Whooping cough and flu vaccination, to vaccinate or not to vaccinate?

[RuJuAs]

I'm 17+3weeks pregnant and wondering whether i should or shouldn't get the vaccinations. My midwife and GP are REALLY trying to push me to get both vaccines but my mum, some nurse friends and other people are advising me to not get it.

I'd like to hear from some mothers who chose to have it and those who chose against it.

Thanks in advance
X

Are your ‘nurse’ friends on a professional register? They could get themselves into serious trouble if their personal opinions are taken as ‘professional’ advice.
Flu and whooping cough can cause death, brain damage, lung damage and other long term injuries to babies. Please protect your baby.

The fact you have friends who are nurses recommending you don't get vaccinated.....
They should be struck off immediately. What appalling professionalism.

Get them. I’ve seen people die of flu. Don’t mess around and especially not as you’re putting your baby at risk too.

Not sure what your nurse friends were thinking if I’m honest

Thanks to everyone who responded. I just wanted to hear other women's opinions on the vaccines, i DO actually have mine booked for when I'm 20weeks (apparently it's more effective between 20-34weeks or something). I wanted to make sure i was doing the right thing, i've read some medical journals (mainly systematic reviews) regarding the efficacy of these vaccines and though some did not outright say they were not effective, they did suggest there was not enough evidence to support it. Which is mainly what got me thinking to do or not to do. Oh and the fact that i usually have a bad reaction to the flu jab (difficulty breathing, blurry vision, pulse becomes bradycardic etc, still not sure why as they try to improve on it every year) so was a bit worried as to how i'd react now i'm pregnant.

Can you remember which medical journals said they weren't effective? I'd be interested to read that.

@spugzbunny no they didn't outright say they weren't effective, they just suggested that there isn't enough evidence to say that they are. I don't have the articles physically with me, but i do remember in one of the reviews, they actually stated the evidence is not enough to support or refute the vaccines, they had just over 200,000 participants from not many countries, maybe 10. I believe that article in particular is on BMC but it took A LOT of searching to find any of these articles.

A lot of searching you say?

Sounds a bit fishy to me tbh. Shame you don't have those references tbh.

@Batfurger whats fishy about a lot of searching? Took me some time to find articles on what i was actually looking for, there was less than what i thought there would be.

Well... if you look for articles on "lack of efficacy of vaccine" chances are you'll find them.

Just wondering the chances of someone who's got [more than one]friends who are nurses who are acting very oddly and someone who spends loads of time searching for anti vaccination articles and who is pregnant. But definitely doesn't have an agenda at all.

@RuJuAs The reason why they change the flu jab every year is because flu is caused by a variety of viruses. The viruses in question evolve very quickly and so the flu jab is adapted to cover the newest forms of the strains thought to be most likely to cause flu epidemics.

The vaccine changes yearly, because the flu changes yearly.

This is also the reason why some years the flu jab is less effective than other years - they use complicated equations to work out which strains are most likely to cause the epidemics. Depending on how accurate the equations are, depends on how good the jab is.

That said - please get it. The flu jab helps and is safe and works. A day of feeling a bit off, is far preferable to the flu, which kills women and babies.

Here is the systematic review you refer to: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/29166874/
It shows the use of the pertussis vaccine in pregnancy is not associated with bad pregnancy outcomes and that vaccination leads to higher antibody levels in mums and babies. It doesn't show that this leads to lower infection rates in babies as this is not what the studies included in the review were focussed on. However, it does show a valid mechanism for the protection of babies from vaccinated mums. As both a Paediatrician and a Mum, I got myself vaccinated against flu and pertussis in my pregnancies (And my kids are vaccinated against everything going!)

Think some people are being a bit harsh on@RuJu ! She was only asking about the vaccines and potential side effects etc! I did the same thing (I had the whooping cough at 20 week scan and did make me a bit poorly for a few days, perfectly normal though but still wanted to check all ok)

Much better to be informed and ask if your ever concerned about anything OP, I asked also about flu jab- had no probs but still wanted to know it was absolutely safe!
(...and there are lots of debates about everything if you Google! I do think better to immunise, but I also want to know if it's going to make me a bit poorly or about side effects too! Especially pregnant)
Congrats btw OP - hope you have a lovely pregnancy x

I've currently got whooping cough - it's AWFUL! Currently sitting on the loo coughing and vomiting up disgusting amounts of yeuk - the bacteria die but leave their dead,toxin producing bodies on your lungs and I think gut from my disgusting experience, and this is 7 weeks in, honestly don't delay! I've given it to my husband too who was vaccinated as a child (I wasn't, this is my second bout!)
Personally I'd get the vaccines, I'm a scientist and feel it's the best way to support yourself and your child at this point in your lives. My aunt had flu at 8.5 months pregnant snd her child was stillborn, she was really unwell and in hospital. My brother works in ICU and sees pregnant ladies admitted regularly with flu

As you react badly

Posted too soon!
As you react badly to flu, it may be the vehicle you're affected by, perhaps ask the doctor if they suggest the nasal flu instead .... no idea if it's suitable, was just a thought