Author Jennifer Margulis investigates the necessity of the flu vaccine for pregnant women in this revealing article. Helpful for any mom-to-be wondering whether to get vaccinated. Reprinted from Mothering.com. 14 pages.

. . . Nonetheless, the vaccination of pregnant women appears to be on the rise. In 2005, only 16 percent of pregnant women in the US received a flu shot. Four years later, in 2009, that number had jumped to approximately 50 percent. The latter figure may be inflated; according to a National Public Radio report on CDC data from 2009, it appeared that less than 15 percent of pregnant women were accepting the shot. By whatever reckoning, at least half the pregnant women in America still forgo the shot.
Why are pregnant women declining the flu shot, and why are so many doctors ignoring CDC guidelines and not recommending the influenza vaccine to their pregnant patients?
Even people who consider themselves generally pro-vaccination have become wary of the flu vaccine. They point out that scientific studies do not show that pregnant women are at any more risk from the flu than anyone else. They also question the efficacy of the vaccine itself, not only because of the imperfect way it is manufactured, but also because they see from their own experience—and the experience of others—that the vaccine does not work. There is an erosion of trust because health authorities—such as Katie Tyler’s doctor, who insisted that the vaccine could not have made her sick—are not candid about possible side effects of the vaccine. Furthermore, they argue that, despite the denial from the CDC, there is clear evidence that the vaccine can and does sometimes cause harm to pregnant women and their fetuses. Finally, the healthcare practitioners and pregnant women who are taking a cautious approach to the influenza vaccine believe that, during pregnancy, less is more: that it is better to risk being naturally exposed to and becoming sick from a wild virus than to risk possible harm by injecting a manufactured, chemical-laden pharmaceutical product into a pregnant woman’s body.