Covid vaccination during pregnancy. Have you/would you?

[NoMoreBloodySweets]

I'm 27 weeks and have been offered the vaccine but I'm unsure whether to have it now or wait until after I have the baby.

I'm reasonably healthy and have no other risk factors. I had an older variant of covid last year and was fine, just a runny nose and a bit tired.

I'm not anti vax, both of my children have had all of their immunizations and I've had whooping cough and flu jabs.

Just looking for others opinions really. Have you/would you?

I am really struggling with this decision right now. I haven't had a single jab, at the beginning of my pregnancy I was advised not to, then in the last couple of weeks the advice is have it. When I spoke to my consultant she said they couldn't guarantee it wouldn't harm the baby and they didn't really fill me with confidence to have it. I was desperately looking for some reassurance and they made me feel even worse about it.

I have tried doing some research but found it quite difficult to find actual statistics and my worry is more about the long term effects on the baby- like yes babies being born now are fine but will any of them develop problems further down the line linked to the vaccine?
I am very pro vaccination so the decision to wait has not been a decision I have taken lightly. I feel very conflicted and I am quite scared of getting covid. It also doesn't help that I am petrified of needles, having bloods is bad enough, god knows I've had enough during this pregnancy but my anxiety is especially bad with having things put into my body and I can't take any of my usual anxiety medication to get me through it.

I still have 9 weeks to go and I am barely leaving the house which is miserable. My family all keep poo pooing the severity of covid in pregnant women and have told me not to have the vaccine......they're all double jabbed. I just don't know what to do.

Can you ask to speak to your midwife about it @SpottyZebra492 and tell them ahead you're keen to know some stats and data?
9 weeks is a long time to wait and even then, catching covid with a newborn could be horrendous!
I had my first jab in 1st trimester and 2nd jab in 2nd. No regrets and glad I have given myself and baby as much protection as possible

@SpottyZebra492

I am really struggling with this decision right now. I haven't had a single jab, at the beginning of my pregnancy I was advised not to, then in the last couple of weeks the advice is have it. When I spoke to my consultant she said they couldn't guarantee it wouldn't harm the baby and they didn't really fill me with confidence to have it. I was desperately looking for some reassurance and they made me feel even worse about it. I have tried doing some research but found it quite difficult to find actual statistics and my worry is more about the long term effects on the baby- like yes babies being born now are fine but will any of them develop problems further down the line linked to the vaccine? I am very pro vaccination so the decision to wait has not been a decision I have taken lightly. I feel very conflicted and I am quite scared of getting covid. It also doesn't help that I am petrified of needles, having bloods is bad enough, god knows I've had enough during this pregnancy but my anxiety is especially bad with having things put into my body and I can't take any of my usual anxiety medication to get me through it.

I still have 9 weeks to go and I am barely leaving the house which is miserable. My family all keep poo pooing the severity of covid in pregnant women and have told me not to have the vaccine......they're all double jabbed. I just don't know what to do.

I found this article from the US that has just been published. Check it out, do your own research, but I highly recommend you get vaccinated.

@SpottyZebra492 Look at the RCOG advice for pregnant women. That’s what your consultant should be advising based on. Covid in pregnancy is linked to maternal death and stillbirth. A small risk of unknown side effects is not as dangerous as that.

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 chose not to have it whilst pregnant (had the flu and whooping jabs) despite being eligible from the beginning as I’m frontline healthcare.

I would have it.

My obstetric, adult ICU & neonatal ICU colleagues are very concerned about Covid in pregnant women.

I cared for several pregnant women who died during the swine flu outbreak.

Pregnancy is a risk factor.

I was very much wanting to wait to have the vaccine but as the cases sky rocketted, I felt the ability to isolate became impossible as COVID is everywhere. I work in a secondary school so I know first hand how many of the students and staff were getting and spreading it which made me feel that even with minimal outside time, i would live in constant fear which I wasn't willing to do. The anxiety itself of knowing someone near you had it was enough to think that is a worry in itself.

When I decided to I spoke to doctors etc. who said although they cannot predict longterm impacts. The vaccine is based off of older and frequrntly used vaccines which have little to no side effects. That Pfizer and Moderna are not even corona virus themselves, they are simply a set of instructions for our bodies to make an anitbody so he could no see what harm it would pose. And finally, as many have said about the known risks of COVID are very real and very much a possibility as it stands with everything lifting.

