Flu Shot Advice
Bad Blogger Reena here…sorry. I’m actually halfway through a post about my surgery, but I keep crying as I write it, so I keep having to stop. So I’m cutting in with a request for advice:
Has anyone who has gone through infertility and then gotten pregnant had the flu shot? I am a nervous wreck. I’ve never had the flu shot or the flu before. On one hand I don’t want to get the shot – because if I ever had a miscarriage or preterm labor due to it I literally don’t know what I would do. I would need to be sedated in a hospital for the rest of my life – and I’m not joking. On the other hand, if I don’t get the shot and get the flu, since being pregnant lowers your immune system, and then I have horrible complications from the flu and wind up losing the babies or worse – dying…clearly that wouldn’t sit well with me either. I’ve read so much about it and I just don’t know who to believe. I’d love personal experiences to be shared. (Not to be a pain, but please limit comments that address this particular problem, I know there is a lot of debate about vaccines and at this time I’m not looking to stir up that debate-thank you).
last year I chose not to have the flu shot (either one) my doctor seemed to support that decision, even said he saw a few people with H1N1 while preggo and they were able to recover just fine. the discussion we had was 1) reaction to the shots 2) possible unknown long term effects of the vaccine that hasnt been out long 3) my risk factors, was i around large crowds, children, elderly etc…
in the end we decided i wasnt comfortable with it and so i passed, and thankfully didnt get sick either. i have weird reactions to vaccines too so that played into my decision, i got the flu shot one year and still got pretty sick so I figured i might just risk it.
Such a hard decision, no one can tell you what to do, go with your gut…
| Posted 1 year, 3 months agothanks! it’s so weird, i’m actually having nightmares about this decision. I always thought I wouldn’t get it since I had never gotten it before – but then i’m so scared that i could get insanely sick with the flu – ah!!! I have some more thinking to do – thanks for your input! hope you’re doing great! xoxo
| Posted 1 year, 3 months agoHey Reena! I’ve been stalking your blog for a while, and I figured it was a good time to comment since I just went through this myself. I’m about 21 weeks pregnant and I just got my flu shot. I agonized over the decision. My OB really encouraged it because we had two pregnant women in the area actually die from the flu. They were both 3rd trimester, and apparently their immune and respiratory systems just weren’t up to task. These women obviously were not the standard, but it’s scary non the less.
I’ll say the shot hurts like a mofo. I mean, it’s way worse than a tetanus vaccine. I ended up feeling “fluey” for the evening afterwards, but was fine the next morning. The little boy seems to be fine as well. Heard his heartbeat the other day and everything. It’s been a week since my shot and no complications.
I’m with the previous commentor, go with your gut! If you do decide to get the vaccine, your OB should have the one that is thimerasol free vaccine without the live virus which is significantly safer. Best of luck and I’m sure you’ll make the right call
| Posted 1 year, 3 months agoI’ve always gotten flu shots (had family members that would have gotten VERY sick if it got in the house), and I’ve never had a problem. With that said, I’m waiting til I’m past the first trimester to get one this year… It is a tough decision – good luck!
| Posted 1 year, 3 months agoI had the swine flu shot when I was pregnant – it was absolutely no hassle except a bit of a swollen red lump where it went in. Now I know I am protected for life. Worth it. Hope that helps! xxx
| Posted 1 year, 3 months agoI have never had the flu shot before. Had 2 miscarriages and I’m currently 24 wks along. My doctor convinced me the flu shot was the right thing to do, and so I got it. I wasn’t planning on it, but the pros outweighed the cons in the end, especially since my baby is due in February. It’s your choice – but talk to your doctor about all the risks involved.
| Posted 1 year, 3 months agomy doc convinced me to get it too. she’s a homeopathic doc too so i was surprised, but i think that’s why i trusted her. if a doc who prescribes vitamins over drugs, this was a strong statement. she felt even more strongly about me getting it since i’ll hopefully be pregnant soon.
| Posted 1 year, 3 months agoHi everyone! Thank you so much for your advice – I’m still a nervous nilly – but I know I need to decide VERY SOON! Also, sorry for taking so long to comment – I was in the hospital AGAIN!!!! I will post about it soon – all is well though, thank goodness! Hope you’re all doing great too! xoxo
| Posted 1 year, 3 months agoDon’t have a comment regarding flu shot of not, but just wanted to say I hope all is going well with you.
| Posted 1 year, 2 months agoI got the H1N1 shot when i was pregnant for my son last year. My doctor told me i should get it because of how bad it can be if you get the flu and are pregnant. Also my son was born in December so it is the start of all the sickness and I wanted him to be pregnant. I’m now prengnat again but dont think I will get the shot now because I’m so early on.
| Posted 1 year, 2 months agoJust checking in…hope you are feeling great this holiday!
| Posted 1 year, 2 months agoI should try and find your email instead of posting here…just thinking about you and wondering how life is going? I hope when you are ready you will blog an update
| Posted 1 year agoHi hun – just checking in on you. How are things? I hope they’re still going well, as you must be term by now? Just to let you know that you are in my thoughts all the time. xxx
| Posted 11 months, 4 weeks agoMe too I still check hoping for an update. Hope things are good!
| Posted 9 months ago