Take a jab at Covid

Vaccines are an essential weapon in the war against Covid-19, more so for expecting and lactating mothers, writes Dr Kishore Kumar

Are you currently expecting, or breastfeeding, or have an infant at home? Or are you planning to start a family soon? Then you may be wondering if you should get a Covid-19 vaccine or not. With the unprecedented spread of the deadly virus in India and the parallel vaccine roll-out in progress, neonatologists are being flooded with questions if patients can take the Covid-19 vaccine or not; what are the risks of Covid-19 to the mother and the potential risks to your foetus or infant; are there any side effects; should they take medicines if they are lactating; is this vaccine safe and what will be the outcome on their pregnancy/infant after taking the vaccine?

The one-shot answer to all these is that vaccines are indeed safe and everyone should be encouraged to take the vaccine. Here are a few things to know about why vaccines are safe for you:

Pregnant women are at an increased risk of severe Covid-19-associated illness compared to non-pregnant women because of their altered immunity. The first 12 weeks of pregnancy are most important for the baby’s development, so some women may choose to wait until after this to take their vaccine.

Later in pregnancy, the risk of complications from Covid-19 increases and there is also a higher risk of the baby being born prematurely. Therefore, you may choose to have the vaccine before you enter the third trimester (28 weeks). However, this does not mean that other pregnancy-related vaccines should be missed out.

If you are a lactating mother, you are discouraged to take any medicines unless you are symptomatic. If you are symptomatic, under the consultation of your physician, standard blood tests like complete blood count (CBC), c-reactive protein (CRP), random blood sugar and D-dimer, and interleukin 6 (IL-6) levels should be done to understand if there are any inflammatory reactions in your body. The recovery rate for expecting mothers is 99% and only 1% need hospital care.

There is no data that vaccine will have an impact on breastfeeding.

There is currently no preference for the use of a particular Covid-19 vaccine, but pregnant women who agree to be vaccinated should be advised to complete their two-dose series (where applicable) with the same vaccine product.

No preparation is needed as such for vaccination apart from the social distancing norms and avoiding going to crowded places. It is advisable that no other vaccine is taken within 14 days.

Breastfeeding mothers must get vaccinated as there are no risks for vaccinating breastfeeding mothers. The antibodies could pass on to the babies as well and it may offer immunity to the baby also like other vaccines given in pregnancy.

You do not need to avoid becoming pregnant after taking the vaccine. Depending on your individual situation, you may decide to delay trying for a baby until after you have been vaccinated.

There is no evidence to suggest that Covid-19 vaccines will affect fertility. However, post-vaccination, it is recommended that any fertility treatment should be resumed within a span of 45 days.

Although most pregnant women experience mild symptoms of Covid, the risk of more severe complications increases in the third trimester. Women in their third trimester should pay extra attention to social distancing measures and seek support straight away if they are concerned about symptoms. Always remember you can still get a mild disease after the vaccination. The vaccine only protects you from hospitalisation, death and serious disease. You can still be an asymptomatic carrier and it is important that you continue to wear a mask, follow social distancing and sanitise regularly. Vaccination is the key to come out of this pandemic and with the current situation and daily surge, one must not skip the vaccination drive and register at the earliest.
(The author is a neonatologist.)