If you’re pregnant, you may be wondering if you should get the covid vaccine.
On one hand, we’ve all been told that the vaccine is the best, safest method for protecting ourselves from the dangerous risk covid-19.
But on the other hand, being pregnant carries its own set of extra risks.
Not only is this a more complex situation, but there’s also an unborn baby to think about.
Will it hurt your unborn baby if you get the covid-19 vaccine?
A recent CNN report answered this exact question.
And in this post, we’re going to dig deep into the answers.
Can you still get the covid vaccine even if you’re pregnant?
Here’s what you need to know.
The Basics: Pregnant Women Are Urged To Get The Covid Vaccine
On Wednesday, September 29th, the CDC issued an urgent recommendation for pregnant women to get vaccinated against the Coronavirus. They also urged women who have recently given birth to get the vaccine.
This announcement came on the heels of a relatively morbid statistic.
At this point, only about 31% of pregnant women have been vaccinated.
And the results of this lower vaccination rate are quite staggering.
Thousands of pregnant women have been hospitalized for covid, and more than 160 are dead.
Statistics from the Covid-19 Associated Hospitalization Surveillance Network in 2021 also confirmed that 97% pregnant people who are hospitalized with confirmed covid infections are unvaccinated.
Covid Is Dangerous For Pregant Mothers
Covid-19 is dangerous for pregnant women.
But it’s also dangerous for the baby.
It can cause preterm birth, and babies can be born so sick that they have to go straight to the neonatal intensive care unit.
Recent statements by CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky mirrored and reiterated the safety of the covid vaccines for pregnant women, and urged pregnant women to stay safe by getting vaccinated.
“Pregnancy can be both a special time and also a stressful time—and pregnancy during a pandemic is an added concern for families. I strongly encourage those who are pregnant or considering pregnancy to talk with their healthcare provider about the protective benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine to keep their babies and themselves safe,” she said in a statement.
She also went on to say this:
“We now have data that demonstrates that vaccines—in whatever time in pregnancy or lactating that they’re given—are actually safe and effective and have no adverse events to mom or to baby… And we’ve actually seen that, in fact, some antibodies from the vaccine traverse to the baby and in fact could potentially protect the baby.”
The official word from the CDC is clear.
Pregnant mothers should definitely be getting the covid vaccine to stay as safe as possible, to avoid hospitalization—and most importantly, to limit their risk of complications and death resulting from a covid infection.
If you haven’t yet gotten the covid vaccine, it’s highly advised that you do so.
There’s been a lot of talk in the news about people who are opposed to the vaccine, saying that they doubt its safety.
But it certainly sounds as if the CDC does not mirror the same concerns.