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They Say: Flu Shots During Pregnancy Protect Baby
Pregnant and still not convinced you should get a flu shot? Three new studies might just help you make up your mind. Here are the findings of each:
- Among 6,410 births in Georgia, researchers found a reduced risk of low birth weight and preterm labor in the 15 percent of women who got a flu shot. Risk during flu season fell as much as 70 percent in the vaccinated group.
- Another study out of the Yale University School of Medicine found that a flu shot during pregnancy was 78.9 percent effective in preventing the hospitalization of her unvaccinated baby during the first year of life.
- A third study from Cincinnatti Children’s Hospital also found a protective benefit for newborn babies when pregnant moms were vaccinated, and also found that moms who got the shot were less likely to get sick with a fever and respiratory symptoms. They were also more likely to give birth to heavier babies.
Experts say that about 1 in 10 American infants catch the flu in their first year of life. Read more about pregnancy and flu shots and these studies at HealthDay.
If you’re pregnant, do you get a flu shot? And if not, will you consider it this year to prevent catching (or your baby catching) H1N1?
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Bean's Mom commented on Nov 02 09 at 3:03 pmI got both my regular flu and H1N1 shots. I remember reading in graduate school that flu during pregnancy increases the risk for schizophrenia for the child. Here is a link to some research: http://www.schizophrenia.com/prevention/maternal.html#support
That in itself was enough to get me to sign up for my flu shots.
ChiLaura commented on Nov 02 09 at 5:48 pmI got both, and I’ve gotten the seasonal flu shot since my days in the dorms. I don’t feel that I was being paranoid with H1N1 this year, but reading about the fatality rates of pregnant women with H1N1 was enough for me. A pregnant friend has it right now, and while she’s past the dangerous part, she’s napping two and three times a day and just laying on the couch besides that — no thanks! I’m far more concerned about what an illness to me could do to my unborn baby (and my 2 born ones!) than I am about the side-effects of the vaccine. We live in a major metro area, and the possibility of catching something is very real.
AE commented on Nov 02 09 at 6:31 pmAs a pregnant (38 weeks) asthmatic, I would love to get both shots, or even either, but no one in my county has the vaccines. The best we could do was get my husband on a county-wide waiting list for the H1N1 nasal mist, but it is unlikely they’ll get to his name soon. My OBs’ office is awaiting shipment of H1N1 shots but is probably not going to receive them before I deliver. From my perspective, it is hard to fathom that there are pregnant women out there who could get vaccinated but decline while I’d give a lot to get either one but can’t.
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