Quick poll - Pg ladies, how pg are you and will you be having the swine flu jab?

[laurawantsababy]

I am 25 weeks pg with dc2 and very confused.

After another death but with conflicting advice about the jab chosen for the UK what are we to do??

I would love you here everyones choice and thoughts on it to help me out.

Thanks

Morning - well I had my jab on Weds. No side effects aside from the sore arm. And I am very glad I have had it. London has been reported as having a second wave start to hit. The number of people in intensive care as a result of S.F has doubled this week.

But it seems really hit and miss as to when GP's are going to get theirs in. A friend of mine called yesterday and they dont have any stock at hers yet.

My surgery only has Pandemrix. If interested in Cevalpan I was advised to contact my local hospital. I found the following link interesting: Swine Flu Vaccination Staff Training Video. Probably going to have my jab next week but in two minds as I would rather have Cevalpan but don't know if it's better to just get on with and take what they are currently offering.

Thanks for all the thoughts ladies and please do support the petition mentioned earlier as we need to make our voices and demand for choice heard! (2 pages back)

2 quick things:

• For folks saying, oh it can't be that bad, take a look at this article. I share not to scaremonger but it's very hard to access pregnant women's experiences on sf.

www.nytimes.com/2009/10/20/health/20pregnant.html

• Per medical article on asthamtics site, 25% of sf hospital admissions have asthma, 5% are pregnant. I share this just to really stress how seriously pregnant asthamtics like myself need to take this. If I have no choice and need to weigh out slight risk to baby versus both of our lives, I don't really see much choice in the end.

Just read of another death of a pregnant women who was perfectly healthy but dies of SF.....apparently they didn't have the right equipment at the hospital that might have saved her life, and I can't imagine that this situation will get any better if more and more people enter intensive care. I am now coming round to the idea of perhaps having the vaccine when I am offered it, though I am still worried about the impact on my unborn child.......does anyone have any information about what the risks to the unborn child could be, or do people genuinely just not know (as it is untested). I know studies have been done on animals, but animal models can hardly replicate the complexities of human cognitive development?

I'm waiting to hear what the Prof has to say on this afternoon's webchat

good idea - speak of the devil, just after I posted i call a meassage from both GP and my consultant to book in for my jab! My consultant has done a complete 180 degree turn on this one after telling me NOT to have the jab 2 weeks ago....I am going to talk to her to find out what made her change her mind. Will let you know what she says!

bmj article - German row over vaccines

Clinical professionals brief on swine flu vaccination

I had my Pandemrix vaccination at work on Thursday as I work for the NHS and have a lot of patient contact. After about 6 hours my upper arm was really sore and it was only yesterday that I got full range of movement back in it. I also felt a bit hot and headachey on Friday afternoon but that went with rest and fluids and I feel absolutely fine now.

Interestingly, I was refused the seasonal flu vaccine but told I could come back for it if my antenatal clinic said I should have it.

Sorry, forgot to say I was 19+5 when I had the jab.

just finished checking out the web chat with Dr Salisbury. Very interesting - I don't think he avoided the questions, and I think that the message he put across was that the vaccine was thought to be safe.....what did everyone else think?

Feeling very nervous. I was always very anti having the vaccine especially after my consultant advised me against having it. However I have just found out that a child in the school where I work has been very seriously ill in hospital with swine flu and it is making me rethink the whole issue.

I really don't know what to do, I am tempted to hibernate indoors for the next 6 months with my son, but it isn't really practical!

I agree lumpasmelly. I'm still not convinced though.

I would like to know if every pregnant person and child who suffered serious health complications had underlying medical conditions. If I could have that information I could confidently make my decision. Obviously it isn't possible to obtain that information and it still leaves me feeling very nervous.

I've been very anti vaccine too....but with 2 small children, I'm not sure how I'm going to avoid it.....I just keep thinking of what an idiot i would feel if I got it and ended up in intensive care, leaving my DH to look after DS1 and DS2! All this talk of toxins has got me in a spin, but then I think back to the fact that i most definitely had too much to drink on at least one occasion before I knew I was pregnant with both of my DSs, so what's the difference? probbably a silly comparison, but I need to get this all in perspective!

I don't think he gave us any new info though

I'm 34 weeks pregnant and a Paediatric nurse. I have just had the swine flu jab after much umming and aahing. The final sway point for me was a collegue coming with me who was also pregnant. Although if we are ever to erradicate or atleast minimise these illnesses then the best way is to vaccinate (and vaccinate on mass). If you get vaccinated while pregnant then you are likely to vaccinate your child too so they would be covered from birth (no need for further jabs for them)

I am 15 weeks pregnant and will have it. My little boy is one with underlying medical conditions and so will need to be vaccinated anyway. They have swine flu at the school my boys attend and they phoned so we could decide whether to withdraw or not. After very careful thought I just don't see how we can avoid the SF fully and actually withdrawing DS2 from school would mean withdrawing DS1 and simply not going anywhere at all.

I just feel with two children already, one with significant problems I am needed alive.

It is such a difficult decision though, but I think on this occasion I will put my trust in the medics.

DS2's consultant immunologist was keen for him and I to have the jab, and I do trust him.

From what i have understood each PG death has been in women who did not take antivirals after contracting the disease. This is what i have decided to do about it. No vacc, but relenza if I get it.

I'm confused having read the web chat.

Prof Salisbury "We also know that over 90 women became pregnant shortly after having the GSK vaccine and 50 of them have now completed their pregnancies and have normal babies."

How could that possibly be true given the following:

Swine flu broke out in April 2009
In late May 2009 GSK began production of the vaccine.
Women are generally pregnant for 9 months.

Sorry if I am being dim, but please someone explain to me how 50/90 women gave birth safely with a gestation period of 5 months or less.

Interesting - as Pandermix has shark-derived squalene in it I imagine that as a vegetarian I could demand Celvapan quite legitimately?

I got my h1n1 vaccine today. so far feel fine. I've deliberated for weeks about this but am glad i got it. so far I feel fine .Am 33 weeks pregnant. the waiting room was full of pregnant ladies!

Think I am going to have it....WHO, the CDC in the US....all the big health authorities are recommending that we should have it, either variety.....it looks like they are now all presenting a united front which is much more reassuring. I would never forgive myself if I caught it and ended up critically ill (or worse) and left my 2 DSs without a mummy.....OR put the safety of my unborn child at risk.

ReneRusso I haven't read his the webchat yet but surely he must mean the mock-up pandemic vaccine, which has been under development for a couple of years. They tested it with H5N1 (avian/bird flu) in readiness to just add the relevant inactivated flu strain, whenever it became clear what the actual pandemic virus turned out to be.

I'm pretty certain I won't be having it
Definitely not the Pandemrix

Has anyone got any stats on the increased risk to pg women of swine flu vs regular flu?

Midnightsun - just returned to this thread having left it a while ago and found your post: "hannahsaunt when I looked at the product info / packaging leaflets on the EMEA site they both said with identical wording:

"Tell your doctor if you are pregnant, think you may be pregnant, plan to become pregnant. You should discuss with your doctor whether you should receive Pandemrix/Cevlapan. The vaccine may be used during breast-feeding."

Where's the bit about not being recommended for pregnancy and under-9's?

We need somebody who works in regulatory affairs to explain how this process works. I have no idea."

Have only scan-read the thread. Did you get the explanation you were looking for? I'm in RA so I might be able to help (although I work on small molecules now and haven't worked on vaccines for many years)