Flu Shot? yes..no..?

[babydreamz]

I am confused about getting Flu shot...anyone for or against it?

Any specific pros and cons?

Thanks ladies!

[Addy]

My OB strongly encouraged me to get one in Oct. They are free at my job, so I plan on getting one.

[MamaBoo]

I got one with my first pregnancy and will definately get one this time too. The flu can be worse for a pregnant woman than the general population.

[blairwh58]

Ive been told by my high-risk OB and the regular OB that I should get the flu shot in late Sept/early Oct. Coming down with the flu during pregnancy can be very risky for both you and your baby.

[Happy Bunny]

I was advised to get one after 12 weeks and I did. Also, I read that babies born to mothers who have the flu shot get some of that immunity transferred to them.

If you plan to get one from somewhere outside your doctor's office - you'll probably need a note from your OB saying for you to get one. No one would give me one unless I got a note.

[riogirl71]

You might also consider a TDAP shot once you deliver, I got one at the hospital and had my whole family do it!

[Sdtryingagain]

My personal preference would be to have anyone caring for or around my child (myself included) to be vaccinated with both the flu vaccine and TDAP (for whooping cough coverage). I'd also want to make sure that it was the flu vaccine formulated for the most current flu season.

[to_have_fun08]

If you never have had a flu shot, do you think it is still recommended. I guess i have a really good immune system. I get a cold about twice a year that last about 3 days and that is about it. Have never really had the "flu". So i have never had a flu shot. I am worried the flu shot would screw up my system.

[blairwh58]

I used to not get flu shots until DH started making me since he comes in contact with so many bugs at the hospital. I would think that even if you havent had one in the past that your OB is still going to recommend you getting one this season. Ive never really had the flu either. Hopefully you wont have any side effects from the shot anyway, and if so its usually just a runny nose or cold like symptoms for a day or so. Good luck.

[MamaBoo]

The first time I ever had a flu shot was when I was pregnant with my son. The only side effect I had was soreness at the injection site for a day or two. Also, I plan to get a DTaP, and to make my husband get it too. My son has already had his.

[Sdtryingagain]

tohavefun- immunization are great for healthy people to keep you healthy and more importantly to keep others healthy. One of the things about the last H1N1 and pertussis scare was that people with good healthy immune systems were getting mild forms of the illness (and didn't even know they had it!) and giving to others not quite so well protected (elderly/kids) and that's where we typically see the deaths/serious cases. obviously, i'm biased being in the medical field but when i see preventable cases of disease it really kills me....

[to_have_fun08]

I'm not against the immunizations, so i will check into it. i have an OB appt next week so i'll ask about them to her. In most cases I am just so sick of appointments and Dr.'s and injections that I seem to bypass all the immunization stuff.

[Sdtryingagain]

hi to have fun, i just re-read my post and realized that it probably come off a bit strong, i hope that it wasn't offensive. I respect everyone's right to make their own choices. I can understand your wanting to stay away from the doctor (I'm totally guilty of that myself!) and wanting to make sure something is really needed before signing up to be a medical experiment

[to_have_fun08]

SD - I wasn't offended. sometimes we type stuff up and it comes off differently then expected. I like having your opinion since you are a Dr.

[Sdtryingagain]

Good, that makes me feel better! when i re-read it I was thinking to myself that i was a moron for stating it that way