Mom Totally FREAKED About Swine Flu

Please watch this.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/1...#

B.
Family Wellness Coach

Thank you for asking this question. I have been debating and after reading the information posted and the 60 Min Special I feel so much better! Ah, there has been so much hype!

Hi K.,
I thought I'd respond to your question, as my 3 kids, my husband and myself all just got over swine flu. Three of us ended up with a secondary bacterial pneumonia, my middle son almost hospitalized, were treated with antibiotics and are now well. Although we are hearing it is just like any other flu, in our experience it was far worse than anything we've ever had - high fevers, coughing, some tummy issues, 3 visits to the pediatrician and 1 visit to urgent care. It really was tough. We plan on gettting the swine flu shot even though we had it (an extra immune boost), as well as the regular flu shot. I wouldn't risk getting this bug again for anything. I suggest you discuss this in debth with your pediatrician and follow the advice of experts. Your baby is young and could have serious problems if he gets this. Also, I suggest keeping away from public places as much as you can until this passes. I don't mean to scare you, I just know how terrible this nasty bug can be! Take care.

P.S. Wash your hands often - always after being out in public and wash your baby's hands as well! Also avoid letting people touch his face & hands...

Hey K.,
We have known several friends who have had the swine flu over the last few weeks (several with infants) and it really is nothing. The media is making far more hype about this than is necessary. If you drink a lot of water and rest (and avoid sugar), it will be completely done in 3-5 days. Don't bother with the vaccinations. It has not been on the market long enough to know what side effects can be caused by it, and if your son does contract the flu, he will develop lifetime immunity to it unlike the vaccine.

Keep nursing him and he'll be fine. IF he gets sick, add in extra feedings. Breast milk is THE BEST medicine!

Many docs say to expose children to some germs to help build up their immunity. So, go to play groups, library story times... at his age they touch stuff and put things in their mouth, you're building his system up so when he is exposed to dangerous germs his body has what it needs to fight them off.

I have not vaccinated my 2 kids and I am freaked out also! I am avoiding public places with lots of kids, birthday parties, etc. I attend mommy and me but keep a close watch and wash hands and sanitize often. I have not dropped off my kids at the Y daycare or church daycare in several weeks for fear. Better safe than sorry!

I have 3 children so I too am worried about this. My father was putting a lot of pressure on me to get my children vaccinated and i just didn't feel right about doing it. last night i got an e-mail regarding my cousin. she has twins 13 months old, after getting the H1N1 shot her son started running a very high fever was taken to the hospital and is now in a coma. the doctors say this could be unrelated to the shot but the other twin started running the same fever the next day. I have a hard time believing this is unrelated.
anyway this scared the pants off me so now i am totally decided against the vaccination. I am not sure the statistics on how many children this has happened to but 1 is enough for me. I know many children who have gotten swine flu and while yes they are very sick I do not know one who was put in the hospital in a coma.

My 11 month old daughter and 2 year old son attend a day care school that had 2 confirmed cases of swine flu just this past week. My son had a fever right before they announced it, and my daughter got a fever soon after. They seemed fine, got ove the fever in a couple days, but as a precaution I took my daughter in to see the doctor. The doctor said quite honestly it was very likely that they both had gotten swine flu and now were over it, that most cases of flu these days they're seeing is probably swine flu as it's too early in the season for regular flu to be appearing so frequently. But the doctor said there's no need for concern, as small children and the elderly seem to be fairly resilient to swine flu, and really it's the kids ages 10-18 that seem to have more issues with it and cause for concern. My doctor just advised to wait for my daughter's fever to subside, and then all should be well (and it has been). He said that regular flu is more of an issue than swine flu. I was never too worried anyway since the kids seemed fine, but it was nice to hear that confirmation from a medical professional.

It's a tough one...no matter what with any flu season, you're never totally in the safe zone.

First off, your son won't be able to get the flu shot until he's six months old. So, you have a little to wait.

My first son was born during a particularly bad flu season in 05/06. None of us got the shot and I got a pretty good understanding of what is meant by "cold and flu season"!
We were all pretty miserable.

Ever since that year, our household has always gotten the flu shot. We've all gotten the seasonal shot at this point and I plan to get the H1N1 shot as soon as it's available for all of us. I talked to me pediatrician and she recommends it. She said they make it exactly like the other shots, they just put this strain in it, so it's perfectly safe.

The going out in public part is hard...honestly, you could get it by someone coming to visit too if they didn't know yet that they had it. I say be careful, wash hands, use those wipe things they give you at the grocery store to clean the cart handles, eat well and hope for the best.

It's not the plague...but it is hard not to worry when you're talking about your kids...I just hope if mine get it before the shot is available, that it's mild...I've heard that a lot of the cases around OC lately have been fairly mild, so I take comfort in that as well.

Hope that helps.
-M

Hi K., This question has been brought up many times in the last couple days on this message board. If you search it, I bet you will find lots of opinions about what you should do.
The CDC (centers for disease) control or your county health office are going to be the best source for real information.

In all actuality, the studies and numbers all show that you are more at risk of dieing of the swine flu than you child is. You see Children under age 5 and people over 75 have had the least complications and deaths with swine flu (well unless they had some form of neurological specialness... like downs). The most deaths have occurred in the 10 years to 30 years age groups. It is actually baffling the doctors.

Here is a link... it is old but still true on the kids age groups:
http://www.optimizerx.com/learn/infant-health/swine-flu-p...

