Is anyone else feeling nervous re covid?

[Kittyswhiskers]

I am fully vaccinated (pfizer, but 4 months apart due to a change in the guidelines) and a nurse. I work in what is considered a ‘safe’ area within a hospital.

I hate the masks and the social distancing and everything but I’m feeling really nervous about the complete lifting of restrictions. Nurses are supposed to be working from home from 28 weeks unless guidelines change and I suppose they’ll be scrapping that soon. I am all for getting back to normal but the midwife has told me that even if you do catch covid and have mild symptoms, the risk of blood clots is much higher, and the risk of still births etc is slightly increased. I know my pregnancy is making my anxiety a lot worse (was previously on antidepressants for anxiety/depression before I found out I was pg) I would love for some hand holds and general encouragement from other pregnant ladies.

I’ve got myself all in a tizzy about covid recently. I’m not vaccinated at all and was lucky enough to work from home from 28 weeks. I’m due soon and was meant to be having a small outdoor baby shower but I’ve cancelled it. The cases where I am are rising and everyone else seems to think it’s over but I have zero immunity to it and neither does my baby 😕 There’s the risk of catching it but also the risk of having to isolate and not being able to get the birth I want or have my partner there if he ends up with it. Nothing seems worth that risk just now. Feel like I’ve let people down and I’m really having to justify why I feel the way I do and people are using the ‘but we’re vaccinated’ explanation saying it’s fine, to me it’s the only thing I can do and I’d way rather miss out on that and have my baby be okay. Think it’s been made even harder now by the rules being relaxed. I won’t need to be around people after the rules change but it puts heavily pregnant people in a difficult situation when you’ve to go into a shop and can’t distance and no one has a mask on 😕

If it gives any reassurance I caught covid during my current pregnancy and apart from being pretty ill for a good few weeks all is well with baby

Yeah, "freedom day" is going to mean a loss of freedom for so many of the vulnerable.

I'm so happy to see I'm not the only one worried about this. I feel everyone in my life thinks this is over, while I'm sitting here in my second trimester terrified. I work in schools and it feels like the government have decided that because children don't get COVID badly it will be fine from September to just let them all get some degree of immunity though natural infection. I'll just be starting my third trimester in September and am so worried the wfh guidance will change so I'll spend my last trimester in a poorly ventilated building with hundreds of children whilst it's just left to rip through. 😭

@Kittyswhiskers I don't have personal experience of the perinatal mental health team. But I know of several people who have referred themselves and every single one described them really positively. There was absolutely no judgement or suggestion they wouldn't be a good mother.

I’m so anxious too. Feel totally forgetton about. I’m 28 weeks, due end of September, all 3 will be in school, where there will be high cases and I’m suppose to just pray I don’t get it.
Have had the first vaccine Saturday, which. I was nervous about but felt it wasu
Only
Choice. But I’m not protected until I have me second one.

Currently 32 weeks and not working from home. I'm a primary teacher and still in the classroom despite being in an area where cases are very high. My anxiety with covid is through the roof, I had my second covid jab at the weekend but like OP said, there are still other risks which other people don't seem to acknowledge. I've had so many children and parents off sick with various things in the last few weeks and distancing is minimal. Then outside of work I feel like I'm constantly having to make excuses or justify why I don't want to do things because my family and DHs think that them being fully vaccinated makes it fine for me and baby and they don't understand that just because you are allowed to hug/touch etc doesn't mean everyone else wants to.

I was going to start a similar thread.

I'm 25 weeks, I'm unvaccinated. I've booked and then cancelled my vaccine twice, I'm just so anxious about having it. I can WFH but I have another DC who has to go into childcare for me to work and a DH than uses the tube to get to work.

I get restrictions on social distancing need to end at some point. But the no masks rule is worrying me.

I was kind of hoping that the vaccine would reduce the spread and therefore my risk of catching it would be low anyway. But that clearly isn't going to be the case.

