In hospital the nurse asked whether our family had our flu shots for the upcoming winter season. It was suggested that we all get the shot in order to keep the nasty flu away from Monkey #2.
I opted to get the vaccine, reasoning that if my immunity could shield her in the womb from chicken pox, then perhaps the same would be true for the flu shot via my breast milk. I’m still not entirely convinced the flu shot works, isn’t breast milk meant to be the all encompassing super drug to keep babies healthy? I was willing to risk negative side effects on the off chance it does work. My nurse said, the flu shot NEVER gives anyone the flu. Really? She didn’t look me in the eye when she said this. I’ve heard stories to the contrary of people who fall very ill after taking the vaccine. Of course, their are those that swear by it and get injected every winter.
Big Monkey will need to go to just about any pharmacy to get his and Monkey #1 needs to book in with the pediatrician. But should they? At the moment, the answer is no.
What are your thoughts on the flu vaccine? Monkey #1 came down with the sniffles and sneezies today and I could just about see the germs flying through the air. I don’t want to regret my decision, but if tomorrow we wake and it is a full blown cold it will be hard to keep the germs contained.
Is your family dosing up for the flu season?
All I have to say is that if you’ve ever caught the real flu, not the non-flu “24 hour virus” that doesn’t really exist, you will be in line for the flu shot every single year. My husband and I both got the flu at the same time when my kids were about 3 and 6, and neither of us could move. We were going to trade off outdoor-play supervision after half an hour, and after 15 minutes he came inside and said that sitting in the chair for that long was all that he could take. It’s the most miserable experience…every muscle hurts, and it’s not for the weak of heart.
My kids both got sick a few years ago and tested positive for flu, but it didn’t hit them as hard as it did us. The doctor said that sometimes kids will be less affected by it than adults will. They would still spike 103 degree fevers every afternoon for four or five days, and it was scary. We all get the flu shot every year now.
The flu shot is a dead virus so you’re not going to catch the flu from the shot. It takes a while to develop flu symptoms, so if you were exposed before you got the shot, you can still show symptoms soon after you get the shot during the time it’s taking for the shot to work in your system. People are notoriously bad at reporting illness and what caused it, so I wouldn’t worry about anecdotal “evidence” from people who feel sick the day after they got the shot!
Thanks for your first hand account. Everything you say makes perfectly good sense, especially about already being exposed before you had your shot. I suppose I haven’t done enough of my own research – for every person out there that says “nay” there is someone that says “yeah”.
Happy that it works for your family, that sounds dreadful what you went through.