I'm pregnant, should I worry about H1N1 Swine Flu?

In a word, yes.

I'm four months pregnant and I am a little worried about the upcoming flu season because some recent statistics specifically focusing on how Swine Flu (H1N1) is causing life-threatening secondary illness in pregnant women.  Between April and July of this year, over 43,000 cases were confirmed in the US.  Over 5,000 were hospitalized and 302 people died.  Of the deaths so far in the US, 15-18% have been pregnant women.  This fact is startling because at any given time, only ONE PERCENT of the population is pregnant. I first heard this a few weeks ago from Katie Couric on the CBS Evening News.  We're dropping like flies! On a more serious note though, it seems that pregnant women are more susceptible to a secondary respiratory infection that leads to hospitalization and often pneumonia. Should I be worried, and just how vigilant should I be?

I'm four and a half months pregnant right now and I have toddler, read: germ dispenser.  He is to germs what a lint roller is to dog hair on a black suit.  I think you get the idea.  I'm considering keeping him out of classes and group activities for the fall, or at least until I can get the H1N1 vaccine, which is currently in the human-testing stage and not expected to be available until mid-October.  

I will be the first to admit that I am a germaphobe.  However, I have gotten much better since my son was a newborn.  We use Purell and other hand sanitizers liberally and often.  We wash our hands before all meals and immediately upon returning home from an outing or being outdoors.  But, is that enough?  I don't think anyone, not even experts can sufficiently and definitively answer that question at this point.  So I'm back at ground zero wondering just how concerned I need to be and what level of precautions I need to take to protect myself, my unborn fetus, and my toddler. 

Right now I'm planning to hold off on registering for fall sessions of baby-gym classes, swim, and all those others overpriced "enriching" activities. Is this hypervigilence? Maybe.  But it's only a few weeks really, maybe a couple of months, during a nice time of year to get outside in the fresh air and play, you know, without touching other people.

Some of my friends think I'm a little loony for being this stringent, some agree with me completely.  In any case, I have to protect my family and mainly myself because it is abundantly clear that my current gestational state makes me extra susceptible to colds and flu viruses and especially, complications from H1N1. 

CDC Information for Pregnant Women

CDC Information: Background on Swine Flu

This is an original post to DC Metro Moms.

Stacy Kravitz writes about life with a toddler, a husband and too many pets at The Fabulous Miss S.