Anyone NOT having the vaccine

[lolateddy]

While pregnant?
I'm so unsure. Would like to know if anyone else has chosen not to go ahead?

I am not purely because there is no evidence on long term affects to baby.

I’ve already declined mine 3 times so far, I’m 17 weeks. I also don’t feel there is enough known about the effects, short or long term, on babies in the womb. And I think it’s highly irresponsible of midwives and doctors trying to push it on expectant mothers when they themselves cannot tell you categorically whether it’s safe or not. You just have to look at some of the threads on here of women being told all different answers to the question. And for that, I am erring on the side of caution for the foreseeable.

I had my first dose at the start of the year (AZ) and decided against having my 2nd as we were starting TTC (I’m now 7wks). I was told different things by 3 doctors and my gut said not to have it. Since I declined my 2nd, 2 doctors have said that I did the right thing and I know of 3 people in their 1st trimester who have been advised against having their vaccinations (Pfizer & Moderna) by midwives/GPs. IMO there’s just no guaranteed evidence to say that it’s safe, especially in the early stages of pregnancy when everything is developing & vulnerable. It’s definitely personal choice but for me it was a no brainer

Just want to say the news coming from Brazil and pregnant women is not good . Get the Vaccine .

I’m not having the vaccine. I have drug reactions and they refused to give me the flu jab when I was pregnant last time.
I too think there isn’t enough information about pregnant women having it in early pregnancy to know if it causes side effects.
Have said I’m happy to isolate if I have too until this one is out in December.

No I’m not having it and my midwife told me she wouldn’t have it and there’s no harm in waiting until the baby is born.
Luckily I’m working from home and shielding myself as much as possible.
I will 100% be taking it afterwards though and wholeheartedly believe in it however I just feel the little research into unborn babies is enough for me to decline at this point.

Many drugs/vaccines that people take are not tested on pregnant women. This is no different or more dangerous than those

@AmyVindaloo

How can they possibly say it's safe for pregnant women when it hasn't been trialled on a single pregnant woman for 9 months?

It makes no sense.

Actually they’ve been giving Pfizer to pregnant women for months in the US.. my friend was vaccinated in March ( they are on the priority risk there) at 4 months pregnant.

The CDC has published a lot of stats on effects of covid in pregnant women , the risk to women in their third trimester of having serious complications from covid us equivalent to the risk of a 60 year old..

worth having a read before you decide, or at least be super careful mixing with others if you don’t get vaccinated !

I had it. 90000 pregnant women in USA had it and they decided it's safe

The other thing is that we do know for sure that getting covid when pregnant can be dangerous for mother and baby

Me possibly.

I wasn't going to, then I read up a bit about it and booked it. Then I cancelled it, now I've rebooked it for in a couple of weeks time. But I might cancel again.

I'm 21 weeks, and a healthy 30year old who works from home.

I'm not sure on my actual risk from Covid cos all data groups pregnant women as one (rather than split by age, weight, health). If the data on mine and babies risk was more granular then it'd be much easier to make a decision.

I won’t be having it whilst pregnant. My midwife and GP advised me not to too. I’m 34 low risk for Covid and worked everyday as a key worker during all lockdowns. I would want at least a 5 year study on children who had the vaccine as babies in the womb before I risked it - my personal choice. I had a mc last year and don’t want to risk anything during this pregnancy, currently 18 weeks. I will wfh for the third trimester and consider the jab once I have stopped breast feeding.
Just to add, I am NOT an anti vaccine person, myself and my DD have had all jabs, I just have concerns about this one as it is under a year old.

I'm 30 weeks snd will decline until baby is here. I WFH and numbers are 12/100,000 in my area so very low risk. Very personal decision - you should do what you feel comfortable with

I’m not having it until after I’ve given birth or maybe even longer, I had covid in January so should have some natural immunity. And the long term risks to the baby haven’t been studied, as many of the baby’s who have had it are just newborns, we have no idea how it’s going to affect any part of the development. So not worth the risk in my opinion.

I've cancelled mine.
I worked in health care and have had every vaccine out there. We don't yet know the risks it poses to the baby and we won't know for a long time. I can wait another few months just like I can wait another few months to have alcohol, eat certain cheeses.
Thousands of women managed to stay safe/covid free during the pandemic and have their babies without the vaccine.

It’s about weighing up risk bs benefit. No one can tell you categorically that it is 100% safe to have the vaccination. But what they can tell you is that it’s definitely really bad for many pregnant women to catch covid and that the vaccination has shown no undesirable effects in the 90,000 US women to whom it has been given, or any of the U.K. women who have chosen to have it so far.

Weighing up these risks and benefits is how the doctors and midwives can justify recommending it.

I had my first dose before falling pregnant and won’t be having my second. I feel the protection from one and being sensible and aware of risks in my day to day life is enough for myself.

