Third trimester - how careful are you?

[housewifeathome]

Those of you in your third trimester: how careful are you and what precautions are you taking? I keep reading that over 28 weeks we are classified as "vulnerable" to Covid regardless of vaccination status.

I'm not vaccinated, however I have been exposed to Covid via DC2 in second trimester and didn't test positive or have any symptoms.

We have a number of school events coming up. I have always gone to every single event in the past. Would you attend school events / kids' parties?

@shivawn

I wouldn't consider myself overly careful to be honest.

I'm fully vaccinated, as is everyone I know. I'm living in Ireland so everyone still wears masks indoors in public. I've finished up at work and started maternity leave early.

Still going out for dinner with my husband a couple nights a week and meeting friends for lunches during the day. Nothing reckless but just doing what I fancy to be honest, making the most of my current level of freedom before the baby comes. If I didn't have the vaccine then I'd be far more worried and acting accordingly.

I think we have ruled out restaurants for the next few months as a precaution now. We'll resort to take aways until baby is born

I have also stopped going to shops etc unless I absolutely need to: the only places I'm really going are to hospital and midwife for antenatal care.

@EmbarrassingMama

Are you not aware of how dangerous getting Covid in your third trimester is? Why on earth aren’t you vaccinated?

Because

As these are new vaccines, there are no studies yet on the long term effects on babies born to women who had a COVID-19 vaccine in pregnancy

Source: Rcog - updated 21 August 2021.

Tbh I fee this vaccine is seen as the answer, no masks, no social distancing, no household isolation because we have the vaccine 🤷🏼‍♀️🙄. I don’t particularly feel much safer having the vaccine. Not like I would go around a shop with no mask and stand on top of someone because I have been vaccinated!!
I’m 39 weeks abs was double jabbed at 28 and 36.
It was the hardest decision up till 20 weeks I was adviced not too! I have asthma too.
I did as I have 3 previous children and I had to put them before the baby, they need their mum, they all have asd too. It was a awful decision and I cried the whole day worrying something could happen.
For me I don’t have any trust in the conservatives!
All my pregnant friends didn’t bother, supposedly September birth month is low
On the vaccine because of the change of mind.
I don’t think anyone should be judge on the vaccine, for me i get fed up with peoples attitude towards mask wearing and taking lateral flow tests.
We can fight about the Covid vaccine but it’s not going to stop you catching Covid just before birth. Unless you shield.
I’m cross at the govement because I feel they have made schools unsafe last term mine all went, households isolating, was fine. This year you don’t even need to test your child before sending them in even if you have Covid!
Crazy.
The vaccine can stop us getting so poorly, but face it, due time it’s something none of us want.
The government totally forgot about pregnant women. However I have had mumneters say it’s your fault for getting pregnant in a pandemic so suck it up. (For me baby very much a accident the best type though!). Serves pregnant women right if they die in their third trimester because they decided to get pregnant!
I think being open to different views with the vaccine is the way forward.
Either way we are all at risk of catching it unless we stay in and hide (which I have decided to do now). (I hate it).

@Tinydancer321

I know, it is a very hard decision, especially as the advice for pregnant women wasn't particularly consistent up until very recently, but you did what you felt was right for you and your baby. Try not to worry. Only a week or so and your baby will be here 😃

I hope your last few weeks go smoothly. X

[quote housewifeathome]@Fairywings86 thank you, I'm glad I'm not alone. Even my midwife said it wasn't an easy decision to make and she didn't envy me!

The saddest thing is, this time last year with no vaccine, people were so quick to reassure pregnant mothers. This year, all we get are the scare stories about how deadly Covid is to pregnant women without a vaccine.

Out of the other five pregnant women I know, only one had the vaccine (prior to pregnancy).[/quote]
The advice has changed because we have more data now. At first there were very few pregnant women getting it (they were told to shield) and now more women in their third trimester have had COVID and we can see how dangerous this is

@leakymcleakleak

OP there has been a huge change with risks to pregnant women with the variants, that's why messaging was different last year.

