And this is why you should get the flu shot

[ladygrey]

From my BMB: community.thebump.com/cs/ks/forums/thread/71255853.aspx

How absolutely heartbreaking.

[Deleted]

I know. I'm so sad over this and I already mentioned it to someone on PAIF because someone was all "the flu vaccine has mercury" over there and I was too sad to not say anything.

[speckledfrog]

That made me tear up. That poor woman.

[Deleted]

Oh wow. I haven't been to the BMB much lately but I remember her. That is tragic.

[cilantro]

So so beyond awful.

[cep1976]

I saw a story about a young mom that just died from flu, leaving behind 4 boys, including 3 month old twins, who also both have flu and aren't doing well.

The flu is no joke.

[bail229]

How awful, that poor woman and her family.

[Deleted]

so sad.

[Deleted]

I hope it convinces someone to roll up their sleeve. It's the only good that can come from such a terrible loss.

[Deleted]

I really didn't know the flu could cause miscarriage. How heartbreaking!

[h]

How awful! My pregnant step-sister has the flu right now (she got a flu shot in November). I hope her baby is okay!

[Deleted]

I don't think it is common, but it does happen.

[beefjerky]

Jan 14, 2013 21:59:13 GMT -5 @idaholakelady said:

I really didn't know the flu could cause miscarriage. How heartbreaking!

It's not actually the flu that causes a mc, it's typically the high fever associated with it. Increases in core temperature can be particularly detrimental, particularly in the first trimester.

I feel awful for that woman, so tragic.

[Deleted]

Ugh this made me sick.

[faith194]

My BFF from HS just posted something along the lines that her u/s tech tried convincing her to get her flu shot(she is 20 weeks and has a toddler at home). She said she has done her research(she is anti-vax, which makes me angry), and said she doesn't give into scare tactics. I so want to post this story for her to read!!!! I am mean like that.

I cannot imagine how heartbreaking it is to go through that:(

[baconlettucetomato]

So sad. She is such a sweat girl.

[jessnpaul]

That is heartbreaking

[Deleted]

Thats heartbreaking. I feel so bad for her.

Yesterday in my office the manager went and told everyone to get the shot and that if they had the flu to get out and go home. We have 9 people here. 2 left yesterday and another 1 is out today. We are done fing around here with me being pregnant and they having a premie at home. I dont think a lot of people take the flu or the flu shot seriously enough.

[SusanBAnthony]

Fevers are also now linked to autism.

My brother had teeth issues, and the in-utero development of e teeth coincided with a fever my mom had.

They say that if you can keep your fever down with meds, it will not affect the fetus (or at least not as much). It isn't the illness itself that typically hurts the fetus, it is the temp the mom runs.

I am really glad we are learning all this, but it is scary as hell at the same time.

[Kore]

I saw on another board (app "all posts" view) that this woman did get the flu shot.

I'm 100% pro vaccination, but it's not cool to me that people are making an example out of her.

[Deleted]

What good can come from such a tragedy other than letting people know that high fevers in pregnancy are really fucking dangerous? An example is all that's left at this point.

[Kore]

What does that accomplish? Making more pregnant women terrified about the horrible things that can go wrong even when they do everything right?

[Deleted]

Jan 15, 2013 9:25:54 GMT -5 Kore said:

What does that accomplish? Making more pregnant women terrified about the horrible things that can go wrong even when they do everything right?

More pregnant women aggressively treating fevers? It's not like we have no options against a fever, even if you still have to suffer through the flu.

So many women on the Bump are TERRIFIED to take any medication at all, even tylenol. They don't understand that the consequence of not treating can be much worse than the consequence of taking something (even, gasp, Advil if needed). And there is a "OMG! Flu shot!" post on my BMB every damn day. Perhaps this woman did get the shot and get sick, but it remains safer to get the shot and reduce your risk than to skip it out of paranoia.

