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?

@MissChanandlerBong22 The advice for pregnant women to have the vaccine has been in place since April once we had the research results. The last week you may have seen this advice more due to the study showing the delta variant is particularly deadly in pregnancy but we have been advising it quite a while now. The thing about new viruses is that advice changes as more information is known.

@Madwife123, my midwife also took the ‘no comment’ stance that @MissChanandlerBong22 described. Basically was told to weigh up the pros and cons and make my own decision but there isn’t enough research for them to give a straight yes or no answer regarding safety. Thats why I have been trying to read the research myself. Also interestingly since I asked at my 28 week appointment vaccination has never been mentioned to me again by the midwifery team, and I had an appointment with my named midwife last week for my 38 week appointment and was also sent to the maternity day unit end of last week for tests and nothing mentioned again. So hopefully people can still understand why pregnant women are confused and concerned about vaccinations. As I said though I think time will see more and more pregnant people taking up the vaccine now guidance is starting to be a bit more uniform. Not trying to be argumentative, as I do appreciate you taking the time to give us this information, but just adding my anecdotal experience.

I did, it was fine

I was a bit surprised that when I mentioned it to my health visitor, she said she hadn't known what to advise women but since I'd had it and was fine she was reassured- the RCOG and chief midwife are definitely recommending it!!

It’s interesting to read about the different experiences. In my first 20 weeks of pregnancy, no one mentioned the vaccination at all (Jan-May) and there was no prompt when the advice changed. I was the one who brought it up at my 20 week scan, and the registrar was happy to talk through. I’m not sure I would say that he was as strong as recommending the vaccine but he gave me lots of good reasons to have it and we had a balanced conversation.

Booking it wasn’t straight forward either - due to my age I was routinely offered AZ so had to call GP to sort. It was easier once under 40s were decided to have the Pfizer as it became more available here.

It seems to me that it’s only the last couple of weeks where the recommendations have been really clear - before that I felt like a bit of a maverick having mine. I had a friends who’s GP said don't get it!

@Madwife123

I know the JCVI announced in April that all pregnant women should be offered a vaccine, in line with their age group (they weren’t prioritised though, despite being vulnerable). And for weeks after that, women also really struggled to get the right vaccines for them (ie Pfizer or Moderna not AZ). But saying women ‘should be offered’ one is very different from ‘recommending’ they accept one, and it’s only in the last week that RCOG and RCM have actively recommended it - and to tell their members to recommend it. That change in language really matters to pregnant women.

Thousands of women have reported receiving conflicting or non-committal advice from their midwives or doctors about taking the vaccine in pregnancy. So it winds me up when I see reports saying ‘pregnant women have been clearly advised to get vaccinated since April’ because it just isn’t true. They’ve been able to, which is different. And saying that they’ve been advised to take it all along, and implying they’ve ignored the advice, feeds a narrative that women are to blame if they haven’t been vaccinated.

@MissChanandlerBong22 @ExcitingTimes2021

There has been a lot of misinformation I agree.

Right at the start of the vaccine roll out we were told no evidence on it in pregnancy so advise people it’s a risk benefit choice to make themselves depending on their own risk factors. We were not allowed to advise either way.

In April that changed to vaccine is safe in pregnancy however no evidence of pregnant women being more at risk than the general population so have vaccine when called up in your age group.

The last 2 weeks the delta variant has completely changed that to pregnancy is a huge risk factor and get the vaccine ASAP. Plus the gap between vaccines has been shortened for pregnant women to get them vaccinated as quickly as possible.

Not all midwives are up to date, not all do their own research or follow the research and wait until they are given the info which can be slow to filter down. This is probably why you have had midwives not giving clear advise after the advise was changed. It’s not good enough and hasn’t been handled as well as it could have been, let’s face it not much has been during this pandemic.

@MissChanandlerBong22 I also didn’t say pregnant women have been clearly advised to have the vaccine since April, unless you were quoting someone else. I said the advise has been in place since April. As in the advise given to medical staff. That advise has been slow to filter through unfortunately. Of course no one is to blame for not being vaccinated, that’s each persons decision to make. I have simply pointed out that there is now overwhelming research of the risks of covid in pregnancy and as such the advise from medical staff is to strongly recommend the vaccine in pregnancy.

It's a tough decision. I chose not to get it in pregnancy but it was very early on with research. For the first parts of my pregnancy they recommended not getting the vaccine and then it changed towards the end of pregnancy. I felt unsure due to the lack of research on the vaccine for pregnant women. And never got it.
But now there is more research .I'd have a read and at the end of the day it's your choice. If its going to create anxiety after getting jabbed u need to think what's best for you.

