I’m home sick today with a nasty cough I should have spared my coworkers from yesterday. Hopefully their immune systems aren’t taking a vacation, as mine apparently is.
Can I blame the pregnancy for my crying jag at work yesterday morning, or would that be the I’m Sick And Feeling Oh So Sorry For Myself weepiness? No idea. I’ve never been good at measuring symptoms, seems I can talk my way out of anything.
Today I’m wondering if my breasts are sore enough for me to even be pregnant. Being sick has drowned out the other symptoms effectively, since coughing is much more dramatic than a mild uterine twinge. The Handy Internet comes to the rescue and assures me that my breasts can do whatever they please. Wouldn’t be the first time they confounded my expectations.
Meanwhile, it seems the multi-celled organism is just miniscule. It’s no surprise I can’t feel that. It’s thinking about arms and legs, eyes and a tongue, apparently. So I thought maybe I was having morning sickness sort of nausea on Tuesday but again, it could have been the cold. Or my Extremely Powerful Psychosomatic Force Field. One or the other.
So I got my hands on an H1N1 injection, am scheduled for next Monday afternoon. I’ll be just starting my 7th week – usually they do it at 10 (vulnerable organ development period ends around then) – but it takes about a week to take effect and then I’m scheduled to be on a 6 hour flight across the country. I’m getting conflicting advice on this one. Should I do it?
Would you?
My understanding of the risks/complications of flu in pregnancy have to do with things like reduced lung capacity and such later term. More on that here: http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/alert-alerte/h1n1/vacc/pregvacc-grossvacc-eng.php
My partner had the vaccine in her ninth week. Aside form getting h1n1 (which we assume is due to working at a college and the delay in the vaccination’s effect) she and the baby are “okay” at 12 weeks. We even threw tamiflu at it. Resiliant baby. While nothing is certain til after the birth, we felt pretty confident in the statistics out there about both the vaccine and tamiflu. do homework
I’m 16 weeks along and have not gotten any flu shots and travel across the west coast weekly for my job. And I just took a 12 hour (many segments) flight each way to Maui. My theory is that if you have a strong enough immune system (and are exposed to stuff all the time like I am), then you’ve likely built up an immunity. It’s not scientific and probably the wrong answer, but I just don’t trust commercial medicines unless it’s life or death. I have on the other hand eaten a TON of fruit which may have been helping with keeping me healthy? hard to say. Good luck with your decision. I tend to think you’ll be fine on the flight without it yet.
Don’t know what to tell you. For every website/friend/midwife/doctor who says to get the shot, you’ll find another who says not to or that it really doesn’t make a difference.
I’m pregnant but not getting the vaccine. I don’t get the regular flu shot, either. I live with a toddler who goes to daycare, and he’s also not getting either flu shot.
But that’s my decision based on the information I received + my own judgment. AND, we’re not flying across the country…not until January, at least.
Good luck. Whatever you decide will ultimately be the right decision for you. Do your homework, and discuss it with your trusted healthcare provider.
Is it possible to wait and get it when you’re back? If this is the only clinic date (I’ve found it hard to get clinic dates) then that may be a factor. If you can reschedule, then you should consider doing it. It will put that concern out of your mind.
In the end, of course, the decision is yours.
And what was so bad about that 16th birthday party? As I remember, it was a blast!
