Vaccine in pregnancy

[Yorkymidge]

Hello,
I am currently 10 weeks pregnant - a high risk pregnancy for multiple reasons so miscarriage risk is high. I have both my vaccinations early in the year and have been invited like everyone else for my booster.
Without wanting to open a can of worms, what is your opinion on taking the booster in pregnancy? I’m fully for vaccinations, as previously having the first 2 but i’m scared of the risks and complications that it may cause since there is little to no research on pregnant women. I feel like medical professionals only push for it without explaining the risks too and i would like to know both sides.

Thank you.

@Yorkymidge

Thanks for all your opinions, i’m going to have to carefully consider them all. I don’t have a gut feeling either way - just stressed and confused. I don’t want to not have it, then catch Covid and be really ill but likewise, i don’t want to have it and then there be complications for me or baby that we have longed for for so long. I’m so torn, it’s such a big decision that i feel i’d regret no matter which choice i made. I’m glad i didn’t have to go through all of this with my first born!

I don’t think a gut feeling is a good way to decide on safety issues for you and your baby. I think listening to robust science is the best way forward. That would lead you to protect yourself and your baby with a vaccine from a potentially deadly virus.

i don’t want to have it and then there be complications for me or baby that we have longed for for so long

what complications? and where have they been reported?

i don’t want to have it and then there be complications for me or baby that we have longed for for so long

This study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, looked at the records of 36k pregnancies where women had one of the mRNA vaccines and found no increase in complications.

Preliminary Findings of mRNA Covid-19 Vaccine Safety in Pregnant Persons

Pregnancy increases your risk of severe covid. It's really bonkers not to get the vaccine if you're pregnant.

Pregnant and Recently Pregnant People - At Increased Risk for Severe Illness from COVID-19

Increased Risk of Severe Illness

If you are pregnant or were recently pregnant, you are more likely to get severely ill from COVID-19 compared to people who are not pregnant. Pregnancy causes changes in the body that could make it easier to get very sick from respiratory viruses like the one that causes COVID-19. These changes in the body can continue after pregnancy.

Severe illness means that a person with COVID-19 may need:

Hospitalization
Intensive care
A ventilator or special equipment to help them breathe

People with COVID-19 who become severely ill can die. See why pregnancy is included in the list of underlying medical conditions that increase a person’s risk of severe illness from COVID-19.

I'm not jabbed and won't be getting any while pregnant. People saying "I got mine and currently 16 weeks with a healthy baby" - you can't possibly know that your baby is healthy till they are born and start to develop surely?

@anonanonanon123

I'm not jabbed and won't be getting any while pregnant. People saying "I got mine and currently 16 weeks with a healthy baby" - you can't possibly know that your baby is healthy till they are born and start to develop surely?

Well, it's doctors, obstetric specialists and gynaecologists who are asking that pregnant women be prioritised as a matter of urgency for both mother and unborn child for the vaccines. But if your qualifications usurp theirs.

But @anonanonanon123 what ingredient do you think is in a mRNA vaccine that could harm someone? Why would it? Covid is a literal disease which definitely could.

@PAFMO ah yes the same health professionals who also used to prescribe thalidomide for morning sickness as that was deemed safe. It wasn't recommended when it first came out due to not being able to be trialled as it's immoral, and "we've used it for a bit and it seems ok so now we'll recommend it" isn't good enough for me I'm afraid. I won't allow me and my child to be a guinea pig. I might get covid, but I might not. If I take the vax then I've definitely put that in my body and taken that risk.

No very much not the same healthcare professionals that prescribed thalidomide, that was over 50 years ago, and medical practice and research has moved on leaps and bounds since then. Not a relevant comparator at all.
Tens of thousands of women have now given birth to healthy babies having taken covid vaccines in pregnancy.
The new omicron variant is so infectious that it's more of a case of when you catch covid, not if, if you're in a country with high omicrom incidence such as the UK

Just had my booster at 6 weeks pregnant. Being pregnant made me want the booster as soon as possible to protect us both from Covid. The data suggests Covid in pregnancy is dangerous and the vaccine does not pose a risk

[quote anonanonanon123]@PAFMO ah yes the same health professionals who also used to prescribe thalidomide for morning sickness as that was deemed safe. It wasn't recommended when it first came out due to not being able to be trialled as it's immoral, and "we've used it for a bit and it seems ok so now we'll recommend it" isn't good enough for me I'm afraid. I won't allow me and my child to be a guinea pig. I might get covid, but I might not. If I take the vax then I've definitely put that in my body and taken that risk. [/quote]
You realise that thalidomide was removed from the market in 1961 - 60 years ago? Do you really not think science has improved in 60 years?

