Pregnant During the Swine Flu Pandemic

I’ve been following the news of the Swine Flu (aka H1N1) vaccine with added interest this year. I’m pregnant and therefore am in one of the highest risk factor groups and a priority group for the vaccine.

Last year, I didn’t really buy into the Swine Flu hysteria. I didn’t stay home. I didn’t keep my three year old son home. Yeah, maybe we washed our hands a bit more often (I’m a huge proponent of hand washing anyway. OCD? Just a tad.) but we didn’t vary our routines.

I get the flu shot every year. I’ve made sure my son gets it each year as well. (I encourage my husband, but he’s on his own to actually see the doctor!)

But, I’ll be honest, this year it’s all giving me a bit of pause.

A recent study by the Center for Disease Controls found that once pregnant women get Swine Flu, they are more likely to have severe complications. In fact, we're four times more likely to need hospitalization for swine flu. Well, that tells me that I should get the vaccine as soon as possible.

Yet, NPR, my main source of news, reports that the virus being used to grow the H1N1 vaccine is growing more slowly than expected. That means there may not be enough vaccine to go around by October when the pandemic flu comes back around to the northern hemisphere. And, at the same time, the regular ole seasonal flu will be kicking off around then as well.

And, what about the safety? Again, NPR reports that 10,000 volunteers will be given the vaccine. In fact, those trials have already begun at nearby University of Maryland, but with such a tight turnaround between testing and administering the vaccine to the highest-risk groups (raises hand!) will any severe side effects be discovered?

The bottom line is that I will most likely get the vaccine. I'll talk with my doctor and keep reading and listening to all the related studies, recommendations and news reports, but I am pretty sure that the risks will outweigh the benefits. Because the greatest risk of all is to my developing baby, and that's someone I'm not willing to take any chances with.


Original post to DC Metro Moms. When Aimee Olivo isn't listening to NPR or washing her hands, she's writing at Smiling Mama and Out by Ten.