Hopefully, those of you working for the NHS will be able to WFH.

Hopefully the current guidance for employers will remain in place. Although I was just reading it and it says ‘your employer must ensure you can adhere to any national guidance on social distancing’ and I guess if there isn’t any national guidance on SD then there’s nothing to adhere to!

Glad that it isn’t just me feeling anxious about this. Hopefully RCOG won’t have forgotten about us.

It basically feels like pregnant women are going to end up with a choice between accepting the vaccine or just taking their chances with rising cases without any protections or precautions.

I'm so glad you posted this! I'm 29 weeks and terrified now. I have anxiety anyway and under perinatal MH team and thought I was just overly anxious but feel reassured that my worries are rational about this. I'm lucky I can WFH. The rising cases forced my hand about the vaccine - had the first one at 24 weeks, baby is fine! I feel a lot of pressure from people to 'get back to normal' but personally I'm too vulnerable to be doing so. I'm sad social distancing is going because I actually felt safe in a shop/cafe with in in place. Even after my second vaccine next month I feel the need to be careful

Nope

@MissChanandlerBong90 that’s exactly how I feel.
I’m lucky I can wfh and I won’t be forced to get a vaccine that I don’t know enough about but I appreciate I’m lucky and not all of us can wfh, it’s a luxury.

@KHR1 I hear you with family thinking it’s fine to hug touch etc, my in laws openly said the other week that they don’t care about others as they’ve had the vaccine. Promptly I told them that was selfish and I wouldn’t be seeing them over the summer unless their attitude changed…. Now restrictions are eased they’re going to want to see us and I’m going to have to stand my ground

We’re all in this together ladies. Probably all gonna have a crap summer but looking forward to when our little ones arrive.

If anyone has tips to pass the time without being out in crowded places and how to deal with awkward relatives and friends who don’t understand this predicament I’m all ears!!

I’m completely anxious about the situation too. I’ll be having my second vaccination next week yet I’m still extremely anxious about being at work with people no longer social distancing or wearing masks. I work in retail and cannot work from home. The company were making colleagues go off from 28 weeks but now with the restrictions lifted I’m worried that this won’t be the case anymore. Even though I’ll have had both vaccines I don’t know how likely it will be to catch it. I had COVID back in December and defiantly don’t want it again. I think it’s good for people to get lives back to normal but for pregnant woman it’s a big worry that things are going to dramatically change back to ‘normal life’ even though rates are still high

Glad to see others in similar boat.

I have had both my jabs, but I am still very nervous. I work in a busy health centre with public coming in and out all day, taking paperwork from them etc. Really not going to feel comfortable once people aren't wearing masks. I'm 22 weeks atm but feeling apprehensive about my third trimester. Would be great to get some kind of guidance soon.

@KHR1 I’m a primary teacher too but luckily my council allowed us to wfh at 28 weeks. Social distancing in a classroom is completely impossible and the chances of one of them having it is so high 😕 with you on the people coming near you thing too! I have friends who are just interested in going out and are almost covid deniers the way they go on saying everything should be opened back up etc. They don’t check in to places they’re meant to and one of them was in a pub which had a load of cases and they told everyone to get tested and she didn’t bother 🤷🏼‍♀️ I almost feel like I’m safe in my bubble of my house now until baby comes but then I’ll be anxious all over again. Hoping I can just take baby out into the garden for people to see him but really don’t want to let every single person that visits get a hold of him. Almost guaranteed one of them will have it with the cases being so high in my area! I’m hoping to only let close family hold him outside (maybe even with a mask on) then just leave him in the pram when other visitors are there so they don’t hold him 🙈 I went to see my friends new baby and that’s all she did too so it made me feel a bit better about it, although I was respectful and would never have just jumped in and tried to pick her baby up, I don’t know if everyone would be the same 😕

@sarah13xx on another thread posters were discussing keeping their baby in a sling when socialising so others basically can't pick them up. Seemed to work for them.