That being said, It is important to remember that you aren't immune if vaccinated, just stand a better chance so I will still be cautious as I am too going into the third trimester.

Not sure if this helps but I was very on the fence etc. but decided the stress and risk was not worth it! Good Luck :)

I’m a doctor and TTC, I’ll absolutely have a booster if offered while pregnant / TTC (already breastfeeding). There’s so much more evidence now about the safety of the vaccine and the increased risk of delta variant to pregnant women especially third trimester.

I'm 29 weeks and just had my second Pfizer jab. No problems with either, no side effects. I trust the overwhelming medical opinion on this. There's a lot of data on the safety now and having spoken to a friend who's a paediatrician focussing on premature babies, they do see a lot more early babies due to mothers contracting COVID in the last year. Same risk factors though as in the general population: usually very high BMI and / or pre-existing medical conditions in combination with COVID that result in serious conditions in pregnant women in the second half of the pregnancy. All the best with your pregnancy.

@Nat4392 can I ask what your reason for declining was?

Had my Pfizer doses at 14 & 22 weeks which was as soon as I could get them. Too many pregnant women have been seriously ill or died from covid so it was a no brainer for me.

The following Twitter accounts have some great well-researched evidence for getting vaccinated:

twitter.com/vikilovesfacs?s=21

twitter.com/pregnantscrewed?s=21

Absolutely have it.
You’re over the 24 weeks, which is what I’d want to wait until.

I’m double jabbed, had Pfizer at 20 and 28 weeks with whooping cough jab in between. No side effects except sore arm, for all 3! Currently 31 weeks.

I was front of the queue when they updated the guidance to include pregnant women and my age group was called. I had covid last year, not severe enough to be hospitalised but bed ridden for several weeks and took months before I could walk more than a couple of hundred metres. Still get breathless now nearly 18 months on. Can’t even imagine what that would be like while pregnant. Also sought advice from my midwife (who’d had long covid too) and she strongly recommended getting the vaccine, in line with RCOG guidelines.

Sorry to hijack the thread but just wanted to ask as quick question if that’s alright? @Madwife123 and @PinkDaffodil2 as a midwife and doctor, I was wondering if you had a link/links to the primary research your professional bodies are using to inform us pregnant ladies that the vaccine is definitely safe for during pregnancy? I’m sorry to ask but I have been searching for the published studies and so far have only found two, both of which where in the primary stages of data collection and analysis, concluded that they couldn’t not confirm safety of vaccine in pregnancy without further research and follow up.

I’m now just over 38 weeks, and was unsure about the vaccine due to the guidance changing in the later stages of my pregnancy. I’m at the point now where baby could arrive any day so I’m going wait now until after babies arrival x

I had it when TTC, second jab a week before I got my BFP. I’d have 100% got it if I’d have known I was pregnant. Getting Covid when pregnant, especially third trimester is much more of a risk to you and your baby.

For context I was heavily pregnant with my second baby when coronavirus broke out and I was petrified of catching it. If there had of been a vaccine then I’d have snapped it up.

@ExcitingTimes2021

This document talks about vaccines in pregnancy. The primary studies have been published but long term studies have not yet been finished. They can’t be as its not been around long enough. If you read the document I’ve linked to, scroll down to Covid19 it explains how the primary studies have shown no adverse effects in pregnancy at all and explains how the covid vaccine is based on vaccines already proven safe in pregnancy, contains ingredients already proven safe in pregnancy and works in a method already proven safe in pregnancy so long term effects have not yet been fully established it would be very very unlikely for anything to be found based on this. Compared to the very real and proven risk of maternal death, stillbirth, premature birth etc. particularly with the delta variant, this has resulted in the strong recommendation to get the vaccine ASAP if pregnant.

www.medicinesinpregnancy.org/bumps/monographs/USE-OF-NON-LIVE-VACCINES-IN-PREGNANCY/

This is a shocking study to read if anyone is interested.

Pregnant women are 22 times more likely to die from covid than a non pregnant woman.
Pregnant women who catch covid are twice as likely to have a stillborn baby then those who don’t catch covid.

This is why healthcare staff are really encouraging the vaccine. A minuscule risk of an unknown long term side effect vs the real and proven risk of a much higher chance of you or your baby dying. It’s just not comparable!

Forgot to post the study.

