What are your opinions on the swine flu vaccination for pregnant women?

[tigwig]

I personally will be having it but lots of other people I have spoke to say they won't and its not been tested properly and it isn't safe!
This isn't the case surely? I mean if it were, why would we pregnant women be top of the priority list to have it done?
You hear of horror stories about people who have died from swine flu and I do not want to risk that happening to me or my baby.
What does everyone else think?

[sherrardk]

If I was pregnant I wouldn't have the vaccine - I am still not sure if I will let my children have it either if it is offered to them (don't think I will have it if it is offered). I can't help feeling that it has all been a bit rushed and I have concerns over how they have managed to thoroughly test the vaccine in such a short space of time. At the height of the outbreak we were concerned that our (then) 15 month old twins were showing symptoms of Swine Flu and duly rang the doctor who told us that the medicine they were giving out (can't remember what it was called) was not suitable for babies which I was quite surprised at as they hadn't made that widely known. How pregnant are you? - I am only wondering if it is possible to wait until you have had the baby and then have the vaccine.

[sherrardk]

PS - just wanted to add that I am not anti-vaccines - mine have all had everything that they are meant to have including MMR

[puma86]

I'm 28 weeks pregnant and I will be having the vaccine if it is offered to me before i have my lil man.
I'm sure they would not be giving out these unless they were safe, and the reason we have had to wait a while for them is because they had to be tested and cleared as safe to use.
Pregnant women in 2nd and 3rd trimesters are at greater risk. Most pregnant women will only have the same symptoms as anyone else but some pregnant women who catch the swine flu virus will develop complications like pneumonia, prem-labour etc. We are not top of the priority list, just in the priority group - this is us, the elderly and anyone with a low imune system i.e. people having chemo etc.

People who have died from swine flu have done so due to them already suffering ill health. Healthy people are not generally dropping like flies so dont panic.

Although the vaccines are not suitable for babies the vaccine that we will get as pregnant women is not an injection as far as i'm aware. It will be something that doesn't get into the babies bloodstream like an inhaler.

Hope this puts you a bit more at ease :o)
Kate x

[redcrx]

Im not pregnant but if i were i think that i would think twice about it. The vaccine cannot have been fully tested. How can they have trialled it and calculated the risk to an unborn child?

At the end of the day, many medicines are advised not to be taken by pregnant women. Not because they are dangerous exactly, but because they havnt had full trials.

As a pharmacist said to me once. "if you were pregnant, would you sign up to do a drug trial?"

[clydeserani]

Hi, I am 17 weeks pregnant and I am worried sick about the vaccine. I lost a little baby earlier this year so obviously I want to protect this one with every fibre of my being. My GUT feeling is that the Swine Flu has not been around long enough for clear results to be available regarding the effect of the vaccine on Pregnant women.

Also, is the Swine Flu as great a risk as the Government and Health bodies want us to think or is it another case of sensationalism.

I know after speaking to my Midwife that I will be invited for the vaccine within the next few weeks. My dillema is, do I take the vaccine and step into the unkown, ie, will it have an effect on my precious cargo or do I not take the vaccine and risk the physical effects If i was unlucky enough to contract Swine Flu..

At the back of my mind is the Thalidomide vaccine in the 60s that was hailed as the miracle drug that would cure Morning sickness and of course the effect was devastating for thousands of little babies who are now in their 40s and living with severe disability...

i don't know. I am totally stuck.