Covid vaccine during pregnancy

[Eleano]

I couldn't find a recent thread so I'm posting a new one.

I'm 11 weeks pregnant and have had no encouragement from my midwife to get the Covid vaccine. I've booked it for tomorrow and wanted to get some opinions.

I got vaccinated for Covid a few times when everyone was being called for vaccination and have no issue with being vaccinated but I'm nervous now that I'm pregnant since it seems that most pregnant women don't get vaccinated due to fear and a lack of guidance.

I heard a few womens' midwives told them to avoid it since pregnant women weren't in the clinical trials and since the current variant isn't severe.

However, my DH is a teacher and brings Covid home about twice a year and I catch it every time and it makes me ill for about a week.

I'm the only pregnant woman in my social circle getting the vaccine. Am I doing the right thing? Is it ok that I'm in the first trimester?

I got my initial 2 vaccines during the first trimester of my first pregnancy. That was in January 2021 when vaccines were still very new but covid was really bad at the time and I was a healthcare worker in an acute hospital so I was thankful to be vaccinated. I have a very healthy and happy 2 year old boy now. So many pregnant women have now been vaccinated that I wouldn't have any concerns.

Covid isn't the beast it once was but really you want to try avoiding any kind of respiratory infection during pregnancy, especially in the later stages. I'm 40+2 now and I have an absolute bitch of a cold, it's such a struggle being stuffed up when you're already feeling huge and short of breath.

Had my booster vaccine when I was 20 weeks pregnant. DS is now 17 months . No issues at all with his development .

I went back and forth with what to do right up until they gave me it. There was a midwife in the centre at the time and talked with me .

Ive always thought it was encouraged for pregnant women to get the vaccine and haven’t heard personally from anyone I know being told not too x

I had the covid and flu vaccine when I was about 28 weeks. I work in social care so I was exposed to covid regularly plus if I got it and gave it to one of the elderly people I care for it could very well have killed them.

Baby is due any day and I have had multiple scans I'm the last few months so I'm confident the covid vaccine hasn't harmed the baby at all. To be honest it isn't even something I think about, just got jabbed and moved on with my life!

Entirely your choice.

I'm a teacher so often exposed (albeit I'm now on MAT leave) and I decided against having it whilst pregnant. I've previously had my vaccines before pregnancy but was concerned about the lack of evidence, I just had the flu jab instead.

I wonder if there really are that many midwives who don't understand the issue and misrepresent both the safety of the jab and the additional risks that covid causes to pregnant women? (I hope it's just your pregnant so-called friends who are repeating stories that become more inaccurate with each telling).

The jabs have been give to literally tens of millions of pregnant women worldwide, with no observable increase in rates of miscarriage, stillbirth/neonatal death or congenital issues in the new born. The data from the ongoing surveys of actual use is now much more extensive than that from the early trials, and midwives as HCPs should know that.

Also, covid is not benign, and pregnant women are more at risk of the disease being moderate or severe (mildness in the general population is not the relevant standard here). There are higher rates of miscarriage amongst women who have covid in pregnancy. Also, covid isn't just a cold, it causes cardiovascular issues, which can include placental function. There's also a link to higher rates of diabetes, but I'm not sure if relationship with GD is adequately examined yet.

I had both my flu and covid vaccines at the same time as I’m quite prone to respiratory infections so didn’t want to take a chance when pregnant.

My arm was a bit sore from the covid jab, arm that had the flu jab totally fine.

Baby is getting on great in there.

I just had the flu one

Yes, you're doing the right thing. I had flu and covid vaccines at 7 weeks, am now 13 weeks and everything is absolutely fine.

I read that vaccines are only not recommended in the first trimester because miscarriages are so common then and a miscarriage might be associated with a vaccine even though it’s very unlikely a vaccine would have caused it. I think that was on the Robert Koch Institute website (official German site). I got mine yesterday (second trimester but needed to wait as I wanted the XBB 1.5 vaccine).

I’m a midwife and we actively encourage pregnant women to get it and run clinics for them

I’m 31+4 and getting mine today.

You are very sensible and definitely doing the right thing.

I had my my vaccine at 33/34 weeks. Now 38 and all still fine. Chose to have it as I am asthmatic and suffer with a bad chest with flu / previous COVID also COVID can cause still birth if you catch it in the 3rd trimester (so I have read).

I wasn't ill at all after, didn't even have a sore arm. I'm glad I have had the jab as my daughter is in preschool (there is no requirement to keep kids with covid home) and at the moment it seems rife in our area x

I had my flu and COVID vaccine yesterday; I'm 26 weeks. I felt a bit dubious about the COVID one if I'm honest (anxious pregnant person anyway so I overthink everything 🤦🏼‍♀️) but the midwives in my local hospital are pretty much always running clinics and actively encouraging women to drop in and get them done. I feel like if there were big question marks over the safety of the COVID vaccine in pregnancy then they wouldn't be recommending this. Ultimately I'd rather have the vaccine than experience having COVID while pregnant and the risks that come with that. It's entirely your choice though OP, it's a case of weighing up risks and doing what feels most comfortable for you.

I would (and did) get the vaccine - they aren't offering it to many people, they've included pregnant women on the list because the risks from getting the vaccine are much lower than the risks if you catch COVID and get it bad!

Thanks everyone, your replies have really helped.

I've been struggling with the same decision OP. I'm 17 weeks pregnant and have had the flu jab and will get the whooping cough plus any others offered. But wasn't sure about the Covid jab. Anyway, the decision has been taken out of my hands in a way as I currently have bloody Covid for the fourth time. Was hoping I'd get away with a lighter dose but I've been well and truly floored with it and only just feeling better. The midwives also have me on Clexane injections for ten days to reduce the risk of blood clots.

I'm thinking that having Covid will give me the same sort of immunity (for a while) that the jab would? So I'll probably not get it now but just hope this current bout of it hasn't harmed the baby in any way!

If midwives have advised against the vaccination this should be reported. It goes against all clinical guidelines and evidence. It is safe, and indeed important to protect the baby. It sounds like they have a personal agenda that isn’t compatible with their medical profession.

Ps. Just to add, obviously unless there’s a medical reason why someone can’t have the jab…but if just a general anti vax statement, that is very bad.

I had my first jab at 20 weeks in May 2021 and the second in July at 28 weeks. I was the first pregnant woman the nurse had vaccinated!

All my antenatal group also had it around the same time. No issues at all with our pregnancies or our children. My son is a happy, healthy and clever little boy.

My midwife did similar. She told me about the flu vaccine and stated that it’s important to get it but didn’t mention Covid so I asked about it. And she responded by saying that they’re meant to encourage pregnant women to get it and tell them that it’s necessary but personally she doesn’t feel right doing that because it’s still new and research is ongoing.

My surgery hasn’t actually offered me it yet whereas I got a text about the flu one and so booked it. A bit late for the Covid one now though as I’m in bed with the damn virus as I type!

I had my booster yesterday and even the nurse that administered it reminded me that "you don't have to do it - it's your choice" and when I asked about the benefits she framed them with "it's supposed to". She didn't fill me with confidence to say the least! I'm still glad I followed the guidance though.

I do recall nurses who were antivaxers dying during the height of the pandemic so it seems that some of them trust their own opinion more than science.