Pregnant women say they’re being advised to delay vaccine boosters

Doctors warn some midwives’ advice could lead to dire consequences. Virginia Fallon

Pregnant women say they’ve been advised to delay their Covid19 booster vaccination until they give birth, advice an expert says could potentially have devastating consequences on both them and their babies.

Three first-time mothers say their midwives have told them a double dose of the vaccination is enough protection against the virus, and all have chosen to follow that advice. The Sunday StarTimes has agreed not to name the women, who are worried speaking out might affect their prenatal care.

All the women spoken to received two doses of the Pfizer vaccine before they were pregnant and asked for advice from their midwives before getting the booster.

‘‘She said the risks didn’t outweigh the benefits,’’ one Wellington mother says, while another says she was advised to wait until she stopped breastfeeding to get the vaccine.

Unvaccinated pregnant women are at higher risk of hospitalisations and complications if they contract the virus. Almost one-third who gave birth at Auckland’s Middlemore Hospital in the past week had Covid19, Counties Manukau District Health Board confirmed this week.

Dr Bryan Betty, head of the College of GPs, says pregnancy outcomes with Covid are poor, with the disease causing pre-term pre-eclampsia, hypertension and more babies ending up in neonatal intensive care.

‘‘There is absolutely not a skerrick of evidence there’s a problem with the vaccine in pregnancy and the booster is recommended after three months.’’

While the AstraZeneca vaccine isn’t recommended for pregnant women, anyone who has had two doses of Pfizer without a reaction should absolutely get boosted. Betty says he’d be disappointed if health professionals were giving differing advice, but believes a lot of the misinformation is coming from social media.

‘‘The stuff about the vaccine and pregnancy is quite prevalent, and it’s problematic.’’

One of the women says she was erring towards vaccination until her midwife told her it was unnecessary and her baby ‘‘had enough protection from the other two doses.’’ Betty says that’s not the case.

New Zealand doctors have long been urging pregnant women to get vaccinated, and on Thursday Auckland City Hospital emergency medicine specialist Owen Doran took to social media with a plea.

‘‘We are seeing disproportionate numbers of pregnant women coming through ED at the moment. Often unvaccinated or incompletely so. Some are critically unwell.

‘‘If you know or are caring for someone who is pregnant please encourage vaccination...’’

New Zealand College of Midwives chief executive Alison Eddy said the college’s advice aligns with the Ministry of Health and as such strongly recommends vaccination and boosters for pregnant people.

‘‘We are confident that the overwhelming majority of currently practising midwives are promoting the same messages to their clients; however, it is important to note that the current Covid-19 situation is rapidly and frequently changing, and the same is true of the Ministry’s booster recommendations.’’

She points out in the past two months alone, booster recommendations for pregnant women have changed three times, and says those changes have not been well communicated to either the college or the public.

‘‘There is absolutely not a skerrick of evidence there’s a problem with the vaccine in pregnancy and the booster is recommended after three months.’’ Dr Bryan Betty, right Head of the College of GPs