Hi @lolateddy and all. Right now, I'm not having the vaccine. I'm 28 weeks so will try to shield as much as possible for my final trimester. Keep going back and forwards in my mind but just not comfortable to have it without more research into long term effects on baby. My husband and family feel the same & a nurse friend said she wouldn't if she was in my position. I want to make the right choice and it is hard, as I'm also concerned about the chance of getting it and being unwell as I keep reading. But have made my decision currently. We keep talking about it and will keep an eye on the number of cases in our county but it would need to change for me to consider having it as it is currently low here.
I understand babies have been born since pregnant women were vaccinated however I agree with others that I would want a study on effects on development for a few years after birth. Also not against vaccines and will have it once baby is here. I know I will need to be more cautious in my final few weeks.
Totally understand it is a personal decision and we all have to go what we feel is right. I'm glad we have this thread to talk as I was starting to feel like I was the only one not having it. Those are my thoughts at the moment. Not an easy decision at all...

Gosh, I think you are all crazy not to have it. There have been trials with pregnant women, and the original trials also included people who got pregnant by accident - no effects have been found on the baby. BUT the virus DOES definitely put both the mother and the baby at risk. With the normal strains, the baby is more likely to be born preterm, but with the Delta and Brazilian strains, both the mother and baby is more likely to die. Pregnant women are 70% more likely to die than women of the same age who aren't pregnant. You could end up delivering a child who won't have a mother. That's why I think you are all nuts. There are known, serious effects of Covid on both the mother and the baby. There are no known effects of the vaccine on the mother and the baby, so it makes sense to go with the vaccine.

www.wsj.com/articles/covid-19-is-killing-hundreds-of-pregnant-women-and-babies-in-brazil-11622113201

These answers really surprise me. I was pregnant through the first lockdown and would have jumped at the chance of the vaccine. No one knows anything for sure but all the data suggests that the vaccine is safe in pregnant women but covid is very risky in pregnancy to both mother and child. Its definitely an easier decision to not get it and hope for the best rather than making an active decision to get it, that doesn't necessarily mean that's the best decision though. I would advise having a really good look at the science behind the vaccine and the data to make a good informed decision.

I was so unsure and for a while adamant I wasn't going to have it but...

The research from America shows they have now given it to 120,000 pregnant women and shown no safety concerns. There is no real way that one the effects of the vaccine can be transmitted to baby via the placenta due to the types of vaccines they are. So in theory baby won't be vaccinated or affected by the vaccine themselves prior to being born although if your immune system builds some immunity you may pass that to baby although this is yet to be confirmed scientifically (that's how the Whooping Cough vaccine works).

But... The evidence of non-vaccinated women shows that should they catch covid and (my understanding is asymptomatic or symptomatic - would need to clarify this point) is that the risk of preterm or still born increases.

This information is from Tommy's and therefore scientifically accurate rather than media speculation:

8.5 per 1,000 women who had a positive test went on to experience a stillbirth, compared to 3.4 per 1,000 women who had a negative test.

12% of women who had a positive coronavirus test gave birth prematurely, compared to 5.8% of women who had negative tests.

Those statistics alongside the new Delta variant being 60% more infectious than the Kent variant (which was 60% more infectious than the original variant) means I think being vaccinated is a lower risk than not being vaccinated. Nothing here is without risk.

For context, I WFH and currently live in an area of low transmission but personally feel the fact my immune system is about to drop going into the third trimester puts me at higher risk even though I'm not out widely in the community, does that mean for example I'm 80% more likely to catch it from someone?! I will continue to be as safe as possible until she arrives even with the vaccine.

It's purely your decision and you can change it like I have if you think differently later on. My first jab is on Wednesday.

It’s a really personal decision and there are different strategies that are reasonable to take:
1reduce exposure, wear masks, isolate as much as you can
2Vaccinate now
3Wait until x number of weeks (until more baby development has occurred) then consider vaccination.

You may also want to consider - your personal health risks if you did get covid (do you have any co-existing medical problems), the corona- rate in your area, whether you can practically wfh. Talk to your midwife about it. There is some info on the royal college of O&G website: www.rcog.org.uk/en/guidelines-research-services/coronavirus-covid-19-pregnancy-and-womens-health/covid-19-vaccines-and-pregnancy/covid-19-vaccines-pregnancy-and-breastfeeding/

I hope you can come to a decision you are comfortable with.

@Dalgleish

Gosh, I think you are all crazy not to have it. There have been trials with pregnant women, and the original trials also included people who got pregnant by accident - no effects have been found on the baby. BUT the virus DOES definitely put both the mother and the baby at risk. With the normal strains, the baby is more likely to be born preterm, but with the Delta and Brazilian strains, both the mother and baby is more likely to die. Pregnant women are 70% more likely to die than women of the same age who aren't pregnant. You could end up delivering a child who won't have a mother. That's why I think you are all nuts. There are known, serious effects of Covid on both the mother and the baby. There are no known effects of the vaccine on the mother and the baby, so it makes sense to go with the vaccine.

I’ve also had the vaccine (work in a secondary school in the north west and we’ve had in school transmission) but I don’t think there’s any need to call people who aren’t going to take it crazy or nuts. Some people might be living in situations where they’re relatively safe, able to work from home or able to shield or whatever. There are many ways to look at the situation other than yours.

Calling people names doesn’t exactly help positive debate.

I won't be having it during or after pregnancy - have done plenty of research into it however don't feel it's for me and no I am not an anti-vaxxer.