LOS ANGELES — Health experts are urging pregnant women to get vaccinated, as COVID-19 cases within that population are on the rise.
Cases among pregnant women increased 300% in August, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. As the CDC and other health organizations say the vaccine is safe for mother and child, many women are hesitant.
Expectant mom Marcia Simbala found out she was pregnant the same weekend she was scheduled to get the vaccine. She canceled her appointment and waited to talk to her doctor. She had a miscarriage in the past and worried about getting the shot while pregnant — but she also worried about getting COVID-19 again. She, her husband and her two-year-old daughter all contracted the virus.
“Knowing that we’ve had COVID before, I knew that taking the vaccine was going to be part of the process, but when you’re pregnant, your mind shifts because, you know, you become protective of your baby,” Simbala said.
Fellow pregnant mom Taylor Mathaney isn’t convinced the vaccine will protect her little girl, as her pregnancy is high-risk. She has gallstones on her gallbladder and has a hard time digesting food.
“Unfortunately, I’m throwing up everything, and my baby isn’t getting enough nutrients,” Mathaney said. “She’s growing, but she’s not growing like other 24-week infants or fetuses are growing.”
Mathaney added that she thinks the vaccine is too experimental to get right now.
"I’m not saying I’ll never get the shot," she said. "I’m saying I’d like more knowledge about it."
Waiting to get vaccinated can put pregnant moms at higher risk than other women, said Dr. Marc Incerpi, chief of maternal-fetal medicine at USC Keck School of Medicine.
“Pregnant women are at a much higher risk of needing mechanical ventilation, ICU admission," he said. "There is increased risk for ventilatory support in pregnant women compared to non-pregnant women, and pregnant women are more likely to die from it than non-pregnant women."
Incerpi added that he understands the hesitation but says data proves mothers and babies will be safe, and that there is no evidence that the vaccine has caused miscarriages.
“There have been now in the neighborhood of 135 or 136,000 pregnant women that have registered to obtain information, and those women that have gotten pregnant that have received the vaccine, we haven’t seen any adverse effects,” he said. “I feel very confident in telling women who are pregnant or thinking about becoming pregnant that it is safe.”
Morgan Brooks is expecting her third child and wants the option to get vaccinated. Her job may require employees to get the shot, but she is in her first trimester and hesitant.
“I’m the main breadwinner in my family, so it almost would be like having to choose between having to provide for my family and keeping my job or risking health complications,” she said.
Simbala talked about those same risks with her doctor. After reading the data, she decided to get the shot and is now five months along and fully vaccinated.
"It doesn’t shield you from getting the virus, but it does protect you from death," she said. "So I think when you look at it from that perspective, it’s worth it. It’s worth getting the vaccine."
As of Aug. 10, over 11,000 pregnant women in LA County tested positive for COVID-19. Twelve pregnant women had passed away. The health department says that while rare, women infected during their pregnancy can pass the virus to their newborn. Among nearly 11,000 births where there was testing information, 55 infants tested positive for COVID-19.