Swine flu: I'm a little paranoid…are you?

When we talked about the flu shot a while back I was saying how miffed I was that Alex’s pediatrician ran out of the regular vaccine and that we were put on a waiting list. I was worried because I’m pregnant, I have the cancer situation and Alex is in daycare three days a week. Well, I have since had my own flu shot and just found out that I will be getting the H1N1 shot as well--my OB is adamant about it and after reading up on how serious swine flu is for pregnant women, I feel the same way (here’s some pretty good basic info, if you’re interested).

Another reason I’m suddenly so concerned: My friend just spent two days in the hospital with her six-week old who has swine flu. As you know, when a baby under three months gets a fever, they are automatically admitted to the hospital for a spinal tap. The baby is fine, thank God, but he had to get poked and prodded for days and it was really scary for my friend. I can’t even imagine….

I’m also worried because we found out Alex cannot get either flu shot. Thanks to his severe egg allergy it’s just too dangerous. So my doctor has said we have to be extra, extra careful. And that everyone else in the family should have both vaccinations. So now we’re just waiting for the H1N1 shots to arrive and figuring out how we can avoid sick people for the next few months (and beyond…the baby will be here in January which is still flu season).

A friend posted a question about the H1N1 vaccine on her facebook status last week and tons of people chimed in with various opinions. Many said they weren’t getting it or giving it to their kids because of the unknown risks. In all my research I couldn’t find any risk that really outweighed the benefit. So, I’m curious…are you getting it? Would you if you were high risk like me? Are you worried about the flu this year? Let’s discuss….

P.S. Check out the Mommy Blog competition over at The Bump. My friend's blog (which already won Best Special Needs Blog) is up for Best Overall and I really want her to win (because she's awesome, her son is awesome and her blog is really freakin' good). So...if you have a second, take a look (and vote for To the Max!)