#1 Is it safe in pregnancy?
Please see earlier posts. The answer is, all the experts believe so given the information we have about it. And, the most important answer is we think it is safer than actually getting the COVID virus. See the Zdogg video in last post.
Some personal decision-making, first-hand from a pregnant OB/GYN ( who is having her third girl...I am a bit biased towards those moms, ha!)
#2 What if I already have had COVID-19, and I'm pregnant, should I get the vaccine?
I think this answer is a little more vague, I am hoping we'll have some more data this year to help us understand how long immunity lasts. The short answer is, if you are high risk of getting COVID again ( i.e. work in a healthcare setting) I would get the vaccine even if you are pregnant. If you are not high risk, and can isolate, be safe and work from home I would probably wait until we have more data in pregnancy. We think that antibodies on lab work last about 3 months, but that doesn't really tell us what our immune system's response is after the 3 months. Most viruses, even after you get the virus your body remembers how to respond when it encounters it again. However there are some viruses, like Dengue fever or influenza that don't follow this rule.
#3 Where can I get the vaccine?
Orange County has started vaccinating all Phase 1a ( healthcare workers) and anyone over 65+ years. The Orange County Public Health department has been using www.othena.com and the application as well to register and see locations for patients who live or work in Orange County. There are sites in Anaheim, Huntington Beach and some other places, they will keep updating them so keep trying for an appointment. They are giving out the Moderna vaccine, which needs the second shot 4 weeks later. The Pfizer one is 3 weeks later. We should be getting approval for Johnson and Johnson vaccine soon as well.
Kaiser, Hoag, and Memorial Care will all start getting their patients vaccinated in the next couple days/weeks I believe. The waits are sometimes long and lots of patience required.
#4 Side effects ?
I put this picture here about 12 hours after the second shot, on my peloton and still not having any issues 1 week later. Yes, there might be side effects of the vaccine. I was lucky enough to not have any, just a little arm soreness. But up to 50% of people can have some side effects, mostly the first 48 hours. Side effects are similar to any response of your immune system, headache, fever, chills, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea. Just be prepared, Tylenol, Motrin and nausea medication can be helpful. Just remember the side effects are generally mild and self-limited. The importance of the vaccine cannot be understated, this is the key to ending this pandemic and achieving "herd immunity!" The more people that get this vaccine the faster this pandemic is going to be over. It doesn't mean that people won't get the disease, but our hospitals won't be overwhelmed and the case numbers will go down to a manageable level and we'll be able to do more with proper safety measures.
#5 If you are breastfeeding, can you get the vaccine?
Yes, get it. I have no issues or concerns if you are breast feeding. It may give some passive antibodies to the baby but unlikely to have any effects on the baby or breast milk.
I will think of more questions and keep posting.
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