Flu Vaccines & Cord Blood Banking

Hello T.,
I banked my cord blood and used a company called "Cord Blood Registry." They were great, they sent the box to me which I had to take to the hospital with me. This was almost 5 years ago and I think the cost was approx $2,500. They charge an annual fee of $95 which they charge to my credit card once a year. They are a very reputable company and I often get emails with updates on what is going on with cord blood usage.
Good Luck,
A.

I found a great article by Dr. Sears on Facebook about vaccinations. My son was due for his 1st year shots and a flu shot and with the swine flu shot next month I felt I had to do some research on spacing them all out a bit. There are NON-MERCURY flu shots!!! That is what they give to babies/young children and should give to pregnant women. My OB/GYN doesn't give flu shots for some reason and my son's pediatrician wouldn't give it to me since I'm not a patient there and they got audited last year for stuff like that. She ended up writing me a prescription for a non-Mercury flu vac that I can take to my OB/GYN for them to give to me my next visit. CVS and stores like that are not allowed to give vaccinations to pregnant women. After my first I went there for a flu shot and didn't know about non-Mercury. I was still breastfeeding and he turned out fine. It's a trace of Mercury but still - better safe than sorry! So I say definitely get one but make sure it's non-Mercury. As for the H1N1 shot Dr. Sears is going to send an update once he knows what the ingredients in the shot are. Mercury is a great preservative and that's why they use it in trace amounts but I'm sure they'll also have mercury free available. I am going to make sure I have at least a month between the shots too.
For cord blood banking...I ended up for my first going in with the notion of donating it. I delivered at a hospital that did that - not all do. If my baby needed it and it hadn't been used we'd have 1st dibs. Turned out they couldn't get enough cord blood so it didn't work out. I found it to be really expensive and lots of articles I read said these companies were playing on our fears but donating was a good idea. Keep researching it and see how you feel. If you can afford it no brainer! At the very least donate if your hospital does that.

On the flu vaccine: I had a flu vaccine when I was pregnant. I was about 4 months into my pregnancy at the time. My son came out perfect, 2 weeks early, normal birth weight, and has no developmental problems. He's 2. I didn't have any qualms about getting the vaccine, and it was highly recommended by my OB. This year, everyone in my family will be getting both shots for normal flu and for h1n1. I had a friend in Denver whose daughter and niece both just had h1n1, and it was not fun, though both recovered fine after about a week of being sick.
On cord blood banking, I didn't do it, but my brother and his wife did. His wife's family has a long history of cancer, so they decided it was worth the investment. I found out too late, that in order to bank your cord blood, you need to have a kit from the bank you've chosen IN the delivery room at birth. There's a certain amount of lead time, so if you want to do this, plan ahead. If you don't want to invest in private banking, think about donating to a public cord bank. It would be really transformational if cord blood became as common as regular blood to share across society!

I would definitely bank if the cost isn't an issue (it was with us unfortunately) and I think we just figured, "I'm sure everything will be fine". Well our son was born and then diagnosed with Down syndrome. Cord blood won't help us but it could have been anything. I would absolutely do it now if the situation comes up (get preg again).
But on the flu shot, why don't you wait until you have had your baby and maybe even get the shot before you even leave the hospital? I got one of my "regular" shots updated the day we went home. And since it will be early Nov you won't have too much time risking catching something before then. Just be really really careful about washing hands and all that good stuff until then.
Good Luck!

This scares me so much that doctors would even think of giving a flu vaccine to a pregnant woman. Do the research first, please, especially a BIG NO to the swine flu vaccine for anyone. You have to be alarmed when you hear that at least 30% of doctors and nurses, two weeks ago, said they would not have it. The amount of mercury and aluminum in these shots, one alone, is "safe" (whatever that means) for someone that weighs 550 pounds. The other ingredients in these shots would stop you in your tracks.

Here are sites that you can do some of your research at and email me if you need more information or have questions. Please, this is your choice, no one should pressure you into having any shots. I could give a long list of what could happen to your baby, one of which is neurological damage, if you do any of these shots at this time. This is the major brain development period for your baby. Omega 3s (specifically the DHA), antioxidants, organic foods are what you should be thinking about putting into your body.

www.nvic.org
www.mercola.com
Read anything by Dr. Russell Blaylock, a neurologist who has spent YEARS researching the dangers of neurotoxins like aluminum and mercury (these are at the top of the list).

Then start doing the research for which vaccines your new baby should be getting or NOT. Same sites as above but if you go to www.tacanow.org to Vaccines, they have compiled lots of studies and information all in one place. Get The Vaccine Book by Dr. Robert Sears to start with. He is still a little too pro vaccine for me but this is a great book.

Yes on saving the cord blood if you can. Wish I had thought of it:o)

For anyone who has been forced to get the flu vaccine or is having second thoughts about their decision of getting one, read this to help your body.

http://www.rense.com/general87/vaccin.htm

As to flu vaccines, if your doctor (ob/gyn) thinks it's safe and advises you to do so, probably a good idea to follow her/his advice.

As to cord blood, if you can afford it (the intial cost + yearly fees), then I would recommend it. Even though cord blood seems more beneficial to siblings, it apparently could also be very beneficial to the child from whom it came. However, because it is so nebulous as to whether your child will ever need/use it, I wouldn't do it unless you can afford to do so (now and in future). We planned on doing it (filled out all paperwork, etc.), but then due to some birth complications, there was too little blood left in the umbilical cord to store it. (Apparently, there is a minimum needed for the storage vial.)
Best wishes on your choices!

T.,
I am early in my pregnancy (16 weeks) and plan on getting both the seasonal flu shot and the H1N1 vaccine. As far as I know, they are both highly recommended for pregnant woman. Just make sure that the shot you are getting is Thimerisol free.
Babies are one of the most vulnerable patient populations - they have immature immune systems and are too young to get vaccinated themselves so the best thing that you can do to protect the baby is get immunized yourself and encourage anyone who is going to be in close contact with your baby to also get immunized.
I don't have input on the cord blood, we didn't do it with our first baby - I'll be interested to read the responses that you get.
Congratulations!!
E.

Hi T.,

As always, check with your Dr. (and future ped., too, maybe). I had my flu shot less than one month (I think it was a just two weeks) before my son (now almost 4) was born. We had no problems, and he's wonderfully healthy and ahead of the curve developmentally.

Good luck with your decision. (I wish I could say that part gets easier, but it doesn't! :-) )
C.

Hi T.,

I had a flu shot while pregnant at the direction of my doctor, and I didn't get the flu as a result, and haven't experienced any issues. As a pregnant woman, you're in the group that is of high risk of complications from the flu. (Something to keep in mind.)

As for cord blood banking: After much thought, I decided to donate my cord blood instead. As it turned out, they weren't able to capture enough cord blood to actually use.

-R.

When I was pregnant with my son (he was born end of November '06), my doctor suggested I get a flu shot early/mid November. Both my son and I are healthy and didn't have a reaction and I would do it again. I'm 12 weeks along with my second baby and plan to get one again. When they offer you the shot, they should be offering you the non-mecury flu shot.

Good luck!