10.08.09
To vaccinate or not to vaccinate…
I’m asking for advice. I can’t decide whether to get the flu shot or not. Not only are pregnant women supposed to get the seasonal flu vaccine, the CDC has placed preggos on the priority list for the HINI vaccine, aka swine flu vaccine. That means I would need to get two shots.
It’s not that I am afraid of getting both shots, it’s that I NEVER get the flu shot. I’m worried that I will suffer some of the side effects, and then get sick. I don’t want to get sick or experience flu-like symptoms. That is the last thing I need right now.
But, there is the other side of me that wonders why I am even questioning this. Of course I should protect myself and Kaden, right? A pregnant woman who gets any type of flu is at greater risk for health problems, and so far, 28 pregnant women have died from swine flu here in the U.S.
So, what do you think?
And, are you getting the flu shot?
Jeff said,
October 8, 2009 at 2:01 pm
I think we haven’t heard the truth about the risks of this vaccine.
Mary Horsley said,
October 8, 2009 at 2:47 pm
Stay away from any flu shot for your health and your baby’s health. Instead, build your immunity with good food, good fat, raw milk (if possible), and cod liver oil with 1000 mg. of Vitamin D. Then you are protecting yourself. And don’t allow your newborn to have the Hepatitis B at birth. Read up on the real connection between vaccines and autism.
Pat said,
October 9, 2009 at 6:37 am
I say, get vaccinated.
Sarah said,
October 9, 2009 at 10:18 am
Flu yes H1N1 no! There have been no trials for the Swine flu so I say no. My company encourages it but I am not sure I am a believer. You are so close and I wouldn’t do anything to put the baby at risk!!!
Sandra Zobrist said,
October 9, 2009 at 5:53 pm
I’m a firm believer of the flu shot! So Honey, keep your Mommy happy as I don’t want to see any sickness from you other then what you’ve been dealing with. And I do believe you’ll keep little Kaden safe as well. Love you
Heather said,
October 11, 2009 at 11:39 am
I agree with Sarah and your Mom. I don’t trust vaccines that are new though. I didn’t have Emily vaccinated when she was little with the Varicella (chicken pox) vaccine because it was so new. The boys, however, got them because they had improved it by then. Our whole family is getting the flu shot. I have gotten them in the past and have never had side effects from it. Doctors that I worked with told me that people who get side effects from it are usually exposed to the flu before even getting the shot.
Shannon said,
October 11, 2009 at 4:10 pm
Wednesday will mark 31 weeks for me, so I am right behind you! I have been struggling with the question of whether to get the H1N1 vaccine since… April, when I started hoping that there would even be a shot for me to consider, come fall. I got the regular (thimerisol-free) shot two weeks ago, but am still unsure about H1N1, though I feel like I’m leaning toward it, more and more.
My doctor (and most doctors, it seems) strongly recommends it. She argues that it is not any “newer” than each year’s seasonal flu shot, which does not go through clinical trials each year, yet is recommended for pregnant women, and has not shown any adverse effects. She is adament that it is the same. (Actually, the H1N1 vaccine is being studied in 120 pregnant women, which is more testing than has been done with any seasonal flu vaccine). If the H1N1 virus had been detected in February, instead of April, she said, then the strain would have been part of the seasonal vaccine. She also informed me that Tamiflu (which I’d have to take if I contracted the flu) has not been studied in pregnant women. Then she asked how many x-rays I’d feel comfortable getting if I were to get the flu.
I don’t think there’s an easy answer. And, no matter how much assurance my doctor can give me, the bottom line is that we can’t know, so it’s still scary. I guess I just feel like my odds of getting the flu – and getting very ill from it – are still greater than any theoretical complications from the vaccine. So when it’s available to me I’ll have to make a decision and just pray it’s the right one. Until then, I’ll continue to go through a daily bottle of Purell. Good luck to you and, whatever decision you make, I’m sure you and Kaden will be just fine