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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think pregnant women should get the vaccine

213 replies

HopefulRose · 29/11/2021 00:02

This is controversial but had a lively debate with a family member about this today. I’m currently pregnant and double jabbed and hopeful I can get my booster soon. I’ve been quite surprised and tbh annoyed at the number of pregnant women refusing to get the vaccine.

Pregnant women who are unvaccinated end up getting much more sick from Covid than those who have the vaccines. And those who are getting ill end up taking up resources in hospitals which causes a knock on effect to the care of other pregnant women who are vaccinated. A friend recently was supposed to have a home birth but had to go into hospital because there weren’t enough midwives due to this very problem.

Perhaps it’s a failure on the government/ DHSC’s behalf for not communicating this strongly enough. I understand if there are genuine concerns but most of the people I’ve spoken to who don’t want the vaccine don’t appear to be interested in the medical or logical arguments and their decisions come from ‘feeling’ (or Facebook) rather than reasoning.

OP posts:
Eyesofdisarray · 30/11/2021 09:12

Totally agree @ivykaty44. The risks from covid are far far greater, especially in towards the end of pregnancy. A mother of five died recently from covid and that's five children without their mum; heartbreaking. She was going to have the vaccine once baby was here. And not to forget long covid- I know folk having to cope with this- horrendous.
It's not a health professional's place to tell women stuff "off the record"
Where's the informed consent?
It's about saving lives, not having the vaccine for the benefit of others; it's for yourself

CatsArePeople · 30/11/2021 10:01

YABU
feel whatever you want, but you won't be taking responsibility in cases that media doesn't like to talk about.

Tigger85 · 30/11/2021 10:01

I was pregnant in 2020 and my baby boy died at 26 weeks in July. I am a HCP and was eligible for the vaccine from the start but delayed because they said not to get it if TTC and I was going to have IVF in Jan 2021, there was no way I was going to compromise my egg quality and the IVF being successful as it was the last round we could afford to do. My cycle was messed up after collection so we waited a few months before transferring the first embryo, during that wait u had my 1st vaccine because if the IVF failed I would go back to work and have direct contact with covid positive patients. I was given astra zeneca, the next month the guidence was to not give az to people in my age group or to pregnant women due to the blood clot risk. I delayed the second dose due to now being pregnant and not wanting az, I have a history of miscarriage and fetal abnormalities being found after 20 weeks (no genetic cause). I had my anomaly scan direct with fetal medicine and discused vaccination with my consultant, I was advised to only get Pfizer or Moderna not az. I waited a few more weeks to get the all clear at a fetal heart scan then tried to book for a Pfizer or Moderna vaccine and was denied by the covid booking line as I had already had az so they would only allow me to have another az vaccine. My consultant sent an email to them saying I should have Pfizer or Moderna not az, still they would not let me have a second dose unless it was az. Eventually I got a Pfizer Vax because there was a drop in clinic at antenatal at one of my appointments. I was anxious about having the vaccine due to my history of fetal abnormalities, miscarriage and the conflicting and fairly rapidly changing advice but trust my consultant who I have seen with every pregnancy. I definitely was not ok with getting a second dose or booster until after the anomaly scan, I was also very aware of the dangers to both mother and baby of getting covid in the third trimester and an completely terrified of stillbirth. It is not an easy decision to make but I definitely felt much safer getting it towards the end of the second trimester. I have also had the flu and whooping cough vaccines to try to protect my baby, just a few more weeks of anxiousness to go now.

KaleJuicer · 30/11/2021 10:06

YANBU. I have an obstetrician friend at a large London hospital who is traumatised by the number of unvaxxed pregnant women and/or their babies dying. By and large preventable.

YABU to suggest Govt/DHSC could do more - there are massive campaigns going on. The only thing I could suggest would be more coverage in the media about the absolutely horrific risk that CV19 presents to pregnant women and their unborn babies - but then there would be claims of "scaremongering". But it is scary.

