Flu Jab (Urgent Question)

[esandi]

Hi I am due to have one tomorrow I am 24 weeks (3rd baby) will it make me really ill? other than a sore arm which is fine. Will this make me ill? I have a wedding to go to next week and a physio appointment amongst other things. Is it worth having? help!!!

blueskydrinking The flu jab is done before the "flu season" starts each year for the strains of flu that are expected to be most common that year. That's why if you are in an "at risk" other than pregnancy (ie elderly, breathing problems etc) you should have it every year. There are hundreds of strains of flu and they evolve rapidly so forecasting which ones need vaccinations can't be done much more than a year in advance.

Note: when swine flu first spread globally it was in the southern hemisphere's flu season, and therefore the UK gave vaccines as soon as they were available.

Therefore if you get pregnant in the spring you won't have the flu jab until late in your pregnancy, if you get pregnant late summer (like I did) you could be given it at your booking appointment.

Ask your GP or midwife for it now though, flu is horrible enough without being pregnant and the number of flu cases is starting to increase about now: Royal College of GPs flu data.

It's not a live vaccine so won't make you ill.

Had mine on Monday, at 20 weeks. MW mentioned it at booking appointment but had to make own appointment, no reminders, which is probably why people are doing it at different times.

It's not a live vaccine so won't make you ill.
I had it a couple weeks ago (now 24 weeks) and the next couple days I had a sore red area about the size of a 10p on my arm, which faded over the next few days.

They're expecting a bad round of seasonal flu this year so I highly recommend getting it done.

I have had it, sore arm, I am waiting to see if anything else happens. But all done now thank you for your comments x