns out I really should get the shot bc of his disease to protect him. He has ankylosing spondylitis and if I brought the flu home it could make him really sick. I'll be sure to get it every year now.

Also last year a very sweet girl from my hometown got the flu while pregnant. Her doctor relied on old information and told her to wait until 20 weeks to get the vaccine. First she was hospitalized and went into a coma. Then she lost her baby while laying in that hospital bed without even waking up. Then she died. It is such a devastating story and it is true. After that I swore I would get the flu shot every year.

hallmayys1313 · November 2014

Yes I defiantly agree. Don't be mind less and just get it.

dirtymartini · November 2014

2 things:

1-If you are pregnant, your immune system is weakened (a natural part of pregnancy so you don't reject the baby), which means every one of us is more likely to get the flu this year than we otherwise would be.

2-A severe case of the flu is far more dangerous to you and your unborn baby than the vaccine. Period.

thay33 · November 2014

The last time I got the flu shot I was a kid....& no doctor has suggested it to me since I've gotten pregnant! I hope I don't sound dumb but I honestly didn't think it was this important since its never even been brought up to me! But now seeing all the logical explanations for it, I will most DEFINITELY bring it up to my doctor next week!

sscott2111 · November 2014

As a mom to be, it's my take that this is a mother's choice and it doesn't bother me a bit if another mother decides to get a flu shot or not.

As a researcher, however, I just have to say that even clinical trails from reputable sources can be poorly conducted or flawed. These articles do not have to contain gross or malicious errors either, a tiny issue here or there could be enough to doubt conclusions. The public assumes some level of blindness when these studies are conducted and it can be difficult to decipher truth in the headlines.

We should be able to trust the scientists, to have trustworthy sources, and rely on processes in place to help ensure the quality and reliability of this information, but our "scientific literature" may not actually be all that we really want it to be at times. Still, I use this body of evidence daily to make fuzzy places of understanding a bit clearer, however; it makes me uncomfortable when it is treated as an infallible arbiter of actual truth.

There are a lot of decisions to make for our children, considering all things (that we can) let's all just do the best we can in responding to our children's needs for protection and comfort. I also hope we all get through this winter without getting any strain of the flu.

Schnurette · November 2014

Man, people be crazy.

I don't get the flu shot because I work alone in an office and only occasionally am I exposed to other people, DH works with two guys doing construction so he/they aren't often exposed to other people, and DD goes to a home daycare so she is only exposed to two children on a constant basis....so getting the flu isn't really a concern for me.

**This was a discussion had with my doc, he basically asked about our situations and said "yeah, you guys don't really need it"

blu-eyedwife · November 2014

emilyzemily said:

Personally I think people who refuse to get the flu shot are being selfish. So what if you've never had flu before? You're risking your babies health! Not only that but you're risking the health of people around you, I just can't understand why you wouldn't get it

See this is where I'm at. I've never had the flu before, and I share a bed with a man who always seems to be sick. I have a rockin' immune system. Prior to my first pregnancy I never got the flu shot because I have a serious needle phobia. I've been getting the flu shot every year since 2011. Because it's not just about me any more. It's about the baby. The baby I'm carrying that can't get a flu shot and would die from the flu. The baby who is born and too young for a flu shot so relies on the immunity he gets from my breast milk. The toddler with a worse immune system than I who is exposed to who-knows-what because I can't control every person he or I come in contact with.

opheliacantswim · November 2014

I can't resist weighing in on this. A few posters have commented that there may be flaws with medical studies. Well, yes. I'm an academic (although not in medicine), and I can completely agree with that statement. Just because it's published in a scholarly journal doesn't mean that further research won't expose new information that might someday change their conclusions. HOWEVER, when the entire medical community agrees on an issue and more or less begs the public to comply, the wisest choice is to trust the evidence that we have now. And the evidence that we have now suggests overwhelmingly that flu shots (and vaccines in general) are our best defense against illness. When people who are not trained in a field decide that they are "entitled to their opinion" even when it flies in the face of science, I have very little patience for that behavior.

