Vaccinations?????

[Mrs_P]

My midwife has asked me if i want the whopping cough (there was outbreak of in England in maternity wards earlier this year) and the flu vaccine. I know i caught either of these they'd do the baby a lot of damage but how safe really are the vaccines in pregnancy?

Is anyone having these or decided not to - would really appreciate any opinions / advice

[Wanting-a-girl]

Tough desicion! Umm what is the status of the outbreak right now? I would not get the flu def not! Um if whooping cough is a high risk then I prob would cause it is very dangerous for babies

[Mrs_P]

Thank you for that, why not the flu vaccine?

I have no idea what to do, i know the flu, if i were to catch it would be really dangerous for baby and me but i no nothing of the risks with the vaccine

[Lia2327]

The flu vaccine is totally safe as long as you get the preservative-free type. The preservative they use in the flu vaccine is mercury. It is not known for sure whether it would do any harm to the baby, but you definitely want to get the mercury-free type just to be safe. I had the vaccine when I was about 8 weeks pregnant, and the baby is perfectly healthy. It is better to get the vaccine than to get the flu during pregnancy. They have linked the flu to low amniotic fluid during pregnancy.

[NearlyDone]

Im kind of sceptical....idk im deff not getting the flu one.i dont think i will get the whooping cough either...i have 5 children that i didn't have it with.....the jury is a little bit out on whooping cough but im swaying more toward not getting it

[Wanting-a-girl]

I don't like vaccinations allthogether! I havnt given my 2 year old one vaccine ever yet... I will and the only reason I said for you to prob get the pertessis vaccine is cause there was a big outbreak where you are and whooping cough is deadly sometimes... Vaccines are full of terrible things all kinds of poisons... Fomeldhyde for instance whole wadi of stuff tho.. It's your decision tho and ultimately u have to do what ur comfortable with

[Rosie85]

Well guess what ladies who are against vaccines, are you aware that having an infection especially one with a fever can raise the risk of developmental issues 40%. That is known. What is unknown is the risk of vaccine if any. The teeny tiny bit of mercury that may be present is really no more than what is in some fish.

Choose your poison I always say.

[Rosie85]

Not to mention if you get it while pregnant it isn't going straight to the baby, it goes to you. I am Much much much more weary about giving babies vaccines after they are born. I do a very delayed schedule and don't have them get some of them at all. I also refuse to vaccinate at birth. So I am not pro-vaccine in anyway but I don't think the risk while pregnant is any worse than the illness itself. I think it may be even less than the illness since they do know illnesses can affect the baby, also drugs you take to feel better...affect the baby. A round of antibiotics is going to do more harm to the baby than a single vaccine...

[Butterfly Spirit]

I was going to post about the whooping cough vaccine coming out for pregnant women in Jan 1, 2013

I totally WILL NOT be getting it.

But just my take on things:
My oldest is fully vaccinated and is VERY behind his brother that is half his age and only half vaccinated. Coincidence? I don't know.
My oldest I swear has a lower form of autism.
Apparently with DS#2 we stopped right before the MMR vaccine, but I'm glad we did. There has to be something to the epidemic... and our kids take like double or triple the amount of vaccines that we had as kids. I just don't trust anymore..I go with my gut and my heart.

[hopingforsaskia]

I'm with you Butterfly. I immunise homeopathically, and I can take those myself, whenever there's any outbreaks and it's 100% safe. Do some research, see if there's alternatives.

They may have debunked the autism-vax link (ha!) but they do list all the "potential" side effects of the vax on the packaging (which patients NEVER see), and it's pretty freaking scary......

Good luck Mrs_P, hope you stay well xx

[strawberrymom]

I got the flu vaccine while pregnant with both my sons and had no side effects. They are both wonderful, happy, intelligent boys.

[MrsLE]

I must add my 2 cents. I find it interesting they are saying there is an outbreak of whopping cough in england. We are getting the same hype here in the USA. At both my hospital tour and newborn care class they stopped at told us this, which was kind of off topic.

Its hard to know what the whole story is but gotta love Big Pharma............. Like everything else money, money, money

[hopingforsaskia]

I must add my 2 cents. I find it interesting they are saying there is an outbreak of whopping cough in england. We are getting the same hype here in the USA. At both my hospital tour and newborn care class they stopped at told us this, which was kind of off topic.

Its hard to know what the whole story is but gotta love Big Pharma............. Like everything else money, money, money

I agree whole heartedly.

