"Thank you for reaching out regarding the COVID vaccine in pregnancy and/or breastfeeding.
The COVID vaccine was not studied in pregnant or lactating patients. We look forward to the future when we have more specific information to share. It is important to know that information regarding the vaccine options in pregnancy may change quickly. We look forward to partnering with you throughout your pregnancy to offer you the most up-to-date information.
At this time, we do not have the COVID vaccine available to administer to our patients. Healthcare workers will have access to vaccination through their employers.
For Pregnant Patients:
The Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine (High-Risk pregnancy experts), has released a statement to help guide us. The following is a summary of that statement:
If a mother receives a COVID vaccine while pregnant, the risk that it hurts the baby is very low. Healthcare professionals should make a shared decision with the patient about the choice to receive or decline the vaccine. Considerations include available data on vaccine safety (as it becomes available in pregnancy), risks of a COVID infection to the patient and baby, and the chance that the patient will get a COVID infection. Pregnant healthcare workers should be offered the vaccine.
The full statement can be viewed at https://s3.amazonaws.com/cdn.smfm.org/media/2591/SMFM_Vaccine_Statement_12-1-20_(final).pdf
In November 2020, the Center for Disease Control released a report regarding the risks of a COVID infection in pregnancy. It showed that pregnant patients are more likely than non-pregnant patients to be admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU), receive invasive ventilation, and die.
For Breastfeeding/Pumping Patients:
The InfantRisk Center has provided a statement to help guide us. The following is a summary of that statement:
It is believed that the risks that come with vaccination will probably be low. The risk and benefit of the vaccine should be compared to each mother's individual risk for getting COVID-19 as well as how well she is expected to tolerate the disease. Little or none of the vaccine components would be in the milk. Even if they were, they would simply be digested like any other protein by the infant. "It is our opinion, that the present group of vaccines are probably going to be quite safe for breastfeeding mothers."
The full statement can be viewed at https://www.infantrisk.com/covid-19-vaccine-pregnancy-and-breastfeeding
If you have further questions you would like to discuss in more depth with Dr. ***, please let us know and we can set up a time to discuss them."