‘Do it for your family’
If life during a pandemic isn’t challenging enough, try doing it while pregnant or with a newborn!
For some Maritzburg and Midlands moms who were pregnant during the Covid-19 lockdown, getting the jab was a non-negotiable, even while breastfeeding. And the general consensus among them is: “We did it for our family”.
Jessica McTaggart, mom to three-year-old Rachel and eightmonth-old Riley, got the Covid19 vaccine in August – and continued breastfeeding.
“My paediatrician and GP both advised it was safe,” said the 36-year-old social media marketing manager.
McTaggart never wants to relive the “traumatic” experience of having Covid-19 when she was eight months pregnant. “My daughter was sick first. Then I got sick and decided to test. My result came back positive and I wept. Luckily, because I was so far along in my pregnancy, the doctors were confident my baby was safe,” she said.
She described being pregnant during a global pandemic as “very strange”. “Sadly, there was no baby shower as my sister couldn’t travel here from the UK.”
McTaggart said getting vaccinated is the right thing to beat the pandemic. “It is safe. Do it for yourself, your family, your community, and for everyone.”
Thirty-two-year-old Nicole Bezuidenhout got the jab a month after giving birth to Liliana Sophie, now four months old. “If I had I had the opportunity to take it while I was pregnant, I would have,” she said.
The marketing and PR manager at Pietermaritzburg Girls’ High School was a newlywed when the pandemic hit. “Lockdown brought me and my husband closer. We made every decision to start a family together and his support is encouraging,” she added.
Bezuidenhout said pregnancy during lockdown was a “real rollercoaster ride” and not being able to share the journey with loved ones was the hardest part. “I am the eldest in my generation and my baby is the beginning of a new generation so only having video calls and photos made it impersonal.”
This also made her hospital stay tough. “Video calling was our best friend until we were home and could at least see our parents,” she said.
Bezuidenhout encouraged all vaccine-hesitant expectant and new moms to take the jab. “As moms, we would do anything and everything to protect our babies, and that should extend to getting this vaccine. If not for you, then get it for the protection of your baby who is your ultimate priority,” she urged.
Vet nurse and mom to threeyear-old Skylar and one-yearold Atarah, Cursti Potgieter, echoed these sentiments. “The vaccine is a step to getting our lives back.”
The 34-year-old was vaccinated last month in the hope that the world will eventually return to some sort of normal. “My pregnancy with Atarah was different to my first. The doctor’s visits were challenging. If I took Skylar with, she was not allowed to run around and play as usual,” she said.
Potgieter had a virtual baby shower. “It was live on Facebook. That was very new and different for me and my family,” she said. She added that she didn’t see family or friends during her pregnancy or even after Atarah was born.
This, for her, is reason enough to get vaccinated. “It’s not good for our babies not to see other people. It’s not good for their social skills and perception of the world and love.”
The Vaccine Ministerial Advisory Committee has stated that women are eligible for the Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines during any trimester of pregnancy and during lactation.