Thalidomide wasn't tested on pregnant animals; the covid vaccine was. There is a good breakdown here on why this argument is unsound: fullfact.org/health/thalidomide-covid-vaccines-misleading/

A covid vaccine is nothing like thalidomide. Do you have flu vaccines, or will the whooping cough vaccine? It's a non-live vaccine, very similar to those, which basically shows your immune system what the virus looks like so your body can better defend itself.

Finally Thalidomide was prescribed for a number of conditions; morning sickness but also insomnia, headaches, colds.
The covid vaccine literally lowers your risk of having a stillbirth or miscarriage, as well as your risk of maternal death.

@anonanonanon123

I'm not jabbed and won't be getting any while pregnant. People saying "I got mine and currently 16 weeks with a healthy baby" - you can't possibly know that your baby is healthy till they are born and start to develop surely?

No idea of the health of our babies, apart from the medical assessment of sonographers/midwives/fetal health consultants etc.

But I’m sure you’re more qualified to comment than they are

I had my first vaccination at 20 weeks, second at 28 weeks and I am currently breastfeeding my big and healthy, week old baby boy. I had the booster today. It's a huge relief to think that he will he getting my antibodies through my breastmilk.

The evidence is good and robust, both the benefits of vaccination and the risks of contracting covid in pregnancy.

I do understand the anxiety - I bolted out of two vaccination appointments before I finally got the first dose, and even today I felt anxious at how dystopian this whole thing is. But on balance, I am confident that I made the right choice for me and for my baby.

ah yes the same health professionals who also used to prescribe thalidomide for morning sickness as that was deemed safe

do you decline other treatments from HCP on the same basis, or just use this as a reason not to have this particular vaccination? do you refuse ultra sound scans, blood transfusions and surgery from these same people that got it wrong on a morning sickness drug?

I had 1st 2 before getting pregnant and just had my booster at 25 weeks a few weeks ago.
After seeing the sad stories of pregnant women not having the vaccine the booster was a no brainer for me esp as I'm high risk going into my 3rd trimester. Ny midwife, Dr and consultant all explained to me the pros and cons before I had it.

I had my first and second jabs at 20 and 28 weeks respectively. Now 36 weeks. I’m not eligible for a booster (it hasn’t been long enough since my second dose) but I really wish I was and given the evidence about the booster and Omicron, I’m envious of pregnant women who can go and get their boosters - I feel like a numpty for not getting my first and second doses sooner.

I'd avoid any medication in pregnancy, especially in the first trimester, unless absolutely necessary. If I was already double jabbed prior to pregnancy, and otherwise healthy, then I would decline the booster.

@amylou8

I'd avoid any medication in pregnancy, especially in the first trimester, unless absolutely necessary. If I was already double jabbed prior to pregnancy, and otherwise healthy, then I would decline the booster.

What an irresponsible way to think. I had a severe UTI aim early pregnancy that would have caused severe problems. A week of antibiotics sorted it out, and baby is perfectly healthy.

It's become clear that 2 doses of vaccines do not provide sufficient protection from omicrom in the way that they did with delta.
If it has been more than 3 months since a second dose of the vaccine then you are still very much at risk, particularly if entering the third trimester.

The latest data is very very clear that showing there are worsening outcomes from covid-19 amongst pregnant women and their babies. This is why there is the JCVI recommendation that pregnant women are considered an at risk group. Vaccination is strongly protective against severe disease.

I would urge all pregnant women to get vaccinated ASAP

My post includes some terrible grammar sorry (I’m exhausted after a 60+ hour week at work) but the point is the same. Please get vaccinated!

@anonanonanon123

I'm not jabbed and won't be getting any while pregnant. People saying "I got mine and currently 16 weeks with a healthy baby" - you can't possibly know that your baby is healthy till they are born and start to develop surely?

Why do you think this vaccine is different to other non-live vaccines that have been safely given in pregnancy for years? I'm really interested to know why this one is different.

The only vaccines that are usually avoided in pregnancy are live vaccines as there is a small (or theoretical) chance they could cause the illness itself.

I am 21 weeks pregnant and have had my whooping cough, flu and booster vaccine. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't thrilled to have a booster but also want to give myself the best chance of protecting myself and my baby.

I'd rather be in the position of doing something I can be in control of rather than falling awfully sick with covid and in hospital giving me all kind of drugs and medication to keep me and my baby alive. It's a sad but true fact which has happened to a number of women. It's foolish to think 'oh it won't happen to me.'