Covid Vaccine at 27 Weeks - what to do?!

[MintGreenLife]

I was called by my GP today to say they have been instructed to offer the jab to all pregnant patients. I'm 27+3 today, so just about to enter the third trimester when it's suggested that you can suffer more serious illness with Covid. I'm due on the 1st of August.

I am completely torn about what to do. On the one hand knowing I have some protection against covid and that maybe the baby would have some protection too would be a real weight off my mind, but at the same time, how on earth can I be sure that having the jab might not have long term implications for baby, surely there is no way of knowing?!

I work from home, get click and collect for food shop, order most things online. Have been meeting up with family outdoors since it's been allowed, in laws are jabbed. Only main concern at the moment is my SIL is expecting and due in 2 weeks, and so main possible risk would be from DH holding his new niece/nephew, who may very well be held by lots of other people! I myself have no underlying health conditions, normal BMI etc. This is my first baby.

Would love to know what everyone else is thinking/will be doing?!

Mine is tomorrow at 11am and I'm feeling really uneasy about it. When I had it booked for last Saturday I felt confident I was doing the right thing, but I think the extra wait has given me time to worry.

I think I'm going to watch the Pregnant and Screwed webinar again later as that really swung me before, just want to go into tomorrow feeling a bit more confident. I did see some data over the weekend that compared a group of women that had the vaccination in pregnancy to a group that didn't, and there were no more adverse outcomes in the group that had the jab compared to the group that didn't, so that's quite helpful to see.

Thanks everyone that have joined in so far, it's really encouraging to see so many people are feeling the same and dealing with this tricky situation! xx

@MintGreenLife good luck with tomorrow! I had mine on Sunday, i was so anxious I cried in the queue but it’s all been fine. Slightly sore arm, no other problems and baby has been merrily kicking away ever since. The nurse who did it was super kind and said I was doing the right thing to protect myself and the baby which helped. I am a little nervous now but have a scan in a few weeks so that should help soothe me and midwife and GP were both very pleased I got it, especially with the new variant doing the rounds. I’m desperate for my partner to get it soon as really worried about him getting it and not being allowed with me in labour xx

@MintGreenLife sending you hugs, it sounds like a really hard time.

Something I found helpful is to realise that while having a jab is something you choose to do, not having a jab (when offered) is also something you choose to do. Our brains are wired to blame ourselves for bad outcomes that resulted from a choice we made (like having a bad reaction to a vaccine). Whereas if there is a bad outcome from something we didn't choose (like catching covid, even if we turned down a vaccine), we are more comfortable with that risk somehow. But that is not logical. Inaction is a choice just as much as action is. I'm not sure if that helps you or just adds more pressure?! But it helped me think about risk on both sides of the equation, not just one.

You are correct about the vaccine not statistically increasing the risk of adverse outcomes in pregnancy. There were something like 90,000 pregnant women in that study, which is a large enough sample size that we can be highly confident in that result.

@Allicit well done for going ahead :) I'm fairly certain I will cry also! That's great everyone has been so positive about it :) i'm the same with my husband. He's not even registered at the GP here (we moved in January) and I keep telling him he won't get called forward for it unless he registers soon. I think for our age group (30 + 32) he should be called within the next month...if he actually registers ha.

@kingfisher657 thank you :) I feel rubbish today as I had nightmares about it last night and every time I woke up I was going round and round in my head about it. That makes sense in a way, but one of the things I worry about is being offered the jab, turning it down, then getting covid and something going wrong, I'd never forgive myself. It's horrible to have to think about all of this when pregnant isn't it, it's far from a normal situation for us all. Thanks for confirming, I've seen a few comments on here about negative things that people have read, and then that sends me into a spiral of worry about whether I'm doing the right thing, but then I have to remind myself of the data so far and that rumours spread so easily online!

I've just had the message saying I can now book in.
Terrified is an understatement as I am still unsure (although in the back of my mind will prob have it due to underlying medical conditions).

Can I just ask, what are peoples feelings about when to get it?
How far along are you?
Has anyone been specifically told to wait until a certain number of weeks?
I've asked my midwife who gave me zero information or support so dont know what to do right now.
I'm currently 11 weeks.

@Flutterby8 me getting my invite basically put me into a spin for around a week :( it's not an easy place to be!

I'm 29 weeks, so maybe not all that helpful to share my experience. My only worry is when I will get my second dose. I've seen you're more likely to have side effects from the second, so if I'm offered it right before my due date, do I really want to risk feeling terrible and potentially going into labour around the same time, or if I'm booked in for a week or two after my due date, am I going to want that interruption with a newborn/to feel ill when nursing a newborn, urgh!

