Moms Talk: Surviving the Flu

With cold weather right around the corner, flu season is around the next corner. 

Walgreens and Urgent Care centers offer free flu shots that are supposed to ward off the winter blues. Do you vaccinate your family? Why or why not? 

Lisa May
My answer is short in that we do not get flu shots in our home. The reason? We just have not ever gotten them. We always get our children the proper vaccinations. This would just be another shot that is not necessary. I know many people disagree with me on this (including my pediatrician). 

I am interested to see if I am alone in this regarding the other panel members. 

We do wash hands frequently in our home and try to avoid those germ-filled places. Of course, this is not always possible. I have healthy children that very rarely miss school. If they had other health conditions, I may feel differently. 

Jenny Wescoat
We do flu shots some years. I don't agonize over the decision too much because in recent years I've either been pregnant or had a very young one, and since both my ob and my pediatrician recommend it, I go with their recommendation.

I might feel really differently if I didn't trust and respect both of them so much. The year that I got a little stressed was two years ago when the H1N1 was such a big deal and I was expecting my now-1-year-old. My ob and pediatrician were recommending it for all of us with a baby due toward the end of flu season and the concerns that were publicized about pregnant women.

But it was a hard vaccine to come by. In the end I couldn't get the vaccine, and all was fine. We also have a good friend who is a microbiologist down at Washington University and a father of six, so whenever we are hung up on decisions like this we have a really great person to ask who we know is not only professionally informed but also loves our kids. 

While I have made the decision to do the flu vaccine when it is available, I will not stress again if there is a shortage in the future. We are generally healthy and don’t have any complications like asthma in our house that could make recovery difficult.

Jennifer AuBuchon
I likewise follow my doctor's recommendation and get the vaccine for my kids. They do the Flu Mist nasal spray which my kids definitely prefer over getting a shot!  I wish that I could get that version as well!