Hi K.,

I have been wondering about it, too. Here is a link I just received today (very helpful): http://articles.mercola.com/swine-flu-article/20091027.htm

Basically, the media is hyping it up way more than it deserves...and the pharmaceutical companies are profiting from it. The recent announcement from Obama was a result of the concern of the swine flu from months ago. He has not had his own children vaccinated. Read the whole article and listen to the audio--they are enlightening. Also, check google for Dr. Sears' opinion (I forgot the website). Search for Dr. Sears and swine flu. Even he says that the vaccination is still in the experimental stage. Hope this helps. Sorry if any of this is redundant; I didn't have time to read your previous responses.

Y. :o)

My baby's the same age and I feel the same way. I have no idea what the truth is about the flu...I think my husband and I are going to get vaccinated but it's so hard to find! Should be more widely available in a week or two.. I'm not planning on getting her vaccinated with flu shots (at 6 months), just going to limit her exposure..ugh, it's so scary!

I am very nervous about this as well.I have 3 children, 5months, 5years and 9years. Aside from teaching them to wash their hands, use hand sanitizer, cough into elbow and keep their distance from other sick children I don't know what else to do.THe reports are scary and I don't think there is anyone out there giving the truth every side is skewed...I asked a lot of people about the decision to vaccinate and the response I've gotten is almost split. I have several friends who are going to vaccinate and several that aren't. I discussed it thoroughly with my doctor and he is recommending the vaccination but only the inactive version. My friend and his 6 week old son had the h1n1. my friend, who is 29, spent the week at home and recovered without the use of antiviral's, the baby, more because of his age, was in the hospital while he had the fever but sent home after he was fever free for 24 hours. BOth recovered but neither had underlying medical complications either... its a very hard choice because it is everywhere and my concern is that I HAVE taught my kids how to stay protected through everyday means (hand washing tc..) but i can't control what other parents do. I am a school teacher and we get lots of sick kids in school because the parents DON'T want to be bothered by staying home with them, they figure we can take care of them...this is what scares me and why I am strongly considering getting my kids vaccinated. THey are saying that healthy children normally recover but I don;t waht to take chances either..but I am still on the fence. Good luck with your decision and know that many others have the same fears as you...me being one of them!!

No, the Swine Flu is not the same as the "Seasonal" Flu.
The DIFFERENCE is, the Swine Flu infects the lungs differently and more severely, than the Seasonal Flu. THAT is why, people with Asthma or other compromised health conditions, is recommended they have the shot.

Read the other postings about the H1N1 Swine Flu questions, here on MamaSource.

I have asthma, and I already got the H1N1 shot. That is my reason. I got my shot, from Walgreens in my State. SOME of the Walgreens have it. BUT they do not vaccinate children.
They are only vaccinating adults, in the "high risk" population... for which I qualified.

All the best,
Susan

I am freaked out too, my little guy is 3 months. I am going to get the shot so that I don't pass it on to him. Kids under 6 months are not allowed to get the shot. I am leaning towards caution eventhough I really want to show off my baby . My understanding is there is 90% chance that if your baby gets the h1n1 he will be ok but there is a small chance he could get very sick and die. I am really upset about the whole situation but I would be more upset with a child in the hospital.

Yes I agree with Barbilee -- the info she posted is the most current.

Don't listen to opinions, watch 60 minutes and decide yourself whether you need to worry about the 1% risk for yourself!

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/1...#

Hi K.,

I can totally relate! I have a 4yr old and she's in preschool and I've been scared by this whole situation. I've been emailing all my mommy friends asking for advice on whether to vaccinate or not. We saw our pediatritian last week and he said not to be scared of the vaccination. It's safe and there a much higher chance of your child becoming sick from the flu than the vaccine. It's best to protect our children with it. In addition, just boost your son's immune system. Wash his hand regularly, keep your house disinfected, and disinfect on the go. Germs love to live under fingernails so keep his nails trimmed. A healthy diet is essential. If you're breastfeeding, you're building the best nutrition you can. If not, try to choose organic and limit toxins. Your son is almost at an age where you can add powdered vitamins. We choose Shaklee in our home. They are the #1 natural nutrition company in the U.S., they're a science-based company, and have extremely strict safety standards; unlike any other company. They are a leader in safety and efficacy. They have amazing children's vitamins with prebiotics in them to help boost the digestive tract which contain 70% of our immune system. They also have a whole line of non-toxic cleaning and laundry products and a germicide that works way better than bleach or Lysol and it's safe. Germ Off wipes are great for on the go sanitizing. I wouldn't trust the health of my family to anyone but Shaklee. You can check it out at www.greennutrition.info and register to win $200 of free products at www.freegreenproducts.info. Let me know if you have any questions.

I think you have to wait till he is six months old. Just talk to your doctor. I don't feel freaked out cause I know there is some hype...but I am getting my daughter the shot due to my doctors recommendation. I wish a lot of people on this site could all see what the previous poster said about her family's experience with the swine flu. I also agree with someone else's response to a similar question. You do what is best for you.....take any advice you get on here with a grain of salt....ha including mine....what she said was that people get on this site and try to convince you not to vaccinate your child! This site is not about convincing people one way or another..it is just about sharing thoughts. Good luck!

Because he's so young, you can control a lot of what happens in your home. Get one of those grocery cart covers and keep it in your car so that you can use it every time you run into the store. Your husband and you can get the flu shots, but even more important, become a hand-washing fiend!!! Wash your hands every time you walk in your door, wash before you prepare food, before you eat food, after you touch your eyes, nose, mouth. The same for your husband. This alone will stop many, many illesses from entering your home. Seriously! Wash your son's hands before he eats and after he's been on the floor or anywhere at someone else's home or in public. Put hand sanitizer in your purse for when you're unable to wash your hands. Consider staying away from crowded places during flu season with your baby (this is also the start of RSV season). Talk to your pediatrician....he or she should be able to address this issue for you.