Another flu jab worry!

[Jennifurball]

Hi,

As I work for the NHS, we get our jabs at work every Oct, this one is due on 12th but just read the other thread which says someone was put off them after reading things on here, I thought pregnant ladies had to have them!

Please can someone enlighten me? Don't want to be harming baby.

 

[mrs woz]

I read on the NHS wesite that the flu jab is recommended whatever stage of pregnancy you are at. Personally, I plan to delay it til around 13/14 weeks - that's just my personal choice, haven't taken any advice on it yet. Haven't even booked with mw as I'm only 5w3d.

I dug out my patient info leaflet for the flu jab I had last year at Boots (called Enzira? or something similar) and it said that particular jab was suitable for women past their first trimester.

If you would feel more comfortable waiting til after 12/13 weeks, maybe you could just be 'unavailable' on the day your jab is scheduled for, the 12th? That gets you out of having to tell anyone at work the reason you want to wait a few weeks - or is that not an option considering where you work?

S

 

[kat2504]

You don't have to have them, it is of course your personal choice, but the NHS recommend it. I think some people are getting it mixed up with the swine flu jab and of course any time you look up something on the internet there is a load of scare stories.
As far as i am concerned , the NHS recommend it so I will have it -once I am out of the first trimester. That seems like a sensible decision. By that time all the major parts of the body have been formed and anyway, there is nothing linking the jab with miscarriage.
People forget that proper flu can be a dangerous illness. This is because people often say they have flu when they really just have a bad cold. The flu virus kills people every year, admittedly often elderly people, but your immunity is lower when you are pregnant.

 

[Jennifurball]

I don't HAVE to have one but I was the one who arranged for the nurses to come down and get names down lol - I will only be about 9 weeks along then so better find an excuse, or book the day off!

What actually happens in the 1st tri if you have one? Isn't the actual flu bug more harmful? Sooo many things to think of!

Cross posted with you Kat! I shall wait until 2nd tri, just to be safe.

 

[kat2504]

I would expect absolutely nothing at all happens in the first trimester if you have one. Some people may unfortunately miscarry the next week and then "blame" it on the flu jab, but of course that doesn't mean that the jab caused it. According to the NHS the jab has been thoroughly tested and is safe at any stage of pregnancy. As I'm a bit further on than you, waiting till the 2nd trimester only takes me to the 7th October so it's not long to wait and I'm unlikely to get seasonal flu between now and then.

have done googling and even swine flu jab is safe. Here is a cautionary tale of why you don't want to get this virus when you are pregnant
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uk...e-to-choose-between-her-and-unborn-child.html

At 9 weeks you would probably be better just to go ahead and get the jab as planned. If you are really worried then just put it off a few weeks to put your mind at rest.

 

[G2501]

Just to let you know, I had the flu jab last winter after some deliberation and my LO is here now and perfect. I was in 2nd Tri when I had it done so a little further on than you. Although i did have a Hep C vaccination in first tri which i dont think is recommended! (OT I know but that caused me some worry!) If you think you will really worry about it though it may be worth delaying but I suppose you need to weigh up the pros and cons

 

[roxursox302]

I'm getting it but will delay till 16 weeks. Mine from last year doesnt die until that time anyway!

 

[redbubble]

Ive been debating whether to get this done at work or not. I think theres a backlog of a few weeks anyway, so that should take me into the 2nd tri, although id rather have the jab than not at any stage.
Ive got a cold at the moment which came on last night and im paranoid its going to turn into the flu or harm my bump in some way..... Oh the pressure!!
xx

 

[kat2504]

Don't worry a cold is a cold and flu is flu. One doesnt turn into the other as far as I know, they are separate diseases.
Also remember that if you do get ordinary seasonal flu in pregnancy and you haven't had the jab yet, you will most likely feel crap but be fine. The sad cases are still rare, but I think seeing as there is a jab to prevent it, we ought to get it.

 

[booda]

Hi i also work for NHS so got flu vaccine every year until last year when i never got around to it, and ended up with swine flu in my 1st trimester - it was hellish. Also had the flu vaccine (swine flu and the year's other strains mixed) when i recovered just incase i caught a different strain (it can happen, and i also have a crap immune system when it comes to viruses) and had no ill effects from the vaccine.....my wee man was born nearly 3 weeks ago and he's absolutely fine!

 

[sjwebb]

There really is no need for another shot if you've already had one, the reason you get the flu shot in the first place is to make your body immune and just like a normal cold, once you catch one strand you can NEVER catch the same one again, ask your nurse or dr if the same strands of the flu are the same in the shot cause if they are there is no need to get another one.

 

[booda]

omg

There are dozens of different strains of the influenza virus, the H and N that you hear about (e.g, H1N1) refer to antigens (proteins on the surface of the virus which cause generation of antibodies, the things that eventually kill the virus).

The vaccine contains the specific combination of these antigens for the type of virus which is active in that particular year. Each year, there is genetic drifts or shifts in the virus meaning that the vaccine you got in 2010 will NOT protect against all strains that are virulent in 2011. Influenza is not just "one single virus", it wears a range of different "jackets and trousers" (hemagglutinin and neuraminidase , or 'H' and 'N') which is how it manages to evade the immune system.

It IS actually possible to have more than one strain of the flu at one time, more likely if both the H and N are different between the 2 viruses. Also, the "swine flu" is JUST another strain of influenza. H1N1 - it's not an alien DNA exactly, it just so happens to have jumped the species barrier, much like H2N2/H3N2 etc....(avian) and most types of influenza at some point. Seems to be the way the media have portrayed H1N1 as "OMG BIG EVIL SWINE FLU!" that's caused people to panic about it and see it as some kind of massive threatening evil form of the flu rather than......just another strain :/
The hospital where I work - a particular ward in which 3 patients had been diagnosied with swine flu - the consultant had decided just to test every patient on the ward regardless of symptoms - and it was found that another 4 patients had the virus, but only had extremely mild common cold-type symptoms!

Anyway, sorry for rambling, I've went on a bit to much and went off on a tangent.........shoot! I have a degree in toxicology & immunology so virus or bacteria talk makes me quite excited....... but it might help someone to make a more informed decision regarding the vaccine :S possibly anyway

 

[LaurGil]

Hey hun

I got the flu jab leaflet in for this year and it says that it is safe during ANY stage of pregnancy ,so I dont understand when people are saying to wait until the second stage of pregnancy,I have booked in for the 5th of Oct & will be just over 6 wks pregnant the way I see it is the sooner I get it the sooner me & my baby are covered,id much rather have a sore arm or feel a bit achy for a few days then risk getting a bad flu .I have read far to many stories in the paper the last couple of years about pregnant woman dying or becoming seriously ill from the flu to even consider not getting it but that is my personal choice

Xxx

 

[roxursox302]

Its a personal choice for me. Plus I just had mine last October so technically I'm not due one yet. I'm just paranoid thats all

 

[PegLeg2na]

Hey just thought I'd throw in my two cents/pence. I've been looking at the manufacturer's recommendations for various flu vaccines and so far none of the shots for the past 3 years have been above a Category C drug, meaning they aren't sure if it's actually safe or not for a fetus. They also aren't recommended for babies under 6 months (which would include a fetus..?) It's a personal choice but I'm not getting a shot because I know the risks of the flu and I don't know the risks of the vaccine. Also, if you get to the hospital early enough with a serious case of the flu and get hydrated, you and baby will probably be fine. Just my personal opinion. Do what YOU think is best for your body and baby.