I had my vaccine in March/early April (I can't remember) at 33 weeks pregnant. Only my 1st as this was before it was advised for all pregnant women and I had baby before I was due my 2nd. I had to really fight for it (high bmi). I was never advised against it, just told "couldn't advise either way" but it was so difficult to book as the centres near me weren't licensed for pregnant people. I did alot of reading stuff from the US as they were ahead of us in this and eventually the advice changed to CEV pregnant women should have it. I decided I was more worried about the known risks of covid then the unknown small risk of the vaccine.

Anyway, I had Pfizer as I'm under 30, I had no side effects and baby is here, happy, healthy and perfect.

I had the first dose at 37 weeks, 2nd dose at 3 weeks postpartum. I was really keen to pass to my little one as much immunity as possible.

I'm TTC and haven't yet so I wasn't pregnant, was offered early vaccination due to my job - I decided I'd have both jabs even if I was pregnant or fell pregnant inbetween jobs and I'd make the same decision again.
The dangers of becoming unwell with covid whilst pregnant outweigh the vaccination risks for me.
A very fit and well family member of mine contracted covid when heavily pregnant and it was a horrendous time for her and the baby.

Haven’t they priced the vaccine doesn’t cross the placenta? I’m sure I read that. If so, no harm can come to your baby directly from the jab . I had 1st at 14 weeks and booked for 2nd at 22wks

Yes, I had Pfizer at 20 and 28 weeks - second jab yesterday, actually. I know a woman who was in a high dependency unit with Covid and had difficulties at the end of her pregnancy that are associated with Covid. I work in a school. My class was decimated by Covid this term - I went from 30 to 5, with 10 actual cases in a four week period. I already have HG. I’ve been ill enough. I don’t also need Covid.

I had my first dose at 20 weeks, so I'll be fully vaccinated as I go into the third trimester. I put off having it for ages, after receiving some not-brilliant advice from my usually lovely midwife.

I was absolutely fine afterwards (Pfizer) - slightly sore arm for a few hours. Baby is very active and all is going well, so I'm not worried about him either!

Honestly, I didn't want to get it but on balance, I'd prefer to take my chances with the miniscule and hypothetical risks of a vaccine injury than with the considerable, immediate and well-documented risks of contracting covid in pregnancy. And the prospect of having long covid with a newborn and a toddler was enough to fill me with dread.

I agree with PPs though - the inconsistent and patchy advice coming down through midwives and GPs has been appalling. The victim-blaming tone of a lot of the media coverage in the last couple of days has made me very angry. Only a few months ago, pregnant, breastfeeding and TTC women were told to avoid vaccination. There has been almost no effort to explain or reassure women since that advice changed and we're still being badly advised by many midwives and other HCPs, but it seems to be confounding public health experts that more pregnant woman aren't getting jabbed 🤷‍♀️

I'm 8 weeks pregnant. I had my first Pfizer before conceiving and had the second just over a week ago. My midwife and the nurse doing the jab said they are recommending all pregnant women receive it.

Had no hesitations as there is lots of evidence Pfizer is safe for pregnant women and the risks of getting covid while pregnant are stark and worrying.

I think it's terrible that so many healthcare professionals are giving women terrible advice (I didn't experience this but there appears to be plenty of it from what I've read on here).

Ten minutes of my own research was enough to reassure me so it's unclear why doctors etc can't take the time to inform themselves and their patients.

Oh and just to say I felt rough for a couple of days post jab but have since had an early scan and all is well.

I was having this conversation last week.

The conclusion I came to was that I probably wouldn't have it in early pregnancy, but would have it at at the stage you're at now OP, especially with so many expectant mothers being serious ill with this variant.

It's a tough decision though.

Midwives very non committal but I made the decision based on personal risk - primary teacher working full time in a windowless loft classroom.

The narrative seems to have changed in the last few weeks and midwives now actively checking that I’m vaccinated.

@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 had mine last Wednesday atn9 weeks because I'm a teacher and I wanted to be fully protected before I went back. It was my second Pfizer vaccine. There were too many pupils and staff getting Covid at work that for me it was safer to get it.

There’s hundreds of threads about this already - if you have a search you’ll find loads of people saying they’ve had it and are fine.

I’m 17 weeks and double jabbed, all fine and I believe the scientists who know a damn sight more about it all than me.

@PurpleFlower1983

I had my baby last Sunday and chose to wait, I had my first dose last night. Every health professional I spoke to either discouraged it or would not recommend it so I waited. Others have had different experiences though.

I found it to be the other way around. The EPAC specialist and my midwife specialist told me to get it. It's also been on the news about pregnant women getting it to protect themselves as we are classed as clinically vulnerable.

Double jabbed by 28 weeks.
Weighed up the risks of what we know of these types of vaccines, against the risks of what we know about getting covid in the third trimester and it was a no brainier for me.
Also looked at the American material and stats