During pregnancy your immune system is less strong and you're more vulnerable to illnesses of all kinds. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that pregnant women get the 2009 H1N1 influenza (swine flu) vaccine and the regular seasonal flu shot, because pregnant women who get any type of flu are at risk for serious complications and hospitalization.
Daily preventive measures such as washing your hands and staying away from people who are sick are highly recommended too, as a way to avoid illnesses in general. But, says the CDC, vaccination is the single best way to protect yourself against the flu.
The agency points out that pregnant women who are otherwise healthy have been severely affected by the 2009 swine flu virus Compared to the general population, more pregnant women infected with the virus have been hospitalized, and some have died. Only about 1 percent of the general population is pregnant, but 6 percent of confirmed fatal swine flu cases so far have been in pregnant women.
According to the CDC and other government health agencies, yes.
In an August 2009 webcast hosted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, an ob-gyn, a certified nurse-midwife, and other experts from the CDC and the National Institutes of Health explained why vaccination against swine flu is so important for moms-to-be and urged pregnant women to get the vaccine at the earliest opportunity.
According to those experts, the new H1N1 (swine flu) vaccine is very similar to the seasonal flu vaccine. It's made in the same way by the same company, employing the same process and the same facilities used to make the seasonal flu vaccine, which has been used safely for decades. It's simply a different strain of the influenza virus that's being targeted.
The seasonal flu shot, experts say, has proved safe and effective for pregnant women and their developing babies at all stages of pregnancy (including the first trimester). Flu is a serious illness that puts you flat on your back for days or weeks just when you're trying to stay healthy and nurture your baby in utero. It can even be a killer. And the risk of harm from a vaccine like the flu vaccine, which is based on a killed virus, is minuscule.
The shot for the new flu is expected to have a similar safety record. A number of clinical trials testing the vaccine are being conducted this fall by the National Institutes of Allergies and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).
No, not a chance. Flu shots – whether for seasonal flu or swine flu – do not contain the live virus, which is the only thing that can infect you and give you a case of the flu.
Flu shots work by injecting an inactivated vaccine that contains fragments of killed influenza virus. Because the influenza virus is dead, it can't infect you. But it does cause your body to produce antibodies that protect you from the live version if you're exposed to it.
For these reasons, flu shots are approved for pregnant women in every trimester.
There's also a potential benefit to your baby: If the swine flu shot works the way the seasonal flu shot does (as it's expected to, but we don't know yet for sure), antibodies that you develop may be passed to your baby and provide protection from the novel H1N1 (swine flu) for several months after birth. That protection can be vital because babies younger than 6 months are especially vulnerable to illness but can't be vaccinated for the flu.
No. Like the regular flu nasal-spray flu vaccine, the swine flu nasal spray vaccine will not be recommended for moms-to-be. Nasal-spray vaccines can't cause the flu, but they contain a live, weakened flu virus and are only approved for healthy people ages 2 to 49 who are not pregnant.
It's fine for family members of pregnant women to get the nasal spray vaccine, though. There's no danger of catching the flu from them.
According to the experts, yes.
In the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services webcast about swine flu, ob-gyn Laura Riley, medical director of Labor & Delivery, Massachusetts General Hospital, said, "There’s NO benefit to waiting until you’re out of the first trimester. Get the vaccine when it becomes available, whether you’re in the first, second, or third trimester."
Some does and some doesn't.
Thimerosal contains tiny amounts of mercury and is used as a preservative in some vaccines. (Vaccines for children, other than certain flu shots, don't contain thimerosal. Manufacturers stopped using it in children's vaccines in 1999.)
The CDC considers thimerosal safe for pregnant women and the babies they carry, but because of public concern about the preservative, thimerosal-free swine flu and seasonal flu vaccines are being produced in single-dose syringes for pregnant women and small children. If you'd like to get a preservative-free dose, talk to your healthcare provider or other local providers of flu vaccines.
The swine flu shot vaccine packaged in multi-dose vials will contain thimerosal.
No, the regular seasonal flu shot won't prevent H1N1 (swine) flu and the swine flu shot won't prevent seasonal flu. The seasonal flu shot is aimed at certain strains of influenza virus expected to be common during the 2009-2010 flu season (but not the swine flu virus); the swine flu shot is aimed at the "novel H1N1" or swine flu virus.
