Reddish Mum’s flu jab warning

A Stockport woman is urging all mums to be to have their flu jab after she was seriously ill with swine flu just before she gave birth.

Kirsty Stringer, a 34-year-old mum from Reddish, was 37 weeks pregnant when she became ill last winter.

After a visit to A&E at Stepping Hill Hospital, Kirsty was admitted with a severe case of swine flu. She had to deliver her baby girl through a caesarean while she was still in the worst stages of her illness.

Fortunately her daughter wasn’t affected but Kirsty remained ill in hospital for two weeks after the birth.

Now Kirsty is pleading with anyone eligible for a free NHS flu jab to have theirs so they don’t suffer the same ordeal as she did.

Said Kirsty “I felt 50 years older than I was, I felt like I couldn’t move and thought I was about to die. I’ve had pneumonia before and this felt worse than that

“Thankfully my baby wasn’t affected, but it was just under two weeks until I finally showed signs of recovery and I could finally leave the hospital with my baby and my partner.”

Mums to be are at increased risk of getting serious complications from flu because when you are pregnant, your body naturally weakens your defence system to ensure that the pregnancy is successful.

As a result, you are less able to fight off infections meaning that if you catch the flu you may suffer serious or even life threatening complications.

The best way to avoid getting the flu is by having the vaccination but many pregnant women have misconceptions about the flu jab.

Kirsty admits that she should have had the flu vaccination when she was pregnant but didn’t because she wrongly thought she could get the flu from the jab.

“Not having the flu jab was a very bad mistake which I paid for. I would urge anyone who is eligible to get the jab to stop this happening to anyone else,” Kirsty said.

Dr Ranjit Gill, a local GP and Chief Clinical Officer for NHS Stockport CCG, said “We can’t stress enough how important it is for pregnant women to have their flu jab. It not only protects the mums-to-be but it also gives vital protection to their baby both whilst it’s in the womb and for the first few months of its life.

“Kirsty’s story is a warning to everyone. Thankfully, on this occasion, neither her nor her baby suffered any long term effects but that is not always the case. Please do not take risks with yours or your baby’s life – get your flu jab now.”

Councillor Tom McGee, Stockport Council’s Executive Member for Health, said: “The NHS provides free flu jabs for pregnant women and I hope they will take up this opportunity to protect their health and also pass some protection on to their babies. I applaud Kirsty’s initiative to share her experience and to help clear some of the myths surrounding flu and the flu jab.”

Stockport Council, in partnership with the NHS Stockport Clinical Commissioning Group and the Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, is encouraging pregnant women in any stages of their pregnancy to book a free flu jab from their midwife or GP.

For more information visit www.stockport.gov.uk/fluvaccinations.