Any breastfeeding healthcare professionals?

[pinguwings]

I am completely torn. I am nursing COVID positive patients on nearly every shift. We have full PPE and I have been lucky so far to have not caught it. I have vulnerable family who I am not seeing. I want this vaccine and have been offered it on Jan 4th.

However I am breastfeeding my 11 month old. She is thriving. She is settled. Neither of us are ready to wean.I fed my older daughter till she was two.

The advice is that breastfeeding women should not have the vaccination. (From all my further reading this is just due to lack of research, there is an absolutely minimal risk of anything being transferred via breast milk.)

I am desperately torn. Do I wean and be vaccinated? Or do I continue putting myself and family at risk every day?

Is anyone else in a similar dilemma?

I don't know if I this will help as my situation is a little different but didn't want you to feel like you are alone in having to make this decision.

I work in a patient-facing role for the NHS although not with (known) covid patients on a regular basis. I am having a slightly similar dilemma in that I'm trying to decide whether to stop bf in order to have the vaccine. I think I'm leaning towards weaning because my patient group is clinically vulnerable so there are significant risks to them if I take covid to them. I haven't been offered the vaccine yet but will be early in the new year so feel I need to decide before Christmas when DH is off work and can be around to comfort DS. But it's a different decision for me as my DS is already 20 months and I was planning to feed until 2 years so it's only a compromise of a few months. I honestly don't know what I would do if he was younger. It's such a horrible situation to be in and I really feel for you. Working in healthcare always feels like a bit of a balancing act between work and home/family anyway, but never more so than now. Covid is forcing us to make some really tough decisions. It's absolutely ok to make the decision to carry on feeding if you feel that's what is right for you and your daughter. Equally it's ok to wean but know yourself that you would have carried on in an ideal world. Unfortunately we are in the midst of a pandemic and things are far from ideal at the moment, so if you make that choice then you've done as much as you can under really tough circumstances.

I'm sorry this probably isn't very helpful with helping you decide. I wish there was some way of knowing how long it will be until they decide if it is safe in breastfeeding. Have you tried contacting Wendy at the breastfeeding network? She may be able to advise on the research aspects of it.

I have bf my children and been ill and had medication at times that wasn't officially safe, however I did my own research and it's very rare for any sort of medicine to actually affect the baby as most does not pass through to breast milk, and when it does its a very tiny amount. These studies are usually done with newborns in mind, older babies are generally less at risk of any side effects as any medicine that did pass through would be an even smaller dose as the baby is so much larger at 11 months if you see what I mean. Is there any info on la leche league or Kellymom?
These were always my go to for info.
If I were you op I'd have the vaccine and not think twice about it, I'm sure your baby will not be affected adversely by it, and in fact they'll probably receive your antibodies so be immune as well.

Thank you so much for your replies. You're right, I'm so fed up of juggling between work and family life. I was pressured in to returning to work when DD was just 6 months and I feel like she's already missed out on so much because of that.

I've messaged Wendy and she sent back a brilliant reply which basically points towards it being completely safe but they can't advocate breastfeeding mothers having it yet.

My brain knows it's minimal risk but it's all too unknown to allow DD to be a guinea pig..

Have you seen the statements by Infant Risk, the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine and the American College of Obs and Gynae? FDA have licensed it for bf in the USA. You may already have seen these as you’ve said you know the risk is very low.

It’s such a difficult position to be in and I really think it’s very lazy of the MHRA to lump bf in with pregnancy. I’m hoping that they update the advice very soon so that breastfeeding healthcare workers can protect themselves and keep feeding!

OP, that is so tough. I returned from mat leave a little early to support with the early stages of the pandemic response but I didn't feel pressured to do so. It's really unfair that you were. My trust's official guidance is for staff to delay having the vaccine until breastfeeding has stopped so I'm assuming that is the same across the NHS. Would you able to talk about it with your manager or occupational health? Would there be the option for them to redeploy you to a ward where there is lower risk (if you would want that of course)? Or to think if there are other ways to reduce the risk to you as their own guidance states you can't be vaccinated yet for this very legitimate reason? Obviously I understand that isn't going to be possible for all settings and job roles.

