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Pregnancy

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

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Original poster

23+5, can flu jab and whooping cough vaccine make you ill?

22 replies

Ghost88 · 18/10/2019 07:56

Hi all,
So im 23+5 today, had my flu jab and whooping vaccine on Wednesday, felt fine all day other than 2 dead arms.
Yesterday I started to feel a little sick and had a headache, felt slightly congested.

Last night, I woke up around 3.30am with a tight chest and feeling really nauseas (suffered with terrible nausea/sickness in first trimester but not been sick since around week 14)

I was sick around half an hour ago, and at the moment I feel a lot better in the sense that the nausea has disappeared but my chest still feels a bit tight, I just wondered if this seems normal?

Anybody else had this? Could it be the vaccinations or are they likely to be unrelated?

OP posts:

Redken24 · 18/10/2019 08:00

Flu jab no
Not sure about wc

Bol87 · 18/10/2019 08:19

Flu & whooping cough aren’t live vaccines, so cannot cause illness as such. Some people have a minor reaction to the jab itself, chills, headache, aches, possible temp as your body does have to work a bit harder as the vaccine & your white blood cells do their thing.

It sounds possibly like you’ve caught a stomach bug maybe? They are flying around at the moment!

That said, any concerns with tight chest causing struggling with breathing, def speak to your doctor!

newnameallround · 18/10/2019 08:23

When I had my first I had no problems with the whooping cough jab. Second time round I felt absolutely terrible and had to go home to bed (which is very unlike me). I found out later that it was a different vaccine I had been given (still w/c just an updated version of the vaccine).

Redken24 · 18/10/2019 08:50

@newnameallround
Actually yes this does sound true for me too! The new vaccine isn't just wc

Redken24 · 18/10/2019 08:50

Maybe I'm wrong, baby brain 😱

Taxicus · 18/10/2019 09:27

Yes it can. Many people here on mumsnet stamp on any vaccine questioning conversation but don't realise that being vaccine questioning is not the same as being "anti vax"

Whooping cough vaccine used in this country is Boostrix IPV, it is already 4 vaccines in one. Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough) and poliomyelitis (polio)

In my opinion not enough research has been done into multiple vaccines at anyone time and having multiples makes it much harder to isolate, identify and understand any side effects.

As a precaution I wouldn't opt to have Boostrix and the flu jab together. I'm sure plenty of women do and suffer no ill effects. Get well soon.

tisonlymeagain · 18/10/2019 09:31

The vaccines aren't 'live' so can't give you the illness but you can get side effects such as loss of appetite, irritability and headaches according to the NHS.

I had my whooping cough 4-in-1 at 20 weeks and had a dead arm for about a week. Had my flu jab on Monday and it hurt for about two days but is fine now.

The chances are you were already harbouring something. I am just coming up to 25 weeks and still occasionally feel sick at times with all manner of aches and pains.

nottodaysatanlucifer · 18/10/2019 09:36

Following this for advice.

Midwife told me to get mine and I'm 32 weeks but my immune system is already constantly low and I'm anemic which doesn't help. I've had a cold and a bad cough for over 2 months now. Last thing I need to do is add to it.

BernardsarenotalwaysSaints · 18/10/2019 09:37

Well you can get side effects from them, yes. Flu less so than whooping cough. Of the 2 it’s more likely to be the whooping cough vaccine that’s making you feel a bit rotten, assuming you weren’t already coming down with something, which is also possible this time of year. It does me (last 3 pregnancies I’d already had the flu jab before I found out I was pregnant so had WC on it’s own later on). I’ve usually felt back on form about 4/5 days later.

WreathsAndRopes · 18/10/2019 09:39

No the vaccines won't make you ill (you're not describing a reaction), but they can make you slightly more likely to catch other infections for a few days, e.g. Colds and other flu strains and stomach bugs.

JustMe9 · 18/10/2019 09:39

I had mine done at similar time and didnt have any side effects and was told they are not LIVE vaccines so they dont make you ill. Hope you feel better soon X

SinkGirl · 18/10/2019 09:47

Obviously it’s entirely your choice but I would urge you to have the whooping cough jab ASAP. It takes time for the immunity to establish in the baby and if they arrive early they may not get full protection.

