Had Swine Flu jab - really regretting it...

Moth2 · 2009-11-11T11:48:00+00:00

Hello all, I went to the Dr.s this morning for a swine flu jab which I have to say I hadn't given a huge amount of thought to as my boss is a GP and she said I should get it done. The nurse administering it said 'was I happy to have this' and I said well I supposed so and as she administered it she said that she was glad she didn't have to make this decision. Great. I am 28 weeks pregnant - anyone got anything nice they can say to me as I am now completely sure that my poor little bean is going to have all sorts of hideous things wrong with him/her

Scorps · 11/11/2009 11:55

My midwife is recommending it. I will have it.

TheOldestCat · 11/11/2009 11:59

Hey Moth2

Ignore such insensitive comments. You are acting on your boss's advice and she is a GP, so that should reassure you. The risks to your baby are very small and potentially much less than the risks of swine flu to the two of you (which still seem small, but there you go).

You cannot be completely sure you've damaged the baby - tis extremely unlikely. So don't spend the rest of your pregnancy worrying.

Am trying to make this decision myself (am 26 weeks) and think I will probably have the jab. So I know how you feel, a bit.

This seems very sensible to me: www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/oct/20/pregnancy-swine-flu-vaccination

TheOldestCat · 11/11/2009 12:00

Sorry, here's that link

Original poster

Moth2 · 11/11/2009 12:08

Thanks guys, still feel pretty rubbish about it. I am so useless in the Dr's - I hate it so much I just want to get out of there as quickly as possible and always decide not to ask all the things that I had decided to ask!

Really angry that they didn't offer any advice beforehand if there was any suspected pproblems with it.

OP posts:

theanarchistarcheopteryx · 11/11/2009 13:18

Choosing either way would have left you worried I think - flu in pregnancy (even if not life-threatening to you yourself) can hurt the baby too. If you had said no and in three weeks time changed your mind because SF in your local area had got even more widespread, your surgery would probably sorry there's none left, so youd have been left just as full of worry and regret.

I would have it if I was pregnant. If I wasn't I might not. People who aren't pregnant have less reason to worry about swine flu, which is nice for them, and gives them the luxury of being fussy and cautious about the vaccine.

I don't suppose that nurse will be rolling up to her local operating theatre to have her stomach cut open, or asking for an epidural, or pushing anything big and heavy out of her fanjo, in the near future, either. Those are all other risky things she gets to avoid because she's not pregnant.

Thandeka · 11/11/2009 15:23

Moth2 I am 28weeks tommorrow and had the Jab today too.

Look let's try not too worry too much. At the end of the day we made the decision to have the jab to protect ourselves and our unborn little ones and it was the best decision at the time with the info we had. We can't then beat ourselves up for something we can't reverse even if the information changes.

So please breathe and enjoy the rest of your pregnancy. I am having the normal flu jab next week too. Gulp!

vesela · 11/11/2009 21:12

If I were pregnant I would definitely, definitely have one. (I'm not pregnant and I still wish I could have one).

somanyboyssolittletime · 11/11/2009 21:18

Try not to worry. For what it's worth I think you have done the right thing, and I will be doing the same (27 wks pregnant). It's not nice making decisions like this when you are pregnant, but you do what you believe is the best thing at the time to protect yourself and your baby.

whollymoley · 09/12/2009 21:00

i am with you guys, i have my appointment for next week and will be 34 weeks pregnant, many sleepless nights and stress 99.9 % certain that i will be having it and my decision has been made based on the best for my family and my unborn baby, i really dont want to get swine flu and end up in hospital or worse, this forum has been really helpful thanks its good to know other people are feeling the same way, thanks guys xxxxx

whollymoley · 09/12/2009 21:00

i am with you guys, i have my appointment for next week and will be 34 weeks pregnant, many sleepless nights and stress 99.9 % certain that i will be having it and my decision has been made based on the best for my family and my unborn baby, i really dont want to get swine flu and end up in hospital or worse, this forum has been really helpful thanks its good to know other people are feeling the same way, thanks guys xxxxx

scienceteachermum · 09/12/2009 21:41

don't worry, you have done the right thing. I am 31 weeks and on the day I was due to have my SF jab I came down with swine flu! I was ill for 10 days, it was AWFUL.. the fever was really horrible and I was so poorly. I had done loads of research into the jab and decided the risks of the jab were far less then my liklihood of getting sF (i am a teacher in a large secondary school and we have had loads of cases of SF). I only wish my surname was not at the end of the alphabet as I would have had the vaccine a week earlier and avoided it! It was very unpleasnt, the baby didn't really move for the three days I had a temp and I was pretty scared. Thankfully i was given the anti viral - Relenza and was over the worst after 7 days, it then took another 5 or so to get my energy back up. You have definitely done the RIGHT thing so stop beating yourself up!

whensmydayoff · 12/12/2009 19:14

Moth2, Im 37 weeks, Im a worrier so haven't had it(not that I know what the right choice would be).