'Original' covid didn't seem to have a substantial effect on pregnant women compared to the rest of the population, or not one that was picked up. The Kent variant substantially increased the risk of stillbirth - this was only really discovered in January/February, and was why they examined the data about pregnant women more carefully and quicker. Women who were getting quite mild cases of covid were losing babies as covid had effected the placenta. The delta variant, which took over a few months later, doesn't seem to have the same stillbirth risk, but seems to effect the pregnant mother more.

I'll be honest and say I actually don't think it is the case that its understandable for pregnant women not to take the vaccine any more. I think its irresponsible for you and your baby. I understand the initial doubts, but literally tens of thousands of pregnant women have had the vaccine and their babies by now. The idea of some kind of 'future effect' we don't know about just isn't credible based on how the vaccine works. Yes, there was a risk that it could have somehow caused clots/there could be another unforeseen risk factor particularly affecting pregnant women, or somehow effecting the baby. But we know enough now to know there isn't.

If you're happy to have whooping cough, and to have the flu vaccine, it doesn't make sense to me. I was initially v wary in jan/Feb, I was still breastfeeding and planning a second pregnancy and so I do understand the initial reluctance. But I've read all the available data and at this stage I just can't see why you would make the decision you are. All the professional bodies are recommending it, they don't do that lightly.

This woman was only 35 www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-40365230.html

I haven't seen a single compatible news story with a new mother/father saying they regretted getting the vaccine in pregnancy, have you?

All of this

[quote exhaustedmama1019]@SW1amp this was actually stated by my midwife at my booking appointment and is written in my notes, vaccines were not being offered to pregnant women at the time because they were deemed unsafe. This was early March. [/quote]
Then your midwife needs to work on her note keeping practice as she has recorded inaccurate info in your notes

[quote housewifeathome]@SW1amp

Just lacking in evidence of safety

You have kind of hit the nail on the head as to why many pregnant women are not getting vaccinated. [/quote]
But there is very clear and strong evidence of how unsafe it is not to be vaccinated in your third trimester. So people are discounting clear proof of significant risk for a hypothetical, unknown and highly unlikely risk.

It’s funny you use rcog as a source of info op when they’re urging pregnant women to take up their vaccine offer.

Obviously you only care about the info that is valuable to your opinion though, clearly. Hence thanking people for their (very lucky) undramatic experiences.

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) is urging all pregnant women eligible for the COVID-19 booster vaccine to take up the offer. It comes as Public Health England announce a further 20,000 pregnant women have been vaccinated against COVID-19.
So far, 81,532 of pregnant women have had one dose of the vaccine, with 65,579 of pregnant women having two doses. In recent months, there have been more unvaccinated pregnant women becoming seriously ill from COVID-19, particularly in their third trimester, and an increased number of women admitted to hospital and intensive care. The RCOG is recommending all pregnant women receive both doses of the either Pfizer or Moderna mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, and have the booster vaccine if they are eligible.

Dr Pat O’Brien, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist and Vice President at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said:

“We want to encourage all pregnant women to come forward for their vaccinations. It is very positive to see that the number of pregnant women who have been vaccinated is rising, but many more remain unvaccinated.

“There is growing evidence that the vaccine is safe in pregnancy, and we want to reassure women that there is no link to an increased risk of harm to the baby, such as miscarriage, premature birth, growth problems, or stillbirth when having the vaccine.

“We are seeing more unvaccinated pregnant women become seriously ill from COVID-19, and an increased number of women admitted to hospital and intensive care. The vaccine will help to protect both the mother and their baby from the potential effects of COVID-19

@Staryflight445

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) is urging all pregnant women eligible for the COVID-19 booster vaccine to take up the offer. It comes as Public Health England announce a further 20,000 pregnant women have been vaccinated against COVID-19. So far, 81,532 of pregnant women have had one dose of the vaccine, with 65,579 of pregnant women having two doses. In recent months, there have been more unvaccinated pregnant women becoming seriously ill from COVID-19, particularly in their third trimester, and an increased number of women admitted to hospital and intensive care. The RCOG is recommending all pregnant women receive both doses of the either Pfizer or Moderna mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, and have the booster vaccine if they are eligible.

