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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:
Stressymcstress · 30/11/2021 21:33

@ivykaty44
Thanks for the links.

I don’t think people are saying that side effects won’t happen for 5 years…more that the effects won’t be noticed/ diagnosed till children are 5. A lot of conditions don’t become apparent until children reach a certain age.

IsabelHerna · 30/11/2021 23:20

I got 2 shots so far, and waiting for my booster, and I have started my medications for IVF, but everyone should be free to make their choice.

ivykaty44 · 01/12/2021 05:27

Stressymcstress How would it affect the child when it doesn’t pass the placenta?

ivykaty44 · 01/12/2021 05:40

fullfact.org/pregnant-then-screwed/vaccines-crossing-placenta/

Whereas your own antibodies do pass over the placenta, but that’s true for other viruses e.g. if you’ve had Covid19

The vaccination doesn’t stay in your body, it tells your body what to do like a messenger and is then gone

LittleLottieChaos · 01/12/2021 05:53

Every pregnant woman is being told to get the vaccine. If you’re choosing not to, you’re foolish.

Surely you’d rather take the advice of
“Professor Lucy Chappell - a chief scientific adviser for the Department of Health and Social Care and honorary consultant obstetrician at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust” than some random internet anti vaccine pusher. See article below.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/nov/30/obstetrician-pregnant-vaccinated-covid

lillg · 01/12/2021 06:42

YABU to think anyone else should have the vaccine or otherwise. Unless you are a medical professional who's job it is to advise.

I caught COVID at 24 weeks from my double vaccinated husband. Our symptoms and severity of illness were very similar (he didn't have a milder version than me).

All of the mainstream articles I have read have strongly manipulated the statistics to make everything sound worse than it is. For example, when they talk about pregnant women admitted to hospital, they don't then explain that most of the admissions were for birth and not because of COVID. They also don't quantify "increased risk" at any point and normally fail to mention that pregnant women will be admitted sooner as a precaution than non pregnant women. Even if symptoms are the same. It really angers me.

For anyone on the fence at the moment, however, one risk I hadn't previously considered is the disruption to your normal maternity care when you need to isolate. I was unfortunate enough to need cervical stitch shortly after the time I had COVID and it was very stressful trying to access appropriate care in a safe way (the hospital did their best). For this reason alone I will be getting the vaccine once I'm able to (need to wait 28 days after testing positive).

ivykaty44 · 01/12/2021 08:25

They also don't quantify "increased risk"

and what did you find when you researched? obviously the increased risk you did find you hadn't thought about. Antinatel care is important to reduce the risk of death from pregnancy related risks, pre eclampsia being one, but there are others - which can also be amplified with covid19 and getting this care is important and why it is unlawful for workplaces to prevent you attending.

EmmaOvary · 01/12/2021 10:21

A couple of months ago it was reported that 1 in 6 of the most critically ill Covid patients were pregnant, unvaccinated women. You can't 'manipulate' that data, it is pure fact. Women fighting for theirs and their babies lives in ICU. The list of these women who don't make it is heartbreaking and growing every day. That's not scaremongering, it's just a fact that is scary.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/oct/11/one-in-six-most-critically-ill-patients-are-unvaccinated-pregnant-women-with-covid

lillg · 01/12/2021 20:04

[quote EmmaOvary]A couple of months ago it was reported that 1 in 6 of the most critically ill Covid patients were pregnant, unvaccinated women. You can't 'manipulate' that data, it is pure fact. Women fighting for theirs and their babies lives in ICU. The list of these women who don't make it is heartbreaking and growing every day. That's not scaremongering, it's just a fact that is scary.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/oct/11/one-in-six-most-critically-ill-patients-are-unvaccinated-pregnant-women-with-covid[/quote]
1 in 6 people on a machine that is used when ventilators won't work. Which is more likely when you are pregnant because of constrictions on your lungs because of the baby. So more likely to need that specific treatment as opposed to other equally as serious treatments, which were not included in the article.

Also these are very specialist machines that are not available to all. If more than 1 person needed the machine at any point and decision would have to be made, and a pregnant woman would likely get treatment in advance of many others (awful as these decisions must be).

I'm not suggesting it's not serious or that people are not getting very ill and even dying. They are and that's heartbreaking. Also the fact that ventilators are less effective on pregnant women is scary and worth informing people.

However I do feel that that article doesn't explain the whole story and makes the statistics sound significantly worse than they are as it doesn't explain what this machine "for the most critically ill" is used for and why pregnant women are more likely to need it. It ignores other equally as critical care options.

PurpleDaisies · 01/12/2021 20:20

Also these are very specialist machines that are not available to all. If more than 1 person needed the machine at any point and decision would have to be made, and a pregnant woman would likely get treatment in advance of many others (awful as these decisions must be).

Those decisions are based on who has the greatest clinical need.

Puzzledandpissedoff · 01/12/2021 20:58

"Fuck everyone having an opinion"

Oh dear ...

LJAKS · 01/12/2021 21:02

I'm pregnant. Double jabbed pre pregnancy and I won't be getting the booster until after the baby is born. My daughter was born with a congenital condition with no known cause, I'm not willing to take any risks with this one. If it has another life threatening condition like it's sister and I'd chosen to take an experimental drug while pregnant I know id blame myself and that decision. That said, if I were unvaccinated I don't know what my stance would be, think I'd probably get it but I feel im relatively well protected as it is for someone who's not leaving the house

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