Flu while pregnant - please help

[Motherof1and2dogs]

I have health anxiety as it is but my flu is getting worse, I don't have a temperature but I have woken up feeling so sick like I actually could vomit, slight tummy pains, headache, dizzy and short of breath (not sure if some of this is related to anxiety). I am 16 weeks pregnant, long story short I am really scared. I keep wanting to call 111 or go A&E but I feel so silly. Temperature is 36.7 so that's all good.

At what point do I actually call 111 or go A&E, I just get so scared of dying, I know it's only flu but because I am pregnant I feel so much more anxious, scared and worried. Has anyone else been through this before? I feel like I need reassurance x

Hi there sorry to hear you are unwell. Yes you can absolutely call 111. I don't think going to A&E and sitting in their reception for hours is a good idea without discussing it with 111 first. You say you suffer from health anxiety. Has your midwife referred you to the perinatal mental health team?

@Kosenrufugirl my midwife has mentioned about help every time I have gone to see her but I have been coping ok, it's only because I am so ill and feel so sick that I am really scared something bad will happen to me and baby :( I have a fear of being sick as well which isn't helping x

Hi there I am a midwife myself. Pregnancy is a scary time for most women in the best of times. Labour could be super scary for a lot of women. If your midwife offered you a referral I suggest you grab it with both hands. No one is going to force any intervention onto you. You can expect a chat about what strategies you find useful and go from there. It seems to me you have this fear about wasting people's time. Why is that?

@Kosenrufugirl I have always been embarrassed about going A&E for something that isn't serious. I think it's from where I suffer with panic attacks I have been A&E or called 111 a lot in the past and now I just avoid going in case it's just anxiety or panic and it's nothing serious.
I do feel very sick which I know is just a common thing for our bodies to do when we are unwell but I didn't think vomiting was a symptom of flu which is why is has worried me a little :(

Hi,

I'm really sorry to hear that you are feeling so rubbish. I also struggle with anxiety around nausea and I know what when I feel bad like that, it is very hard to think about anything else, so I absolutely sympathise.

I think the main thing to know is that baby is safe, and your body will deal with the flu, and will keep the baby safe.

It's really good that your temperature is normal. That is very good indeed.

The next thing is that you yourself are feeling anxious and in need of a bit of care and a feeling of safety. I think if you could find ways to help your body to feel calm and a bit better, that would really help.

Here are some things I do when I feel like that:

I listen to whale music on youtube, and that is really soothing and often helps to calm anxiety and stop the physical symptoms as well.

I make a hot water bottle and put it on my stomach to help relax the muscles and that really helps.

Sometimes I sit by an open french window or normal window, because the cold air really helps with nausea. If I do that at night I wrap a warm duvet round me to keep warm.

Sometimes I chew mint gum, which really helps.

Sometimes I fold the washing that has come out of the tumble dryer and that really really helps, for some reason. I think that just doing something like that with my hands helps my mind to be calm and then the physical symptoms subside.

The other thing is that it's really good to write a list of things that you might actually be anxious about in real life, so that when you feel calmer you can think about how to tackle some of those problems. If you write them down now, then you can forget about them for tonight.

I would second what the pp said above about accepting a referral for help with anxiety. I saw a lovely private psychologist for ten years and she helped me very much indeed. She left private practice last year and joined the NHS perinatal MH team, so if you were in the same area as me you might see her. She really was absolutely lovely and would be so much help in calming your worries.

I hope you manage to get comfy tonight. Flu can be so rubbish, and I feel for you sitting there working through it. It will go soon, and you will feel much much better.

Take care there.

btw, I think the flu this year is a bit fierce and that is why your stomach feels bad. You are not alone though, and lots of people have had a hard time with it this year. It's just a rubbish virus and it will potter off in a bit and leave you to recover. Your body is really good at getting rid of the flu.

I am sorry to hear other health care professionals made you feel you are wasting their time. We are all different and some people need more support and reassurance than others. It sounds you have a sensitive and caring midwife. I really do suggest you take up that offer of extra support. There are a lot of women who struggle with mental health in pregnancy. Which is a reason every hospital has a perinatal mental health team now staffed by experienced midwives. They work from the assumption that the woman herself knows what works best for her. Still, having this extra support and listening ear is super beneficial in my opinion. It would also be good if the labour ward midwives had some ideas what we can do to minimise the risk of you having a panic attack when you are in labour. I have seen a few as a midwife. You are not alone in feeling anxious. A few sessions with a perinatal mental health team and a good detailed labour plan could make a big difference in your birth experience

I don’t think you need to go to an and e, it sounds like you’re doing ok physically. You should definitely ask for a referral for cbt for health anxiety though when you next see your midwife.

Sorry you are struggling with being unwell and feeling so anxious OP.

You have flu and don't have a temperature, you don't need to call 111 or go to A&E at this stage. You need to rest, drink plenty of water and take some paracetamols.

There's a horrible strain of flu going round which I've had too so I know it feels horrendous but your baby is OK. Time to look after mama!

Please do take any referral and help available in relation to the anxiety you are feeling. Pregnancy and post partum is a long road.

Sorry you are struggling. It may not be flu without a temp, doesn't really matter what it it is though you're not well and need to focus on getting better. It doesn't need an and e visit.

Have you tried grounding yourself if you're anxious. The 5 things method?

I think a&E would make you feel a lot worse. A couple of people I know have Ven dreadfully ill recently (meningitis) and said they say for 2 days in a plastic chair as there are no beds. I don’t think A&E is the right place for you

It doesn't sound like flu if you don't have a temperature. Hope you feel better soon.