Flu vaccine??

volimte11 · October 2015

I really don't want to get one but I hear it helps the baby in utero to build immunity to the flu which seems like a good idea going into the winter months? Anyone else get it and why or did not and why? I can't decide!

CocoR04 · October 2015

I got it yesterday and with DS who was a winter baby. I'm a believer in doing what's best for your family - we had DS on a delayed vaccination schedule his first year - because it's what worked for us. I felt like getting the flu shot this late in pregnancy could only help with having a baby during flu season AND a toddler in the house. I also tend to get PP anxiety about germs, so at least I know I did what I could to prevent flu.

cupcakesforbreakfast · October 2015

When the midwife offered it to me, I asked why it was recommended. She said the flu is 10x worse if you're pregnant. She didn't even mention transferring the immunity to baby, which was the reasoning behind TDaP. I wasn't even sure if the flu shot mattered for baby or if it was simply for mom. Regardless, I got it this morning (never had it before) and am feeling fine!

AiramJ · October 2015

I had it done at 35 weeks along with whooping cought vaccine. I was against both at first, not wanting to risk anything, but glad I had them done. The vaccine needs about two weeks to fully get to baby, so you better hurry up with your decision!

CocoR04 · October 2015

cupcakesforbreakfast said:
When the midwife offered it to me, I asked why it was recommended. She said the flu is 10x worse if you're pregnant. She didn't even mention transferring the immunity to baby, which was the reasoning behind TDaP. I wasn't even sure if the flu shot mattered for baby or if it was simply for mom. Regardless, I got it this morning (never had it before) and am feeling fine!

This!! I had the flu at 5weeks with this LO and I was immediately prescribed tamiflu because of the severe complications pregnant women can experience with flu, not just with baby but in general. It was very scary!

kim1228 · October 2015

My doctors strongly recommended it, so I didn't think twice and got it. I always get it though.

sdnyc99 · October 2015

I'm getting it this weekend, making my husband get it, and my teen got it a few days ago.
Coming down with the flu while having a newborn in the house this winter is one of the worst things I can imagine! I'll do anything I can to prevent it.
I also listen to my doctor, who is the highly educated medical professional that I'm not!

clairesmommabear · October 2015

I didn't but that is because I am allergic to eggs so I'm unable to get the vaccine. DD got it at her 2 year appointment because the doctors highly recommended to do so.

JamieDubs · October 2015

This year you can get the shot even if allergic to eggs - new fillers

JamieDubs · October 2015

I had my shot Tuesday - the first day my clinic offered it! I'm 38 weeks. I work in healthcare and get it every year. I wanted my baby to have the best possible chance at avoiding the flu since it is flu season. I have a strong immune system and rarely get sick myself but seem to carry everything home and get my husband sick - I wouldn't want to get my baby sick

ColoradoHiker · October 2015

I get it every year bc I work in a hospital setting. That being said, you pass on some of the immunity to the baby. And since we're in flu season, not to mention holidays/ everyone wanting to see the new baby, it was even more important to me to protect him as much as I can.

BlueTopazBride · October 2015

I got mine this year (and every year) because it is recommended for everyone who is able to get the vaccine to get it. This year especially, we will still be immunocompromised because of pregnancy, so flu could be worse than normal. My midwife recommended it during pregnancy to transfer some immunity to baby, so I got it the first week the office had it - 38 weeks for me. You can't get the flu from the flu shot, it is completely inactivated. The nasal spray has a low chance of of giving you a mild case.

Please get your shots.

dchiapella · October 2015

I absolutely got one. Why take the chance?

1. If we get the flu now it's going to plain SUCK. I got the flu at the tail end of the season earlier in the year and it was a HORRIBLE combination with pregnancy, I can only imagine how miserable it would be to get it right before labor.

2. If we get the flu after baby's born we can't snuggle and comfort him/ her like we would otherwise. I don't want to not be able to hold my munchkin.

3. If baby gets it than UGH. Nothing more sad or scary than a sick baby!

clairesmommabear · October 2015

JamieDubs said:
This year you can get the shot even if allergic to eggs - new fillers

Interesting! I'm surprised they never offered it to me! I'll have to ask my doctor about it. Thanks!

