At the end of October, the H1N1 vaccine finally became available in the area I live in. Being pregnant, and therefore at higher risk for catching the Swine Flu, I contemplated on whether to get the vaccine. The only one offered at the time was the vaccine with preservative. When the day came and I had to make my choice, I decided not to get the vaccine. I was unsure of the long-term affects of receiving a vaccine with preservative in it, so I decided to wait for the preservative-free vax.
Last week the vaccine was offered preservative-free. After a lot of prayer, researching, and talking with my husband, I decided not to get the vaccine, even preservative-free. I simply didn't have peace about it and felt very uneasy about getting injected with anything while my baby was in such a crucial period of development.
Although the vaccine is supposed to be safe, and many pregnant women have received it and done fine, I still didn't feel comfortable not knowing the long-term affects on children whose mothers are vaccinated during pregnancy. I also could not find 100% reassurance that there isn't a link between flu vaccination in pregnancy and miscarriage. So for now, I'm passing on the vaccine. It's possible I could decide to get it later on, but for now not getting vaccinated in pregnancy is the decision I've made.
For those of you that are still contemplating whether or not to get the vaccine while pregnant (or not), please don't let my decision influence you. There are many good reasons to get it, just as there are reasons why some people decide not to get it. What might be best for our family might be different from yours. Whatever decision you make, though, it has to be one you can live with, regardless of the outcome.
Thanks again to all of you who offered advice!
I think you made the best decision! I´ll pray for you, stay at home if you can, avoid contact with people. God bless you all.
ReplyDeleteYou covered your decision in prayer, so feel confident in that decision. Dr. Bradley recommended pregnant women stay out of the crowds during cold and flu season anyway;-)
ReplyDeleteHi Morgan,
ReplyDeletePraying you will stay healthy and that you will enjoy Thanksgiving.
Have been a minimal blogger lately, so it was fun to check out your toy posts :)
~Julie
I am so glad you're not getting it! I wasn't going to say anything if you did get it, but I am really happy you didn't.
ReplyDeleteHappy Thanksgiving!!
ReplyDeleteI decided not to get vaccinated either. I didn't consider it for very long. As I stay home most of the time there is no real reason for me to get it, and like you I really wonder if there is not more harm done with the vaccine than without.. If I were in a different situation (more outside contacts) I'd reconsider. For now I'm happy with my decision.
Do you mind if I ask around when you are due? I don't remember...
Oh and thanks for sharing about the toys these were great tips. I love the idea of getting toys for kids that favor imagination, like blocs, dolls and doll house.. These make for HOURS of fun! :)
TL- June : )
ReplyDeleteI don't blame you one bit! I opted to not get my children vaccinated. Even our pediatrician said "the flu shot has been tried & tested,& proven to work. the h1n1 has not."
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you're comfortable with your decision. I believe you and your baby will not get the flu and that you will be fine. Just a feeling... :)
ReplyDeleteWe both made the same choice then :-) I figure if its "Not reccomended for children under 6 months of age" why the heck would UNBORN babies be ok to get it? That just never made sense to me.
ReplyDeleteMy sentiments exactly while pregnant and I wasn't even in the 1st trimester. I'm glad you made a decision that is right for you and your family!
ReplyDeleteAnd Cristin made a great point! Only in America...
I understand your feelings with this. I have been at crossroads over getting the shot for my kids or not. I decided so far not to get it and hope that Ive made the right choice.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, you look adorable! You look more pregnant than I do at 13 weeks =)
ReplyDeleteI made the same decision as you, and I am finding that most people I know who made the decision whether or not to vax prayerfully ended up feeling too uneasy about the vax. Trust in God, He will lead and protect you!
I did receive the vaccine, WITH preservative, and both me and my little one are fine. However, don't let my decision influence you. As you've stated, it has to be a decision that YOU have to live with, regardless of the outcome. I received mine 1.5 weeks before my little man made his appearance. I might have thought differently if I was still in my first trimester.
ReplyDeleteI could have written that same blog. My husband and I both talked and talked about it, since I'm almost into my 3rd trimester with our 3rd, we felt that the risk of me getting H1N1 wasn't worth the long term effects that the vaccine might have. Stay healthy!
ReplyDeleteHey Morgan! I commented on your last H1N1 post and since that time, our whole family contracted the famous virus. :-) The only reason I knew I had H1N1 was because I got tested for it. The kids had fevers and bad colds and Daniel hadn't been feeling too well, so when I started to get a fever he wanted me to call my doctor's office and ask what I should do (because of H1N1 running wild in our area). They wanted me to get tested, since I was 30 weeks pregnant at that time. At this point I had a temp of 99.7 and a cough. Definitely been a lot sicker. The test was positive and I did take Tamiflu, but I don't think that really affected my recovery at all. Daniel worked the entire time he had it (whoops- sorry community- he didn't know!) and overall it was just a bad cold for us. I have a lot of friends who vaccinated for H1N1 that had terrible flu symptoms after several weeks- classic H1N1 symptoms. I'm totally NOT convinced of the effectiveness of the vaccine just because of that.
ReplyDeleteSo- good for you- I'm quite sure you'll be fine, even if you do get it, and if you guys have had bad colds this fall, you probably already had it! Good grief- gotta love the media.
Sounds like you made a good decision!
ReplyDeleteHappy Thanksgiving!
Came by to wish you a blessed Thanksgiving!
ReplyDelete~Julie
I think you've made a good choice of not going through with the vaccine.. The h1n1 vaccine is pretty new.. Though pharmacists and doctors claim that it may be safe, that vaccine hasn't belonged to Category A yet, which ensures the safety of the fetus whenever a drug is given.
ReplyDelete~SwagBucksTricks
You sound at peace with your decision, which is wonderful!
ReplyDeleteHope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Love your belly picture...you look adorable!!
Wow, I have to say I really like how you articulated your process on this. Not sure how I feel still but thanks for sharing your heart!
ReplyDeleteI struggled with the same decision and ended up getting vaccinated, with the thimerosal-free version. I was concerned about the vaccine but was also concerned about the risk of miscarriage/fetal harm should I get the flu. It's been a couple of weeks and all is well.
ReplyDelete