Flu in pregnancy

[Toscacat]

Am 32/40 and have just been confirmed as having flu type a. Have now been discharged from hospital after 48hours on tamiflu. Has anyone else had flu and baby been OK and gone to term?

Main concern with flu during pregnancy is having a temperature, and I assume the Tamiflu brought yours down? As long as you're keeping check of your temperature regularly and taking the necessary pain-killers to bring it down, all should be fine. Other than that it's lots of whole foods (fruits, veg, grains, legumes etc), fluids (water, honey and lemon tea etc) and bed rest. Hope you and your little one recover well - I'm sure you will! Sending my love x

Just want to add that I know it's scary. I've had two colds this pregnancy and was terrified of what they'd mean for the baby, so I can't imagine how scary the flu must be. These little ones are resilient as hell, though - always remember that nature is generally on our side (or the human specie wouldn't have gotten this far). Just be sure to check your temperature at regular intervals x

Thank you. Thankfully I only had a few hours of a really high temperature and then was tested for flu and have been on regular paracetamol since so it hasn't spiked again.

I had flu around 20 weeks with my 3rd baby - he's absolutely fine but I went on to get bronchitis twice which really screwed up my pelvic floor! Control the fever as you're doing and baby will be fine - my doctor said you are more vulnerable to secondary infections after flu when pregnant so if you develop a really bad cough in a week or so then do go get checked out quickly... Take care of yourself

I noticed a tingle in my throat and moisture in my nose on Friday night, and woke up on Sat morning feeling like "Yup, this is definitely another cold". Now I'm in bed at 05:23am feeling weak and shaky. I keep checking my temp and luckily it hasn't reached 70.5 degrees celsius, so I've not felt the need to take paracetamol (I'm treating the cold with dissolvable vitamin c, black elderberry syrup, apple cider vinegar diluted in water, wheatgrass shots, and manuka honey and fresh lemon tea). Pregnancy totally robs your immune system, and I'm someone who's super healthy - how am I onto my third cold, now? 😱

How are you doing? X

Hi Toscacat, I’m recovering from flu (8dsys in) and also have a chest infection. I’m 18weeks.

Tamiflu and keeping absolutely on top of paracetamol is essential, and hydration. I got dehydrated (had d&v with the other flu symptoms) and baby has been so so quiet.

My c reactive protein levels were very high, indicating inflammation in the body, and I was petrified it would cause a mc. Hospital kindly offered to listen in to the baby for me but we couldn’t get back there with the snow. Now that I’m on the mend and hydrated he is flipping away happily.

So don’t worry too much if baby is quiet while you’re feeling particularly rotten, but ask the mw to have a listen if you’re worried. Focus on hydration above anything else a personally I haven’t been able to eat much.

I've had flu that went into pneumonia I was 35/36 weeks, spent a week in hospital on tamiflu, antibiotics and oxygen.
Baby was born absolutely fine at 41 weeks with a natural delivery.

I don't have experience of it but hope you get well soon.

I just wanted to reply to encourage you not to listen to the dangerous advice above regarding foetal movements.

DO NOT ignore reduced/absent/changed movements. Always phone triage/the labour ward if you have concerns about movements and do not wait until the next day to seek help.

Thanks guys for your advice. I also have severe vomiting but was on anti sickness before the flu hit anyway. Yesterday I was on ice pops to keep fluids up. I will get any movement change checked and when I was in they listened to her four hourly. Fever seems to have gone and now just need to start tolerating fluids etc so I don't end up back on a drip

Well I ended up back in on a drip but have now been out of hospital for three days. It's nearly two weeks from when this started and I am now on antibiotics as well... My poor baby will come out rattling! Anyway feel like I am turning a corner. Thanks

Oh no poor you - hope you feel better soon. Rest as much as you need to and listen to your body, I found it took me ages to get over fully and got tired v easily for quite a while

I had flu at 6/7 weeks pregnant. No tamiflu as it was apparently too late by the time I saw the doctor. I was given antibiotics.

Horrible temperature which like yours came down with paracetamol. Violent cold shaking. Awful sickness and no appetite. Then the usual culprits of cold, cough, sore throat, pounding head etc. Was horrific.

I ate what I could face (not much). I drunk lots and lots of water. As I started to get better I tried to choose good things (homemade soup, salads, lots of veg and fruit). I drunk lots of orange juice and ate probiotic yogurt to counteract the baddies in the antibiotics.

Rest as much as you can.

Had flu a month and a half to a month before giving birth, I was hospitalised and had pneumonia. It sent me into early labour.... I was told I was going to have my baby and this “could only ramp up at this point”... and then it eventually calmed down and stopped and I had my son at 41 weeks.

Just drink lots and rest lots