Pregnant women threatened by mixed messages from NHS workers on jab safety | Vaccines and vaccination

However, the messages sent to Vaccines and Pregnancy The helpline, launched on August 20 to help pregnant women navigate information about the vaccine, suggests that some midwives advise against the vaccine.

One said: “I was first eager to have the vaccine, then a midwife advised me not to have it.” Another wrote: “I had my first dose before I knew I was pregnant. Now that I am pregnant, I have been told that I am not entitled to my second. Another said: “I have been advised by midwives not to get the vaccine due to the impact on ovulation and menstruation.

The helpline was set up by the organization Full Fact in partnership with the Pregnant Then Screwed campaign group. Many who contacted him complained about conflicting advice while others were pushed from one pillar to the next. One of them said: “I am pregnant and I really don’t know how to get the vaccine. I spoke to my medical visitor, who told me to talk to your GP, the GP said to talk to your midwife, and the midwife said she couldn’t advise me.

Full Fact’s deputy editor-in-chief Claire Milne said the helpline was created to counter misinformation about the vaccine. She explained, “It is not fair that many pregnant women are afraid for their safety and that of their unborn children.

“Messages about vaccine safety during pregnancy have sometimes been confused. It is essential that up-to-date information is available, especially when speaking with healthcare professionals.

The final concerns arose after a letter was sent by NHS England July 30 to senior officials stating that all health professionals have a responsibility to encourage pregnant women to get vaccinated.

Pregnant women were offered the vaccine for the first time in December 2020, whether they were healthcare or care workers or in a risk group. Since April 2021, it is recommended to offer pregnant women the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.

However, Joeli Brearley, founder of Pregnant Then Screwed, said mixed messages about vaccine safety had left pregnant women scared of their choices. She said: “Although it happens less, we still hear judgmental comments when pregnant women come in for a bite, like ‘it’s at your own risk’ or ‘on your head’, which arouses the ‘worry. “

Brearley added: “Pregnant women are completely left out. We hear that many of those who need their second vaccine are denied immunization centers because booster shots are a priority. This despite worrying data regarding the number of unvaccinated pregnant women who are seriously ill in hospital with Covid. “

Rebecca Bottriell-Adams from west London was shot with AstraZeneca before becoming pregnant. She said: “I had a nightmare getting overtaken. It took me four months of prosecution and pleading, and I only got my Pfizer shot this week thanks to my local MP’s intervention. I asked my GP to change my second jab to Pfizer but got no response. I was turned back to a vaccination center, then I went to a reception center for pregnant women, but the vaccinators did not show up. “

The 33-year-old, 30 weeks pregnant, added: “The problem is that at no point during the deployment were pregnant women given priority, which is ludicrous when you consider that they are over. at risk of serious illness if they catch the virus. “

Gill Walton, chief executive of the Royal College of Midwives (RCM), said the organization has worked hard to provide up-to-date advice to midwives. She said: “The initial delay in disseminating official information and advice to pregnant women, as well as health workers administering the vaccine, has sometimes caused confusion among pregnant women and staff. It’s something both RCM and RCOG [Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists] since the start of the vaccination program, and we would have liked a more widespread public information campaign on the vaccine during pregnancy earlier to combat the misinformation that was circulating.