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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To ask wether you had the flu jab in pregnancy

115 replies

Ilovechocolatetoomuch · 16/10/2017 17:34

Hi.
More of a what do you do.
I am not anti vaccine, however for some reason the flu jab does not sit right with me. I didn't have it with my first.
What are other people's thoughts on it?

OP posts:

everydayanewday · 16/10/2017 19:19

I didn’t have the flu jab.

I did end up with flu whilst pregnant though, and one of the complications (a heart arrhythmia) that I got from the flu I still have.

Do I wish I had had the jab? Yes.

MissConductUS · 16/10/2017 19:21

I thought the reason flu was so dangerous to pregnant woman was because of secondary complications such as bronchitis & pneumonia?

It's more dangerous for pregnant women because their immune systems are suppressed, making them more vulnerable. It also helps protect the baby before and after birth.

www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/vaccine/pregnant.htm

I had it during both pregnancies with no side effects, and I'm glad I did.

AcademicOwl · 16/10/2017 19:22

It's hugely misleading to link flu vaccine with miscarriage - and simply isn't true. Miscarriage can happen without an apparent cause and it isn't in any way linked to a flu jab.
Conversely, flu in pregnant women can result in death (& yes, often linked to secondary infection).

It's absolutely as damaging to put such nonsense out on the internet as claiming a link between mmr and autism.

I find it amazing that such dangerous nonsense is still peddled when it puts lives at risk.

Getsorted21 · 16/10/2017 19:33

Without the jab you might have had flu ON TOP of your cold and pneumonia. Doesn't bear thinking about, does it?

Im not sure how that would of made a difference or made it worse. It was the pneumonia that was restricting my oxygen levels & making me tachycardic.

Having said that If pregnant again I would likely have it.

CigarsofthePharoahs · 16/10/2017 19:35

I had the jab with my 2nd pregnancy. Had a sore arm for a few days!
It was the year that there were two strains of flu going round and the vaccine only covered one. Two weeks after the jab I had three days of high temp with other flu symptoms.
I'm still glad I had the vaccine. It's interesting what a pp mentioned about it meaning that even catching another strain less serious. I suspect this was the case!

You can't catch a cold from a flu vaccine. Colds are caused by rhinovirus or adenovirus. The influenza virus is different.

DailyMailReadersAreThick · 16/10/2017 19:37

Getsorted21 You don't understand how having flu, a potentially fatal virus, on top of potentially fatal pneumonia, might have been worse than just having pneumonia?

Really?

MissConductUS · 16/10/2017 19:39

It's hugely misleading to link flu vaccine with miscarriage

I think that this has come up because there was a study recently that's part of the CDC's ongoing vaccine surveillance program that may have seen a small number of cases that could be relevant. What's not commonly reported is that the miscarriages only happened with women who previously had also gotten the H1N1 vaccine, a strain that first appeared in 2009.

www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/study-linking-early-miscarriage-flu-vaccine-puzzles-doctors-n800981

But the benefits of the vaccine for pregnant women and their babies is well established. See the link I posted above.

OP, best of luck with the pregnancy and please to get the jab.

StrawberryMummy90 · 16/10/2017 19:40

Yes with my first and will not be getting it again. I was quite far along, never even had a bad cold in my life let alone flu. Really good immune system, had the jab and a few days later got an extremely bad cold. It would go after a few weeks and then return a week later. This continued after DD was born, I was extremely poorly and couldn't look after her properly for the first month or so. My stitches got infected because I was coughing constantly and the pressure meant they weren't healing. I was in a lot of pain it was awful and I believe triggered my PND.

Yes it could of been a coincidence but genuinely would never even get colds, to go from that to constantly ill for months straight after the jab seemed too much of a coincidence for me and I will never be getting it again.

Everyone always says 'BUT YOU CAN'T GET ILL FROM IT'. Yes all the stories are anecdotal of course but on threads like these I read so many similar stories to mine, I can't believe it's a coincidence, don't care how stupid that makes me look.

Getsorted21 · 16/10/2017 19:40

I've had the flu & wasn't aware that the flu virus in itself was a huge killer. My understanding from my time in hospital was its largely the secondary infection or complications that kills people.