1stComesLove421 · October 2015

I did not. I can't have anymore vaccines. I had a select few as a child that caused health issues. Now I have a weakened immune system and my body doesn't respond well to stuff like that. I'd be hospitalized if I had one, and that isn't good for baby if I'm not able to be there for her.

This is my personal experience, I'm in no way trying to scare anyone away from them. It's a personal choice and should be decided based off of what you think is best for you and your baby.

Knottie16288692 · October 2015

I got two of them by mistake lol One about a month ago and another about 4 months before that. Its always best to be safe then sorry. Anymore people rarely wash their hands or cover their mouth when they cough or sneeze. I have never had the flu personally, but my mom gets it every year around Thanksgiving. It never fails and is usually a running joke in my family. I don't want my little one exposed to that.

KLHauck12 · October 2015

I got mine several weeks ago at one of my appointments. My husband had his a few weeks ago. I get one every year and have never had a reaction. I had influenza in college and it was the worst! I've tried to get the flu shot ever since because I would rather have some chance of avoiding it or at least lessoning it. The few times I forgot, I have had a much worse winter picking up every little thing. I also feel stronly about passing on the immunity to my baby!

naka92 · October 2015

Where I'm from, just people that are in a risk group are able to get the shot. Pregnant women arent in that risk group, so you wont get it unless you develop something that'd place you into a risk group (such as GD). I honestly tend to trust healthcare back there more than over here, so I declined the shot.

mollypuss1 · October 2015

MelMel92 said:
Where I'm from, just people that are in a risk group are able to get the shot. Pregnant women arent in that risk group, so you wont get it unless you develop something that'd place you into a risk group (such as GD). I honestly tend to trust healthcare back there more than over here, so I declined the shot.

They only give it to people in the risk group where I'm from also, except they class pregnant women as being in the risk group so I got the shot.

NathanheartsKim · October 2015

Definitely not getting it. This will be my third newborn during the winter and we just haven't had any problems. The people that I know that get the shot always seem to get the flu, so no thank you!

dchiapella · October 2015

Meh. I promise I am NOT being argumentative, here, not intentionally at least. I just have also noticed that most of the people who get the "flu" after getting the shot tend to overreact in general, like they might feel crappy after getting the shot (pretty normal) and then say they actually got the flu from it and hey, it's a great excuse to stay home for a few days. I just know to many people, I guess. I just know that every year I don't get the shot, I end up sick. Every year I get the shot, I don't.

shantyrae · October 2015

I did get the TDAP but was too nervous about the flu shot. I've never had it (also never had the flu... knock on wood) so I am nervous about introducing something like that into my body right now. We definitely are going to be covering baby in public or wearing a baby wrap, pushing hand Sanitizer and taking extra precautions. It also doesn't get chilly here in Texas until at least December. Still 90 degrees!

MrsL32 · October 2015

I never got it until I had kids/have been pregnant. Newborns and illness don't mix well, In doing everything I can to protect her going into flu season.

JaqiDec04 · October 2015

I received the flu shot to protect myself from the flu. In my entire life, I've known of exactly three people who were actually diagnosed with H1N1/influenza. One is my mother, and two were close family friends, who nearly died last winter (no exaggeration, they were hospitalized for over a week).

I never understand the logic "I got the flu shot and still got sick." The flu shot doesn't keep you from getting a cold, or even, really sick. That reminds me of my MIL who demands an antibiotic from her doctor any time she has the sniffles, and has a stock pile of extra antibiotics in her house for whenever she "isn't feeling well." Thats not how this works.