EmmaOvary · 30/11/2021 10:09

For anyone needing factual advice, this is an excellent resource: fullfact.org/pregnant-then-screwed/all/

EmmaOvary · 30/11/2021 10:11

...and specifically relating to Thalidomide vs. Covid vaccines, which has been mentioned a lot in this thread: fullfact.org/health/thalidomide-covid-vaccines-misleading/

Spidey66 · 30/11/2021 10:21

I'm a firm supporter of vaccines and get annoyed at those who refuse the covid jab for no good reason. However while on balance I think pregnant women should have it, I can certainly understand their concerns about it, especially when the advice changed so quickly.

Acinaces · 30/11/2021 11:48

@HopefulRose

This is controversial but had a lively debate with a family member about this today. I’m currently pregnant and double jabbed and hopeful I can get my booster soon. I’ve been quite surprised and tbh annoyed at the number of pregnant women refusing to get the vaccine.

Pregnant women who are unvaccinated end up getting much more sick from Covid than those who have the vaccines. And those who are getting ill end up taking up resources in hospitals which causes a knock on effect to the care of other pregnant women who are vaccinated. A friend recently was supposed to have a home birth but had to go into hospital because there weren’t enough midwives due to this very problem.

Perhaps it’s a failure on the government/ DHSC’s behalf for not communicating this strongly enough. I understand if there are genuine concerns but most of the people I’ve spoken to who don’t want the vaccine don’t appear to be interested in the medical or logical arguments and their decisions come from ‘feeling’ (or Facebook) rather than reasoning.

You're unreasonable; it's not your position to judge anyone.

Do you know the long-term side effects of the vaccine? Please show me the 10-15 years of research carried out on these new vaccines?

Please enlighten me Smile

EmmaOvary · 30/11/2021 12:18

'Do you know the long-term side effects of the vaccine? Please show me the 10-15 years of research carried out on these new vaccines?'

This is disingenuous. And shows a fundamental misunderstanding of how vaccines work, as does the previous posters comparison with thalidomide.

Vaccines are not like medication or drugs that build up in the body. They are designed to use the body's own defences to protect it, in a short, sharp burst. That's why side effects are not expected beyond 2 months after a vaccine. There isn't really such a thing as a long term effect from a vaccine, other than the protection it gives.

Acinaces · 30/11/2021 14:19

@EmmaOvary

'Do you know the long-term side effects of the vaccine? Please show me the 10-15 years of research carried out on these new vaccines?'

This is disingenuous. And shows a fundamental misunderstanding of how vaccines work, as does the previous posters comparison with thalidomide.

Vaccines are not like medication or drugs that build up in the body. They are designed to use the body's own defences to protect it, in a short, sharp burst. That's why side effects are not expected beyond 2 months after a vaccine. There isn't really such a thing as a long term effect from a vaccine, other than the protection it gives.

Please educate yourself on vaccines.

There are thousands of vaccine-injured people out there who are experiencing the adverse effects of the vaccine - many months after.

BridgetWhyNot · 30/11/2021 14:32

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Porridgeislife · 30/11/2021 14:41

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Porridgeislife · 30/11/2021 14:43

Oh, it is just misinformation being spouted by a struck off GP and thoroughly debunked.

fullfact.org/online/miscarriage-deaths-vaccines/

TurquoiseDress · 30/11/2021 14:49

YANBU

Obviously it's a personal choice for each individual woman and I think there is deep mistrust based on the conflicting messages earlier on at the start of this year

For me, reading the heartbreaking stories of women in their third trimester contracting Covid with poor outcomes , if I were pregnant now I would do everything possible to avoid Covid and the potential complications to me and my unborn baby...and the potential effect on my existing children & DH if the worst were to happen.

BridgetWhyNot · 30/11/2021 15:03

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JuicySatsuma85 · 30/11/2021 15:08

37 weeks pregnant & fully vaccinated here! I never hesitated for a second to get the vaccine, however people claiming the messaging has been clear have definitely not been pregnant during this pandemic.

Women were being told “it’s your decision” by midwives & vaccination centres would ask “are you really sure?” before vaccinating you and that’s if they didn’t just straight up refuse to vaccinate you. Compare that to the messaging around the flu vaccine in pregnancy which is strongly and continually recommend by every health professional you encounter whilst pregnancy.

