Absolutely Delightful » Vaccines

Impatient Baby Girl

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 03:49:50 +0000

Well, baby has arrived (4.5 weeks early)! I was being monitored for premature labour and had been on restricted activity most of the pregnancy due to a “short” cervix but I had PROM (premature rupture of membranes) on Friday, Nov 6 around 3am in the morning. I thought perhaps I had just peed a little bit b/c it wasn’t very much and I was half asleep. I changed my PJ’s and went back to bed. Just before 8am, my son woke up so I went upstairs to get him and lifted him out of his crib and then sat down on the rocking chair and SQUISH – more water. This time it was just too much to think it was pee and I didn’t even feel like I needed to pee. Still, I was in denial. More on the whole story later, but the good news is that our daughter was born late that evening and was healthy and didn’t have to spend any time in the NICU. She is tiny though: 4lbs 12.5oz and 18.5 inches long. We are so fortunate. We are having some preemie issues with feeding, which I’m trying to work out but all in all it’s very good. Let’s hope it continues to be good and that it just gets better – we need to fatten her up!

So now I’m even more glad that we were able to get our H1N1 vaccines since she was born just shy of 2 weeks after I got the vaccine, which means that she should have gotten some immunity from it.

Got to run and wake her up to feed her…again!

I got my H1N1 flu vaccine!

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 21:56:49 +0000

Well, last week I wrote how I wanted to get my H1N1 flu shot but that due to limited production it was not available, nor was it expected to be available in my doctors office for another 2-3 weeks. Being quite pregnant I felt an urgency and so I would check online every day to see if there were any updates in terms of availability. On Friday afternoon, a press conference was held announcing that 102,000 doses had arrived in San Diego (the second shipment but the first was only FluMist and not appropriate for pregnant women). They were only being given to 7 Public Health Clinics around San Diego County and only to high-risk groups, of which my husband, my toddler, and I all fell into. We went down that Saturday and waited in line for 3.25 hours and were able to get our shot.

Previously, when this first came to light several months ago, I had been sitting on the fence but after extensive research into the H1N1 virus and vaccine, ultimately what I thought was an agonizing decision, really wasn’t. There is so much fear-mongering about the vaccine from unscientific and/or government conspiracy sources. And if one more person quotes Dr. Mercola I’m going to FREAK! He’s on QuackWatch and he’s been warned by the FDA 3 times for his marketing practices of nutritional supplements.

I want a H1N1 “Swine” Flu Vaccine

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 18:25:14 +0000

So, at first I wasn’t so sure about it because I felt that maybe it was rolled out too quickly and not well-tested. However upon doing further research (both into the vaccine and the H1N1 flu virus itself) I am now decided that I must get the vaccine. I am pregnant and in my third trimester – one of the most high-risk groups. This is my rationale:

1. H1N1 seems to be hitting pregnant women especially hard. Particularly those in their 3rd trimester. Pregnancy lowers the immune system to protect the baby and this can make the flu very dangerous for this group. This is very scary and I feel I must protect myself and my child.

2. If I get the vaccine while still pregnant then I will be able to pass some of the immunity on to my baby, who will be born in the height of flu season and will be too young to get immunized (children under 6 months of age cannot receive the flu vaccine).

3. I will go from one high-risk group to another after the baby is born (those parents and caregivers of children under 6 months of age). So, to protect my baby and my toddler, it would be wise to get the whole family immunized.

4. The H1N1 vaccine is made just like the seasonal flu vaccine – same ingredients (except for the dead virus strain) and the same process. The regular seasonal flu vaccine has a very good safety record and I have been getting it for 9 years (even while pregnant), so I believe the scientific claims that the H1N1 will be just as safe.

Here is a great article debunking vaccine myths (not just flu vaccine). Vaccines are one of the greatest advancements in medical history. They save lives. It makes me very angry that people who don’t have science on their side are spreading falsehoods and making people fearful of what could protect them and those around them.

http://www.skeptic.com/eskeptic/09-06-03

Now only if this vaccine would be available!!!! It has proven very elusive here in San Diego. It’s already almost the end of October and there are none to be found. My OB, GP and pediatrician’s offices don’t expect them in until early November. I’m very annoyed with the wait considering the virus is very active already. Hopefully it will indeed come in November or even sooner and there will be enough for myself, my toddler and my husband.