From the moment you get that positive pregnancy test your life changes completely. All of the sudden you are now responsible for another human being. You make changes to your diet, activity, lifestyle, and your home. Immediately there is an overwhelming urge to protect this precious miracle.
If you were able to shield your unborn baby from terrible illnesses like the flu, wouldn’t you. Now you can…
The most effective way to protect yourself and your unborn baby from the flu is to get the flu vaccine as early in the season as possible. The vaccine has been shown to significantly reduce the risk of developing the flu virus. In fact not only does the flu vaccine protect you and your unborn baby from the virus, but it actually provides protection to your baby for the first 4-6 months of life. This is extremely important because babies are not able to receive the flu vaccine until 6 months of age, therefore you will be providing protection to your newborn during those first crucial months of life through what is known as passive immunity. Passive immunity is when a mother can pass antibodies to the unborn baby during the pregnancy. There is absolutely no correlation to miscarriage or autism from the flu vaccine however there are certain vaccines that pregnant women should avoid. Pregnant women should not receive the nasal flu mist or the injection that contains the preservative thimerosal.
Flu season begins in October and ends in March. Think about the amount of sick people you are exposed to everyday during these months around the holidays, at the crowed stores while everyone checks off their list for gifts and family gatherings. Here are some other helpful tips from the Centers for Disease Control and Protection to further reduce your risk of contracting the virus.
1. Avoid close contact. Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick too.
2. Stay home when you are sick. If possible, stay home from work, school, and errands when you are sick. You will help prevent others from catching your illness.
3. Cover your mouth and nose. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you from getting sick.
4. Clean your hands. Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.
5. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.
6. Practice other good health habits. Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress
(CDC.gov, 2012)
You should contact our office if you are pregnant and experiencing symptoms of the flu-virus such as fever, body aches, headache, chills, sore throat, runny nose, and/or fatigue. It may be recommended that you be tested for the flu. If you are experiencing those symptoms or know someone with the flu that you have had close contact with you may need to be treated with an antiviral medication. It is important that the antiviral medication be started within the first 2 days of illness if possible.
One final way to protect your newborn from the flu-virus is to require that all caregivers for your baby also be immunized with the flu vaccine for the baby’s first 6 months of life. This also includes family and friends that will have close contact with your baby.
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