I’m a big believer in prevention. The flu can strike without warning and can take you down for weeks on end – rattling schedules, work commitments and time with your kids – or worse, it can mess up a vacation or other special events. No thank you.
Last year, the flu was truly nerve wrecking! We had to call all around town to find the vaccines, then we waited in long lines – then we had to do it all over again and get a second round of shots. This year only one shot is needed because the seasonal vaccine was designed to protect against three different flu viruses: an H3N2 virus, an influenza B virus, and the 2009 H1N1 virus.
Protect you and your baby
Our friends at The March of Dimes reminded me recently that pregnant women should be at the front of the line to make sure they get immunized to protect themselves and their babies. I didn’t know this, but the normal changes from pregnancy put pregnant women at increased risk of the harmful effects of flu infection.
Dr. Jennifer L. Howse, president of the March of Dimes says, “Based on expert medical opinion, we urge all pregnant women, and women who expect to become pregnant, to get their influenza immunization because the flu poses a serious risk of illness and death during pregnancy.”
Since my second child is due in January (the height of flu season), getting vaccinated was a no-brainer. As an added bonus, my little one will be protected at birth.
Here’s a parting thought: Although pregnant women make up only one percent of the US population, they accounted for five percent of the H1N1 deaths in 2009, according to research published in the April 2010 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
So, if you haven’t done so already, I urge you to get the flu vaccine to protect yourself AND your baby.
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Disclosure: Michelle received information from the March of Dimes to facilitate this post.
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