J.Z. asks from Bloomingdale, IL on November 25, 2008
Flu Shot During Pregnancy - Westmont,IL
Hi moms! I have been up all night wondering if I made a potential harmful decision for my baby. I am 7 weeks pregnant and by OB strongly suggested I have a flu shot (at the office) to protect me, my unborn baby and my 2 yr. old who cannot get the shot because of allergies. The nurse said she was pretty sure that the shot was thimerisol free (mercury) but she wasn't sure. I ended up getting it because they seemed insistant that it was the best thing to do. I am scared now that the shot shot and the mercury in it will be harmful to the baby. Have any of you had a flu shot when pregnant? Did it harm your babies at all? I didn't get one with my first child so I'm very nervous right now. Please help calm my nerves!
Featured Answers
L.P. answers from Chicago on November 27, 2008
I got the flu shot and I am pregnant with my third. I did get the shot with my second and he is perfectly healthy and smarter than I could have imagined a three year old could be! Relax, you'll all be fine. Imagine the hard you would be doing to all of you if you got the flu.
A.C. answers from Chicago on November 26, 2008
I got the flu shot last year while pregnant, and I have a healthy, (chubby!) 7 month old. Don't worry, you will both be fine. Congrats!
More Answers
M.K. answers from Chicago on November 25, 2008
Yes, I received the flu shot during both my pregnancies and both children are perfectly fine! My kids and I receive flu shots every year, as does my husband. You did the right thing for you AND your baby! Great job Mom!!
A.T. answers from Chicago on November 26, 2008
I got a flu shot last winter when I was pregnant with my twins. Everything was fine, no harm done to the babies or me.
D.P. answers from Chicago on November 26, 2008
Yes - I got it while 4 or 5 months pregnant and I also got it recently with my second child, 2 days after giving birth (and breastfeeding exclusively. The (real) flu can be very, very dangerous for a baby.
D.Y. answers from Chicago on November 26, 2008
I had the flu shot when I was pregnant and have no idea if it had the mercury in it or not because I got it at work (I worked in a hospital). My doctor had to write a note telling them it was okay to get the shot. I now have the most beautiful and perfect 2 1/2 yr old. There were absolutely no problems. If your doctor is not worried you shouldn't worry. And remember....your body processes everything before it gets to the baby so your body takes the brunt of all of it. Relax and enjoy your pregnancy. God bless and good luck with the rest of it!!
R.H. answers from Chicago on November 26, 2008
I got the flu shot while pregnant and my baby girl is absolutely fine.
T.V. answers from Chicago on November 25, 2008
J.-
There is so much controversy with all vaccines. You definitely have a right to be nervous. Do you actually know what is in all vaccines?? I am not going to list everything--just go to some very excellent websites to get the right information. 90% of all doctors do not even know what is in a vaccine. There are over 200 flu viruses. The shot only contains 4 of them. So the percentage that they even have the correct one is very low.
All vaccines have either mercury or aluminum or both which are very very toxic.
I have a vaccine section on my blog with proven research documents
www.originalgranolagirl.blogspot.com
Let me know if you have more questions. You can take vitamin d3 thru the winter which is even more effective than any shot or medication.
In great health!!
T.
Detox Coach
J.K. answers from Chicago on November 26, 2008
J., Congrats on your pregnancy! Whether there is mercury in the vaccine you recieved depends on what brand your OB's office uses. You can ask them for the vaccine insert to find out what's in the mixture.
I don't know a lot about the risk of flu or mercury to pregnant moms or unborn babies, but if you have the same questions about vaccinating your children, check out Dr. Sears Vaccine Book. He interprets the vaccine brand inserts, and discusses the pros and cons and controversies about each vaccine, and the risks associated with the disease. The book has really helped me ask the right questions at my kids' doc appointments. We also deal with allergies, so it helps with that as well.
No one in our family gets the flu shot. The rest of my family had the flu when our son was 2 weeks old, and neither he nor I got sick. Then I got strep throat and pneumonia when I was 4 months postpartum, and the baby didn't even have a runny nose. For flu, serious complications are very unlikely for babies, particularly if your baby will be exclusively breastfed and not in day care.
S.B. answers from Chicago on November 26, 2008
The same thing happened to me 2 years ago. My daughter is completely fine now. In fact, my ob got really upset when I brought up the issue of mercury in the shots and that I was concernd. She said that the levels of mecury in the shot were so small and that the media really blew the issue out of proportion and caused a lot of fear in people. Now that I'm pregnant again, I asked her about the flu shot again and she said I definitely need one. This time, though, she said I should "try" to get one w/out mercury. I was confused as to why she seemed to have changed her mind, but she didn't want to explain. I assume she changed because she was tired of all thhe hype over the shots and decided to just go along with the common thought about the shots. If it was really important not to get the shots w/out mercury, I don't think she would have said to "try" to get the shot w/out the mercury in it. Who knows? Anyway, my daughter is fine and nothing happened when I got that flu shot two years ago with mercury while I was pregnant with her. Don't stress out about it. I'm sure you and your baby will be just fine.
Email