COMMENT: ‘False claims are stopping pregnant women getting a Covid vaccine, putting themselves and their babies at risk’

Sarah Collins, Ask a Midwife Project Lead for NHS Hull Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and Community Midwife for Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, has seen a worrying rise in the number of pregnant women contracting coronavirus in recent weeks. Here, she outlines why it is so important for expectant mothers to get vaccinated

Living and working throughout the Covid-19 pandemic has been challenging for us all.

We’ve seen rapidly changing circumstances to our personal and professional lives and dealt with fresh challenges daily.

These include home schooling and working, only being able to leave the house once a day, shops being closed, self-isolation and, in the case of those of us working with patients, wearing PPE and constantly cleaning and handwashing more than we already did – something I didn’t feel possible.

I’m pleased that I hadn’t realised in April 2020 that I would still be required to wear PPE and provide care for Covid positive women today. PPE and twice weekly lateral flow tests are the new normal for those of us in the NHS.

Our worries have changed throughout the pandemic.

Initially, the main fear was of becoming seriously ill or dying as a result of catching Covid, or passing it on to our loved ones, as we watched the daily news briefings and saw the death rates rise.

Now, many of the concerns are around the safety of the vaccines and booster jabs and whether we can go on holiday or meet family and friends if we have symptoms or record a positive test.

We all now know someone who has had Covid. Hopefully they’ve returned to good health, although many of us will have sadly experienced the death of a family member or friend due to the virus.

As a midwife, I’ve seen the number of Covid positive women increase dramatically over the last six weeks, due to the rise in cases from the Delta variant, which is much more transmissible than previous variants. Many restrictions have also now been lifted.

During the initial lockdown, when everyone was terrified of catching Covid, I saw very few women who had tested positive or needed to self-isolate.

With hindsight, this was probably because pregnant women are classed as vulnerable and many worked from home, were furloughed or redeployed to non-contact roles within the emergency services, making them less likely to catch it.

Many women at the time told me they only left their home to attend midwife appointments.

Now, in every clinic I undertake I have contact with women reporting they have recently had a positive test or have been self-isolating due to close contact with someone with Covid. I have also provided care to Covid positive women.

As a practising midwife, I’m acutely aware of an increase in the number of hospital admissions of Covid positive pregnant women who are unwell and require medical intervention.

Sarah Collins

Some of these women require premature delivery of their baby and, on occasions, intensive care treatment.

One thing these women have in common is they’re not vaccinated.

We know that pregnant women who become seriously ill with Covid in the last trimester are at increased risk of becoming very unwell.

This is worrying for all concerned, especially as we now have safe and effective vaccines available.

I’m part of the Ask a Midwife team. We answer Facebook and email messages from pregnant women, their partners and family across Hull, East Yorkshire, North Lincolnshire, York District and Scarborough.

The Ask a Midwife service is hosted by Humber, Coast and Vale Local Maternity System (LMS). It started in response to the pandemic in March 2020, at a time of increased pressure on the system.

Through this service we receive numerous questions about pregnancy, labour and the postnatal period. We also use the service to promote healthy lifestyles and, more recently, the Covid vaccines.

I’ve noticed a lot of false statements on social media about the vaccines causing infertility and miscarriage. There’s no evidence of this.

All vaccines are stringently tested prior to use and closely monitored, and all adverse effects have to be reported, which is why the younger population are now given the Moderna or Pfizer.

Many of the pregnant and lactating women I have contact with have not had a vaccine.

The women report this is due to the fear of harming their baby, which is understandable as all parents want to do is love and protect their children.

Some women are reporting they are still not wanting to leave the safety of their own home due to the risk of coming into contact with Covid.  

Research into Covid vaccine safety has shown the virus cannot be contracted from a vaccine as they don’t contain live coronavirus.

The vaccines also don’t contain any additional harmful ingredients and are safe to be given at any time in pregnancy.

The benefits of getting a vaccine for pregnant women are the reduced chances of becoming severely ill and a reduction in the risk of preterm birth and still birth associated with Covid.

There’s also the potential protection of the newborn from Covid by the transfer of antibodies.

Women do have an informed choice but if anyone is unsure or has any questions, please talk to a healthcare professional.

Links

Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists

Coronavirus Vaccination in Pregnancy

Information sheet and decision aid

Covid-19 vaccines, pregnancy and breastfeeding

UK Health Security Agency

A guide to Covid-19 vaccination: Information on pregnancy and breastfeeding