Covid vaccine

[ddoodle55]

Morning all,

Can anyone please share any advice or opinions on getting the covid vaccine in pregnancy?

I'm not anti vax at all and previously had every covid vaccine/booster offered to me, will get flu and whooping cough etc.

However I just can't shake anxiety over getting covid vaccine and wasn't planning on getting it but now covid seems to be rife where I live so having second thoughts.

Any advice at all will be much appreciated thank you! X

I also had a miscarriage at 7 weeks last year right after I got covid. Can't help but think that's the reason. Now I'm 10 weeks pregnant, and just had my covid booster last week.

Honestly, as a doctor and a pregnant woman, I find this concerning. There is clear evidence that having the vaccine is not harmful to pregnant women or unborn babies, but contracting COVID 19 can be detrimental. Not sure what each little pocket of the country is saying or what individual midwives are recommending, but they are obviously not following advice from the Department of Health.

https://healthmedia.blog.gov.uk/2023/08/08/covid-autumn-booster-vaccine-2023-everything-you-need-to-know/

In this case, we all need to do our own research and make an informed decision whether or not to get the booster.

I doubt any of these trusts have provided any written information that the booster is not recommended in pregnancy. It just sounds like lots of misinformed individuals giving pregnant women incorrect advice, so again, I'd urge you to do your own research. Just know as a member of a clinical risk group (pregnancy), it is available for you to book if you choose to.

Yes if it’s really the case that all NHS trusts should be recommending it, then it should be clearly communicated by midwives. But my impression is that some of the trusts just seem a bit unsure.

I would say that website also needs to be a lot clearer in calling out pregnant women specifically. You actually have to scroll down a fair way to see a mention of pregnant women, otherwise it’s dependent on pregnant women understanding that they count as a clinical risk group, which many may not. So it doesn’t surprise me that people are unsure.

I prioritised getting the flu vaccine (which I had to go and source myself as no appts left at my GP). And i actually currently have covid. Probably won’t be getting the vaccine before i give birth next month.

@MariaVT65 but this is not the current advice anywhere in the country, nor in Scotland. The current advice is to have a booster and has been the case since 18/09.

Maybe she needs to raise this with her team!

The mbrrace report on deaths in pregnancy 2019-2021 has been published.

There were 241 maternal deaths, 33 caused by covid. None of those who died were fully vaccinated, 1 was partially vaccinated (27 were eligible for vaccination - the period straddled the roll out)

No maternal deaths associated with the vaccine

Just wanted to share that I had the COVID booster (Pfizer) last week at 9 weeks pregnant and came down with quite nasty sickness afterwards. I blamed it on something I ate initially and panicked about food poisoning but subsequently discovered it's a possible side effect of the vaccine. It went after 24 hours and I am glad I had the vaccine, but wanted to post this in case anyone else is in the same boat and didn't realise that sickness was a side effect, as I didn't.

Also, to the point above about whether it's currently recommended for pregnant women, I had the booster when I was at hospital - my GP only offered me the flu jab - and the hospital said it's because the Covid vaccine is in short supply so the GPs are prioritising the elderly...

@NorthernDaisy thats not exactly true.

Covid vaccine is in plentiful supply. What varies is how areas are commissioned to deliver it. For example, I work in a GP surgery and our area (primary care network within an ICB) has been contracted to provide it to all eligible adults 18 and over, but not children.

Some areas may have been contracted only to give it to their own patients 65 and over, and everyone else has to go through 119 or the NBS.

I find it worrying that midwives aren’t up to date with the guidance, and aren’t recommending their women receive the vaccine and/or are giving inaccurate advice. All pregnant women should be considering the Covid booster this autumn.

If they don’t know the guidance then they should be either looking it up, or sending the pregnant women to their GP surgeries to find out!

I used to be so pro covid vaccine in the beginning, and I still am not totally against it but I do think there should have been more testing done before it was pushed onto the public. I had both doses and booster of Moderna back in 2021 and my baby has been born with a congenital limb difference - missing her lower left arm. During my pregnancy I met two other mothers who had the same thing with their babies and the only correlation is the covid vaccine. Even my midwife said that it was unheard of to have one baby with a limb difference let alone multiple with the same exact thing. I’m still grateful that I had the vaccine as it is super important, but we really don’t have enough evidence of the effects of it. We’re now undergoing extensive testing in regards to covid vaccine and limb abnormalities and it’s really frustrating that currently it’s being swept under the rug just like the thalidomide babies were attempted to be covered up.