I've never had a flu shot, but I was just watching the Today Show, and they said all pregnant women should get a flu shot. Obviously, I'll go with what my midwife suggests, but I was curious if you plan to (or did) get a flu shot while pregnant, and if there were any side effects.
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Absolutely! For one, my immune system is already down due to being pregnant. I really don't want the flu - I've had it once and I never want to go through that again... let alone pregnant, so I'll do what I can to prevent it. The other reason I get it is to help protect my baby. Once I get it, the baby will have the same immunities to the flu that I do.
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LO was due/born in November which is right in the middle of flu/sick season. I got the shot even though I had also never gotten it before. I wanted to protect myself while my immunity was compromised, and protect her when she was brand new from all the people around her who could be carrying the virus.
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Yes! And DH works in a school, so he's getting one, too!
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I normally don't, but I got it when I was pregnant. You're immune-compromised when you're pregnant and the flu is much more dangerous at that time as well. Plus, you pass on some of that immunity to baby.
No side effects. They cant use live virus on pregnant women, so I didn't get sick.
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Yup! I got my first ever flu shot while I was pregnant.
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Yup, for both pregnancies.
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I've gotten flu several times in recent years so I will definitely get one. My husband never gets either the flu or the shot (even when he was taking care of me when I was sick with it!) but I might make him get the shot this year too just in case to reduce my exposure to it
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Yes, my kids were born in Jan/Feb so I was very pregnant during flu season. Got flu shots with both kids at the recommendation of my ob/gyn and doula.
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I didn't. I've never had one and my doctor was neutral on it, so I didn't get it.
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I got it right before I got pregnant. After delivery, I got the pneumonia shot because I was a perfect candidate for it.
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I did, at the recommendation of my midwife.
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Yes I did. Make sure they give you the one without thimerosal.
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I get one every year- I work in the medical field and don't want to get sick, especially while pregnant.
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No, I refused it. I have never gotten one before and haven't had any problems so far (knock on wood).
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I started getting flu shots when I was pregnant with lo. Now I get it every year.... In more worried about getting her sick.
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I did. I get it anyways, pregnant or not.
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I might have done if I was offered it, but my booking in appt wasn't until 8wks, by then it was mid Feb so I had kind of missed the winter flu season!
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Not at all.
They are considered class B or C pregnancy drugs (depending which one is being given) so there either isn't adequate enough study on fetus effects or study showing harmful effects & there isn't study on effects on reproduction, not to mention the lack of study on long term carcinogenic effects. I'm not willing to accept a slight decrease of getting the flu with these aspects left without clear answers.
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I have asthma so I'm supposed to get one every year, as getting the flu would be really dangerous. TBH though, most years I chance it. But this year I'll get it since the immunity passes on to the baby and the last thing I want is a newborn with the flu.
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Yes. My doctor strongly recommended it, so DH and I both got them.
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@runsyellowlites: That's what I'm wondering, too. I met with a vaccine specialist last month, and he said it's about herd immunity, and that the shot doesn't necessarily protect YOU. Ugh ... Talking with my midwife in two weeks.
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I will be getting one for the first time but only because my high risk doc strongly recommends it for me and DH both
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Nope. I never get a flu shot. My doctor actually never brought it up.
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I will, but I always do because I have asthma.
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No....I didn't. My OB said it wasn't super necessary and it just kind of never happened.
I do plan on getting it sometime, but being pregnant, I just didn't want to. -
I have to get the flu shot each year because I'm immune compromised as part of my Crohn's treatment. I'd imagine that it would probably be recommended for me during pregnancy as well. I'm not thrilled with the idea of getting flu shots but I do work with kids and they're germy little creatures. Plus, my doctors have put the fear of God into me that with my compromised immune system, even a moderately bad flu could potentionally be fatal....so I get my shot every year.
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I have never had a flu shot. My OB suggested I get one, I "forgot."
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Nope - never got one.
I just took 5,000 iu's of vit D every day and didn't get sick once! Normally I get sick every winter and being pregnant and taking vit D was the first time I didn't get sick! I'm a firm believer in vit D
I read a study done in Japan that vitamin D was shown 800% more effective than the flu vaccine
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I did. and I liked that since I was due in September, LO would be protected, too! I got it done at 37 weeks, I think.
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Nope...I never get the flu, so I don't get the shot.
I don't have DS get the shot, either...or DH.
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I didn't, not for any real reason other than I never really get it and didn't go out of my way when I was PG either. I also didn't get the flu. I'll consult with my MW this time and if she thinks it's a must I'll consider it.
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I'm planning to ask my MW about this at my appointment on Friday. I usually don't get the shot, and last year was the only time I've ever gotten the flu. It was miserable, but I think I got it because I was traveling basically the whole month of December for both work and personal stuff, so I was regularly crossing time zones and was on a LOT of planes and trains and subways and buses in multiple cities. Still, not an experience I care to repeat, particularly when pregnant or right afterward. So I'll see what she says and then make a decision.
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they gave me the day after i had DS. i didn't get one during pregnancy.
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I did but my work takes me in and out of hospitals so I wanted to be safe.
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Yep, I got the flu shot. I teach and got flattened by the flu the year before I got pregnant. I wanted to lower the risk of getting flu while immune compromised and losing work time right before being out on maternity leave.
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I did, but I work in an extremely busy emergency room where I was exposed to it by 30-40 patients daily.
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I did get it, because the year before I got a viral lung infection that needed 3 months of steroid treatments to finally clear up.
I am sure I contracted it on public transportation, so I didn't want to chance it while pregnant. Had I been commuting via private car, I wouldn't have gotten it.
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I did. My dr encouraged it, as I was due in April. I didn't want to risk any illness that could entail a fever
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I've never gotten the flu and never had the flu shot, but I absolutely will be getting it while pregnant.
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94 comments