[Mrs_P]

Thanks for your replies girls. My boys are vaccinated and i have one with special needs, one who is as bright as a button but (although i could be wrong) i am fairly certain the vaccines did not cause ds1's issues as looking back there were some early initial signs i just didn't see.

It just seems scarier vaccinating a little baby thats still growing - does anyone know if miscarriage is a risk with any of these ? I know if i caught the flu that would be really dangerous for her and me and if she caught whopping cough at birth that could be fatal but nobody really tells what the risks are from the vaccine

[spinningmadly]

We are very delayed with our vaxes. Ds1 had early sensory issues and thank goodness we didn't vax bc now hes fine and caught up. Ds2 I was going to start a bit earlier but he is very sensitive and gets seizures so I Said not til he's older. I always read the vaccine leaflets side effects . But regardless I find the whopping cough debate interesting and im skeptical. In australia I heard they have the highest rates of vaccination for whooping cough in years but there's still an outbreak (someone can correct me if I'm wrong! I had read this a while ago) and in Japan it's virtually non existent and they don't start vaccines for anything until age 2.

[Tiggerian]

I have to admit I'd rather vaccinate and avoid the illnesses.

Where I live there is an outbreak of measles because people don't vaccinate their kids...

I'd get the whooping cough vaccination. 13 babies have died this last quarter from the outbreak. By getting the jab the immunity will pass to the baby for the first few months where they are most vulnerable to the disease.

If you're really unsure about it do your own research and thoroughly talk it through with your GP/consultant AND midwife. Raise ANY points with them and then make an evidence based judgement.

Personally I believe the pro's outweigh the con's of jabs far more. There are side effects of all drugs - but the effects of the diseases they could get are far worst!

[Tiggerian]

Hey wait!!

I hadn't seen your having a little girl =D CONGRATS Mrs p!!

[lovemy4]

I would wait on the whooping cough vaccine and get it shortly after you deliver--that should be preventative enough. I refused the flu vaccine when pregnant as I believe it is a category C drug which means either they do not necessarily know the risks and/or it should only be taken if the benefits outweigh any potential risks. Good luck in your decision.

[3boys]

I planned on having them both Mrs P (ESP the whooping cough one) the midwife sold me a good story and next time I'm pregnant I probably will. But that's just my opinion. Good luck with whatever you decide.

[Rosie85]

I am getting the whooping cough one as soon as I deliver.

[Tiggerian]

I would wait on the whooping cough vaccine and get it shortly after you deliver--that should be preventative enough. .

They don't vaccinate to protect the mum - it's to protect the baby! It has to be in pregnancy so the antibodies can pass to the baby. We've had an outbreak with a lot of dead new borns in the UK this winter which is why they give it in pregnancy as the antibodies pass to the baby in those first months where they are most vulnerable. :happy:

[Mrs_P]

Does it work if i have it now though, when i'm not due until the summer time or do i have to wait til closer to delivery

[hopingforsaskia]

If you're going to get it, wait until the brain is fully developed at LEAST. :)

[Rosie85]

Isn't the brain not fully developed util 39 weeks?

[hopingforsaskia]

Then I would be waiting til then.

[Tiggerian]

It's at 25 weeks.

Mrs P I'd assume that as its your antibodies they'd continue to go to the baby during your pregnancy. But, it won't hurt to wait until your in your second or third trimester if you are concerned with something like brain and neural development.

This is what the NHS website says:

"All pregnant women are now offered vaccination against whooping cough when they are 28-38 weeks pregnant."

So technically, you needn't worry about it yet anyway.

[strawberrymom]

Here is a link to statistics in the UK and Wales pertaining to whooping cough HPA - Whooping Cough (Pertussis) (http://www.hpa.org.uk/Topics/InfectiousDiseases/InfectionsAZ/WhoopingCough/) . Also the cdc (in US) has some great info on their site. Reccommending whooping cough for pregnant women is something new that has not been tested for safety. The shot is not live so it will not give you or baby the disease but other complications are unknown. The medical community by and large believe the risk of the disease is greater than possible side effects, but once again nothing is certain. Ultimately you need to research the pros and cons, statistics and treatments and not go by anyone else's opinions either way. It is you and your baby and you and your family are the ones that this decision affect. I wish you best of luck.

[Mrs_P]

Oh gosh no idea what to do to be honest, my midwife is pushing me to get the flu vaccine but i checked and i'm pretty sure i didn't have it with any of the others but she said its something that (the nhs or whoever) they are pushing people to do this year as there have been recent out breaks and a lot of problems amongst pregnant women.

