nurse refused to give me the flu jab this am, because im 2 months pregnant, and she won't do it in the 1st trimester

[CarrieInAnotherBabi]

midwife on monday told me to get booked in for the flu jab, dr on tue nagged me why haven't i had it yet, told him i was booked in for thu.
and he still went on and on anout how its really important i have it blah blah.

struggled to get the surgery this am, as ive got bad sickness, then the nurse said that althought the nhs guidelines say to give the jab at any stage during pregnancy, she doesn't want to do it, as its her head on the line and in the manufactuers instructions [leaflet] it says not to be given in first trimemester.

anyway, of course i ont want to be given it if its unwise, but i dont want to catch flu on the next month, im 2 months g atm,

what would you do?

She does have a point, its her registration and her responsibility. The nurse at our surgery refused to do dd this year because she hasnt ordered a brown inhaler!

You need to speak to your GP, if you dont get any joy then go private. I paid private for the dcs £25 each.
Please dont be put off though, its great that youre taking up the jab, please get it one

I had mine the other week at about 15 weeks, nurse didn't even ask how far gone I was!

I would speak to the surgery managers about their policy on this. It seems odd that GP's are telling pregnant women that they should have teh jab at a time when the manufacturers don't reccommend it.

But then the GP probably knows it's safe and that the risk of flu is far greater than any risk from the jab, it's just that the manufacturers have not tested in enough in pregnant women in their first trimester.

I can see why the nurse did what she did, I would feel the same as her in that position. But it should have been discussed and sorted withing the practice before you turned up to an apponitment.

When I was pg with DD two years ago, I was told not to have the jab during first trimester but this time round the midwife said its safe at every stage in pregnancy. So I wonder if the guidance has changed.

I know it's annoying, and probably worth a polite note to the practice manager pointing out the disparity. Practically, can you just book to go back in three weeks when youll be just 2nd trimester?

This is all coming from an 18 wk pg lady who hasn't yet had the jab so you're doing much better than me

thing is i don't want to cause a fuss or alot of bother, if having it before 12 weeks is risky, but i don't want to leave it then catch flu in the mean time, plus dd has a stinking cold atm which im expecting to be passed along to me soon.

i just don'tknw what to do, i could call the gp or the practice manager, and perhaos teh gp would even inject me with it, but i'm now worried having it before 12 weeks is risky.

that's really interesting; I didn't know it wasn't recommended to have this jab in the 1st trimester. I had this flu jab last year in my 1st trimester and 2 weeks later went for my 12 week scan and had suffered a missed miscarriage. I did wonder about the flu jab and whether this might have been a factor.
(am pregnant again now, 38 weeks, and chose not to have the flu jab this time)

well there was a big poster on the wall, stating the nhs guidelines which the nurse pointed out to me, and it did say given to a pregnant woman at any stage, so im sure on the nhs guuidelines.

lottielou,so sorry to hear that, perhaps i should just leave it.
was they able to tell when the baby stopped growing? was it at 10 weeks?

i'm always so nervousabout vaccinations anyway.

i neverknow if im doing th eright thing and spend ages dithering about what to do.

hi, don't want to worry you, but yes... the sonographer said it had stopped growing 2 weeks before. Of course, it could just be a coincidence because miscarriage can be caused by so many different things like chromosomal abnormalities etc..we'll never know. But I'd never have a vaccination in pregnancy again as a result.

Im a Nurse invovled in giving flu jags to my colleagues through a per vaciantion programme at work and the guidlelines from Occuaptional Health is that it is safe throughout pregnancy, I have not heard about not giving it in the first 12 weeks. There are different brands of vaccine so maybe this has something to do with it? Dont know

I had mine at 5 wks the nurse said nothing about not having in the first trimester, just asked if I was aware of the (minimal) risks.

I'd go back to your gp and ask him about it, maybe the practice is unaware there is a difference of opinion and they could save a lot of wasted appointments if they're all working from the same page.

Hi, as a nurse I have done many flu jab clinics, I would not have given it either. Nurses are legally responsible for their actions and can and will be held accountable for them. I would not have given the jab to you even if the Doctor had said to.
Many medications are not advised during the first trimester and the leaflet itself said not to give it. I believe if you went back to your GP/midwife with the leaflet neither of them would in fact give you the jab until after you are 12 weeks.

that ok lottie, im glad you told me, as i definatley won't have it before 12weeks now.
so sorry that happened to you.

duck, yes it might be the brand as the nurse said it says not to give it int he first trimester in the leaflet.

yes it was annoying going down there and a waste of time, esp as im struggling with the sickness

Could you not speak to your GP again? Surely she'd give it to you herself if she thought it was safe? (Her registration rather than the nurse's) I'm pretty sure I had mine in the first trimester after being nagged by everyone last year. There was a big campaign in the media about it and pregnant women at any stage of their pregnancy were being advised to get it.

I think there are two different kinds and you have to make sure you get the 'safe' one. I've just had jab privately this year and had to sign a form to say I wasn't pregnant so I assumed it was a different make to the one I had last year.

In fact, I just found the NHS guidelines:

"It is recommended that all pregnant women should have the flu vaccine, whatever stage of pregnancy they're in"

If I was your GP I would give it myself and would be organising a meeeting with the practice nurse.

I'm 7 weeks and had my flu jab this morning. I specifically asked if it was safe in the first trimester and was told that although all vaccines have risks, the risk to the baby if I got flu was much higher than the risk due to the jab.
I'm a bit worried now.

The current flu vaccine is licensed at all stages of pregnancy. The nurse is wrong.

My unborn child is going to die. This will be nothing to do with the flu vaccine that I had. There is no increased risk of miscarriage or congenital abnormalities in those who have the flu vaccine.

In fact the risks of still birth are much higher in those who developed swine flu last year, never mind the massively increased risk of intensive care stay and death in pregnant women who developed flu.

I would consider any nurse inappropriately withholding medication, like a flu vaccine, negligent. It concerns me that catherinea1971 appears to be so ignorant of up-to-date advice and is passing that 'knowledge' off on the internet.

blacktreacle please dont be worried - if you caught the flu the risks are far greater, and pregnant women are more vulnerable to catching it. There is no link to miscarriage at all.

You need to tell the practice so they can stop wasting other patients' time.

There might not be a link, but all that means is that no research has been done to prove a link.

If the leaflet that comes with the vaccine that your surgery uses says not to use it in the first trimester, then it shouldn't be used in the first sodding trimester! They don't write things like that just for fun!

Different surgeries might use different vaccines, some might be deemed safe, some might not, but I wouldn't blatantly ignore the advice on the information that goes with the vaccine.

barlet, i'm so very sorry about your baby

why does it say that in the leaflet then? is it the manufacturer covering their own arse?