Do I feel better for not having it - do I hell.

Ive been pretty low all last week. My 2yr old DS caught terrible chest Inf and virus and we have been hiding indoors.
It's been a horrible week and made me realise my plan to stay away from busy places and keep a 2 yr old in is

a stupid idea and
clearly hasn't worked too well!!

My mum then furthered my anxiety and called to say a ladt went into hosp healthy, had a healthy baby, caught swine flu then she died.

Fab, thanks mum!

Look, you've made your decision. Your baby now has immunity for 6 months and you can wander freeley and enjoy your PG.

There's no right answer to this for either of us.

Im still all over the place with my decision. x

fruitypuds · 14/12/2009 14:16

Sorry to go against the propaganda, but there have been many stories of miscarriage immediately after having the swine flu vaccine. preview.tinyurl.com/yeofg68 There is a lot of accurate info out there if you know where to look - and anything written by vaccine manufacturers (which the NHS info is) cannot be deemed unbiased. This vaccine was not tested on pregnant women - you are the guinea pigs. See here also: www.vaccineriskawareness.com

bethoo · 14/12/2009 14:20

fruitypuds i have seen no such media coverage on mc after the jab, and i am sure any responsible mw would tell you the dangers if that was so. my midwives and all the staff were adamant it was the best possible thing to do adn i have no regrets whatsoever having it done when i was 36 weeks preggers last week.

AuntieMaggie · 14/12/2009 14:27

That's really going to help these poor women who are pregnant and already have had the jab

I've had the jab and tbh yes I can understand the concerns but there are hundreds of other things that we also don't know the long term effects of that we come into contact with all the time.

Please ladies try not to worry. The likelihood is that you're more likely to get SF than and serious consequence from the jab. And as a little girl has recently died from SF which turned into pnuemonia within less than a day in my area I would be trying to do all I could to protect myself and my family.

BabyGiraffes · 14/12/2009 20:41

Had the jab at 28 weeks and was hugely reassured by the GP saying that the baby is totally finished at that time and is just getting bigger and fatter. Unlikely the vaccination will do anything except stop you being very ill with swine flu!
Must say I would have been very unsure much earlier on in the pregnancy when there is so much development happening, but at this late stage and with severe asthma I still think I made the right decision.

saltyseadog · 14/12/2009 20:51

Moth2 - why not talk to your boss about it? As they recommended it I'm sure that they could allay most/ all of your fears . As for the practice nurse, ignore her.

flockwallpaper · 15/12/2009 11:56

No effective drug or vaccine is risk free, but the risks of the virus are greater than the risks of having the vaccine if you are pregnant. So please don't worry. I think you made the right choice, but maybe the nurse was saying (not very articulately!) that she wished swine flu did not exist so that there would be no stressful decision to vaccinate or not.

fruitypuds, so anything on the internet that is not written by vaccine manufacturers is accurate? Miscarriage is sadly very common. If someone has a miscarriage after having a vaccine, it does not follow that the woman is miscarrying because of the vaccine. She might have miscarried anyway, particularly if she is in the first trimester of her pregnancy.

The medicines regulatory agencies across the world and the world health organisation collate information on potential side effects, including miscarriage, and they will be reviewing the data to see if the miscarriage rate is higher than would be expected in pregnant women given the vaccine. If miscarriage was a genuine side effect, I think there would be proper data to support that by now, given that millions of pregnant women have now had the SF vaccine.

RTKangaSANTAMummy · 15/12/2009 12:11

BABYGIRAFFES

Kangaboy was born at 27 weeks + 5 days and so I can deffo say that you are correct in that @ 28 weeks the baby is fully formed just needs to grow and mature until it is born ~ he has now grown so much that he is taller than me

lumpasmelly · 15/12/2009 17:04

Fruitypuds - you had best stay away from modern medicine then, as I am sure that you can find scare stories about just about any medical intervention/medication/vaccine thats out there (and embrace the sort of statistics "enjoyed" byt pregnant women in third world countries). It really is a sad state of affairs when people are intent on bashing the medical community for trying to protect people........have the jab, don't have the jab...its a personal decision, but posting links to internet scare stories like that is really crossing the line....

47doublechins · 21/12/2009 15:18

You're buggered if you do; buggered if you don't. It is a condition of pregnancy to worry about everything.

It's God/The Higher Power setting you up for Motherhood.

Let me re-assure you somewhat (if I can).

You've been given the jab which is a very small amount of the 'flu virus. The virus is "attenuated". (sp ?)
This means that it's a very weak version of the virus, but..it sets up an immune response within your own immune system (in accordance with the "lock & key virus hhypothesis); with only mild symptoms.Your body has received the virus and has set up a "template" to neutralise it.

When you encounter the virus in it's full blown form; the body already has defences in place.

The full blown 'flu potentially will dehydrate, interfere with normal respiration, etc. etc.

You've done the best thing for you and you're baby. Well Done. Relax.