It's fine to get both vaccines at once – preferably in different parts of the body (for example, one in the left arm and one in the right arm). But it's best to get each shot as soon as it becomes available, so don't delay getting one shot in order to combine them in one visit. You may miss your chance to get either.
Only one. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of one dose of 2009 H1N1 flu vaccine for people 10 years of age and older.
There's no easy test for determining whether someone has had H1N1 (swine) flu already. Many different infections, including influenza, can cause flu-like symptoms such as cough, sore throat, and fever. And unfortunately, infection with one strain of flu virus won't protect against other strains.
A few people have had a laboratory test this year showing that they were infected with the 2009 H1N1 influenza (swine flu) virus. If you're one of those few people, you don't need to be vaccinated against it. The CDC recommends that people who were actually tested for the virus check with their healthcare provider to make sure the test was either an RT-PCR or a viral culture showing 2009 H1N1 influenza.
On the other hand, if you have encountered the virus and been infected previously without knowing it, there's no harm in being vaccinated.
The side effects are expected to be similar to those from seasonal flu vaccines. The most common side effects are mild, and include soreness, redness, and tenderness or swelling where the shot was given. Some people experience headache, muscle aches, fever, nausea, and fainting. If there are side effects, they usually begin soon after you get the shot and may last as long as a day or two.
As with any vaccine, severe allergic reactions are very rare, but possible. Anyone who has a life-threatening allergy to eggs or to any other substance in the vaccine should not be vaccinated. (Chicken eggs are used as a culture for growing the flu virus that's used in flu vaccines.) Before getting the shot, be sure to let your healthcare provider know if you have any severe allergies, if you've ever had a severe allergic reaction to a flu shot, or if you've ever had Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS).
You probably won't feel your baby kick until sometime between 16 and 22 weeks, even though he started moving at 7 or 8 weeks and you may have already witnessed his acrobatics if you've had an ultrasound.
Veteran moms tend to notice those first subtle kicks — also known as "quickening" — earlier than first-time moms. (A woman who's been pregnant before can more easily distinguish her baby's kick from other belly rumblings, such as gas.)
Your build may also have something to do with when you'll be able to tell a left jab from a hunger pang. Thinner women tend to feel movement earlier and more often than women who carry more weight.
Women have described the sensation as being like popcorn popping, a goldfish swimming around, or butterflies fluttering. You'll probably chalk up those first gentle taps or swishes in your belly to gas or hunger pains, but once you start feeling them more regularly, you'll recognize the difference. You're more likely to feel these early movements when you're sitting or lying quietly.
At first the kicks you notice will be few and far between. In fact, you may feel several movements one day and then none the next. Although your baby is moving and kicking regularly, many of his jerks and jolts aren't yet strong enough for you to feel. But later in the second trimester, those reassuring kicks will become stronger and more regular.
If you're tempted to compare notes with other pregnant women, don't worry if your experience differs from that of your friends. Every baby has his own pattern of activity, and there's no correct one. As long as your baby's usual activity level doesn't change too much, chances are he's doing just fine.
Once you're feeling kicks regularly, pay attention to them and let your practitioner know right away if you notice a decrease in your baby's movement. Less movement may signal a problem, and you'll need a nonstress test or biophysical profile to check on your baby's condition.
Once you're in your third trimester, some practitioners will recommend that you spend some time each day counting your baby's kicks. There are lots of different ways to do these "kick counts," so ask for specific instructions.
Here's one common approach: Choose a time of day when your baby tends to be active. (Ideally, you'll want to do the counts at roughly the same time each day.) Sit quietly or lie on your side so you won't get distracted. Time how long it takes for you to feel ten distinct movements — kicks, twitches, and whole body movements all count. If you don't feel ten movements in two hours, stop counting and call your midwife or doctor.
閱讀是脫離貧窮、開啟世界之窗的改變力量...