Also, I am growing increasingly frustrated with folks who do not get vaccines or flu shots. Some people have to rely on herd immunity because they cannot receive vaccines for actual health issues. To be eligible for a vaccine and special snowflake out of it? That's being a crappy neighbor and a thoughtless citizen, as far as I'm concerned.

veggiemo · November 2014

asutherl said:

Man, people be crazy.

I don't get the flu shot because I work alone in an office and only occasionally am I exposed to other people, DH works with two guys doing construction so he/they aren't often exposed to other people, and DD goes to a home daycare so she is only exposed to two children on a constant basis....so getting the flu isn't really a concern for me.

**This was a discussion had with my doc, he basically asked about our situations and said "yeah, you guys don't really need it"
This isn't serious right?... because the only exposure to the flu is in the work place or day care? I guess you don't go out in public ever do ya?

Or push a shopping cart, or pump gas, or use a door...

blastocarrier30 · November 2014

blu-eyedwife said:

emilyzemily said:

Personally I think people who refuse to get the flu shot are being selfish. So what if you've never had flu before? You're risking your babies health! Not only that but you're risking the health of people around you, I just can't understand why you wouldn't get it

See this is where I'm at. I've never had the flu before, and I share a bed with a man who always seems to be sick. I have a rockin' immune system. Prior to my first pregnancy I never got the flu shot because I have a serious needle phobia. I've been getting the flu shot every year since 2011. Because it's not just about me any more. It's about the baby. The baby I'm carrying that can't get a flu shot and would die from the flu. The baby who is born and too young for a flu shot so relies on the immunity he gets from my breast milk. The toddler with a worse immune system than I who is exposed to who-knows-what because I can't control every person he or I come in contact with.

This is me exactly. I taught high school for 3 years and never got sick, ever. No flu shot, just lucky with my immune system. But my decisions don't just affect me now. AND I know that I'm going to be spending more time in the doctor's office and (while not during flu season, I hope) in the hospital to deliver. There are a lot of people who frequent those areas that rely on herd immunity. It's not fair to my baby or to anyone with immune deficiencies for me to be walking around potentially spreading germs just because I traditionally haven't gotten sick.

Also, with virus strains, past lack of susceptibility =/= current/future immunity.

mommacandi · November 2014

This again...

I simply do not understand why one wouldn't get the flu shot...or any other vaccine for that matter...preservatives, blah, blah, blah...so what? The benefit outweighs the cost consistently...especially when you're pregnant and are responsible for protecting another human being. What is it exactly that these preservatives are going to do to you? Why wouldn't you do everything you can to protect your unborn and living children from a disease that could seriously harm them?

I usually stay out of controversial debates on here, but not getting a flu shot or other vaccine is just beyond me...

finchfeeder80 · November 2014

I'm surprised my OB didn't ask me about the flu shot when I was in Monday. But I got mine last month at a flu shot clinic at work. And everything looked great on u/s Monday

Trampslikeus · November 2014

Being "anti vax" is the ultimate first world luxury - folks who are so far separated from disease and death that they get all worked up about imaginary dangers... Many of the patients I see in the Congo strap their babies on their backs and travel for DAYS through dangerous areas and poor road conditions, often sleeping on the ground outside of clinics, waiting, so that they can get their children vaccinated. About half of the women I've talked to there have buried a baby. The rates of hearing and vision loss, as well as seizure or fever related brain damage, is beyond what most people would imagine. There is no hate in what I'm saying here, but an acknowledgement of the luxury and comfort you must live in to not recognize how important vaccines are. No one, NO ONE, who has watched a mother wail over her dead child would be posting this kind of nonsense about life-saving and disability-preventing vaccines. This is Deau, he had polio as an infant. His hands and legs are partially paralyzed because of it, and often cause him pain. The kids next to him are all deaf, 2 from prenatal rubella. Your first world life, and herd immunity are the only things that make you different from them.

