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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

Do i really need the flu jab?

65 replies

Emily25 · 28/11/2011 16:43

Hi,

Im nearly 24 weeks pregnant and have been advised to have the flu jab by my midwife. I still haven't booked it in, its not that i don't like injections, it's just that i don't really like putting things into my body when i don't really know the effects they have. I had full on flu 2 years ago, so surely my immunity to it should be fairly good? Can not having the flu jab harm my baby if i then get the flu??....im confused.

OP posts:

lottielou39 · 29/11/2011 22:45

mouse, I also had a miscarriage after the flu vaccine. Went for my 12 week scan and baby stopped growing at 9 weeks, which was when I had the vaccination. Coincidence? Maybe. But if you'd been in my shoes, you wouldn't think so.

nightowlmostly · 30/11/2011 01:34

I went and had mine today, am 20 weeks. I didn't think too hard about it, I've had really terrible flu before, years ago, and the thought of being that ill while pg is scary. I couldn't speak or even move, let alone look after myself! No way I'm risking that.

The chance of something happening are so tiny that it's almost not worth worrying about, although for people who have suffered a MC I understand how you must second-guess everything. Sorry to hear of your losses x

roseum · 30/11/2011 09:23

I had the jab a few weeks ago (must have been when I was 25wks - can't precisely remember now). At the time my line manager was severely ill with flu (had 2wks off work, and was still pretty run-down for several weeks afterwards) - I worried that I might catch it off him, but had also been worried about all the stuff about mercury as preservative.

Anyway, I managed to find the details of the vaccines being offered this year: got this of the dept of health website, via a link on mumsnet:
mumsnet
DOH

If you look at Annex F in the first pdf linked to on the DOH website, you'll see it lists the vaccines on offer this flu season (11/12) available to GPs through the dept of health. According to the footnote, only one contains the mercury compound thiomersal, and that's traces from the manufacturing process. It also shows that none of the vaccines are live, they've all been inactivated.

We took the list with us to the GP, and asked what vaccine was being offered before I had the jab - since it wasn't the one with mercury compound traces, I had the jab. Otherwise, we would have looked into going private - there are various clinics that offer flu jabs for about £20, plus quite a few places like Boots/ Tescos do it for a fee too.

mousebacon · 30/11/2011 10:08

lottielou that's exactly what happened to me

Mitsouko · 30/11/2011 11:06

Last year - didn't have the flu jab and also had mc discovered at 12 week scan (baby had died about 9-10 weeks). My consultant said that early mmc's are almost always due to serious genetic abnormalities that are incompatible with life, and occur naturally in a substantial percentage of pregnancies - frequency increasing with the mum's age. I was 34 at the time and apparently the rate of early loss was about 1 in 4 for my age group.

Still, I second guessed everything and went through a lot of stress trying to blame the loss on something I might have done, however insubstantial.

When the mc started naturally a few days before being booked in for my erpc I had some complications from excessive bleeding and infection. I think the whole event really weakened my immune system and over the holidays I caught suspected swine flu. Had a raging fever, became severely dehydrated felt like hell and was totally delirious for a week. It took a month to feel even halfway normal as I think I had some post viral fatigue. Never, never, want to go through that again!

I was fortunate enough to fall pregnant again 8 months after my mc and 6 months after my swine flu and decided to have the jab at 13 weeks. No side effects whatsoever, not even tiredness or arm swelling. I'm now 24 weeks and from the last scan at 21 the baby appears to be doing fine, and the pregnancy is going well.

Good luck with your pregnancy and whatever you decide is best for you.

puzzletree · 30/11/2011 12:03

Lots of sympathy for those who you who have miscarried, I also had a mc earlier this year at 9 weeks, but no idea when the baby died so (luckily?) can't try and pinpoint things that may have caused it although I do wonder about the chickenpox my sons had when I was 4/5 weeks. Am pretty sure it was just one of those things though, an unpreventable abnormality with the baby or the placenta, early miscarriage is extremely common, sadly. Try not to blame yourselves or the decisions you make, it was in all likelihood unpreventable.

IssyStark · 30/11/2011 17:34

To those of you who had miscarriages: it is a coincidence.

The flu jab does not cause miscarriages. However most first trimester miscarriages will happen around 9 weeks if they get past 6 weeks due to the number of genes that are expressed at that stage of development. If anything is wrong with the mix, then that's when it will go wrong and stop the pregnancy.

I know of what I talk: I've had 7 miscarriages and everytime I looked for reasons to blame myself when in fact it was bad luck.

Dutchie77 · 30/11/2011 17:43

I had the flu jab at 24 weeks. Felt a bit under the weather and baby was very very quiet for two days. Even poking wouldn't result in a response.... a colleauge of mine was 18 weeks and had her jab too. I didn't tell her about my experience. She asked me if my baby also had gone quite for a day or two....

So I do think it has a temporary influence on the baby. But having the flu can make you really feel miserable....

NinkyNonker · 30/11/2011 20:45

I get every cold going badly when pregnant so I decided to have it, I was about 15 wks.

PieMistress · 01/12/2011 13:05

mouse I spoke to my MW today about the flu jab. I saw my favourite - the one I had seen all the way through my pregnancy with DS and during my miscarriage and she said to wait until after my 12 week scan (whereas the midwife I saw last week said to get it done asap).

My midwife is so so lovely (she gave me a big hug when I went in as she was so pleased to see me pregnant again after the m/c) and totally understands my m/c fears. I'm happy to follow her advice and wait till after 12 weeks.

MrsDobalina · 01/12/2011 13:33

OP and all you other pregnant ladies, congratulations!

I would definitely have the flu jab if I was pregnant this year. I had a similar experience to antagony's friend in that I got swine flu the day I booked for my jab, went into premature labour and ended up with a baby on NICU whom I wasn't allowed to see for a week as I was in isolation on a ward on the other side of the hospital. It was awful to put it mildly and I also feel incredibly guilty for not being there for her when she was so sick but I know it could have been far, far worse for both of us.

It's a very personal decision and a difficult one too and it's not like pregnancy isn't already the most anxiety inducing state to be in so I understand why people choose not to have it. But I'd definitely be first in line to have it this year!

Ps I had to really fight last year to get an appointment for the jab as no HCP recommended it to me and fight for treatment when I had it as no-one was really that interested until I gave birth!!

Good luck with your decision and your pregnancies x

madmomma · 01/12/2011 20:30

I'm booked in for mine tomorrow and am shitting myself. Am 36 weeks. My Mum really doesn't want me to have it, my dh really wants me to have it. AAArrghh!

mousebacon · 01/12/2011 20:35

Thanks piemistress I really appreciate you getting back to me. It sounds like we've both been blessed with fab hcp

openerofjars · 06/12/2011 19:34

Sympathy for those of you who have lost babies, it must have been awful. My fetus is 15 weeks now and very much wanted, so I did some research into the effects on pregnant women (including coming on here) before having the jab. I had my jab at about 6 weeks (I think) having seen how ill DH was with swine flu two years ago: it was scary. And he wasn't one of the really poorly ones, just a normal bout, but he still had a week of fever, hallucinations etc, weak for ages afterwards etc.

I decided that if flu could do that to a healthy man then it probably wasn't going to be great for a pregnant woman and I'd take the chance for me and for my baby. I just wish I could get the rest of the family jabbed as well as I'm terrified of it now.

I didn't have any side effects from the injection at all that I can remember.

sprinkles77 · 06/12/2011 19:51

I had the jab in my last pregnancy. I can't remember at what stage. But all was fine. This time I had the jab privately before I knew I was pregnant. All ok so far but only 10 weeks so we'll see.

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