The Friday Question: Will you vaccinate your baby for swine flu?
Those of us with tiny babies are in a rough spot this winter. Should we get vaccinated for swine flu while breastfeeding or take our chances? My little one is just four months old and as an educator I’ve already seen the virus leave very sick teachers and students in its wake. I don’t want to bring it home to our baby but I’m also hesitant about getting the shots. After much deliberation and a visit to the pediatrician, we stood in line for five hours with both our children just to have a bit of vaccine squirted up our noses. Do you fall in the high risk group? How do you feel about getting vaccinated? Are you avoiding public places where your child could pick up the virus? Will you just let your child lick a pig instead? (Kidding! But it would be easier…)
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November 6th, 2009 at 6:39 am
We will, once our pediatrician has the vaccine in stock; distribution seems to be really spotty.
November 6th, 2009 at 6:58 am
Both my husband and I are getting vaccinated–I’m pregnant and due in January, and the risks to me and the newborn are great enough that I’m getting the shot.
November 6th, 2009 at 7:00 am
At this point, my family is not getting the shot. The “newness” of the vaccine freaks me out too much and any year I have received the regular flu shot, I’ve gotten sicker than other years.
It’s so hard to know what to do…
November 6th, 2009 at 7:08 am
We got the vaccine for the kids on Monday, unfortunately too late. My little one has H1N1 right now, and the older one has been exposed and the dr. doesn’t know whether he’ll get it or be protected.
November 6th, 2009 at 8:27 am
UGH H1N1 vaccine!!! I am so torn. IDK what to do but I may not have to make a decision. My husband and my MIL work at a College. My SIL works in a HS. I hav a 6 month old and a 2 yr old.
I am confused on what to do but it might not matter. The H1N1 vaccine is not available anywhere near us. My ped said they are like 300th on the waiting list to get the Vaccine and may not get it until Dec. My ped also said that we will probably be exposed to it before we get the vaccine and that I am to bring the babies in if we get fevers and she will give us tamiflu.
I am concerned bc I am wondering if tamiflu will be available when they get sick.
So in the mean time I will just make sure they get a lot of Vitamin D
November 6th, 2009 at 9:21 am
Our family will not get the vaccine (but I’m very particular to which vax’s they get anyways). We take many precautions against colds/flus and will continue to do so, as well as natural remedies if it hits us.
We are avoiding the dr’s. office at all costs, knowing that we’ll definitely pick up something there. We’re keeping the boys out of the nursery at church and either with us, or at home. And we’re homebodies anyways…so, we don’t go too many places, lol
November 6th, 2009 at 10:59 am
Neither child (3 and 17 months) has gotten either flu shot mostly because the H1N1 is soooo hard to find and the regular flu shot requires an office visit. My completely unscientifically based opinion is that the office visit is probably going to be as risky as being un-vax’d at this point. If we ever get our acts together to get an office visit scheduled for early morning, we will probably take the kids but our life tends to be a bit chaotic- imagine!
I do worry about them since they are both in group care twice a week but both care centers are taking very strong measures to help protect against spreading germs- lots of handwashing, mainly. I’m being pretty picky about other activities since non-formally organized kid things tend to be much more lax about sanitizing procedures- for instance, we haven’t been to the library in a while, mostly because Megan still mouths all the library toys and I’m pretty sure they aren’t cleaned frequently. When I am nursing, I’m always anal about getting the flu vax because it allows me to give the nursing baby the benefits of the vax without exposing them to the vax directly. My husband and I both got the seasonal flu shot and would have gotten the H1N1 if practical. I’m hoping to be pregnant soon and will push for the H1N1 if I am pregnant due to the very skewed risks to pregnant women.
November 6th, 2009 at 2:00 pm
One thing to keep in mind is that the ingredients for the H1N1 vaccine and the seasonal flu vaccine are the same. Only the strain of virus is different. So really the H1N1 is no more dangerous than the regular flu vaccine. So I think you should decide for yourself if the risk of getting a vaccine (any vaccine) are bigger than the risks of the disease.
Personally, I got the H1N1 as soon as it was available (last week). I’m due with #1 in April which puts me in a high-risk group. Getting the flu is not good for the baby, particularly if you have a high fever and I have a history of getting high fevers. Last year I had a 104F fever for about 5 days, which is high enough to cause serious harm to the baby. Plus, for me it was only a matter of time until I was exposed. I’m a grad student at a Big 10 University. We’ve had ~1300 reported cases of H1N1 since Mid-August. Around town it’s been so bad that they’ve closed down many of the public schools because attendance dropped so low. So for me, I felt like getting the shot was a no-brainer.
