Have any other pregnant women had the jab yet?

[Sunflower2b]

Hello,

I was wondering if any other pregnant women have already made the decision to have or actually had the swine flu jab in the past days. Have you had any problems?

I'm currently 21 weeks pregnant and don't know what's worse? The additives in the jab or getting the flu itself....? I'm assuming, the flu would cause more harm to my baby than the jab?

I'd be greatful for any comments/feedback/ideas on this...

Thanks, Sunflower2b

Check out the threads on the pregnancy topic - lots of debate and experiences

Hi, Yes - am only 12 weeks but I had the jab yesterday. Pandemrix was the only one on offer. I have read up on it extensively (ad nauseum) and there does not appear to be any evidence of harm for the adjuvants and plenty of evidence of harm if you get swine flu when pregnant - the web chat yesterday gives a usefull overview, I feel. As you say, the risks of getting flu are also to the baby (as with any prolonged fever) but the main risk is to you. The problem is that is can't be predicted which pregnant women will make it with only a realatively mild illness and which will end up in Intensive Care (or worse). It is a personal decision, which only you can make and I am giving my reason - it helps that I had an additional reason (frontline medical staff). I also don't want to pass it on to my DC (under 5yrs) - yes, children can have tamiflu' but that is not without it's side-effects.

So far the only side-effect I have had has been a sore arm on the side of the jab.

Hi, I'm 14 weeks pregnant and had the jab today (Pandemrix). I was lucky as I was in the surgery anyway and offered the jab as someone had cancelled. I have been thinking about it for a while and felt that the benefits outweighed the risks. I also have a dd under 5 and I wanted to protect her too. Apparently it can take two weeks to be fully protected after the jab, so I feel relieved I've had it done sooner rather than later. But it is such a personal choice. No side effects as of yet!

hi, i'm 8 weeks pregnant and have just had my first midwife appointment and it wasn't even mentioned. It's my first baby so not too sure what to do. Should i ring up the surgery and ask? would you advise having it?

NotGrownUpEnough

I'm going to have it.

I'm only 6 weeks pregnant at the moment, and asthmatic.

I have a year old DD and as much as the risk of dying from swine flue is rare I don't feel I can take that risk.

I am 29 weeks pregnant and had it yesterday. It was with a heavy heart that I trundled off to the surgery but I know I did the right thing for me. Same reasons as the others really except I am in the third trimester going into peak flu season. Read and read and read about it and as I work in the NHS asked all sorts of clinicians about it , including my GP.
Have a DS who is 21 months so wanted to protect him too and my ability to look after him in case he gets sick.
Celvapan is only on offer to egg intolerant people in my area and such limited supplies that there was no chacne of getting it. Also clinically there is quicker protection from Pandemrix so thought I may as well just have it.

Good luck to anyone thinking this horrible dilemna through

Good for you! I wish I had reached the point of making a decision....i am at 16 weeks, so would ideally like to be a little further along before doing it. Do you know what the update rate is in your area? (i.e. what proportion of pregnant women are having it). By the sounds of the MN message boards, quite a few are going for it.

I just got my letter through to make an appointment - will be having it in the next week or two. I'm 29 weeks with twins, with a 3 year old (and underlying health condition) and I just feel it is overall the right decision for our family.

I'm 20 weeks' tomorrow and am worried sick about getting swine flu, but Pandemrix just doesn't sit right with me. I would spend the rest of my pregnany worried sick about side-effects to my unborn baby. If I could have Celvapan I would be at the doctors in the morning. Why, oh, why can't we just have Celvapan?!? I am waiting for my letter to have the vaccine so have a little time I guess to worry more. I have a 4-year old son and when I think of him, I then turn full-cirlce and consider my current priorities (1) be alive and be a mum to my 4-year old (2) risk the health of my unborn child. It's a choice we should never even have to think about, but, my son needs me to be here, so for that reason, do I just take Pandremrix to safe-guard me, putting my unborn child second.

I think that the difficulty is that one of the variables is unknown (i,e the impact on the unborn child).....part of me thinks that the government would NEVER risk the possibility of a hundreds of thousands of babies suffering major birth defects, so it makes me think that the risks are probably (a) more subtle and could probably not be traced back to the vaccine OR (b) thought only to impact a small number of those vaccinated. When you put it this way, the decision to have the vaccine SHOULD be a no brainer as the risk of getting swine flu and something happening to your baby as a result of you being so sick (i.e. high feve, on a ventilator etc) is probably much higher than the scenario of (a) or (b) ever happening.

Still not sure whether or not I will have the jab though!!! (See - logic doesn't always add up when the subject is so emotive!)