@singme I hadn't seen that actually- really interesting to know, just hope that the UK follows suit.

No chance of working elsewhere. I'm hospice based, so unless I become solely office based I have no option to not nurse COVID patients.

I'm just fatigued with it all. Not the patients or the nursing side of it. But constantly feeling guilty because of the implications of my job.

Is your dilemma because you’re worried about bringing it home to your family, or because you’re worried about catching it yourself? The problem is that no one knows yet whether the vaccine will have any impact on transmission so you may still be just as likely to pass the virus on to your family whether you have the vaccine or not. So I wouldn’t base your decision on that.

@pinguwings I haven’t read the full thread, so apologies if I’m repeating.
I’m patient facing NHS. Not with covid patients.
Bf’ing my 14 month old.

Based on some of my own research & reading, I probably will have it, even if I’m still feeding. I found this a helpful statement
www.infantrisk.com/covid-19-vaccine-pregnancy-and-breastfeeding

Weighing it up, I think the risk of me becoming ill with covid (overweight & asthmatic) or me transmitting it to vulnerable grandparents outweighs the tiny risk of having it. I might consider a 24 hour nursing break, but even that seems unnecessary really.
Just because something hasn’t ben proven to be safe, that doesn’t make it unsafe.

This is your body, your baby & your choice. Do what feels right for you.

Does it matter that you're probably BF a lot less than a newborn? At 11 months I can't imagine DD nurses too often. I wonder if that lessens the risks at all.

I don’t have an answer but wanted to say I’m so sorry you are having to make such a big decision either way.
I struggled enough this year between having acute anxiety and really severe panic disorder , but not wanting to take medication as I was breastfeeding.
absolutely not the same and not as difficult a dilemma but I’m glad others have had some more helpful replies with lots of info! I hope you find answers that might help make the choice easier.
They often say it’s not that its UNSAFE , just that after Thalidomide etc they always have to do a lot more intense research to be able to legally say it is safe. Maybe it’s just still too soon for them to legally be able to cover their backsides with it yet.

Following this. Not a HCP but I'm 27 weeks pregnant and breastfed my first child for about 2y9m so the topic of whether breastfeeding mothers should have the vaccination is of interest to me. I am very sorry for all of you having to make such hard decisions now about this.

I'm not in healthcare and not being offered a vaccine anytime soon. My son is older as well. I tried signing up for vaccine trials and thought we would be happy to be guinea pigs for anyone nursing young babies where it's a less acceptable risk. I don't think vaccines cause issues in general with breastfeeding and read up first to check there was no specific reason to perceive a danger to DS; neither of us have any allergies that might add risk. Nobody is running those trials though, so I score out. I read that it isn't recommended, but since I'd be willing to be in a trial I will personally have it anyway, unless some new information comes to light that implies risk for DS. Whether you take it now and keep breastfeeding, or take it now and stop breastfeeding, or don't take it yet - they're all perfectly valid choices; which one makes you feel most comfortable?

I am a frontline HCP and work with CEV patients. The risk is more about me passing it to then than catching it at work.

I am bf my pre schooler and have made the decision that I will choose the vaccine if offered and wean. It's an easy decision for me due to DC age and that I am really done with bf now. Its actually the final nudge for me to stop. I would feel so torn if I were pregnant or with a young bf child. My personal thought is I would take the risk and continue to feed I had a child less than 18months.

I would happily sign up for a research trial to see what passes through breast milk etc. Off to Google if you can......

I would choose breastfeeding at the moment and opt for the vaccine later. With this new strain it may not be effective any way and there are so many health benefits to you and your DC from longer term breastfeeding.