I had my first vaccine a few weeks ago and have brought my 2nd one forward so I dont have the 12 week gap between them.
To say im worried is an understatement.
I dont have the ability to work from home so have been working throughout the pandemic so far.
Touch wood, Ive been sensible and havent had covid. Ive not been in shops since the start of last year. Ive been shopping online and generally keeping myself to myself.
But now with the likelihood of all restrictions lifting, even removing the social distancing/mask rules, I feel sick.
Yes, it would be amazing to get back to some kind or normality, but with the spike in cases, I dont think now is the right time.
There may not be so many deaths, but there are still alot of hospital admissions. Given the initial start to the pandemic, hospitals are better equipt to deal with covid cases now which will reduce death rates.
Its not all down to the vaccine im sure.
What happens when restrictions go and cases take a sharp rise again, i cant see the UK government saying whoops, too early, back into lockdown guys.
I get we all have to move on at some point but right now seems like the worst possible time.

Sounds like I'm v lucky compared with most of you. I asked my families to read this and they did and got the point. Might help for some of you, depending on what you're families are like?

www.ox.ac.uk/news/2021-04-23-research-uncovers-high-risk-pregnant-women-covid-19

Yes very nervous.

I am choosing to remain un-vaccinated until baby is here. Completely personal choice, but I don't personally feel comfortable with so little data. (Not an anti-vaxxer by any means, will definitely be first in line to get my vaccine the second LO is here).

But, with all restrictions lifting (which I think it utter nonsense given the rise in cases), I am definitely still going to be wearing a mask, keeping my distance etc etc.

I am fortunate enough that both myself and DH work at the same company, and there are only about 15 of us so we are easily able to limit our exposure to a lot of people.

I’m double vaccinated as I have bad asthma and the pregnancy is already affecting my symptoms so I didn’t want to add covid into the mix.

Despite that, I will continue to act the same as I am now, I will social distance from others when out and wear a mask. We have to take responsibility for our health now and if that means setting boundaries with people whose behaviour may put you at risk, then you need to make that clear.

If you’re worried about work then you need to speak to your employer and see if they can put safeguards in place.

These are not easy times to navigate but it’s the situation we are in and we have to deal with it as best we can.

I’m based in Scotland so no news yet on things being lifted completely but I would absolutely be worried if I was in England and pregnant. I know a few double jabbed people who have still contracted and passed on Covid at the current level of opening. I do think that pregnant women have been neglected in the pandemic given the potential risks particularly in the 3rd trimester. My baby is due in a few weeks but I will be very wary about visits etc of full
opening/abandoning of masking happens on 9th August.

It's so hard with family and friends

We have the issue thst my FIL is dead against getting vaccinated.
We've told him he won't be interacting with (hugging etc) with me or dc who's due next week

Mil has reluctantly got vaccine but feels like we forced her into it as she wants to be able to hold grandchild, which we said with enough time for her to get both jabs but she only got her first last week.

What terrifies me is that they will need to rely on public transport for 2h to visit us which puts us all at risk.
Wondering about asking for lft tests and masks when inside, but equally don't want to impose too many restrictions as we want them to get to know their grandchild.

Also makes me nervous for going out for coffee or meeting friends with baby if no masks etc outside.

But I don't want to be a recluse.(am a huge extrovert)

So hard to know what to do

I’m also very nervous 21 weeks. Work in a public facing role. Currently I am able to socially distance from the public. Can’t socially distance from colleagues. Worried with lifting of restrictions I’ll be in a situation where I can’t socially distance from public in last trimester. I’ve had my first vaccine. We have staff off currently with covid and others self isolating so feeling very stressed about it all. I think work are going to be funny about it as we are wearing PPE so they are reducing our risk. Im very stressed though.

@Soverymuchfruit yeah that might be a good idea.. probably quite obvious but people should have enough common sense to know why anyway 🙈