[starlily]

Jan 15, 2013 9:35:13 GMT -5 @tokenhoser said:

Jan 15, 2013 9:25:54 GMT -5 Kore said:

What does that accomplish? Making more pregnant women terrified about the horrible things that can go wrong even when they do everything right?

More pregnant women aggressively treating fevers? It's not like we have no options against a fever, even if you still have to suffer through the flu.

So many women on the Bump are TERRIFIED to take any medication at all, even tylenol. They don't understand that the consequence of not treating can be much worse than the consequence of taking something (even, gasp, Advil if needed). And there is a "OMG! Flu shot!" post on my BMB every damn day. Perhaps this woman did get the shot and get sick, but it remains safer to get the shot and reduce your risk than to skip it out of paranoia.

Are you ready for this ... I agree with Token.

[Deleted]

Jan 15, 2013 9:35:13 GMT -5 @tokenhoser said:

Jan 15, 2013 9:25:54 GMT -5 Kore said:

What does that accomplish? Making more pregnant women terrified about the horrible things that can go wrong even when they do everything right?

More pregnant women aggressively treating fevers? It's not like we have no options against a fever, even if you still have to suffer through the flu.

So many women on the Bump are TERRIFIED to take any medication at all, even tylenol. They don't understand that the consequence of not treating can be much worse than the consequence of taking something (even, gasp, Advil if needed). And there is a "OMG! Flu shot!" post on my BMB every damn day. Perhaps this woman did get the shot and get sick, but it remains safer to get the shot and reduce your risk than to skip it out of paranoia.

Token is 100% right.

[Deleted]

Jan 15, 2013 12:02:14 GMT -5 swizz said:

Jan 15, 2013 11:59:44 GMT -5 @carmensandiego said:

Token is 100% right.

I also agree, but wish it was presented at the beginning (not Token's fault). Having to wade through, "getting the flu will kill your unborn child" didn't seem like the best way to get the info across.

Well, the Bump is nothing if not melodramatic and over-the-top. About everything. Including, as Token says, the terrible dangers of taking Tylenol.

I agree that the title of this post was needlessly fearmongery as well. Sometimes the Bump has that effect on people. I think passions were also really heated in the MM flu shot thread last night.

[Kore]

She's absolutely right. But the subject line is a cautionary tale about getting a flu shot. Which the woman in the linked thread had done. If anything, it seems like it would have the opposite effect for someone anti-vaccine ("That woman got a shot, and she still lost her baby, so...").

A PSA about treating fever & the devastating effects fever can have on pregnancy vs. the meds used to treat them would probably be a more effective presentation.

[ladygrey]

I wasn't aware that the woman had gotten a flu shot.

Also, I didn't mean for this to turn into a scare-tactic thread; rather I think it's a reminder of how rampant the flu is this season. Yes, the vaccine may not be 100% effective; however wouldn't most of us agree that it's better to get it than to do absolutely nothing, which, unfortunately many women on TB seem to be doing.

[Deleted]

Jan 15, 2013 12:14:13 GMT -5 ladygrey said:

I wasn't aware that the woman had gotten a flu shot.

Also, I didn't mean for this to turn into a scare-tactic thread; rather I think it's a reminder of how rampant the flu is this season. Yes, the vaccine may not be 100% effective; however wouldn't most of us agree that it's better to get it than to do absolutely nothing, which, unfortunately many women on TB seem to be doing.

'

Well, I am mostly in agreement with Kore, but I think that a simple PSA about fever doesn't completely cover it so I agree with you too. A lot of people just don't get exactly how bad the flu is, probably because a lot of people claim they have the flu when they just have a really bad cold. I had the flu in 2008 and I will not be forgetting how sick I was, including the 104 degree fever I had, anytime soon. But if you think that the flu just means a fever of 100 or 101 and a few days of the sniffles, then yeah, a PSA as to its true severity is worthwhile too.

Like I said, I think the flu shot thread on MM was a heated topic and it's hard not to have an emotional response to the Bump poster's tragic loss. I don't think you were trying to freak anyone out, ladygrey. I might have titled this post the same way if I had posted it.