寶寶雖小，也是個獨立的個體，出生後，當然需要有自己的小空間。
為什麼要讓寶貝睡嬰兒房？
寶寶出生後剛帶回家時，由於還小，
除了安全考量之外，從小給寶寶一個專屬的空間，
※考量一：舒適性
出生一歲以內的嬰兒有許多生理狀況都和大人不一樣，因此，
1. 溫度適中：
小嬰兒的體溫調節能力還不好，很容易隨著外界溫度高低變化，
2. 燈光柔和：
嬰兒房內的燈光要充足柔和，不可太過刺眼。
3. 色調協調：
剛出生的寶寶視力還沒發展完全，尤其是四個月以內的寶寶，
為了讓房間的色調協調、統一、具有美感，選擇主色調之後，
4. 牆壁材質：
由於許多寶寶喜歡在牆上塗鴉，因此，
5. 加裝窗簾：
嬰兒房內可以加裝窗簾，避免陽光直射房內，刺激寶寶的眼睛。
6. 木質地板佳：
石材地板太冷硬，而地毯容易暗藏塵蹣，引起小孩的過敏問題，
事實上，不只安全地墊，假如家裡或嬰兒房特地請人來重新裝潢，
7. 寢具要透氣
嬰兒床墊不要選擇太厚的海綿墊，
床單最好選擇棉質、吸汗且不起毛球的布料，可以準備1~
尿墊具有防水功效，若是鋪在床單下，可以防止尿尿滲入床墊中；
枕頭方面，透氣的材質較優，如果有防蹣功能更好，
如果擔心寶寶被蚊蟲咬傷，也可以使用蚊帳，
※考量二：安全性
小寶貝正處於精力旺盛的學習階段，
1. 嬰兒床
財團法人台灣玩具暨兒童用品研發中心執行長黃獻平表示，
此外，嬰兒床兩邊的床緣，通常會有高、低的調整位置。
為了刺激寶寶的聽覺和視覺，當寶寶還沒辦法抓東西時，
此外，嬰兒床內最好不要放置玩具，
2. 床墊
嬰兒床墊應該有較硬的結構設計。太早讓寶寶使用過軟的彈簧床墊，
3. 床單
嬰兒床的床單要拉緊一點，不要舖得太鬆，讓床單有張力，
4. 棉被
為了考慮寶寶安全，睡覺時，可以考慮讓寶寶穿睡袍而不蓋棉被，
5. 防撞條
假如是新買的家具，當然要選擇邊緣採圓弧狀設計的買，
6. 桌角護套
不只是嬰兒房內，基本上，只要是家中任何家具、桌椅、電器、
7. 風扇網
可在風扇外頭包覆細網，防止寶寶因為好奇心，
8. 安全鎖
為了防止寶寶到了六個月起叫到處爬爬走翻東西，在各種櫃子、
9. 插座
插座是小嬰兒最喜歡玩的地方。假如只是用手指頭摸一摸就算了，
10. 電線
嬰兒房內的電線最好放整齊，不要在地板散落一地，
11. 抽屜
購買衣櫃或五斗櫃時，最好選擇具有防抽屜滑落設計的家具，
12. 櫃子
櫃子裡頭放東西的時候，記得要輕的東西放上面，重的東西擺下面，
13. 監視器
目前市面上有各種聲音或影像監視器，
※考量三：方便性
寶寶的東西又多又雜，成長過程中的需求也不斷改變，因此，
1. 不用急著把所有的東西買齊
小Baby最需要的其實是大空間，可以讓他到處爬到處玩，因此，
2. 嬰兒房最好緊鄰父母房
如此一來，Baby有什麼狀況才能立刻察覺，
3. 提早索取嬰兒床
由於嬰兒床堅固耐用，但等寶寶過了一定年紀之後，
4. 紙箱也是不錯的收納工具
由於小寶寶的物品又多又小又雜，因此收納時，
除了市面上販售的收納櫃之外，林素芬老師建議，
5. 分類收納
許多女生當了媽咪之後，就從敗金女演變成為敗金媽，只要上街，
6. 玩具一次不要拿太多出來
玩具也是小寶貝的另一大宗家當，
這麼做有個好處，寶寶一次玩不到所有玩具，
7. 櫃子要考量到媽咪的身高
嬰兒房雖然是寶寶的專屬房間，
此外，由於經常需要幫小寶寶換尿布，如果房間內沒有適當的地方，
最近開始選購小咚咚的用品囉，雖然大家都說不用這麼早開始採購，但是咚咚把拔是個凡事不能拖到最後一刻才動手做的人，他說早買晚買都是得買，不如早點開始備貨... 所以最近只好開始做些嬰幼兒用品的功課啦。