Mumof41987 · 16/10/2017 19:45

Nope never had it in any of my pregnancies

teenytinypontypine · 16/10/2017 19:50

Yes 100% yes. This year's flu is nasty. It has killed fit and well people in Australia, and pregnant women are higher risk than the general population.

Linnet · 16/10/2017 19:51

No I didn't have it during either of my pregnancies. It seems to be a very recent thing to offer flu jabs to pregnant women and I'm interested to know when it started, does anyone know?

MissConductUS · 16/10/2017 19:53

I've had the flu & wasn't aware that the flu virus in itself was a huge killer

It is mostly the secondary infections and complications that kill people, but flu can kill directly by inflaming the lungs to the point of respiratory collapse. This type of Pneumonia can be caused directly by the virus, as well as opportunistic bacterial infections that develop later.

Changerazelea · 16/10/2017 19:55

I had no vaccine in my last pregnancy and caught the flu. It was unbelievably bad and I spent 10 days in bed recovering I honestly could not open my eyes for the first 5 days in such pain.
Please please consider the vaccine.

Cornettoninja · 16/10/2017 19:55

Okay I'm not an expert but I do know that nhs advice errs on the side of caution with all medications whilst you are pregnant/breastfeeding. Logic tells me that people who are lot more knowledgable than me know the benefit outweighs the risk.

Saying that no one will force you so it's still a personal decision. Might be an interesting exercise to ask your local trust what their labour ward/maternity staff flu jab uptake is to have an idea if you'll have any benefit from 'herd immunity' possibly? My local one has a 10% staff uptake and if I knew that before having winter born dd I think I would have seriously considered my options.

haveacupoftea · 16/10/2017 19:55

I accepted all treatment in pregnancy advised to me by medical staff who were much more qualified than me to take decisions about my healthcare.

Linnet · 16/10/2017 19:57

Hit post too soon, I didn't have it because it wasn't offered when I was pregnant.

Amanduh · 16/10/2017 19:58

How many times do people have to be told it CAN'T give you the flu? Or a cold. Before telling others not to because it gave them the flu?! Ffs.

MissConductUS · 16/10/2017 19:59

It seems to be a very recent thing to offer flu jabs to pregnant women and I'm interested to know when it started, does anyone know?

I don't know the history of the recommendation, but I was strongly advised to get it in 1999, the first time I was "up the duff."

bumbleymummy · 16/10/2017 19:59

No, I didn't. I think the uptake in pregnant women is around 45%.

LillyLollyLandy · 16/10/2017 20:00

I had it with all 3 of my pregnancies.

Linnet · 16/10/2017 20:02

Thanks MissConductUS. I was pregnant in 1997 and 2004 both times through the winter and it wasn't offered to me.

BarbarianMum · 16/10/2017 20:04

My neighbour's SiL died of the flu whilst pregnant. 6 years ago next spring. Left a husband and toddler daughter.

WanderingTrolley1 · 16/10/2017 20:04

Wasn't offered it in first pregnancy.

Had it in 2nd pregnancy and it brought on early stages of labour - thankfully they were able to stop the contractions!

Didn't have it with 3rd and, if pregnant again, would decline it.

Tsundoku · 16/10/2017 20:04

The world has coped well for centuries

WTF does this even mean, coping? That the human race has prevailed, even though there have been millions of preventable deaths from flu, particularly amongst the at-risk groups who are recommended to have a flu shot now?

Not to mention nine flu pandemics in the past three hundred years, including one in 1918 which killed 50-100 million people. And I know pandemics are caused by new strains of flu for which current vaccinations are useless, but, once the strain is identified, developing a vaccination is urgently done and I don't see anyone saying 'meh: vaccines? no thanks, we'll cope' when the harsh realities of a really aggressive flu strain are evident.

People are so blase about life-threatening illnesses which sound familiar. Flu? Have a lie-down and a Lemsip. Yes: I had a flu shot when pregnant, as recommended by my OB-GYN, the NHS, the CDC, the WHO and every reputable organisation for obstetric and paediatric health. I think it's fine to have concerns and questions about vaccinations, but this whole 'oh, we managed for centuries without' is painfully ignorant.

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