Stormy61 · November 2014

@Trampslikeus‌ Thanks for posting this. I usually get whatever vaccines my doctors recommend but your post really made it more clear why it actually is important and makes a difference.

mommacandi · November 2014

Trampslikeus said:

Being "anti vax" is the ultimate first world luxury - folks who are so far separated from disease and death that they get all worked up about imaginary dangers... Many of the patients I see in the Congo strap their babies on their backs and travel for DAYS through dangerous areas and poor road conditions, often sleeping on the ground outside of clinics, waiting, so that they can get their children vaccinated. About half of the women I've talked to there have buried a baby. The rates of hearing and vision loss, as well as seizure or fever related brain damage, is beyond what most people would imagine. There is no hate in what I'm saying here, but an acknowledgement of the luxury and comfort you must live in to not recognize how important vaccines are. No one, NO ONE, who has watched a mother wail over her dead child would be posting this kind of nonsense about life-saving and disability-preventing vaccines. This is Deau, he had polio as an infant. His hands and legs are partially paralyzed because of it, and often cause him pain. The kids next to him are all deaf, 2 from prenatal rubella. Your first world life, and herd immunity are the only things that make you different from them.

Thank you for this.

beckynsean11 · November 2014

@trampslikeus ILY. Thank you for that.

mommacandi · November 2014

Also, @Trampslikeus, I LOVE your huge sized duck gif. Makes me laugh every time I see it!

Trampslikeus · November 2014

@mommacandi‌

it still makes me giggle too - you should watch the whole bit, it's on YouTube - Bruce Springsteen on Jimmy Fallon from last year, I love them both so hard

mrscampos4life · November 2014

@Trampslikeus‌ thank you for that. Very well said and hope it changes the minds of those who are anti-vaccine!

mommacandi · November 2014

Trampslikeus said:

@mommacandi‌ it still makes me giggle too - you should watch the whole bit, it's on YouTube - Bruce Springsteen on Jimmy Fallon from last year, I love them both so hard

AHH hahahaha! I just did...SO good! Best suggestion I've gotten today! Thank you!

kimmarie1105 · November 2014

Trampslikeus said:
Being "anti vax" is the ultimate first world luxury - folks who are so far separated from disease and death that they get all worked up about imaginary dangers... Many of the patients I see in the Congo strap their babies on their backs and travel for DAYS through dangerous areas and poor road conditions, often sleeping on the ground outside of clinics, waiting, so that they can get their children vaccinated. About half of the women I've talked to there have buried a baby. The rates of hearing and vision loss, as well as seizure or fever related brain damage, is beyond what most people would imagine.

There is no hate in what I'm saying here, but an acknowledgement of the luxury and comfort you must live in to not recognize how important vaccines are. No one, NO ONE, who has watched a mother wail over her dead child would be posting this kind of nonsense about life-saving and disability-preventing vaccines.

This is Deau, he had polio as an infant. His hands and legs are partially paralyzed because of it, and often cause him pain. The kids next to him are all deaf, 2 from prenatal rubella. Your first world life, and herd immunity are the only things that make you different from them.

Can this be pinned to the top of page 1?

pghctwife · November 2014

Bumping to love @Trampslikeus‌ !!! My feelings exactly and so well stated.

jessila9 · November 2014

As a teacher, I always get the flu shot. My doctor encourages me to do so pretty much as soon as they hit the market every year as do my principals.
Last year DH got the flu and was sick for over a week. I had to help him sit up in bed and he took weeks to recover. My best friend also got it and she practically lives at my house on the weekends. I didn't get it even though I was obviously exposed. The year before DH got the flu and was sick for over a week. I also got the flu but was only really sick for a few days.

Do your research and make decisions for yourself. I got my shot this year when I was 3 weeks pregnant and everything is fine. My arm was sore for the day and if anyone touched the area of the shot for a few days.

2junebabies · November 2014

I am not getting a flu shot. Here are some package inserts:

Fluarix: https://www.fda.gov/downloads/BiologicsBloodVaccines/Vaccines/ApprovedProducts/UCM220624.pdf

Fluzone: https://www.fda.gov/downloads/BiologicsBloodVaccines/Vaccines/ApprovedProducts/UCM356094.pdf

They both clearly state that the flu shot has not been studied for safety or efficacy in pregnant women. I don't care if the CDC says "millions of doses have been given to pregnant women" and that it's "safe." To me, that sounds like it's also based on anecdotes and not an actual study.