November 6th, 2009 at 9:11 pm
I wouldn’t and didn’t get the shot for any of our family. The ingredients in the vaccination are a bit scary (including mercury). But then I am very careful and not very favorable to any vacinations.
I think 1/2 (3) of our family mights have had H1N1 already but we didn’t go to the Doctor because there wasn’t anything they could have done and we didn’t want to spread it or get any other germs. The sickness is fairly heavy duty, my husband was sick for longer than I have ever seen him before but he and the 2 kids that got it are fine now and it wasn’t that bad. My husband was sick longer than the kids but I think it was because he took quite a bit of medicine treating the symptoms which has been proven to slow the healing.
Anyhow I just thought I would share my 2 cents.
November 6th, 2009 at 10:42 pm
I think we already got it! But I will tell you this – if you are a working mom I recommend the vaccine. I used up 6 of my sick days between the three of us and the vaccine would have been way cheaper. They are offering the vaccine at my kids’ school for free and if there’s a shortage I hate to use it when we likely don’t need it. If there isn’t a shortage, I think it wouldn’t hurt just in case we didn’t have swine flu. But I’m pretty sure they had it.
November 7th, 2009 at 6:48 am
Just a clarification–the single-dose versions of the vaccine (or any vaccine) do not contain mercury. It’s only multi-dose vials that contain the preservative. Ask your doc which one he or she is using.
November 7th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
Hey guys! Long time no comment from me, my bad! Great discussion and seeing that my kids have had the swine flu, no we won’t vaccinate. Now that we’ve been exposed but before I was very unsure. I think if you make a choice that feels right for your family and kids then you’ll be making the right choice. There is no easy answer.
November 7th, 2009 at 2:16 pm
I have a three-week-old baby and I did not get any flu shot when I was pregnant. But when I went to a doctor’s visit for my asthma one week ago and saw all the sick people at the clinic, I got the regular flu shot (not H1N1). I don’t think I will be H1N1. My husband and I wash hands a lot, gargle when we come home, and use water-less hand sanitizer whenever possible. I am also hoping that exclusive breast feeding is giving my baby good immune system, and eating well myself with a lot of veggies and fruits.
November 8th, 2009 at 7:57 am
We, as a family, aren’t getting it. We practice a very healthy lifestyle, are still breast-feeding, and feel confident in practicing good hygiene and taking proper precautions. Not to mention we are anti-vax.
November 9th, 2009 at 5:41 pm
We aren’t getting it. If my daughter was in day-care or had an underlying health issue I would probably do it, though. As it is now, my husband and I taking all precautions including keeping our daughter away from playgroups at the library, etc.
November 14th, 2009 at 5:43 pm
The question of using the vaccine is a the swine flu can cause I think it is a good idea to vaccinate. I know parents are worried about the harm the vaccine itself can cause, but the risk of death from the secondary infection is just too big of one to take.
November 17th, 2009 at 8:47 pm
My husband is a physician and I am a dentist. I have two pre-teens and a baby girl. We all have gotten the vaccine, both seasonal and H1N1. I don’t know why it really is a question for some families. Why put your child and yourself of getting sick, missing work, and potentially getting other people sick. The H1N1 flu has a very long season, it could easily go into late spring and early summer, maybe even longer. I laugh at the people that say they are taking all the precautions and not letting their children go to playgrounds, playgroups, the library . . . . pathetic and poor children. You are lucky that the majority of families see the importance and get the vaccine. The more that do, the luckier you are b/c fewer children will have the flu so they won’t pass it on to your unvaccinated child.
December 19th, 2009 at 2:07 pm
I am really struggling with this one. I’m pregnant, so there are a lot of extra risks if I do catch H1N1, but I also don’t react well to vaccinations (fevers, fainting, shock) so I’m really torn. My doctor says to get it anyway, but it scares me and since its been so hard to find, I’ve using that as an excuse to avoid it this far. But in LA, they are expecting another surge of H1N1 in January, after everyone comes here for the Rose Parade and football games. I guess if my doctor gets some in I’ll get it, but I’m not able to stand in a 5 hour line yet, and they aren’t bringing pregnant women to the front of the line like they say they should, so vaccination clinics are probably out.
January 15th, 2010 at 1:09 pm
OMG – I love that pic – it is totally gross but way cute too!