I'm pretty sure you will not pass the flu to your baby by breastfeeding....
great info OzBron and Jonezy.. I know here in michigan they started giving the flu shot I got mine at 33weeks just the reg. vaccine. as for the swine vaccine i personally not getting it do to what you ladies said theres not enough info and they cant be sure if it will or will not hurt the baby`s were all carrying and I couldnt ever risk that :0) so no H1N1 vaccine for me just the reg. flu vaccine....
Apparently the flu shot for the H1N1 strain won't be in Canada for another 6 weeks! I'm not even sure about the regular flu shot. I'm very surprised as I haven't heard anything about flu clinics in our area yet. I'm not sure where you live but I know in the States some people (according to the news that I've seen) have received the flu shot already and it's a different way of doing it this time around; it's some sort of nasal thing that you inhale.....I wish they'd give us more info on it, but just like the others have said, this swine flu vaccine hasn't been around long enough for studies and to see its side effects. This is what makes it more confusing for me.. I just want to protect our lil' guy so if I'm breastfeeding after he's born I don't want to pass it on to him but at the same time I still don't feel comfortable with this new vaccine for no known side effects on pregnant and nursing women....
From my understanding, the normal flu vaccine is perfectly safe. It is the same base preparation each year (same ingredients) and the same process to get/extract the slightly different virus each year. That means all the data on side effects that they have been gathering for years which has shown it to be safe for pregnant women holds true. It is better to have the vaccine then risk the flu as you as a pregnant women are more susceptible to complications of flu due to the hormones, depressed immune system and extra mucous we already have to deal with. This last for a bit after birth while we wait for our system to go back to normal. As per passing the virus if we do get it to the baby I am not sure, but the fact that you are breastfeeding makes it harder to fight a virus as your body is working extra hard producing milk (plus you wont be getting enough rest) so you would likely get a bad case if you caught it.
As for the H1N1, I am really not sure. The process they use to extract the virus is different as it is a different type (swine rather than human) and it has to have different carriers etc ingredients due to its different composition. This vaccin hasn't been around before so there is less knowledge about it and its side effects.
Personally I am not risking it.
personally i got the reg. flu vaccine. when i was 33 weeks pregnant and my doc. highly recommended it. so i did get it... talk with your doctor and see what she says. and tell her how you feel.
I talked to my dr about this last Tuesday. She said I could but that I would be delivering before flu season really starts. She went on to say that 80% of the flu this year will be swine flu. So, she suggested I get the H1N1 vaccine next appointment.
Also, if you plan on breast feeding, you can pass on the flu to your baby that way after delivery so you might as well get the vaccine.
People seem to have different opinions about... but hope this helps.
I'd definitely suggest talking to your dr about it next appointment.