Don’t worry, OP knows better than RCOG about risks to pregnant women and babies And the US equivalent She did some research, you see…

isn’t it funny that op trusts them with info relevant to her opinion but just ignores everything else they say.

I shouldn’t say funny really when such a poor outlook of risk is causing so many people to become seriously unwell and lose their life.

It’s frustrating

Still going on about the vaccine and why we should get it and why its so important, scaremongering, etc etc etc etc, do you think we don't know? Fuck sake 🤦‍♀️ just leave it, we have own personal reason for not getting the vaccine as stated over and over again, were happy with our decisions, your happy with yours, as are others, your just rambling on about the same thing, like your having to have the last word and prove a point? Like stated I did my best during pregnancy to not give my child a unknown future, just accept it, everyone is different on covid and its vaccine 🙂

Nobody is scaremongering. If you can’t handle the reality of what is happening to pregnant women at the moment that’s fine, but it is not scaremongering. It’s factual.
Op has used RCOG as a source to back up her opinion, so have I.
It’s important for people to realise they can’t pick and choose what they listen to from the same source.

Hence thanking people for their (very lucky) undramatic experiences.

I was waiting to be asked if I was vaccinated @Staryflight445 but no ☹️

‘ Like stated I did my best during pregnancy to not give my child a unknown future’ sadly other people with the same approach have given their children no future at all.

It is tho isn't it, to a point, and to go on and on really any need?, I think everyone gets it, and I'm pretty sure the pregnant ladies out there know whats going on with covid and the vaccine, theyve done there own research, just because some don't agree on the vaccine doesn't mean there wrong, it's means they have a difference of opinion, there's pros and cons with either decision, weather to have it or not, it's personal to each individual 🙂

Of course there’s a need. More and more women are ending up in ICU because they’re not getting vaccinated.

Of course this should be challenged and changed.
Do you not think those women thought they were doing the best for their pregnancy?

You’re right, is it a personal decision, but unfortunately as you can see on this thread, choosing not to get the vaccine in pregnancy is often lead by being unable to judge risk. I don’t think that’s good enough for people to be juggling with their and their child’s life personally.

@Staryflight445

Of course there’s a need. More and more women are ending up in ICU because they’re not getting vaccinated.

Source? Is this pregnant women you are referring to? Because in my hospital trust the above is certainly is not true for pregnant women.

Does "unvaccinated" mean they have had no jabs or just the one jab? Because one jab is apparently also considered "unvaccinated" now..?

Everyone has had there say, no on will change there mind either way once made there personal decision, or pretty much if there set on it, and if they did for any reason that's fine, its what they think is best for there babies, it's that simple, some women will some won't 😊

Read RCOG op.
Plus tonnes of other sources saying the same thing.

you can also find admissions and statistics.

Going on and on about been "vaccinated" isn't going to change the mind of a pregnant women who choosing not too, in fact they'll probably end up getting sick of hearing it, and as for all the horror stories too, for it to be challenged is wrong, for the individual to make there own choices is right, everyone pregnant wome or not knows about covid by now, leave them to make there own minds up I say, they will choose what they think is right for there babies 👍

[quote housewifeathome]@Staryflight445

Of course there’s a need. More and more women are ending up in ICU because they’re not getting vaccinated.

Source? Is this pregnant women you are referring to? Because in my hospital trust the above is certainly is not true for pregnant women.

Does "unvaccinated" mean they have had no jabs or just the one jab? Because one jab is apparently also considered "unvaccinated" now..?
[/quote]
www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/09/worrying-numbers-of-pregnant-women-in-intensive-care-with-covid

It's not hard to find the basis for these statements that would then lead you into the papers that are the sources of the headlines...if you do your research.

When people talk about ‘possible long term effects’ I always wonder what they mean. What specifically do they think could happen and how?