To clarify some things, when people say we “don’t know the long term side effects”… do you know the long term side effects of Covid on a baby if the mother gets Covid whilst pregnant? We do know long Covid is a thing so why only worry about the long term effects on a baby of the vaccine but not the virus?

Secondly there have never been long term side effects (beyond 2 months) of any vaccine ever. What I mean by that is if you react badly to a vaccine you react badly within 2 months. Yes that bad reaction can have lifelong implications BUT you don’t get vaccinated, seem fine, and then 10 years down the line suddenly have an adverse effect to a vaccine. It’s just scientifically not how vaccines work. They leave your system entirely within a matter of hours. You cannot give birth to a healthy, vaccinated baby and then suddenly at 3 years old they become ill because of the vaccine you had while pregnant. It’s scientifically impossible.

People also have to remember that correlation isn’t causation. I had a miscarriage before this pregnancy. The night I miscarried I’d eaten potatoes with my dinner. I can’t therefore conclude that potatoes cause miscarriage. Sadly 1 in 4 pregnancies end in miscarriage. This rate stays the same in groups of unvaccinated mothers vs vaccinated meaning there is no reason whatsoever to link the Covid vaccine with miscarriage.

I really don’t blame people for being hesitate about the vaccine in pregnancy BUT I do blame people for repeating misinformation and for doubling down on unfounded concerns that have long been put to rest. Or acting like you aren’t getting the vaccine because you “don’t want to risk it”. Oh you are risking it. You are doubling your chance of stillbirth if you are unvaccinated with Covid on your 3rd trimester. There is a risk of having a reaction to the vaccine, of course, but there is also a risk to not being vaccinated. Not getting vaccinated is NOT a risk free option. You are very much putting your baby and yourself at risk. Pick your risk wisely.

JuicySatsuma85 · 30/11/2021 15:12

Do you know how the yellow card scheme works? It’s self reported. No one has performed a postmortem on these miscarried babies and said they passed because of the vaccine. Women have assumed they miscarried because they had the vaccine.

Sadly 1 in 4 pregnancies end in miscarriage and no one knows exactly why. The rate of miscarriages in vaccinated vs unvaccinated women are exactly the same. There is NO increase in miscarriage rate whatsoever.

I am 37 weeks pregnant now. Fully vaccinated. Before this pregnancy I miscarried at 13 weeks, unvaccinated. I had potatoes with my dinner the night I miscarried. Can I therefore say potatoes cause miscarriage? No. I cannot. I could only say that if miscarriage rates were higher in women who eat potatoes, but they aren’t. Same goes for the Covid vaccine.

EmmaOvary · 30/11/2021 15:35

"Please educate yourself on vaccines.

There are thousands of vaccine-injured people out there who are experiencing the adverse effects of the vaccine - many months after."

You misunderstand me. I am well aware of vaccine injury, nobody is denying it happens, not the medical establishment or the scientists. And yes of course, if an adverse effect occurs then it may be lasting. But the risks of that are vanishingly small. And I stand by my point that you don't simply develop a side effect many months or years after a vaccine.

Fluffycloudland77 · 30/11/2021 16:31

@Gymohithoughtyousaidgin They knew thalidomide caused defects in baby rabbits and released it anyway.

I have the flu jab every year and that’s a new vaccine each time.

ivykaty44 · 30/11/2021 20:29

@Acinaces

Why do you want long term data over 10 or 15 years? Please explain this?

OhWhyNot · 30/11/2021 20:41

I’ve had my boosters

Im not sure I would have the vaccine when pregnant it’s too early to know if there will be any long term side effects

ivykaty44 · 30/11/2021 20:51

www.independent.co.uk/news/health/covid-vaccine-pregnant-women-nhs-b1935825.html

I in 5 in critical care unvaccinated pregnant woman

ivykaty44 · 30/11/2021 20:53

Continually people mention these long term side effects from a vaccination, can someone explain why this vaccination would be different from any other vaccination and produce long term side effects from something that doesn’t stay in your body?