Covid vaccine

[Whathefisgoingon]

I’m 6 weeks pregnant and I have been thinking about the covid vaccine and whether I should get it. It’s my understanding that covid is most dangerous in the third trimester, is it the case that midwives recommend it for this time?

With my first I had whooping cough and flu vaccine at whichever point of pregnancy they were recommended, but this feels different.

I should add that I have actually already had my initial 2 covid vaccines, a booster, AND covid in Feb 2022. On the one hand I’m fairly sure I must have good immunity now, but then I know pregnancy makes you high risk and so if something was to happen I’d obviously be devastated. Saying that, I was so worried about covid (first born Feb 2020) and when we did get it, it was quite mild.

To those further on in pregnancy, what has been the general recommendation from your midwives about this?

I could be wrong, but I am sure the nurse at the hospital said it had been pulled? this was the latest booster covid jab.

Yes PP is correct the booster has been pulled for everyone but those:

• 75 or over
• who live in a care home for older adults
• who are aged 5 or over and have a weakened immune system

Oh wow, do you know why that is? There was so much information about how dangerous covid is in pregnancy and how important a booster is!

How can they say this and then not offer it!?

I'm not sure, maybe that's an old bit of guidance, but the risk level to pregnant women definitely changed a few months ago to basically being in line with anyone else in your age group. So not increased with pregnancy.

Well it now looks like you can't have it?
But I had all three jabs during pregnancy and when baby and I caught covid when she was 4 months, she didn't even have a sniffle. In fact, I don't even know for sure she had it - just assumed she must have due to the close proximity she was to me at all times. So I would advise to get it.

I do think they overhyped the risk a little to begin with, of course there were bad cases, but they were outliers. The main problem facing women in 3rd trimester was that in the rare instance of a bad case, there were not many therapeutics available that could be used on pregnant women and intubation was extremely difficult with a very big bump (even though they now know this was not a particularly effect treatment anyway).

Omicron and later variants are a much milder disease, that doesn't mean you won't feel like absolute crap, but it's not going to attack your lungs like before, it's become more of an upper respiratory thing and therefore much less dangerous.

I am summarising here!

So, if you are in good health and not immune compromised then I wouldn't worry too much at all.

I had a lockdown baby and was told there was no increased risk to me or baby from covid. Now pregnant again and at the booking in appointment I put a mask on and the midwife said I could take it off if I was more comfortable as they don’t wear them anymore and covid has pretty much gone.

I’m 27 weeks pregnant and I was encouraged to have my Covid vaccine when I find out I was pregnant, and my flu jab too.
Both my midwife and consultant have emphasised to get in touch if I do get Covid as pregnant women can quickly go downhill, though I’m sure in most cases it’s fine.

There seems to be a bit of a resurgence lately, quite a few people I work with have been off with Covid. I personally found the first trimester draining enough without getting ill as well!

@PickledScrump tell your MW covid most definitely hasn’t gone I know lots of people that have tested positive this year and that’s just the people that are tested!

@Whathefisgoingon its frustrating but there’s no extra booster for pregnant woman. You just need to reassure yourself that you will have some immunity from the jabs you’ve already had and so if you do catch it the infection will be a lot lot milder and so far less likely to harm baby

Currently pregnant. End of third trimester.

Besides the flu jab and whopping cough vaccine no other was recommended. When I asked about a covid booster (I'm in a vulnerable category having an inflammatory autoimmune disease) I was told it was no longer recommended or available. That if I was covid positive and showing signs of severe illness to follow my gut and get to A&E if needed or call the midwife hotline for advice.

I did have covid in late second trimester, 27 wks. While, it was probably the worse case of covid I've had ( have had it several times work in a close contact environment and commute into London) it was because there's very little meds you can take to help mask symptoms. It took around 3 wks for me to feel back to normal afterwards. I was never in any real danger just felt miserable with very heavy cold symptoms. I'm not saying that there isn't a risk btw, just what I personally experienced.

Also, had a check up due to reduced movements and when I was on the mat ward waiting for the consultant, I over heard a husband inquiring about his wife who was in labour and covid positive. He was asking what they should do, before he brought her into the ward. They said to bring her in as normal and if she wanted to she could wear a mask if not it was business as usual. Not sure if there was anymore. But they didn't seemed concerned at all.

@Lhdale i think the point is that it’s now no longer considered any more dangerous than a common cold. My GP surgery is also no longer requiring facial coverings when visiting. I know of several people who have tested and they have all had incredibly mild symptoms of any at all, that includes pregnant women, it’s been like that for a while now. I think if medical places are relaxed enough about it then everyone else should relax and not be scaremongering.