I had mine at 30 weeks and my twins were born at 35+1, DT2 contracted whooping cough a few days before his first jabs and ended up in HDU for nearly two weeks at 9 weeks old. Took them a while to figure out what it was as it wasn’t as severe as it could have been (most likely due to the vaccination, and I and his twin didn’t get it) but he still needed high pressure oxygen for 11 days and was terrifyingly sick. Had to call an ambulance as he went from a bit unwell to floppy and unresponsive in no time at all. He was discharged that day saying it was bronchiolitis and then a few days later at a nicu check up, his o2 level was down to 72% and they had to call an ambulance to take him across the road to A&E as he was so sick I wasn’t allowed to take him in the buggy. I really thought he might die.

I wouldn’t delay, just in case your baby comes early. This is why they changed the advice to having it earlier in pregnancy (from 20 weeks) but no one told me.

nataliemum25 · 18/10/2019 09:49

I had them both last week, and this week I feel terrible, feels like a chest infection horrible cough and cold, the nurse said I could feel like this a week later

CoffeeAndCarbs · 18/10/2019 09:55

I'm 5+1 and had the flu jab yesterday. Felt fine all day but woke at 6am this morning with a tight chest and feeling nauseous (I haven't felt sick at all so far). However, within a couple of hours I felt ok. Maybe just coincidence x

StealthPussy · 18/10/2019 10:11

My DS had whooping cough at 3 weeks old. Nearly died. This was just before they introduced the vaccine in pregnancy. I would have gladly had the vaccine and felt ill for a few days to prevent him from going through that experience of coughing, struggling to breath, going blue, vomiting everything up and being on oxygen. I recommend every pregnant woman has the vaccine at the recommended time slot. The only thing worse than watching your child fighting to live is watching them die. Have the vaccine.

Bol87 · 18/10/2019 13:37

Yes, please get the vaccine. It is better you suffer with mild side affects such as nausea & cold like symptoms than put your baby at risk of WC! I’ve suffered through Hyperemesis twice (still suffering), severe anaemia twice (still suffering) and I’ll be getting my vaccines as soon as I need too. I’m booked in for my flu next week and I’ll be getting WC a bit later on. I’d rather suffer a little more for a few days than get flu or not protect my baby.

WC has been a 4-in-1 jab for a while. I had it in 2016 and that’s what I had.

BarleyG · 18/10/2019 18:03

I nearly died of whooping cough as a baby so there is absolutely no way I would have gone without the jab for the sake of feeling a bit poorly for a couple of days. As it happens, I’ve had no side effects whatsoever from either the flu jab or the whooping cough jab. Sorry to sound morbid, but you’re far more likely to die of flu when you’re pregnant so to me it’s a no brainer.

ke11y86 · 18/10/2019 18:16

I had the flu jab on Tuesday and I feel awful, aches and pains, headache, terrible sore throat and lack of energy. Not sure if this is even to do with the jab as I've never had it before and I know there's a lot going around at the moment... I'm also 23 + 5

SinkGirl · 18/10/2019 19:11

I had that bug recently - worst sore throat I’ve ever experienced. It’s probably a coincidence, we’ve had constant bugs here for the last six weeks or so.

Meganc559 · 19/10/2019 09:46

I refused the flu jab as I just don’t agree with it but the wc one made me really unwell, but I ve had wc before as an adult and I wouldn’t want the baby to go through what I went through

nottodaysatanlucifer · 19/10/2019 10:27

@SinkGirl yeah, I was surprised my midwife has only just mentioned it to me at 31 weeks. I'll get it done, just have to prepare myself to be wiped out 😂 my toddler brings home the slightest germs and then I get really unwell every time 🥴

fasparent · 19/10/2019 10:33

Wish vaccines were around in. my day Got whooping cough at age two was that traumatic can remember it well collapsed my lungs, choking on blood in my through. WAS IN ISOLATION HOSPITAL FOR 4 YEARS, Mum and dad only allowed too see me through the window. On day due too come home contracted scarlet fever another 6 months in isolation. A very big missed gap in my life. Vaccines are a godsend.

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