This is a super speedy and helpful little video in case anyone wants some quick info: www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/health-57013743

Its so difficult to know what to do.
I have turned down the flu vaccine for years after having a bad reaction to it some time ago. Its never been questioned by my GP but my midwife seemed more concerned that I said no to having it. Even with my reasoning she was very pushy but I stood my ground and said no. But turn the tables for advice on the Covid vaccine and she shut down immediately.

I think I will have my scan and bloods at 12 weeks first and see what the outcome of that is before I make a decision.
My husband was unwell after his vaccine (AZ) so that on top of the uncertainty and already feeling pretty naff is worrying.

@MintGreenLife I have the same concerns as you about the scone dose being close to due date! 12 weeks from my first dose takes me to a week before due date..! I'm actually not sure on exactly when you should have the second dose but im going to ring up in a few weeks and see if I can have it a bit earlier.

@Flutterby8 I had mine at nearly 27 weeks, so not all that helpful to you either. I don't think I would have taken it in early pregnancy (by early I mean 6/7/8/9 weeks). I think I would feel more comfortable after the dating scan but it's hard to say when not in that position. I actually never even considered taking it while pregnant until I got my letter, but local outbreaks have made me reconsider. I wasn't worried about short term side effects, it's long term I'm concerned about so I guess I'll just have to hope nothing is discovered in the coming years...

@Flutterby8 I think if I were you I'd wait until after my 12 week scan and then would book, to be on the safe side, but that's just me :) I don't know where you are based, but in my local area cases are now at 17 per 100,000, so really really low. I would feel quite safe at the mo and book for in a couple of weeks time x

@Daffodil21 at least we are in the same boat! It's tricky to work out the best timing. I may ask tomorrow what the process is for booking the second dose and whether they advise trying to have it earlier to avoid potentially feeling crap and going into labour! I've reread some of the info/data available this morn and feel a bit better now. Every now and then I read something horrible on a forum etc and have to remind myself not to take that as gospel! x

@MintGreenLife ohh if you do will you let me know what they say?

I personally felt a lot better after having it because it's too late to worry about it if that makes sense 🙈 lots of reassuring posts in that Facebook group about babies testing positive for antibodies, which is a bonus!

@Daffodil21 of course :) I'm glad to hear you felt better after having it, haha yes that does make sense! Feel like I might end up wallowing a bit tomorrow afternoon, but sure once a few days have passed I will feel better about it too :)

Am really glad I found this thread. I’m 26 weeks and 31 years old - haven’t been called for mine yet but my 36 yr old husband has just had his so I don’t think I’ll be long. I was initially really positive about having it but the more imminent it becomes the more doubts I’m having! For me personally though, any potential and so far unknown vaccine risks definitely outweigh the very known risk of catching Covid (and potentially getting long Covid which is what scares me the most!)

On a similar thread, I’m really struggling with how cautious is too cautious at the moment when unvaccinated and pregnant! I know cases are currently low at the moment but everything in the news has rattled me a bit this week. Am supposed to be travelling on public transport to attend an indoor event this weekend with some people I don’t really know at all (friends of a friend) and I’m really not sure it’s the right thing to do at the moment when my vaccine is probably only a few weeks away. Would be terrible to come so far being so careful and get ill now :(

@thelessiknow it's so helpful to have people in a similar situation to talk to about it all, as it's all so new for everyone!

I personally am being very careful, and will continue to do so. Even after I've been vaccinated I won't have people in my house/won't go into other people's houses apart from to use the loo when meeting in their garden. I'm not going to go into any pubs/cafes etc, we do our food shop online, and I won't be going into shops unless absolutely necessary. For me I feel like I've managed pretty much a whole year not doing any of those things, so may as well stay extra safe for the next 10 weeks until my due date. That's just me though - doing the above would cause me more stress and worry than it would be worth!

A quick reminder that it takes a couple of weeks for your body to develop antibodies in response to the jab - while the vaccine works really well, even with just a first dose, it doesn't work immediately. It would therefore make sense to base your decision on where you think the country (or your area) will be in 2-3 weeks, not based on how cases are now.

It also means it's a good idea to continue to be extra careful for the first few weeks after you have the jab. In most cases of vaccinated people getting severely ill, they caught the virus before the vaccine had enough time to take effect.

@thelessiknow I'm exactly the same as @MintGreenLife except I do go along to the weekly shop but I don't touch anything and literally just go along because I'm sad and enjoy it, and we go when it's quiet so I feel like it's a lower risk thing to do out of the house. I shower as soon as I get home without fail though.

