COVID Jab

[whitershadeofpale]

I’m sure this is going to be a bit decisive but I’m just really torn. When I first found out I was pregnant (I’m 17+6) it wasn’t even being offered to pregnant women, it then changed to personal choice whilst accepting they’d been no real research and my gut said ‘no’ it wasn’t worth the chance. I have family history of blood clots and previous losses which made me more sure that I was doing the right thing.

No time has gone on and everyone seems to be having it in my groups or desperate to be offered it, lots of talk about how severe it is if you catch it in the third trimester (I have a high bmi too) and they want to pass the antibodies on, and I just feel so conflicted. I’ve been text twice this week to say I’m top of the queue and can book in, but just feel like I’d never forgive myself if something was discovered at a later date which means it wasn’t safe for pregnant women, but I also wouldn’t if I caught it and made the baby ill!

My midwife is no real help and DP feels it’s not worth the risk and I should just shield for the third trimester (I wfh and he’ll be vaccinated by then), but he’d supper whatever decision I make. I just feel so stuck!

Personally, I wouldn't have it. I was pregnant in lockdown 1 before the jab was even available and I didn't shield after 28 weeks either. Plenty of women were pregnant and absolutely fine.

Just look back a page or two and you'll find multiples threads about the same thing, theres literally a few new ones every day. You really just need to make up your own mind.

For what its worth, I had the Pfizer vaccine during pregnancy and I'm glad I did.

Worth bearing in mind that you’re due in autumn/winter when cases may surge again, and there’s no shielding if you’re having a hospital or MLU birth. I took the attitude that there are known and serious risks of Covid to mother and baby especially in 3rd trimester, there are no known risks of having the vaccine. Likewise we may not know for sure that there will be no long term effects of the vaccine but the exact same applies to catching Covid. I like the thought that some protection will be passed to my baby too, will feel more relaxed when it comes to baby meeting family and friends.

@whitershadeofpale I'm the same, I really don't know what to do! I'm due baby in four weeks by c section and I really don't know to book vaccine or not!! I can get the pfizer locally within days now but I'm just so worried about it! X

I think I’m swayed a bit by the fact that I had COVID last March and it was far less severe than even a cold.

@AnxiousAnnie86 I feel for you, it’s so hard and I really feel quite alone in the decision. Normally GPs/ midwives are firmly against Googling and will point you in the safest direction. Now I feel like it just comes down to ‘do your own research’ as we don’t know either!

It's such a difficult decision for pregnant women. I'm 29 weeks and I'm going to wait. I have a friend who is pregnant and had theirs today. It's your choice and there's no right or wrong. I have a gut feeling not too and don't feel my risk of catching covid is high because i wfh and am being cautious. I feel guilt from those who believe people not jumping at chance to have vaccine without question or query or concern are just selfish. But I have to choose not to let that guilt impact. I'll have it after baby arrives.

It's such a hard decision. I'm 24 weeks and am saying between "no way" and "give it to me!"

For me:
Cons - It's so new, how can we know for sure that no harm can come to baby?

• Having an adverse reaction whilst pregnant and only being able to take paracetamol

(Not many cons, but quite major ones!)

Advantages - Chances of maternal death, premature labour and complications are more so if you contract Covid in 3rd trimester

• Being able to socialise a little more freely whilst pregnant, without worrying about having to shield as you're unvaccinated
• Not worrying so much about having to go into hospital to give birth
• Potentially passing antibodies through the placenta to baby and giving them protection when they are born (as per whooping cough etc).

Research that has reassured me:

• It is an MRNA vaccine, which means that you do not have live vaccine injected into you - it simply teaches your body how to make protein to trigger an immune response, so there seems to be little scientific way for it to a. effect or interact with any DNA, thus reducing the chance of it effecting the baby in any way
• Pregnant women have been vaccinated for months in the US and I've seen a lot of anecdotal evidence to show that babies are being born just fine
• Although the Covid vaccine is new - it is a development of well know mRNA vaccines, such as Zika, Rabies etc.

My personal circumstances:

• I am low risk (BMI under 25, age under 35, no underlying health conditions)
• Cases are currently relatively low in our local area - but I will be monitoring this closely
• I am due in September, so I'm conscious that rates are likely to get worse going into winter.
• Husband is working in a secondary school and daughter is in nursery, so although there is plenty of lateral testing going on in our house, I can't limit everyone from mixing/keep everyone at home after 28 weeks!

• However, a pregnant colleague of mine caught Covid despite working from home constantly. Her boyfriend bought it home and although her and baby are just fine, she was 34 weeks and now has to inject blood thinners for 2 weeks to reduce risk. She was visited by a colleague, who then caught it, but didn't realise and was in the office packaging boxes with one other person, who had had her first vaccine. They both then came down with it and have felt totally wiped out for 10 days.

Although very anecdotal, it really hit home to me how easy it was to pass it around and to catch it in pregnancy, despite working from home and limiting contact and makes me think that I am more likely to want to have it.

Hope that makes sense - just a bit of an insight into my thought process!

Hello,

I must say I'm exactly in the same situation, family history of blood clots and two previous miscarriages. I've asked the midwife and her advice was to google it, and told me also "I wouldn't like to be in your position".

I mean, this is so difficult. But what I think is that we don't know the long term effects (if any) of the vaccine, but we neither know for covid.

I've received the message today, and I have already booked the vaccine for Saturday. I think I am going to take the risk, and stop thinking, because there's no enough information for taking the decision based on facts, we can only trust on science and our instinct.