1st Covid jab when pregnant

[shannonl26]

Hi all, I imagine there’s been countless threads on this subject but I couldn’t see any recent ones. I’m 15 weeks on Friday & due to have my first dose next Tuesday. I’m a support worker for adults with autism so close contact with others is unavoidable. I felt really confident in my decision to get it, until a few have told me to wait until baby is born.

I’m just wondering those who had their jabs during pregnancy, is/was all ok? With you & baby? I have looked through RCOG but wanted to ask on here too. I do know the risks of Covid in third trimester, but just some slight background info I suffer with anxiety, especially when it comes to having new medication & not knowing what side effects may come with it.

Thanks guys 😊

Who are the few that have tried to put you off getting the vaccine? Covid would be much worse for you to get than the vaccine

I had a surprise pregnancy so had my first Covid vaccine around 5 weeks prior to conceiving. I was due to get my second vaccine when I was around 6 weeks but I chose to delay it until baby had done all it's important development - I was thinking to delay until I was 12 weeks.
When I was 8 weeks there was a massive spike in cases where I live and I made the decision to get vaccinated straight away. It was a retired GP who gave me my second vaccine and he assured me baby had done most of its important development by then. I'm now just under 16 weeks pregnant with a healthy baby

Got first before getting pregnant & second at 9 weeks. Now 22 weeks and all looks healthy

I'm in the same boat OP, 11 weeks pregnant and despite being a sensible, logical person I can't quite shake that nervous feeling about getting the vaccine. The only advice my midwife gave me was not to get it before 14 weeks, but I'm not in the UK so advice may differ there. I know once I've had it I'll feel a huge sense of relief, but the anticipation is still uncomfortable.

I've already got my colleague's wife lined up to talk to in the run up to my appointment, she's a doctor who got both her vaccines while pregnant. Do you have anyone like that around who can sort of snap you out of the anxiety a bit?

Forgive me, I didn't mean to suggest someone could snap you out of your anxiety, I realise it doesn't work that way. I meant more, is there someone who can support you to make sure your anxiety doesn't stop you getting the vaccine, someone to get you over the line.

I'm 36 weeks pregnant, got both my vaccines during pregnancy (I think around 16 and 24 weeks) and currently have Covid.

Apart from any of the other affects Covid could have on the baby (blood clots in the placenta, increased risk of preterm birth or still birth) I'm also conscious that any stress I'm under is affecting the baby, so if my heart rate is high or oxygen level is low, so is baby's.

I cannot tell you how glad I am that I'm vaccinated. I've been really unwell, but not unwell enough that I've needed hospital at any point. Who knows how bad I would have been if I hadn't been vaccinated?

I had my first jab at 12 weeks and second at 21. I didn’t purposefully wait until 12 weeks, it just coincided with when I was called up and booking the first appointment available to me. I’m now 34 weeks and was diagnosed with gestational diabetes at 24 weeks, not as a result of the vaccine, but you just never know when your pregnancy is going to switch to higher risk.

Due to the gestational diabetes, I’ve had several growth scans, including 3 since my second jab and baby is absolutely fine. The only thing of concern they’ve spotted is that baby is measuring big but that’s common with gestational diabetes and my baby is also big all over, so it’s likely that it’s just a big baby (not uncommon in my family).

I found the pregnant than screwed FB video very helpful in helping me reach my decision. I would also suggest looking at some of the research studies. It’s a big decision to make and don’t let other people, who aren’t in the same position as you sway your decision. In the end, I viewed the vaccine as the least bad choice with the evidence and situation at hand at the moment. There may be long term side effects we don’t know about but that would also be true for covid itself.

I would say in the last couple of weeks my anxiety has increased, partly due to gestational diabetes. I can’t imagine how anxious I’d be about covid at the minute if I was unvaccinated. I am anxious around covid but it’s centred around not wanting to catch it, even a mild case, because of potentially giving birth alone and not wanting to feel any worse than I do already. I’m not anxious about ending up in ICU with it.

I had both mine whilst pregnant with no apparent ill effects. Definitely beats the worst case scenario of dying from covid more easily.

Has my first vaccine at 12 weeks (this was as soon as I could get one) and my second around 20weeks.
My Pregnancy has progressed well since then, scans have been perfect and baby is alive and kicking. Plus I know baby will get some immunity to covid as well as me.
It's a no brainer, get the jab, or you are a sitting duck for covid with rates rocketing again this week!

I had both mine while pregnant - at 27 and 37 weeks (ish... can't remember exactly). Baby is now 8 weeks old and perfectly strong and healthy.

I had my first jab at 27wks after putting it off and not being sure about what to do. The first thing I felt was a sense of relief and a weight being lifted.

I had IVF and my clinic advised to go ahead with the vaccine at whatever stage I was at in treatment as the risks of covid when pregnant were high. Luckily I ended up getting both before my transfer but if the timings had been different I would have gone ahead during pregnancy instead.

