Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

Original poster

Covid jab - to have or not to have?!

80 replies

K821 · 08/09/2021 18:48

I'm 27 weeks and so far have held off getting the covid jab purely out of worry for the baby. I fully intend to get it after baby is here, I'm no conspiracy theorist or "non believer" so don't need lectures as to why it's needed etc.
In my mind I don't want to do anything that's not 100000% necessary whilst pregnant, whether it's believed there is a risk or not (I just wonder how we be entirely sure of long term effects yet)

Just looking of opinions of those who have had it while pregnant, the affects etc, and those who haven't and have been unwell (please no horror stories!)
Still trying to weigh up my options as to which route poses less risk.

TIA! 😘 x

OP posts:
Stopcallingmemum · 08/09/2021 19:07

Hi I'm 17 weeks pregnant, I've had mine, first jab was either when I was just pregnant/just before and last one was just after 12 weeks. I had horrible side effects for one day both times... Shivers, headache, sore arm.. but fine the next day.. I've had a scan since and baby is absolutely fine. I think it's a personal choice.. but for me it came down to I have 3 other children who NEED me to survive if I get covid.. a lot of women get very poorly if they catch it at the end of pregnancy... X

Hunkydory99 · 08/09/2021 19:09

I had my first jab at 20 weeks and second at 28 weeks. I’m a high risk pregnancy so wanted to protect me and the baby especially as my older DC starts school in September so I have even less control of what germs come into our house! I had some of the typical documented side affects, bit of a temperature and a sore arm. I actually felt worse after my whooping cough vaccine!
I’ve seen online that the RCOG and others are recommending the vaccine in pregnancy. I think much of the evidence comes from America who were vaccinating their pregnant women (often worn AZ) long before the UK was - but I’ve only heard this not read it.
Good luck with your decision x

welshweasel · 08/09/2021 19:14

Please get the vaccine. We’ve started seeing more and more unvaccinated pregnant women with covid where I work. One of the main treatments is to nurse prone, which can’t happen if you’re present, so the baby has to be delivered by c section, irrespective of gestation, which may lead to baby being too prem to survive or spending a long time on NICU. The risk of having covid (to both you and baby) is far worse than the risk of the vaccine itself.

Aquamarine1029 · 08/09/2021 19:17

Heavily pregnant women are at very high risk of serious effects from covid. My SIL got covid at 34 weeks and nearly died from it. The vaccine is safe for pregnant women, get it.

mooloop · 08/09/2021 21:16

I had mine at 24w and 32w and have no regrets. There's a known serious risk of covid for pregnant women.

RavenclawsRoar · 08/09/2021 21:20

I'm in my third trimester and am double jabbed. It was an easy decision for me - there are clear risks to catching covid while pregnant and I am definitely at risk of catching it (work in a school; dc at nursery and school). I had no side effects at all and everything is fine with the pregnancy.

underneaththeash · 08/09/2021 21:22

No, I definitely wouldn't have it - it not likely that you'll be exposed to loads to people in the hospital when you give birth, or maybe before hand if you have any complications.

Hoplop · 08/09/2021 21:25

I had mine at 25 and 33 weeks. Easy decision for me to make while working in a busy secondary school. No side effects minus a slight sore arm with the first and all is well with the pregnancy a few weeks on.

INeedNewShoes · 08/09/2021 21:30

Reading the information coming through about how Covid affects both the mother and baby, especially later in pregnancy, it feels as though it would be much more of a risk to leave yourself vulnerable to Covid than it is to get vaccinated.

Last article I read on this subject, there was no evidence of the vaccines adversely affecting pregnant women. There are compelling stats on how pregnant women are statistically more at risk of serious complication from Covid than other adults of a similar age. The risk is to the baby as well as to you.

SweetBabyCheeses99 · 08/09/2021 22:10

You’ll only really get the vast majority of people on here saying you should get it. The reality is that according to PHE, of the 606,500 women currently pregnant in the UK, just 51,724 have had one jab and only 20,648 have gone on to have both.

Do you think that over 90% of expectant mothers are anti-vaxxers? That they don’t somehow don’t care about theirs and their babies health? They’ve looked at the risks and benefits and made the right decision for them rather than giving in to peer pressure and hysteria.

countbackfromten · 08/09/2021 22:20

@SweetBabyCheeses99 have you cared for a pregnant woman with covid? Had to be part of the team delivering her baby early because she is so sick? Intubated her, breathed for her, turned her carefully onto her front for hours to try and desperately get her oxygen levels up? Had to call the local ECMO service because ventilation just isn’t enough and we need to give her the highest level of support? Taken her for a scan when she had a stroke as a side effect of the treatment that was the only thing to save her life? Had to call her husband and tell him she wasn’t going to survive?