Leabyrd · October 2015

I agree, this topic could get heated especially when considering newborn vaccines, etc. The flu shot takes about 2 weeks to start "working" in those two weeks you could absolutely get the flu. But once you have passed that two week threshold your chances go way down, we as adults have the capacity ( most of the time) to fight the virus if we get it, whether we got the flu shot or not. Our new infants on the other hand absolutely DO NOT. My husband doesn't want to get a flu shot because he thinks you get sick but what I am trying to tell him is that you can be a carrier for the virus even if you do not get it. You could carry the virus, pass it along to the baby, you would be fine maybe never get sick or have symptoms but now your 3/4/5 week old baby has the flu. I am not a mom yet but I can bet that there is no worse feeling than watching your child suffer from something that they could have easily NOT been exposed to. There are so many other things to worry about when caring for a baby and I feel this is just an easy thing to do to check off the list.

sdnyc99 · October 2015

I've had the actual flu twice in my life and it felt like death! Horrible!

I'd much rather get the shot and deal with a sore arm or the sniffles for a couple of days.

Not to mention that the one year my daughter got the shot but my husband and I didn't...yup! We both got the flu but she stayed perfectly healthy.

JamieDubs · October 2015

Im not sure why you mention the temperature? The temp has nothing to do with transmitting viruses, flu, or bacteria. These things come full circle around the world - it's the time of year not weather that makes it flu season. Warmth actually incubates bacteria if it's not hot enough to kill it and in theory germs could grow more easily.

twogirlsandagreen · October 2015

I am amazed by how few people realize that hand sanitizer does NOT kill viruses. It only kills bacteria. Even if the front of the bottle says, "kills 99.9% of germs" turn the bottle over and read the back. It clearly states bacteria only. You are not preventing flu or any other virus with hand sanitizer. Too bad using Lysol wipes on your hands (which does kill viruses too) isn't safe. During the whole Ebola scare everyone had hand sanitizer out which was funny since it's a virus and it would just laugh at the hand sanitizer. Washing your hands well is the only way to get viruses off. Rant over

CocoR04 · October 2015

twogirlsandagreen said:
I am amazed by how few people realize that hand sanitizer does NOT kill viruses. It only kills bacteria. Even if the front of the bottle says, "kills 99.9% of germs" turn the bottle over and read the back. It clearly states bacteria only. You are not preventing flu or any other virus with hand sanitizer. Too bad using Lysol wipes on your hands (which does kill viruses too) isn't safe. During the whole Ebola scare everyone had hand sanitizer out which was funny since it's a virus and it would just laugh at the hand sanitizer. Washing your hands well is the only way to get viruses off. Rant over

Thanks for this reminder! Sometimes as a mom of a toddler I like to take the easy way out and use hand sanitizer, but seeking out a sink for hand washing is obviously the best.

sweet+cheeks · October 2015

As a STM I will tell you that a sick baby is absolutely terrifying. Trouble breathing, choking, lethargy and they can't tell you what is wrong or do simple things like blow their nose. It is absolutely heartbreaking. Thank god DD never got the flu. A standard cold is hard enough. I cannot imagine caring for a newborn with the flu. We all got our shots. I dont understand the hesitation to do something that is so easy and increases your chances of avoiding getting really sick.

ChariZae · October 2015

I just got the shot yesterday. I never got the flu shot prior to pregnancy, but I got it with my first as she was a January baby and skipped it with my second because she was born in April. My two girls also got it because they are in daycare. I will ask my husband to get it, but I'm almost positive he will refuse because he felt bad after the one we got during my first pregnancy.

FrozenMommy · October 2015

Why is this a question. VACCINATE PEOPLE!!!! It saves lives!!!

shantyrae · October 2015

JamieDubs said:
Im not sure why you mention the temperature? The temp has nothing to do with transmitting viruses, flu, or bacteria. These things come full circle around the world - it's the time of year not weather that makes it flu season. Warmth actually incubates bacteria if it's not hot enough to kill it and in theory germs could grow more easily.

Actually cold weather allows flu to spread more easily, and for me personally weather changes in general can make me get sick. And let's be clear, I do not disagree with flu vaccinations. I simply have never had the shot which in turn makes me nervous to try it for the first time when I am 1) pregnant and 2) never had the flu. My doctor never even mentioned or suggested the shot to me during pregnancy either.

ETA:
https://www.weather.com/health/cold-flu/news/flu-season-strikes-winter-20140122

https://mobile.nytimes.com/2007/12/05/health/research/05flu.html?referer=

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