Pregnant women in Lanarkshire who have not yet been vaccinated against COVID-19 should get vaccinated to protect themselves and their baby.
That’s the message from Lanarkshire’s Chief Midwife, Cheryl Clark who warned that pregnant women are at higher risk of getting seriously ill from COVID-19. She said,
“If you’re pregnant and you get COVID-19, late in your pregnancy, your baby could be at risk.
“You’re also putting yourself at risk of becoming seriously ill from the virus, if you are not vaccinated.
“We understand that pregnant women may be worried or unsure – or have heard scare stories and misinformation that’s been spread on social media.
“We’d urge you to speak to your midwife or maternity team for reassurance – as you usually would – and to make an appointment for the jab as soon as you can.”
Many pregnant women are unsure about how the vaccine could affect them and their baby but there is no evidence that the vaccine causes miscarriage or affects how a baby develops in pregnancy.
Pregnant women are usually offered the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccine because these vaccines have been more widely used during pregnancy in other countries and no safety concerns have been identified.
There is evidence that some women are at higher risk of becoming seriously ill and ending up in hospital with COVID-19, for example those from an ethnic minority group and women in their 3rd trimester.
Maternity teams are taking extra steps to keep higher risk women safe and are urging all pregnant women to make sure they’re fully vaccinated and take all steps to avoid catching and spreading COVID-19.
“It’s especially important to follow advice to stop the spread of COVID-19 if you’re more than 28 weeks pregnant (in your 3rd trimester),” Cheryl continued.
“And women should still go to all of their pregnancy (antenatal) scans and appointments unless they’re told not to.”
To help keep everyone safe and stop the spread of COVID-19, pregnant women may find that
- some midwife appointments are online, by phone or by video call
- they may be asked to wear a mask or gown when in a hospital or clinic
- they may be asked to show proof of a recent negative COVID-19 test before attending
There is useful information on the NHS website about
There is also information on NHS Inform – https://www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/infections-and-poisoning/coronavirus-covid-19/parents-and-families/coronavirus-covid-19-pregnancy-and-newborn-babies/
and on the The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) website – https://www.rcog.org.uk/en/guidelines-research-services/guidelines/coronavirus-pregnancy/covid-19-virus-infection-and-pregnancy/