HarrisonsMummy - it's a hard decision to make isn't it? I came to my decision to have it (whichever I'm offered, most likely Pendmrix) with the following argument: the risks of complications because of the adjuvants in Pandemrix - as I understand it from reading - are LESS than the current risks to pregnant women from SF itself. I am also swayed towards Pandemrix because it is quicker to work - I believe Celvapan takes longer. And being over 29 wks, I figured the soonest protection the better - especially with my underlying conditions. My twins are likely to be premature, arriving no later than 36 weeks - I don't need to risk anything else that could lead to prem labour. Also, every time a mum at preschool/groups etc mentions swine flu and another case I get jittery with worry that I will catch it - at least if I've had the jab then maybe I can stop worrying so much about catching it! It isn't an easy position to be put in - but I'm not sure the media has helped. Do some more reading on here etc (and the links from here) and it might help you reach a more balanced and less media-driven decision IYSWIM.

I've had it today - 25 weeks pregnant and asthmatic, so in two of the risk groups. Also still a little worried about the lack of data on any longer term effects, but job done now so no point fretting.

ARGHAAA!!

IM SO AT MY WITS END ON WOT TO DO ABOUT THIS BLOODY JAG!!........... I HAVE REALLY BAD COLD AND ASKED CHEMIST WIT I COULD TAKE....HE TOLD ME LEMONS AND HOT WATER AS I SHOULDNT REALLY BE TAKING ANYTHING ELSE BEING PREGNANT (25 WEEKS B.T.W).

SO HOW CAN I TAKE THIS VACCINE THAT HASNT BEEN TESTED? MY GUT FEELING IS NOT TO HAVE THE JAG......I REALLY HAVE A BAD FEELING ABOUT IT.........DO I TRUST MY INSTINCTS?

I KNOW SWINE FLU IS KILLING PREGNANT WOMEN.....BUT SO IS CAR CRASHES ETC

I REALLY FEEL 4 EVERY PREGNANT WOMEN JST NOW......NOT A NICE TIME TO B PREGNANT AT ALL

THEN I THINK ABOUT THAT DRUG FLUMADHITE OR SUMFIN? ........THAT WOZ SUPPOSED TO BE SAFE??

THEN I THIN ABOUT DYING BCOZ OF SWINE FLU WHICH I COULD PREVENTED..........

SO IM TORN ...........

Hi HarrisonsMummy, did you take the vaccination in the end, if so was it Pandemrix or Celvapan and how was your reaction to it?

I am thinking about taking Pandemrix only because I don't trust Baxter, they accidently made a live H5N1 virus and this was nearly used in a vaccination programme, fortunately though it was spotted and a outbreak avoided.

Also as Celvapan seems less in circulation I think that data on side effects will filter through more slowly, so despite Pandemrix having adjuvants and an ethyl mercury compound I would probably go for this.

Thanks

Hi, I am 23 weeks with DC4, had Pandemrix 5 days ago, had sore arm but felt otherwise well. To me the balance of risk was way in favour of having it than not having it.

Celvapan requires 2 vaccinations BTW.

I am 31 wks pregnant. I've just been booked in to receive the Celvapan. I've spoken to my midwife and my GP and both agree that it is the better ( and safer) option for me out of the two options. It may be two shots but only b/c it is preservative free, which is what doctors are ONLY giving to pregnant women in the states. I am very happy and feel a lot more comfortable receiving this shot, or shots, than the pandemrix. I still wish that they would test them out a bit more b/f giving anything out to pregnant women!

Hi Mommiemeggie,
what area are you in? My local docs are pushing the pandemrix on us mums, really don't want it, but would have the Celvapan.
If our preggy notes say don't eat certain types of fish and lay off the tuna a bit, there's got to be a certain risk in my mind.

Hi,
I'm really torn I'm nearly 29wks and have a nearly 3yr old. My husband doesn't want me to have the jab and thinks that should be decision made now for us because we are both really worried about the risks to our unborn baby. We lost a baby at nearly 14wks in February so it is a very sensitive subject to both of us. I am still really worried though as I have a mild asthma and they think my nearly 3yr old may have had SF a couple of weeks ago (although unconfirmed) because of a 36hour high fever that nothing would bring down.
Really torn as to what to do! My mid-wife says go with your gut but I have no idea with this, do I risk my own health and consequencially our unborn child if I got really sick by not having it or do I throw caution away and have the jab, which ever offered and risk unborn again!
It feels so horrible to know you have this child growing inside you and it is relying on you to keep it safe!!
Really concerned and undecided!!! Waking at night through usually pregnancy symptoms not help as I end up allowing mind to wander to worst case cenario on both sides!!!!
So much for being able to relax in the third trimester and get all girly and decorate nurseries etc!!!!!

