Covid jab when breastfeeding

[AnnieMac123]

Hi all..just looking for some advice!

I gave birth to our little IVF miracle 3weeks ago.

During my pregnancy my Gp advised against taking the covid vaccine... simply as we had been on such a long journey to get to a healthy pregnancy and she said it was best not to chance it (this was very early into the roll out of vacinnes to pregnant woman so limited info was available).others, like my hospital consultant and midwifes all recommend I should get the vaccine while pregnant..but I went with my gp's advice as she was more aware of my personal journey and to be honest it just didn't sit well with me that no one could confirm if my ivf meds and injections could react to the vaccine....

Anyway am now faced with the decision again .should I get the vaccine now while breastfeeding? Online advise says benefits are passed to the baby...but at same time I have heard so many people having bad reaction to vaccines that am worried I might get sick for few days and be unable to feed baby the breast milk she needs.

Has anyone out there had to make this decision? If so what did u find to be the pros and cons? Or did you or baby have any bad side effects??

[Seb9]

I had both my vaccinations during my pregnancy, as soon as the recommendations changed. I'm overweight, 40 and had gestational diabetes, so for me getting covid would have been far too big a risk for me without having the vaccination.

I am now breastfeeding my 3 month old. I didn't have any side effects at all from the vaccine during pregnancy. My arm ached for a few hours but no fever. I think you need to take people's adverse reactions with a pinch of salt as half the people who talk about reactions are people trying to talk you out of having them.

The actual products of the vaccine hardly move from the injection site and they're removed from your system by your body before it ever reaches your milk. So baby will only ever get anti bodies that your body creates nothing of the actual vaccine itself.

[haileyp85]

I had the vaccine when I was Brestfeeding, I was told that it would pass antibodies to the baby . I did get sick unfortunately from the vaccine but I carried on breastfeeding, it was just a couple of days .

[Claireeeeeeeeeeeee]

I gave birth in March so when they were not offering the vaccine to pregnant people yet. I had it as soon as I could and I was and still am breastfeeding. I only had an achy arm and in all honesty think I would have been a lot more unwell with covid and I wanted my baby to have some protection. I find breastfeeding while ill not too bad I just feed laying down, having breastfed for a couple of years in total now with this being my 2nd I have had 2 stomach bugs, so many colds and flu while breastfeeding. All I managed to feed fine with, without topping up, the stomach bug was the hardest but your body know what its doing.

[Smithy1981]

Hiya, much like you my fertility journey wasn’t a easy one and my daughter my miracle baby was conceived after many years of trying and being told I would need ivf to which we didn’t need in the end. I was therefore like you so hesitant too but when I was pregnant the advice was still to not have it the vaccine but as I soon as I safely gave birth via a Emergency c section and I held her for the first time I knew I had to have it.

I was breastfeeding and had both jabs first one being 3 weeks after having her. I couldn’t bear after all that time praying to be a mummy and then being seriously poorly with Covid I didn’t want to take that risk.

I am a little overweight, ex smoker and black all factors that wasn’t on my side. Plus the bonus for me was the fact she would get the vaccine through my breast milk.

[AlmostanAngel]

Hi much like you I was the same my GP and consultant both advised not having the vaccine while pregnant as like you my little ivf miracle was growing. The advice for pregnant women to have the vaccine came when I was 33 weeks so they advised having it straight after birth. He arrived at the end of May and I had my first vaccine 3 weeks after he was born. My 2nd followed after 12 weeks and I'm just trying to arrange my booster (I'm over 40).

I've been breastfeeding throughout with no problems from the vaccine. Admittedly you can have side effects but mine were mild.

[Ritdit]

I had both doses while breastfeeding. baby was just a couple of weeks old when I had the first. All was fine, I’m still breast feeding and I’ll be going for my third dose as soon as it’s offered I think being ill with Covid would be far worse than anything the vaccine would give you.

[pinkie93]

Hey, I know you already had a lot of responses but I've had 3 doses while breastfeeding with no trouble. But in March 2020 I had Covid, very early in the pandemic, I breastfed throughout the illness and am convinced that made recovery a lot harder (though I don't regret continuing to breastfeed). Trust me, you don't want to get covid with a young baby, especially while breastfeeding. I was too weak to lift my son and avoiding dehydration with a high fever and breastfeeding feels impossible.

[Annatinks-ar]

Agree with all the above. I had all 3 doses while breastfeeding to give my son the antibodies (I had him 13/12/20 before pregnant women were offered the vaccine) first and third dose were fine, second floored me for 2 days but hubby did everything else except feeding. I was advised that if you fever spike you feel worst of all so to take paracetamol 4 hourly from the jab whether you feel rough or not. The second jab was the only one I didn’t do this with so whilst it may be coincidence for the sake of a couple of paracetamol I’d take it for all jabs.

[Sevy571]

I got both Moderna jabs while breastfeeding. Didn't have any symptoms for the 1st but the second was tougher, I had 2 nights of real chills and just being knackered. I'd advise couples not to be jabbed the same day so that one parent can parent in case the other has side effects. For me, I was happy to know I am passing immunity to my baby, and when feeling the side effects I felt grateful that I am getting protected against Covid - can you imagine the symptoms of the real thing if this is my reaction to the vaccine? Stock up on paracetamol (without exceeding the max dose, of course). I think Ibuprofen is not recommended if you have fever, though.