( CNN ) -- Chris and Leslie Creekmore have shared a married life for three and a half years . Earlier this month they shared symptoms of the flu : Aches , nausea , fever . He has fully recovered . She is on a ventilator , fighting for her life . Leslie Creekmore , 29 , was 20 weeks pregnant when she was admitted to a hospital in Fort Smith , Arkansas , on January 11 because she was experiencing shortness of breath , her husband said . Her condition worsened ; that night she was transferred to the intensive care unit . She was put on a ventilator on January 13 . An emergency flight took her to Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis on January 14 where she remains on a ventilator , reported CNN affiliate KSDK . The couple 's baby did not survive . Creekmore spontaneously miscarried on January 16 , her husband said . Her right lung collapsed over the weekend , Chris Creekmore said . He agreed to let doctors at the hospital talk about the case . Dr. Rosanna Gray-Swain , an obstetrician-gynecologist at Barnes-Jewish Hospital , who is not directly caring for Leslie Creekmore but is familiar with her case , said Creekmore remains unconscious . `` It 's a little too early to tell what her outcome will be at this point , '' Gray-Swain said . Tuesday , Creekmore underwent surgery to receive a treatment called extracorporeal membrane oxygenation , her husband said . ECMO is a therapy that provides heart-lung bypass support and circulates blood through an artificial lung back to the body . Chris Creekmore said one of the doctors told him it was a long shot , but the procedure went well , and she came out stable , he said . `` She 's being cared for , and her status is still very , very tenuous , '' Gray-Swain said earlier Tuesday . `` If she had had the flu vaccine , she probably would n't be here in this state . '' Chris Creekmore said he and his wife had researched tips for healthy pregnancies , and they had come across a recommendation to avoid the flu vaccine in the first trimester of pregnancy . He said he asked his wife 's OB-GYN in Arkansas in October about the matter , and the doctor told them he was wary of giving flu shots during the first trimester . `` I for one do n't count it as a screw-up on his end or anything like that , '' Chris Creekmore said of the doctor who advised delaying the flu shot . The couple did not know that this guidance runs counter to federal health recommendations . Any pregnant woman should get a flu shot to protect against serious complications as soon as the yearly vaccine becomes available in her area , advises the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services website flu.gov . Women can receive the flu shot at any point during their pregnancies , regardless of trimester , according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists supports the CDC recommendation that all women get vaccinated if they will be pregnant during the influenza season : `` Vaccination early in the season and regardless of gestational age is optimal , '' ACOG says . Flu season may be heading toward peak . No harm has been demonstrated to pregnant women or their babies as a result of the vaccine , the CDC said . Barnes-Jewish Hospital used to recommend that women wait until after the first trimester of pregnancy to receive a flu shot , too , Gray-Swain said . But that policy changed four years ago with emerging evidence that the vaccine was safe for all pregnant women . The flu vaccine protects against many strains during the season from October to March . Pregnant women who receive the vaccine may still get the flu , but it would likely be a milder illness than otherwise , and severe consequences would be improbable , Gray-Swain said . A national effort to prevent the 2009 H1N1 pandemic flu has contributed to a dramatic increase in the number of pregnant women who receive flu vaccines , according to the CDC . Less than 15 % of pregnant women received a flu shot before 2009 ; in the next two seasons , more than half of pregnant women got the vaccine protection . Some states hit harder by flu this year . The flu may increase the risk of miscarriage , premature birth and low birth weight , the CDC said . `` Pregnancy puts extra stress on your heart and lungs . Pregnancy can also affect your immune system . These factors increase the risk of becoming severely ill due to the flu , '' according to the CDC website . Life-threatening developments like Creekmore 's in flu patients are generally rare but not unheard of , Gray-Swain said . `` Pregnant women are five times more likely to end up in the ICU or have severe complications related to the flu than non-pregnant women who get infected with the flu , '' she said . The flu vaccine that is safe for pregnant woman is in injectable form , and it does not contain the live virus , Gray-Swain said . The nasal spray versions should not be given to pregnant women . If you are pregnant , inform the health care staff administering the vaccine before you receive it . Washing your hands after using the bathroom , touching public surfaces and other activities is also important , she said . Pregnant women can also take a drug called Tamiflu . It is most commonly taken to reduce the length of symptoms , but it is also given to people with high-risk flu exposure as a prevention . The Creekmores had planned to call the baby Jera , KSDK reported . The baby was `` too young to be able to be resuscitated , '' Gray-Swain said . She was a `` far too young , far too tiny , but beautifully structured , almost-baby girl , '' Chris Creekmore said . His wife was unconscious during the miscarriage . `` She wanted to know the gender as bad as me , '' Chris Creekmore said , `` but I do n't know how -- how in the hell -- I 'm going to , when she wakes up , tell her what 's going on . '' Chris Creekmore 's friend set up a GoFundMe page to help the family raise money to support Leslie 's care . The response is far greater than Chris Creekmore expected . He thought the page might generate gas money for hospital visits . Now , donations are in the thousands of dollars . If there is money left over from the campaign after he pays his wife 's medical bills , Chris Creekmore wants to use the extra funds to help his sister 's child , who has a medical condition , and to help support free flu vaccination clinics . His public message is : Vaccinate yourself against the flu . Leslie had planned to get a flu shot at a clinic on January 13 , the same doctor 's visit as her 20-week ultrasound , her husband said . It would have been the same day that she was placed on the ventilator . Facebook page for support for Leslie Creekmore . Follow Elizabeth Landau on Twitter at @ lizlandau .
CDC recommends all pregnant women get flu shots . Does n't matter what trimester of pregnancy , flu shot is safe . Severely ill woman 's husband said she tried to get flu shot .