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Original poster

vaccines

29 replies

blueforyou · 26/09/2019 22:14

my daughter is 24 weeks pregnant and is soon due to have her flu jab. As the baby is due in Jan the midwife advised she get this jab. I don't recall having any jabs apart from the anti d than I needed due to my rhesus blood type. I am not a scare mongerer at all but It does worry me that whatever they are planning to put into my daughter will go into the baby. My daughter is quite young (19) and tends to think these people know what they are talking about. So I have joined MN to seek a bit of advice. Cheers.

OP posts:
dementedpixie · 26/09/2019 22:15

I'm sure they give flu jab if required and whooping cough too

Littlepeak34 · 26/09/2019 22:17

I got flu jab when I was pregnant. Obviously it won’t harm baby otherwise they wouldn’t be offering it to pregnant women.

I think the consequences of your daughter getting flu are much worse for baby surely.

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Fantababy · 26/09/2019 22:18

The flu jab is safe when pregnant. Having a very high temperature when pregnant can be very dangerous for the baby.
The whooping cough vaccine, when given in pregnancy, protects the baby.

ShrimpingViolet · 26/09/2019 22:18

Yes of course it's fine. They wouldn't offer it if it posed a risk to the baby. I had one and had no ill effects at all.

mrsed1987 · 26/09/2019 22:18

I had it, no reason why not imo?

HabbyHadno · 26/09/2019 22:22

I had it last year and thank God I did. My husband caught flu from the hospital after one of our scans and gave it to my then 1 year old. They were both very, very ill for a week. Luckily I escaped, no doubt because of the jab. I think flu is quite dangerous for pregnant women, they give the jab for this reason.

Original poster
blueforyou · 26/09/2019 22:23

Thank you for your replies. I think you are all most probably right but I am old enough to remember the dreadful thalidimide drug that was given to pregnant women in the 60's for extreme morning sickness and the terrible results of that. Just putting it out there that we tend to take their word for it when told what to do and what not to do. It's such a huge responsibility and that deep worry we have when we have to make those decisions.

OP posts:
dementedpixie · 26/09/2019 22:26

vk.ovg.ox.ac.uk/vk/flu-vaccine-pregnancy

Fantababy · 26/09/2019 22:36

I completely understand your concerns but hopefully lessons were learned from thalidomide and vaccines to be used by pregnant women are more rigorously tested now. The dangers of not having the recommended vaccines outweigh any perceived risks. Your daughter should have the vaccines recommended by the NHS.

Venger · 26/09/2019 23:47

Flu is dangerous in pregnancy as you have a higher risk of complications and respiratory problems, not to mention a fever being bad for the baby. The flu jab has been offered to pregnant women for many years now, I remember having it with my first pregnancy back in 2008, and is very safe.

The whooping cough vaccine obviously protects the mother but it also gives the baby some immunity during its first few weeks until it is old enough to get it's own vaccination. It is the same injection given to babies at 8wks and was introduced during pregnancy following an increase of whooping cough cases, whooping cough can be fatal for newborns so it's important they have this transferred immunity.

gnushoes · 26/09/2019 23:57

I too remember the thalidomide scandal - my mum was offered it when pregnant with me - but that's why there is now such huge caution around what pregnant women eat/medical treatment. The flu jab is safer than risking the flu.

Redshoeblueshoe · 27/09/2019 00:01

Gnu my mum was also offered it and declined it.
OP they have been doing this for a while now so if there were problems they would have been picked up by now

KellyHall · 27/09/2019 00:04

I had the flu jab and whooping cough vaccine when pregnant with no ill effects. My dd is 2.5 years old.

GaudyNight · 27/09/2019 00:13

Thalidomide is part of the reason we have stronger regulation of drugs and testing, particularly in pregnancy..

SilverChime · 27/09/2019 00:21

I chose not to have any jabs while pregnant. I’m generally in favour of vaccinations and my DC had them all. But I didn’t feel comfortable with jabs during pregnancy, particularly as they were all labelled not approved for use during pregnancy.

goldopals · 27/09/2019 02:25

I had the flu vaccine and whooping cough. I didn't want to risk it

scruffyma · 10/10/2019 16:39

I was offered the flue jab when pregnant and decided against it for similar reasons. After reading the insert and possible side effects I decided that on balance the benefit didn't outlay the potential risks for me. I didn't commute to work on public transport and I worked in a small office with just a few people where they were able to work from home if under the weather, as opposed to spreading it about the office. No vaccine can be actually tested on pregnant women and in the manufacturers insert you'll see it's usually contraindicated. I think individuals need to look at their lifestyle and environments and decide what's best after taking everything into consideration. Nothing is 100% safe for everyone. It's a case of weighing up your risks I think.

C8H10N4O2 · 10/10/2019 18:25

Thalidomide wasn't a vaccine.

Would probably make more sense to discuss your concerns with someone who is qualified to advise your daughter's specific case, rather than a bunch of randoms on the internet who don't know her.

Just putting it out there that we tend to take their word for it when told what to do and what not to do

I don't but why would you trust the word of a bunch of people you don't know from Adam over your own research and advisors?

hormonesorDHbeingadick · 10/10/2019 18:28

Flu is very dangerous pregnancy. Whooping cough vaccine is given later in pregnancy and the aim is for it to cross the placenta to baby. It was brought in after a number of new borns died from whooping cough before they were old for the vaccine.

lljkk · 10/10/2019 19:45

Flu jab is given to high risk groups.
Pregnant women have suppressed immune systems so they are high risk.
Flu can be deadly to woman & fetus.

MindyStClaire · 10/10/2019 20:11

I would've been far more scared of not having either vaccine. But then I have asthma and get the flu vaccine every year.

Stressedout10 · 10/10/2019 21:40

Forgive me if I'm wrong here but your "just putting it out there" is very anti Vaxer perhaps you should stay off there sites and stick to NHS and GMC approved sites

Tfoot75 · 11/10/2019 07:57

It's a bit worrying that you thought a bunch of random people might have more valid opinions on this than the NHS. Might want to test through that logic. IMHO your daughters stance that these people generally know what they're talking about seems the rational, adult view.

firstimemamma · 11/10/2019 08:11

Flu jab is obviously safe otherwise they wouldn't have offered it to her.

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