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33885740/

I think the data on this speaks for itself. Personally, I think it would be crazy for a pregnant woman to refuse the jab, and I can't understand why anyone would take that gamble.

@Madwife123 thanks for posting these! I will have a read of them later when I get a moment. Just had a quick browse and its quite a lengthy document. Nice to see it actually cite their primary sources aswell so I can have a read of those studies (I can be such a nerd at times). Government documents urging pregnant people to be vaccinated have not been citing any sources which has made me very wary of it all. Like I said, maybe if I wasn’t so late in my pregnancy I would consider the vaccine, but for now I’m happy with my informed decision to wait until after birth, which hopefully won’t be much longer.

I just wish that people would respect the decision of each individual. Please Stop calling people crazy, on unhinged, or selfish, or a sheep for their decision regarding vaccination (for or against) especially during pregnancy or if the person is worried about their health. It’s a very personal decision which I’m sure each person has thought about and considered carefully and it just hits a nerve for me that some people just seam to have no respect for the autonomy of others. I’m sure as more data is collected there will be a shift of those on the fence towards vaccination, but unfortunately some of us just aren’t ready yet.

I think one of the things making it a difficult decision for pregnant women because the advice on it has changed so fast.

7 months ago we were told we shouldn’t have it during pregnancy and that non-pregnant women should delay conception for 3 months after receiving their second dose. In other words, delay conception for at least 6 months. Many women - understandably - interpreted that to mean that there were concerns about possible impacts on the baby.

Last week, and for three months before that, midwives and obstetricians were taking a firm ‘no comment’ line on it - ‘it’s your choice’, etc.

This week it’s recommended and women are being urged to get it, but with facts and figures that emphasise how dangerous Covid is for pregnant women rather than clear explanations for the rapidly changing advice, and facts and figures that demonstrate the vaccine is safe for them.

I hate the tone of some of the recent reporting on this topic. Some of it has a tone of blame for pregnant women for not accepting the vaccine when really they’ve been the victims of terrible messaging. Pregnant Then Screwed did a really good Instagram post about this yesterday.

@WhiskyIrnBru

I'm 36 weeks. Just had my second jab last week.

I felt the potential risks in late pregnancy and the delta variant was enough of a sway for me. I had Pfizer altho it was a bit of a nightmare trying to source it as initially invited for AZ.

I'm reassured I took it and had very mild side effects with the first dose and none with the second.

How did you manage to do this? I had AZ when I was very early in my pregnancy back in Jan. I'm CEV and we weighed up the risks and decided I needed it, that was a fight in itself but I finally got it.

Roll on the time to have my 2nd and I asked if I could have P vacc as more research had been announced by that stage. Was told no. Then my GP referred me to a hosp to get P and explained to them why. Got my appointments and got there and was turned away. I left in tears as everything was kicking back up and I was commuting in London. I decided to just get the AZ one and booked it for the next day. Turned up and was refused it due to my pregnancy being high risk.

It's been absolutely exhausting and worrying, especially with the latest news coming out.

So yeah, sorry went on a bit of a tangent there but how were you allowed a mix of vaccines?

I’d get the vaccine. Covid-19 isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
The risks of long covid and baby getting covid are real risks.
Medical bodies are saying get the jab. Why would people like Professor Whitty , Patrick Valance and even Dr Hilary say on national tv to get the jab, why would they risk their professional reputation and legacies if they had any doubts??

I am 28 weeks and after speaking to several Health professionals who strongly recommended it, as Covid can be serious if caught in the 3rd trimester. I received my fist jab this morning.

I’m 34 weeks and have just had my second dose. No side effects - job done.
I was very concerned about having it, but the Stella creasy webinar and various articles from the US reassured me about the safety of it.

Just yesterday there was an article on bbc news saying that pregnant women are at much greater risk of being admitted into intensive care. Especially as so few are vaccinated. Out of 740 pregnant women admitted since February, only 4 were vaccinated and 2 out of 20 births at Kings College are currently COVID positive.

Two of my friends caught COVID in their last trimester. Thankfully all fine and healthy. But one had to inject blood thinners until birth. The second was on oxygen and given a section. Dad didn’t meet his daughter for 8 days as they were both hospitalised on the COVID ward.

I also didn’t want to have baby in September and then have a 12 week wait to be fully vaccinated and have it kick in during the middle of winter when cases are likely to be worse.