My midwife doesn't recommend a flu shot and I don't feel one bit bad about skipping it.

beckynsean11 · November 2014

2junebabies said:

I am not getting a flu shot. Here are some package inserts:

Fluarix: https://www.fda.gov/downloads/BiologicsBloodVaccines/Vaccines/ApprovedProducts/UCM220624.pdf

Fluzone: https://www.fda.gov/downloads/BiologicsBloodVaccines/Vaccines/ApprovedProducts/UCM356094.pdf

They both clearly state that the flu shot has not been studied for safety or efficacy in pregnant women. I don't care if the CDC says "millions of doses have been given to pregnant women" and that it's "safe." To me, that sounds like it's also based on anecdotes and not an actual study.

My midwife doesn't recommend a flu shot and I don't feel one bit bad about skipping it.

LOL!!! The CDC & overwhelming majority of the medical community doesn't make recommendations based on anecdotes.

Trampslikeus · November 2014

2junebabies said:
I am not getting a flu shot. Here are some package inserts:

Fluarix: https://www.fda.gov/downloads/BiologicsBloodVaccines/Vaccines/ApprovedProducts/UCM220624.pdf

Fluzone: https://www.fda.gov/downloads/BiologicsBloodVaccines/Vaccines/ApprovedProducts/UCM356094.pdf

They both clearly state that the flu shot has not been studied for safety or efficacy in pregnant women. I don't care if the CDC says "millions of doses have been given to pregnant women" and that it's "safe." To me, that sounds like it's also based on anecdotes and not an actual study.

My midwife doesn't recommend a flu shot and I don't feel one bit bad about skipping it.

So you went to medical school, right? What are your credentials for knowing better than 99.8% of doctors and medical researchers?

blu-eyedwife · November 2014

2junebabies said:

They both clearly state that the flu shot has not been studied for safety or efficacy in pregnant women. I don't care if the CDC says "millions of doses have been given to pregnant women" and that it's "safe." To me, that sounds like it's also based on anecdotes and not an actual study.

My favorite is when people who clearly know nothing about research/studies/clinical trials try to justify not vaccinating.

No drugs have been tested for safety/efficacy in pregnant women. Know why? No IRB is going to approve a clinical trial involving pregnant women. That means diabetes medication, asthma medication, thyroid medication, tylenol, advil, prenatal vitamins - none of them have been tested for safety/efficacy in pregnant woman. Are you suggesting that diabetics should stop taking their insulin when pregnant? Or asthmatics are better off depriving the fetus of oxygen? And I certainly hope you're taking your prenatal vitamins even though they are "Class B" drugs - the same as the flu vaccine you're refusing.

Trampslikeus · November 2014

^^^^ this.

Exactly the same reason we don't have a quantitative amount of alcohol consumption determined to be safe. It's not because there isn't one, but because it's unethical to have a controlled study using pregnant women who are drinking.

DMB&NSI · November 2014

@ trampslikeus... how do you know some of us have never buried a child? And in fact I do work in the medical field. Do I believe in certain vaccinations... absolutely. Do I believe medicines can be a saving grace... of course. However, I believe our bodies do heal and can without medical technology. We humans have survived thousands of years... before the practice of medicine. You do know it's practice right? Trials and errors go into testing these medications. Vitamins are ment to be used as a supplement... as most vitamins are. To supplement your diet. So a healthy diet full of macronutrients and micronutients supplemented with vitamins should boost the immune system enough to ward of a virus. And me choosing not to get the shot isn't going to harm you... I mean that is why you chose to get it. To ward off the flu virus and prep your body for the virus you might catch this "flu season". So if i have chosen (as many, many people do) not to get the shot... the only one who's in danger is me... and sure you can say my baby as well... however, I just don't believe that. She's perfect safe inside my uterus. Again... this is simply my opinion and thousands of others. Bashing me and telling me how uneducated I am because I have used my God given right to be human and say "No" doesn't make me any less uneducated than yourself!

neongreen · November 2014

DMB&NSI said:

@ trampslikeus... how do you know some of us have never buried a child? And in fact I do work in the medical field. Do I believe in certain vaccinations... absolutely. Do I believe medicines can be a saving grace... of course. However, I believe our bodies do heal and can without medical technology. We humans have survived thousands of years... before the practice of medicine. You do know it's practice right? Trials and errors go into testing these medications. Vitamins are ment to be used as a supplement... as most vitamins are. To supplement your diet. So a healthy diet full of macronutrients and micronutients supplemented with vitamins should boost the immune system enough to ward of a virus. And me choosing not to get the shot isn't going to harm you... I mean that is why you chose to get it. To ward off the flu virus and prep your body for the virus you might catch this "flu season". So if i have chosen (as many, many people do) not to get the shot... the only one who's in danger is me... and sure you can say my baby as well... however, I just don't believe that. She's perfect safe inside my uterus. Again... this is simply my opinion and thousands of others. Bashing me and telling me how uneducated I am because I have used my God given right to be human and say "No" doesn't make me any less uneducated than yourself!

