Will you get the COVID vaccine now that they are saying all pregnant women should be offered it

[Peaplant20]

This has just been announced by the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. What will you do?

I’m 33 weeks and won’t be getting it until baby is here.
PurpleCurtain your decision but please don’t be quite so patronising to the many pregnant women who just don’t want to take the risk for their unborn babies sake. You do what you feel- but a lot of us don’t feel comfortable taking a vaccine that hasn’t been tested on pregnant women and looked at any affects on their child’s physical and mental development as a result of this.
Weighing up- me getting Covid = highly unlikely with our current rates/ not got it or suffered if I have for over a year so I’ll wait out final 7 weeks of my pregnancy versus taking it mainly to protect myself, not my baby - but have no idea of the future affects on my child! No thanks.

I have been offered it and replied that I will have it in June after I’ve had my baby. I won’t take that risk. They’ve put me down as declined vaccine. 🤦‍♀️

I’m not judging people who have had it or those who are waiting. It’s a personal decision and people need to respect that.

@Mabelann

I’m mid 30s and due in June so if they’re not going to prioritise pregnant women I won’t be able to have it before the baby is born. I’m having a c section and the thought of spending 3 days in hospital, having major surgery and then having a persistent cough if I’m unfortunate to catch covid during my stay doesn’t fill me with joy.

I can’t believe they aren’t prioritising pregnant women for this. It’s like we’ve fallen through the cracks. I’ve emailed my doctors surgery to ask for it on the basis that I have to have surgery in 8 weeks time. In fact, I already asked once a few weeks ago when the info first came out about the pregnant women in the US getting it. That was before the JCVI recommended it and I just got a blank stare and a pointless leaflet.

Has your GP been in contact about it since the new guidelines (other than the leaflet you got originally)?

I'm in the same position as you. C Section booked for very start of June and rather anxious about being in hospital unvaccinated. No other health conditions. I've been searching the internet for more advice because I can't understand why we've been told throughout that pregnancy means we've been put in the clinically vulnerable group (i.e. at higher risk - though not the CEV category of course). Yet now, when all the other vulnerable people are in group 6 we are not considered vulnerable enough to get the vaccine?

In my mind, I'd assume hospitals/midwives etc. would prefer to be treating vaccinated women during antenatal services? And given there are articles explaining that covid can be more dangerous in third trimester why is that not taken into consideration? We're either at more risk or we're not -- but if we are, we should be prioritised.

Most pregnant women are going to be mid-20's to mid-30's and thus a few months away from vaccination in their age group.

@Kat1112025 same as what I’ve been told. Unfortunately though I don’t have a few weeks to wait as I’m already 15 weeks so need to squeeze in both doses before I get too far into my 3rd trimester. I’m classed as CEV so was offered the vaccine in my 1st trimester but declined as the advice was to wait until 2nd and seek medical counsel.

@MF1981 yep I'm in the same boat. 17 weeks now and I was offered it earlier due to CEV but told to wait until second trimester/ after 20 weeks. Now they've changed the guidance I'm keen to get it done!

Hopefully they get themselves organised soon.

I am so undecided. I am WFH but over 35 so more at risk of severe disease according to the available information. I have a toddler at nursery so am out and about a bit.

I understand that the guidance as to why people might not get it is because there is simply a lack of available data, but what I am interested in knowing is what are the hypothetical risks of taking it, based on biological plausibilities? My biggest fear is that it would affect the baby's development (esp cognitive development) but I haven't been able to find any information as to whether this might be a biological possibility?

On balance, I am leaning towards taking it because it's weighing up a KNOWN risk (not just for me but for the baby too due to premature birth) vs a seemingly hypothetical risk (which experts seem to be saying is small). What is tipping it for me are the stories coming out of Brazil about dying babies which are utterly heartbreaking. I take some comfort knowing that if I get the vaccine my baby is better protected against covid also.

If I can get Pfizer or moderna then I’ll take it, I’m worried about the risks of stillbirth if I catch covid in the 3rd trimester.

@manchote as far as I understand it’s not possible for baby’s cognitive development to be impacted as it’s not a live vaccine. For those reasons it’s also safe to have whopping cough vaccine in pregnancy.

I had mine (currently 17w pregnant) and glad I had it. Feel so much safer now and loved the reports from the US about antibodies in breastmilk.

@AdriannaP which one did you have?

Thanks @AdriannaP, that is somewhat reassuring. Although I did read the Nat Geo article a PP posted up thread which said that one unknown is that it's a new type of vaccine (MRNA) and they do not yet know if the MRNA will cross the placenta (eg and if it did the fetus may have similar side effects as the mum e.g. pain, swelling, fever). In which case what would be the risk to the baby's development? (although I should stress that that article did mention it wouldn't cause birth defects, although how they can be sure of that esp in relation to cognitive issues which may not present until the baby is older, I don't know.) I am very much NOT an anti-vaxxer but pregnancy and development poses a particularly thorny conundrum.