Thw whopping cough she confirmed is for later on in pregnancy and i think its the same thing they give babies at 8 weeks old. But she reckoned the out break was happening as less people are vaccinating these days, these diseases that were irradicated are coming back and obviously to newborns it can be deadly.

I do trust her opinion, she is a great midwife, it just seems a lot to take in without any real information on. The only thing she did say is to wait until after 12 weeks for the flu vaccine

[Butterfly Spirit]

JJC, where's the video interview? I'd like to watch it. :)

[Tiggerian]

They tell you to take multivitamins with higher vitamin D in. People on lower income can get these for free during pregnancy over here (through sure start).

I'm not sure about the flu vaccine either. I've not had it with any of mine, despite being asthmatic. Considering the whooping cough is a problem right NOW, I'd probably get that - no heavy metals will pass to your baby, only antibodies.

Besides, the jury is out on whether all the stuff out there is true (i.e. DNA of aborted foetuses). There is NO verification out there - there are plenty of bodies who will testify that its true, but its the same with the autism and MMR vaccine which HAS been proven NOT to be right.

You also have to remember that things ARE different in USA and UK, Mrs. P.

This is what the NHS website says about safety:
"here is no evidence to suggest that the vaccine is unsafe for mother or baby if used in pregnancy.

The vaccine, called Repevax, has not been clinically tested on pregnant women because clinical trials don’t usually involve pregnant women. For this reason, evidence on safety in pregnancy can be limited. A similar vaccine (without the component that protects against polio) has been used in America in pregnant women, and there is no evidence of risk to the health of the pregnant woman or the baby.

Repevax has been used in the UK childhood immunisation programme since 2004, and has an excellent safety record. All of the components in the vaccine have been given singly or in combination to pregnant women without any evidence of harm to the mother or her baby."

og det her:

"Repevax® (containing diphtheria (low dose), tetanus, acellular pertussis and inactivated polio antigens – dTaP/IPV) is the recommended vaccine for this programme. This vaccine is licensed as a booster from 3 years of age and contains low dose diphtheria suitable for adults."

Its ONLY the antibodies that cross the placenta. =)

[Rainbow baby]

I would usually agree with the whole money money money and while it is still probably true. I know a few and no of a few more people/children that have had it in the past 3 months IRL by the way lol! It is your totally up to you and your partner. Considering it was free when I was pregnant for parents/ careers/grandparents/ the elderly and children it still seems to be going around pretty strong.

[Inky]

I have never had the flu shot. I've never had the flu, either. So I can't answer. some ppl I know are like me, and others I know have gotten the flu shot then gotten the flu. Then other ppl I know say if they don't get the flue shot one year, they get the flu. I just got on my personal history and don't get one.

This doesn't relate to pregnancy so much, but after I had my youngest, my whole family got whooping cough (pertussis). my husband and I, who were vaccinated for it, as well as my kids, who were also vaccinated for it. We stopped vaccinating when the kids were a little older, so we weren't going to be vaccinating our newborn. Well, he wouldn't have been old enough for that vaccine anyway by time we got sick. So it turned out, that newborn (surrounded by 2 children and 2 adults with pertussis in a small apartment, all sick for about 4 months) was the only one not to get sick. Meanwhile, all use vaccinated people suffered the worst cold of our lives!

[Tiggerian]

A vaccine doesn't STOP you from getting the disease. It gives your body a better platform for fighting the disease and minimises the risk of getting it. But it doesn't stop it unless you're body becomes immune to the disease.

The antibodies help fight the disease. It gives young children a higher chance of survival and lessens the chance of serious damage being done (i.e. brain damage, paralyses, etc).

That you can't get the disease because you are vaccinated is a common myth. It isn't true. You can, you might and if people don't vaccinate the chance of you getting it is higher. If people vaccinate the chance of you getting it is lower because its harder for the disease to grip hold of people.

And to answer the question about superbugs:
Viruses and bacteria's are living as well. Not in the sense that we may understand life, but they are alive - that means they are capable of evolving as much as we are. When something can fight them and kill them, they will evolve a way to resist it. Of course modern science is to blame for this, but would you rather go back to when nearly 50% of all children died before reaching adulthood? We DO have a lot to thank modern science for, even if you are sceptic of it.

I don't necessarily believe in bio-medics all the time. I refuse to take antibiotics unless I absolutely have to, the same with my children. I don't take pain killers unless I can't stand it and I refused pain relief when I had both boys because I ddin't believe it was good for them. But sometimes you've got to look at the bigger picture!

[jaindar343]

It is my not a vaccination i am much more about giving about weaving the babes vaccines after they are a born