Did you really just blithely skip over every mention of "herd immunity"? I CAN'T get a flu shot. For legitimate medical reasons, not because some Joe Schmo lit a sage stick, heard voices, and wrote a blog about it, or because I think The Man is out to control me. So yes, by choosing not to vaccinate, you ARE putting other people in danger.

Unfortunately, there's not much anyone can do about it. Your mind's made up, and all I can say is stay the fuck away from me and my kids.

And really? You want to cite our survival as a species before modern medicine as a reason not to vaccinate? Right, because not a damn thing has changed re: life expectancy and quality of life since the caveman days. We don't even have to go back that far. Are you really that insulated in your own little bubble that you don't know a single older person who grew up living in terror before the polio vaccine came out?

Shaking my damn head. (Shaking it so hard, I'm not even using the abbreviation/acronym for it.)

Trampslikeus · November 2014

@DMB&NSI‌ Actually if you read my post I most certainly did not call you uneducated. I said you were a product of a first world upbringing with no concept of mass-casualty/morbidity. But the more you talk, the more I lean towards thinking that you are probably uneducated, or rather, incorrectly educated by Dr Internet and blinded by the trendiness of anti vax culture.

There have been a few recent studies on folks such as yourself that unfortunately show you will continue to cling to your false beliefs no matter how thoroughly they are debunked. So while you may be a lost cause, I'm posting this response mainly in case anyone who stumbles across it is truly undecided.

Herd immunity is the reason polio is eradicated in the US. You can't apply that rationale to one disease and then ignore it with another just so that it fits in with your beliefs - that's not how facts work.

2junebabies · November 2014

My credentials are that I know how to read and I have the right to make choices about my own body. I really hate that argument though...that just because I don't have a medical degree means I couldn't possibly make an informed decision about my own healthcare.

You can get as upset as you want about my choice not to get a flu shot. It's not going to change anything, and I am tired of everyone demonizing people who opt out of shots.

Just to add fuel to the fire, I won't be getting a tdap shot either.

Trampslikeus · November 2014

@2junebabies‌ Ooooooh you rebel!! So cool and edgy! Pertussis is a major cause of infant mortality - real badass! Conformity is for losers!!

kimmarie1105 · November 2014

Not getting a tdap. Awesome! I pray that you are not infected with whooping cough while your child is a newborn.

2junebabies · November 2014

This is why I will not be getting a tdap.

https://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/11/26/whooping-cough-shot-prevents-illness-not-spread-disease/

Doesn't really seem worth it to me if I could unknowingly spread the bacteria to my infant.

Katerina&Baby · November 2014

2junebabies said:
This is why I will not be getting a tdap.

https://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/11/26/whooping-cough-shot-prevents-illness-not-spread-disease/

Doesn't really seem worth it to me if I could unknowingly spread the bacteria to my infant.

*sigh* do people actually bother to read entire articles? Here's a quote you may have missed:
"Still, cocooning is better than nothing. An infected person with a cough is probably spreading more germs that someone who spreads it through talking or exhaling, said the FDA's Merkel"

Is your argument that "well it doesn't work perfectly so why even bother"? Because that is one seriously flawed line of thinking.

mccall35 · November 2014

2junebabies said:
This is why I will not be getting a tdap.

https://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/11/26/whooping-cough-shot-prevents-illness-not-spread-disease/

Doesn't really seem worth it to me if I could unknowingly spread the bacteria to my infant.

Wow, you're a special kind of special. For the sake of your LO and the people you come into contact with on a daily basis, I hope that you are as lucky as you are special.

ETA: Fox News is the source of your informed decision making? Reeeeally?!

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