Hi,

I have had both pfizer doses at 14 weeks and 18 weeks. Side effects were sore arm both times and feeling floored after 2nd dose like a bad cold and headache which lasted for one day which I spent mostly in bed and then I was full of energy again. The best thing no elevated temperature which I was worried about the most.

I have severe health anxiety as well as the general kind. I had heart palpitations for 1 min after first dose but I know this was my anxiety. I also felt that I made the right decision.

I am now 22wks+4days and every scan has been perfect, with no issues and she is an active kicker.

I have also had the flu vaccine with no side effects aside from a sore arm.

I've had my Covid vaccines at 13 and 16 weeks. Next week I will have my whooping couch and in November my flue jab. After 7 years of infertility, 4 rounds of ivf and several losses I would do anything to protect my baby- this includes getting my vaccines. Vaccines don't cross the placenta - the antibodies do and have the potential to protect your baby particularly if she is born early. But you shouldn't listen to personal opinions but look at reputable sources such as the NHS or the RCOG. I was so confident about the vaccine but those anti-vaxers still get in your mind. They really have no idea- ignore!

I got my first at 20 weeks and am counting down the days until I can get my second (next week). Had the whooping cough a few weeks ago and got the flu jab yesterday.

I totally sympathise with how people can get in your head. That was the reason I left it so late to get mine, even though in my rational mind I knew it was the right thing to do. When I arrived at the vaccine centre I happened to have a midwife as my vaccinator. She said I was doing the best for myself and my baby.

I obviously don’t know who’s been saying you should wait - but one thing that helped me was looking at the people who had advised me to wait and thinking about whether, in any other situation, I would take their advice on my baby’s health over the advice of my consultant and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. One of them was a colleague who frankly I don’t even trust to send out diary invites, so why did I let her get in my head?

@TheCheeseBadge

I think I remember you from another thread - glad to hear your baby has stayed on the inside so far and really hope he/she stays there until you’re fully recovered!

I recently heard this news. I know it’s a big decision to have the vaccine when you are concerned about the possible side effects etc, but Covid could have serious consequences for both you and your baby. Why are people telling you to wait?

news.sky.com/story/covid-19-unvaccinated-pregnant-women-make-up-one-fifth-of-the-most-critically-ill-coronavirus-patients-in-england-12431110

I had both my vaccines whilst pregnant - took them as soon as they were offered to my age group (I think I was just into the 2nd trimester for my first dose). Baby born just shy of a week ago, absolutely fine. I did catch the cold from hell a week before I gave birth, and am currently battling a chest infection on the back of that, which is bad enough. I can't imagine how awful it would have been to have caught Covid instead. Even with two doses I was scared of having a positive PCR on admittance, as it massively affects your birth and postnatal experience.

I had my jabs at 29 and 37 weeks and currently snuggling a very healthy 2 week old baby

Iv personally changed my mind on having the vaccine now after seeing a few friends become very unwell with covid after the vaccine in their 20's/30's, I don't understand why young people are becoming so unwell with it when fully vaccinated, a close friend ended up on a ventilator at 31, thank god he survived but he had covid last year with no symptoms? I won't get it until baby is born after that!

I'm finding it hard to swallow that this is even being discussed still - the labour wards and day units here are covered in posters telling you to get your jabs when pregnant. To the person above who says people have been unwell after having the vaccine so they won't get it - why risk being even more unwell by being unvaccinated??

I had both of my jabs when I was pregnant. One in first trimester and one in second trimester. Felt a bit under the weather after the second one but only mildly for a day. Baby is now one week old and perfectly healthy.

It’s a balance of risks isn’t it. I know that it’s unsettling to be injected with something when pregnant but really it’s a choice between risk of vaccination side effects (likely to be very low based on real life data from women who have had it) vs risk of COVID (potentially quite dangerous in the third trimester, in terms of both mother and baby health). It felt like a no brainer decision to me.

@Hmumoftw0

Iv personally changed my mind on having the vaccine now after seeing a few friends become very unwell with covid after the vaccine in their 20's/30's, I don't understand why young people are becoming so unwell with it when fully vaccinated, a close friend ended up on a ventilator at 31, thank god he survived but he had covid last year with no symptoms? I won't get it until baby is born after that!

Maybe they would have been even worse without the vaccine though. It seems a daft reason not to get it

Had both vaccines as soon as they were offered to me - first around 24 weeks I think. No side effects apart from a sore arm.

Pregnancy continued as normal, low risk. Baby was on the small side but so was my first. She is now a happy and healthy, nap refusing 9 week old.

@Hmumoftw0

Iv personally changed my mind on having the vaccine now after seeing a few friends become very unwell with covid after the vaccine in their 20's/30's, I don't understand why young people are becoming so unwell with it when fully vaccinated, a close friend ended up on a ventilator at 31, thank god he survived but he had covid last year with no symptoms? I won't get it until baby is born after that!

Sorry, but that is one of the silliest reasons I've seen. There could be many reasons why your friend had it worse the second time - bigger viral load, different variant are just two very obvious ones.

Get the vaccine. Covid when pregnant can be awful - you owe it to yourself, any existing children ,and your unborn child to protect yourself.