Pregnant women worry about getting vaccinated; Interior Health reassures them it’s safe

KAMLOOPS — The B.C. government is urging women who are trying to get pregnant breast-feeding moms and expectant mothers to get the COVID-19 vaccine, but one Kamloops woman is hesitant.

“Up to 20 weeks at least, I feel like there’s a lot that can change in pregnancy and risks of miscarriage, and just so much development before the 20-week mark,” said Shantelle Blackwell, who is seven months pregnant.

It comes after Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s provincial health officer, made a statement at a COVID-19 news conference Tuesday (Sept. 21) afternoon. She said the province has a number of young, pregnant women who are unvaccinated in ICU recently. International data shows that the Delta variant is causing higher rates of adverse outcomes like still births and early births. As a result, Blackwell consulted her doctors — both suggest she gets it.

“There’s so much unknown with a baby developing inside, and they won’t know if it affects anything until years later,” Blackwell says.

According to Interior Health (IH), there are no infertility issues caused by the vaccine, despite rumors that have circulated.

The health authority says the anti-bodies from the vaccination could benefit your baby when breast-feeding, and IH medical health officers strongly suggest women who are currently pregnant get vaccinated – because they have suppressed immune systems.

“Monitoring someone who is really, really sick, and they go into shock – which means that their circulation isn’t working well and they’re at risk of their organs not getting enough oxygen. One of those organs is the uterus and then the fetus is at risk,” IH Medical Health Officer Dr. Carol Fenton says.

She adds that physiologically it’s more difficult to give oxygen to a pregnant woman or give her CPR because there is less room – a problem that the province currently faces as it sees an increase in the number of pregnant women who are in hospital ICU’s right now.

Blackwell is aware that this number is rising and as she approaches 30 weeks of pregnancy, she says she is leaning toward getting the vaccine.

“I really don’t want to get COVID, I think there are some pretty big health risks involved with that – so I would definitely say the vaccine is helping that: protect you and the baby,” she explains.