ocr711- I'm in Cheshire. I agree with you 100%. Me, personally, had my mind made up that if I wasn't able to get the Celvapan then I wouldn't get the jab. Don't feel pressured but do get educated about both jabs b/f you make your decision. And keep in mind that the Pandemrix is all that the GPs have in their office to offer you, you have to go to a different clinic to receive the Celvapan by your local Primary Care Trust. I have posted another link about this if you want to read up on it here. Also, if you are denied the Celvapan at your GP office, then call the Primary Care Trust directly and ask for it yourself. I was fortunate enough to have a lovely nurse at my surgery put my name forward for the Celvapan after I explained to her that I didn't want the Pandemrix b/c of the preservative Thimorosal ( contains mercury) and squalene. I hope this helps you and good luck. It is such a difficult decision and I understand completely how you feel!!

I am still completely undecided, one minute i'm defo having it then I read something else which makes me think no i,m not!!
I'm asthmatic, 13 wks pregnant have a 11 month old baby in nursey and i'm a pharmacist. So with all these factors the decison should be easy, i'm at high risk of both catching it and having complications. However the only saving grace for me at the mo is that i've not yet been offered it. I think i'm about 60/40 towards getting it, but just don't know. My MW won't advise me they have apparently been told not too!!! Which really doesn't help, but she did say in that all her years she has not encounted a baby who has had problems after the mother recieving a jab of any kind.
And they do come across alot of honeymoon babies after the mother has had all sorts of other jabs.

I really wish I didn't have to make this decision, for me and my unborn and for my 11 month old.

I'm 29 weeks and I had mine yesterday. I had Pandemrix. There didn't seem to be any point in taking Celvapan as it takes so many weeks before it's effective that there wouldn't be that much of my pregnancy left.

I spent a LOT of time reading about it on the internet but in the end I couldn't find any official source that didn't recommend it. The UK Government, the World Health Organisation, the NHS/Dept of Health all suggest it is safer to have it than not have it. The uncertainty is mostly from the public who feel uneasy about it. And reading other people's unease make you feel uneasy too - but there's no logic in that.

I know it is hard because you feel if something goes wrong with the vaccine you have brought it on yourself, whereas if you get complications from SF and something bad happens it feels more like fate/nature/God brought that on you rather than yourself - but also not logical.

After I'd had the jab I asked the nurse if she'd done many pregnant women and she said I was the first and I burst into tears and felt like the world's worst mum-to-be, but later I went to my ante natal class and quite a few had had it there and no one seemed worried so I felt a lot better.

In the end I have missed out on so much this year because I've been avoiding crowds/public transport, and I didn't want to be unprotected should the numbers suddenly rise and I found I couldn't get an appointment quickly (I already had to wait a week or so as some sessions were booked up).

Im 35 weeks and just had the pandemrix vaccine 2 hours ago. I got myself really upset in the nurses room Feel like a right silly mare now! I just had a bit of a wobble, this swine flu thing has kept me up most nights for months now. It took ages to make the decision to have the vaccine and then i did ask myself what the hell i was doing once i got there The nurse was very reassuring but i bet she thought i was a bit silly anyone else not been able to control their emotions when they went for the vaccine?!

My arm has started aching already. Other than that i hope and pray all is ok. Good luck everyone who is trying to make a decision, and those who have had the vaccine already x

Echoing maybebaby - just had mine (am 28 weeks) and burst into tears on the way home, mostly from the relief of having made a decision after such a long deliberation. So you are not alone!

Have spent a long time researching this and was swayed by a friend who works as a researcher in immunology. She's read more than me and reassured me that I should go for it (am also asthmatic so that helped make my mind up). Her boss is one of the top virologists in the country and is very keen that pregnant women get immunised.

Anyway, tis a hard decision. Good luck to everyone, whatever you decide.

Hi
I'm still waiting for my letter from the Doctors to book in for my SF vaccine, so 'no', I've not had any vaccine yet. Long-story short, I contacted PCT directly as my surgery only had stocks of Pandemrix available. PCT told me today that my surgery is being send stocks of Celvapan next week. I've spoken to the Treatment Room at my Docs and have to phone again tomorrow to see if they can then book me in for Celvapan. So, I might be getting it. The question for me though is, do I want it? Like lots of people here, I've searched on the web and scoured this site hoping to find help to make my decision. I just keep going round in circles.