Pregnant? Looking to get the COVID vaccine? Here’s what you need to know
Local health experts, mothers weigh in
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ROANOKE, Va. – Expectant mothers planning to welcome a child during the coronavirus pandemic have an important decision to make: should they get the COVID-19 vaccine?
Mandy Irby, a labor and delivery nurse who started her own practice, The Birth Nurse, said she understands why some families have hesitations.
Many pregnant women fear backlash for making either decision.
“Pregnant people are under the microscope,” said Irby. “There’s not enough information to make a really confident decision either way.”
Virginia Tech epidemiology research scientist Dr. Rachel Silverman said although there’s little research on the safety of the vaccine during pregnancy, those studies are ongoing and current research doesn’t show negative outcomes.
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Pregnancy can be challenging to a mother and fetus under the best of circumstances. According to Johns Hopkins University, pregnant women are particularly vulnerable to life-threatening complications if not closely monitored by a physician.
Without close medical observation, conditions like hyperemesis gravidarum, a severe form of morning sickness that can cause significant weight loss; gestational diabetes, which may cause the fetus to grow larger than normal causing problems during childbirth; or preeclampsia which causes dangerously high blood pressure, can cause harm or death to a mother and child.