I would bet no. I have done all of those things, some of them more than once.

The vaccine has been shown to be safe and effective for pregnant women.

Covid has been shown to be potentially life threatening for pregnant women. And sadly we have lost far too many babies and far too many mums because of this disease.

I would urge every single pregnant woman from the bottom of my heart to get vaccinated.

mooloop · 08/09/2021 22:24

Wow @countbackfromten that's truly awful SadThanks

WheelieBinPrincess · 08/09/2021 22:27

It is positively idiotic not to get it.

Aside from the potential serious consequences of not, I’ve been really grateful that at 38 weeks pregnant I’ve not had to shut myself away being cautious because I feel as if I’ve done what I can to protect myself and my baby, and have been able to enjoy these weeks of maternity leave before the baby comes. I wouldn’t have felt safe seeing friends/family, having my hair done etc, shopping, cinema…how boring it would have been to hide away because I was scared of getting a vaccine.

Tina8800 · 08/09/2021 22:30

I got my first after 12 weeks and the second after 21 weeks. Had sore arm only a day with both, no other side effects.

Confused521 · 08/09/2021 22:31

I will not be getting it either. I wasn't before I was pregnant. I respect others' decisions to have the vaccinations, as with any others but for me, the risks outweigh any benefit. I have antibodies and no-comorbidities. Good luck with your decision and trust that, whatever it is, it will be the right one for you x

JasonMomoasgirlfriend · 08/09/2021 22:33

I've had my first and will be having my second very soon. It's a no brainer.

catinthehat12 · 08/09/2021 22:33

Also @SweetBabyCheeses99 your stats are quite outdated now and the number of pregnant women having had two jabs has over doubled since, which given the amount of time that there has been confident evidence that the vaccine is safe for women, that’s quite impressive.

I would say a lot of people who still haven’t been vaccinated are scared of possible long term effects, but a basic understanding of how these vaccines work show that this is nothing to be worried about. There is no peer pressure or hysteria playing a role in my choice to get a vaccine, I have just made the decision that if I am able to minimise my risk of complications in the future at all, then I may as well do it. The evidence that the vaccine is safe for pregnant women is overwhelming.

Northernsoullover · 08/09/2021 22:38

@Confused521

I will not be getting it either. I wasn't before I was pregnant. I respect others' decisions to have the vaccinations, as with any others but for me, the risks outweigh any benefit. I have antibodies and no-comorbidities. Good luck with your decision and trust that, whatever it is, it will be the right one for you x
Your comorbidity is pregnancy.
JasonMomoasgirlfriend · 08/09/2021 22:39

Your comorbidity is pregnancy

I was about to say the same.

Katiekattty · 08/09/2021 22:40

Having had covid at 14wks and now 23wks get the jab. I’m still not 100%, I’m still struggling to get up the stairs in my house. I’m struggling to wear a mask now and my sense of smell is really off. I don’t think I would have coped later in pregnancy.

ChewChewPanda · 08/09/2021 22:44

@countbackfromten your post is so sad and horrifying. Thank you for all you have done to try to help those patients (and others).

OP I am pregnant and double jabbed. First one before I got pregnant, second a few weeks in. I will be honest and say I did pause over the second one (and I have always been very pro vaccines so that is not typical for me). But I read the advice to pregnant women by RCOG etc which is better evidenced than anything I could produce myself and I accepted those recommendations. I think the risks of covid - especially in the third trimester - are increasingly understood and serious. And the Pfizer vaccine (which I had) has been tested on pregnant women and found to be safe. Obviously nothing is 100% but the risks of covid in pregnancy are clear and so for me, a vaccine is a much safer bet.

Confused521 · 08/09/2021 22:46

The case to be vaccinated is still, nonetheless, not strong enough for me which is still fine as it's only a recommendation and my choice. When I worked in Africa, a number of vaccinations were recommended but I didn't have them all. I weighed up getting them, based on personal risk of exposure and likelihood of needing a decent hospital in close proximity. As I said, the risks in this case, outweigh the benefits.

ContadoraExplorer · 08/09/2021 22:47

I had first during my fertile week and second at about 10 weeks pregnant. Other than feeling a bit shitty the day after the second one, I've had no issues and baby is growing fine, bang on with the scan measurements vs original EDD from my last period.

My main concern was about the risk in later pregnancy and everything I read made me feel it was the best decision for me and my baby to be double jabbed.

JimmyLennon · 08/09/2021 22:47

I had the pfizer vaccine while pregnant, just the 1st as I had to really push my GP to let me have it as it was around the time where the rcog were just beginning to recommend it for high risk pregnant women. Baby is now 4 months old, happy and healthy.

Swipe left for the next trending thread