Pregnant women encouraged to get the COVID-19 vaccine by CDC and Novant Health officials

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — As the Delta variant continues to spread and restrictions begin again, many questions remain. One important question is the concern over the vaccine and pregnant women.

More than 140,000 pregnant  women in the united states have gotten the COVID vaccine, and now the CDC says there’s no evidence the vaccines cause increased risk of miscarriages during pregnancy.

Ramsey Tobey is  35 weeks pregnant. She was concerned about the risks COVID-19 would pose to her and her baby. So, she turned to her healthcare professional for guidance.

“My Midwife, she recommended me wait until my second trimester, and I totally respected that, and as soon as I got into my second trimester I was in line to get my vaccine,” said Ramsey Tobey.

Hannah Edens is also pregnant, and works in the healthcare field as a lactation consultant  and dietitian.

She said she got her vaccine days before she discovered she was pregnant, and now shares her experience with her pregnant clients.

“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t pause, wonder if it would be safe, but the more I read, the more expert opinions I sought out, the more confident I was…. as the months have rolled by its just felt really even more of a confidence booster that I made the right the decision,” said Hannah Edens.

Dr. Amelia Sutton, a Maternal Fetal Medicine Specialist with Novant Health, says the push for pregnant women to get the vaccine is more important now that there is a recent uptick in coronavirus cases.

“Women are are at a three-fold higher risk of developing severe disease, and for that reason with the resurgence of the Delta variant we are seeing a much higher rates of severe disease in pregnant women,” said Dr. Amelia Sutton.

Dr. Navin Bhojwani with Novant Health Women & Children’s Health Institute stresses the risk for women and their children if they remain unvaccinated.

“They’re really putting themselves at far greater risk for a myriad of consequences, some of which will be impactful to their unborn children. So that’s really what we want to get across, in addition to the safety of the vaccine,” said Dr. Navin Bhojwani.

Novant Health says around 10,000 people nationwide have delivered their babies following getting the vaccine, with no recorded adverse effects.