Having said that, in the next few weeks my in-laws are coming to stay but they are both fully vaccinated and will be tested beforehand. We did all debate about it but then I just thought what will we do when the baby arrives? I really don't want to not ave anyone meet him until this is over (how long could that be?!). Then I will be travelling back with them to my hometown to stay at my mum's for a couple of weeks. I've been wanting to go back for ages, and haven't been able to since we moved 600 miles away just before the pandemic last year. If I had to get public transport I wouldn't go, but because I get a lift (some lift!) with my in-laws I've decided I'm going to. I won't be going indoors anywhere except my mum's house though. So not totally isolated but hopefully no risky activities...

It's hard to get a balance isn't it

@kingfisher657 yes, they didn't mention this at the vaccination centre either which I thought was odd. I hope people don't think 'oh I got vaccinated 2 days ago let's have a party'...!

My friend had the vaccine and then tested positive the following week. She now has long covid 🙈

@thelessiknow I know how you feel. I’m personally working from home and having very limited contact with people, but OH is due to go on public transport next weekend and stay in a hotel which I’m being worried about incase he bring anything back to the house.

@MintGreenLife good luck for your vaccine tomorrow

It’s so reassuring to know that others are finding this decision difficult as well as family and friends who aren’t pregnant don’t seem to understand the dilemma in deciding.

@MintGreenLife yes definitely! It’s quite interesting how other people’s opinions seem to span from non-pregnant friends who assume you’ll immediately get it to other pregnant people who are firmly in the ‘not until the baby’s born’ camp - haven’t really met others who are in between! The emerging science and data is really useful though, it’s just such a difficult time to have to make such a big decision.

And yeah, it’s not a huge price to pay or long to wait really to be honest! Really glad you hear you feel the same - I’m worried my friends will be dismissive of my concerns as none of them appear to be very worried about the virus at all...!

@kingfisher657 that's a good point :) to be honest I'm just going to carry on as if I wasn't vaccinated anyway until baby is here. Having the vaccination so that I can start socialising again hasn't factored into my decision making at all.

@Barbs19 thank you :) I do think even if you've been pregnant in the past and can think 'what would I done' you still don't have a complete understanding of how this feels, which is why it's so helpful to have each other to talk to!

@thelessiknow it is interesting how differently everyone approaches it all. I'm clearly very risk adverse by nature, ha, and so I'm happy to sit tight at home and sacrifice a few pleasures for the sake of my baby, and my own anxiety! I've had the odd shopping trip since things started opening up again that I did enjoy and felt fine with, but now I'm in my third trimester and everything is opening up again I'm a lot more conscious of the risks and just feel generally calmer with the idea that I'll continue to be super careful until baby is here. Think how you feel plays a massive part - as what would be the point in me pushing myself to go out for dinner etc if I'd then feel anxious about it during and after. I am looking forward to baby being here in the knowledge that I'm well protected and baby will hopefully be too, so we can hopefully have a fairly normal start to life together :)

@Flutterby8 in Ireland the vaccine is recommended from 14-36 weeks. Not sure what U.K. guidelines are.

@Iris2020 so sorry to hear you were having these side effects. I really hope your pregnancy goes well. It must have been very frightening. I would have also reported it, how can they expect to get any real data of sode effects if people don't report them? That seems like really bad advice.

@Sparkl my midwife said UK guidelines are that anytime during pregnancy is fine, as nothing in the American studies suggested that the stage of pregnancy mattered. The Irish guidelines are probably based on theoretical risks (eg fever in the first trimester, as a side effect of the jab - I didn't get this but if it does happen you can just take paracetamol) rather than anything borne out in the data.

[quote Lullabymummy17]@Iris2020 so sorry to hear you were having these side effects. I really hope your pregnancy goes well. It must have been very frightening. I would have also reported it, how can they expect to get any real data of sode effects if people don't report them? That seems like really bad advice.[/quote]
Thank you @Lullabymummy17
I've saw another witness online of someone who experienced exactly the same after the vaccine, at the same week of pregnancy - just this week too. Her spotting has stopped and so far my bleeding has stopped too although I'm petrified of it starting again. I still have cramping and some abdominal pain.

If with only a few minutes of googling, I could find someone going through the same at the exact same time, it does make me wonder how many non-fatal side effects are occurring and just not getting logged at all. The way the NHS is set up, with so many people involved in treating one set of symptoms, nobody is going to notice a pattern or do anything about it.

@Iris2020 this makes me so mad. I'm pro vaccine but I won't be having it whilst I'm pregnant for this reason. I don't think there is enough solid evidence, but I'm 33 weeks with twins and have managed to be careful enough so far not to catch it. I'm not going anywhere or seeing anyone closely so I will wait until after babies are born. I just don't understand how they think its not worth mentioning 😕 fingers crossed your cramping passes soon.