Im not sure where this advice has come from that pregnant women are more at risk. Even while being pregnant in the main lockdowns it was always reiterated that there was no extra risk. Hopefully this advise might help.

If you are able to access the vaccine, please do get it. Covid in pregnancy definitely can lead to worse outcomes for both the pregnant mother (especially unvaccinated, who are 7 times more likely to die if infected, so at least you should be in a better position having previously received the vaccine even if a long time ago) and for the baby. I'm TTC right now and following this closely.

I recommend checking out Dr Viki Male on Twitter, she's an immunologist at Imperial specialised in Covid in pregnancy. https://twitter.com/VikiLovesFACS She has compiled an explainer all about covid, vaccines, fertility and pregnancy and breastfeeding https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_wHIYX-tGkGBPwuax7N8BxZPR4PTTCDm/view

Here is a meta-review of benefits of vaccine in pregnancy, published in Nature:
-Vaccine effectiveness in pregnancy = 89·5%
-Vaccination lowers risk of stillbirth by 15%
-No evidence of a higher risk of adverse outcomes including miscarriage, earlier gestation at birth, placental abruption, pulmonary embolism, postpartum haemorrhage, maternal death, intensive care unit admission, lower birthweight Z-score, or neonatal intensive care unit admission.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-30052-w

@PickledScrump I'm afraid Covid is much more dangerous than the common cold, despite what the government would have us believe by remove all mitigations and stopping all tracking by abandoning the ONS survey. Your midwife is wrong and frankly putting you at risk by saying that Covid is pretty much gone.

The last week of reported data in March, Covid deaths accounted for 4.5% of all deaths in the UK, so it's certainly deadlier than a cold. While for many of us the acute infection stage is nothing much, Covid has invisible long term effects, notably on your immune system, risk of stroke, heart attack, brain damage, organ damage, dental problems, the list goes on. It is still deadly, including amongst children. See this visualisation of ONS data on deaths by age group: https://twitter.com/jneill/status/1643902830477037570/photo/1

Here is a library of all the peer reviewed research coming out on how COVID affects us: https://www.zotero.org/groups/5006109/covidstudies/library

Just like it is not recommended to catch flu or any other illness during pregnancy, I would take all measures possible to avoid catching COVID during pregnancy, including always wearing an FFP2 mask indoors and especially in any healthcare setting. I wish you all the best for a healthy pregnancy!

@eggboxontop Covid is a vascular disease much more than a respiratory disease.

The government really have done a number on people thinking that covid is as mild as a cold and no longer an issue. Largely I presume to cover up their vaccine only strategy without any vaccines.

If you can’t get a booster, I’d follow the advice to take reasonable precautions to avoid getting covid if you can.

Not sure anyone here is scaremongering. I’m just saying it’s incorrect of your MW to say that covid has gone. It most definitely hasn’t and isn’t helpful to be pushing that narrative

I'm currently pregnant and was repeatedly encouraged to get the covid booster. I was advised that covid effects the third trimester the most so I waited until 20 weeks pregnant to have it. By 26 weeks I attended my gestational diabetes screening and another woman was asking about the vaccine to be told that the government had pulled it for pregnant women while they assess if it's necessary, or could end up being a seasonal offering!

Hopefully the government will expand vaccine eligibility in time for your 3rd trimester when you are most at risk of severe covid.
In the meantime just take sensible precautions and make sure friends and family know that you don't want to hang out with them indoors when they have cough/cold symptoms.

Ugh, conflicting information from the govt and NHS as always. Midwives don’t help sometimes! When I was pregnant with my first and asked about the flu jab, the stand in midwife told me that she was “on the fence about the flu jab” ffs

@Ldougal92 Interesting, in my booking appt details they mentioned about flu, whooping cough and covid 19 vaccine?

This was about 6 weeks ago - but not offering it in my borough at least.

As far as I'm aware both AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson covid vaccines have been shelved.

In Denmark and several other countries AstraZeneca has also been
withdrawn including from US, Norway and Switzerland.

Which far right conspiracy site did you get that from?

I can't believe a health professional has said covid has pretty much gone! My family work in hospitals and see many deaths a week with covid being the main cause. Only because the Government no longer track this that people assume it is gone. No one is testing anymore so we all think it's gone and we have some sort of virus or bad cold. My friend went into hospital seriously ill and ended up catching covid and this worsened his condition.

Just giving this thread a bump - has anyone heard about eligibility for any booster as part of the general seasonal vaccine programme? I would have thought those pregnant would be eligible?