I’m not a healthcare worker but I was ECV, now ‘just’ vulnerable due to a shift in medication. I am breastfeeding my 9 week old, fed my eldest until 2 and my consultant is very pro the benefits of me breastfeeding as potentially protective of my child developing the same condition as me. Simply put, I really want the vaccine and to continue to breastfeed. I will seriously consider having the vaccine and continuing to breastfeed based on my current research and the information Wendy Jones has provided. I am hoping by the time it is offered to me that the advice has changed or there is an alternative like the Oxford vaccine. None of these decisions are easy!

I am breastfeeding and wondering the same. I am also concerned that breastfeeding puts me more at risk of severe covid as it lowers oestrogen levels which are meant to be protective against covid. In your position I would have the vaccine and continue to breastfeed.

I'm devastated by this news. I'm not a HCP but was classed ECV during the first lockdown (since reduced to CV by my hospital consultant). I'm desperate for the vaccine but also desperate not to have to wean my 11 month old DD, who I still feed a good 3-4 times a day plus during the night. Honestly don't know what to do, and really feel for those who're in this horrible position and working on the frontline

For anyone interested this is informative ...

www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/coronavirus/

Crappy decision to have to make.
Luckily I have no risk factors. But I'm not able to feel confident enough to go against the current medical guidance to avoid the vaccine if breastfeeding.
I've turned down two short notice offers of vaccination now. It's getting out there, that gives me hope.

blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2020/12/21/healthcare-workers-who-breastfeed-should-be-offered-the-covid-19-vaccine/

This is an interesting read....

Sorry posted too soon.

I am frontline healthcare worker (not been offered vaccine yet but could be any day now) who is still feeding my 10month old. I was always planning to feed him until a year or 15 months but the new variant makes me think I need to get the vaccine ASAP, rather than wait the extra 2-3 months while I wean him.

I have spent all weekend trying to find information about other vaccines that have been harmful to children when given to breastfeeding mums. The risk seems so small compared to the very real risk of Covid and long Covid.

I am genuinely considering having the vaccine and continuing to breastfeed so i can have it soon.

The article explains exactly how I feel .

@MumOfOneAndAHalf I don’t know when I will be offered. But, if I was tomorrow, I think I would forget to disclose. I’m not ready to stop. I think the risks of covid far outweigh the risks of a vaccine. I actually don’t think there are any risks.
I’m gutted that I’m basically being forced to lie because no proper guidance is given - just a blanket ban.
The uk is terrible when it comes to breastfeeding.

I'm not as my kids are all older, but its very much a 'we haven't researched it so we can't say'

I do know one A&E consultant in your situation who has, as she pointed out most days she's intubating people with covid, she knows she hasn't got antibodies therefore she feels the risks of her getting the vaccine are lower than her risk of catching covid (she did say if she did a different job she may have made a different decision) - I suspect she lied on being asked.

I know I was asked about pregnancy, potential pregnancy and breastfeeding - one of my colleagues was declined it due to a previous reaction she'd had (but not to a vaccine - not sure what it was to)

I'm a frontline worker (Paramedic) and still feeding my 2.5 year old. I have the option of having the vaccine at work but have turned it down so far. I feel like I should have it for mine, my patients and my family's safety but neither me nor my toddler are ready to give up feeding yet. He feeds a maximum of three times a day (waking up, nap time and bed time).

I just don't know what to do 😔

I work in social care so am expecting to be offered the vaccine in the new year. I’m still feeding my 3 year old but I’m planning to take the vaccine when offered. I had planned to wean in order to do this but am glad I found this thread as there is some interesting reading suggesting maybe I wouldn’t need to. My heart goes out to those of you with younger babies and a much, much harder decision to make. X

"From all my further reading this is just due to lack of research, there is an absolutely minimal risk of anything being transferred via breast milk"

You are correct there has been no research into the possible risks the vaccine poses if given to breastfeeding women. That means the risks are not known. So no can say if the risks are minimal as they could be huge.