This thread has been really interesting and informative. I think hearing more about the increased risk of covid to pregnant women, I will almost certainly have the vaccine.
I'm a biologist who works in discovery of new drugs. And had this been a novel drug not tested extensively, I would share people's concerns about taking it. However, as vaccines are biological molecules, in Moderna and Pfizer case, RNA, which are essentially natural molecules and extensively understood (I've worked on different aspects of RNA for 20 years). This RNA is an instruction for your cells to make the viral spike protein and then your body does the rest with an immune response. Much safety analysis has been done on these already, and can be inferred from other vaccines, that have been found safe in pregnancy.
I certainly would not want to put my baby at risk, but as an experienced scientist, who is a anxious person, I can't see any reason not to have it, and would certainly be more anxious not having it and getting covid.
At a scan recently the waiting room was quite busy, and not hugely well ventilated, so I'll feel much more relaxed once vaccinated.

@manchote they talked about the hypothesised risks a bit on the pregnancy then screwed zoom last night. Stella creasy recorded it and it’s on her Facebook page and public if you want to watch. From what I remember they said they didn’t think there was any risk of it crossing the placenta as there is no known mechanism for this to happen. Plus, they have studied animal placentas and found it did not cross the placenta in animals (they can’t do this in humans for ethical reasons). I’m not trying to convince you as I haven’t decided myself but defo worth watching that recording especially as I have a poor memory and they probably said more useful things than I’ve written here! X

@Peaplant20 thank you, I will take a look!

@Katy4321- thank you for this info. Really helpful.

I've been slightly undecided about this - I'm very pro-vaccine but for some reason I was questioning the Covid vaccine.

I think on balance I will have it but I'm unlikely to be fully vaccinated by the time I give birth as I doubt I will have had the second vaccine by then.

A PP mentioned not having got Covid to date so far, so why would they get the vaccine now - the risk of catching it in the hopsital is potetnially higher and also the complications of catching it (if you were to) in the third trimester significantly increase. On the basis of that, I'd rather take steps to vaccinate agaisnt Covid.

I did a bit of a look to see what other mRNA vaccines are in use and was surprised (I don't know why!) to find it's not many yet. I did come across this though which was reassuring about the safety of using that as a mechanism, it's quite early on and not too technical! www.nature.com/articles/nrd.2017.243

@8dpwoah

Sorry, to be a bit clearer about what was worrying me, it was the physical, short term reaction to the vaccine and how a pregnant woman's biology would cope with to that I was concerned about. Lots of friends and family have been knocked sideways by the jab and to me with the change in immunity and other factors when pregnant my concerns were about adverse reactions at point of taking that jab and the immediate period afterwards, possible risk of miscarriage, stillbirth rather than any possible longer term issues. I totally get that different people will have different reservations to me but that was what put me off initially, personally.

This is my concern too. My mother ended up with a high temperature, rapid heart rate, etc - ambulance ride to A&E after a few days. I'd be worried about being that unwell while pregnant. On the other hand, my dad didn't even get a sore arm! So it's basically "Are you feeling lucky, punk?" on both whether I'll react badly to the vaccine or whether I'll catch covid (and, if I do, will it be bad).

Has anyone who should have been group 6 anyway (and wasn't originally invited) been contacted for the vaccine since the guidance changed?

I am in group 6 and got invited when I was 11 weeks. Had my vaccine when I was 13 weeks pregnant.

@MF1981 My trust has now officially changed their guidance and I'm booked on to have the moderna vaccine this week. I found the GP to be friendly but unhelpful (they had no idea how to ensure I was booked in for the correct vaccine) so instead sorted it through emailing the vaccination centre at my local hospital.

Just an FYI for anyone trying to make sure they are booked on for Pfizer or Moderna.

Thanks @Kat1112025 - helpful info. I fought with my GP surgery over the last couple of weeks and even though the guidance changed they were still being rubbish. In the end I emailed my local MP, the head GP partner at the surgery and the patient liaison officer at the surgery and miraculously got a call 2 days later with a plan! I had my first Pfizer on Saturday and due to have the second in 3 weeks. It’s definitely worth persevering if the GP surgery don’t know what to do and you want to have the vaccine during your second trimester.

I've emailed my maternity voices group to ask them if they know what the trust's plan is. I've midwife next week so will ask her too but we shall see! Maternity notes has gone down for me today so can't even do my daily 'when are my next scans?' appointment check...

Thanks @Kat1112025, I’m having a similar experience - spoke to my GP today who was friendly but didn’t seem to understand the issue with pregnancy and getting either the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine. I’ve got an appointment for this week but I don’t know if they’ll actually be able to vaccinate me there.

All my maternity care is through the the large teaching hospital which has a vaccination centre attached, so surely someone can refer me there to get the right vaccine?

My trust did a Facebook post today saying the procedures have now been updated to ensure all pregnant women are only offered the correct vaccine x