COVID-19 Vaccines for Pregnant and Breastfeeding Moms

For many moms, there is no question that they should get vaccinated and protected with a COVID-19 vaccine if they are pregnant or breastfeeding, even if formal studies in these groups of women aren’t completed yet.

As these moms want to protect themselves, their babies, and everyone around them.

COVID-19 Vaccines for Pregnant and Breastfeeding Moms

That’s likely why at least 514 pregnant women were among the first to be vaccinated!

And why there are recommendations from the CDC and ACOG that they can get a COVID-19 vaccine, if they choose to be vaccinated.

ACIP recommendations (Interim Clinical Considerations for Use of mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines Currently Authorized in the United States) state that:

• If pregnant people are part of a group that is recommended to receive a COVID-19 vaccine (e.g., healthcare personnel), they may choose to be vaccinated.
• A lactating person who is part of a group recommended to receive a COVID-19 vaccine (e.g., healthcare personnel) may choose to be vaccinated.

Similarly, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has issued a practice advisory, Vaccinating Pregnant and Lactating Patients Against COVID-19, in which they recommend that:

• COVID-19 vaccines should not be withheld from pregnant individuals who meet criteria for vaccination based on ACIP-recommended priority groups.
• COVID-19 vaccines should be offered to lactating individuals similar to non-lactating individuals when they meet criteria for receipt of the vaccine based on prioritization groups outlined by the ACIP.

The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine has also issued a statement, Considerations for COVID-19 Vaccination in Lactation in which they don’t recommend that anyone stop breastfeeding if they get vaccinated against COVID-19 because:

“During lactation, it is unlikely that the vaccine lipid would enter the blood stream and reach breast tissue. If it does, it is even less likely that either the intact nanoparticle or mRNA transfer into milk. In the unlikely event that mRNA is present in milk, it would be expected to be digested by the child and would be unlikely to have any biological effects.”

Considerations for COVID-19 Vaccination in Lactation

The Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine also “strongly recommends that pregnant and lactating people have access to the COVID-19 vaccines and that they engage in a discussion about potential benefits and unknown risks with their healthcare providers regarding receipt of the vaccine.”

As does the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), whose “Task Force does not recommend withholding the vaccine from patients who are planning to conceive, who are currently pregnant, or who are lactating.”

Still not sure if the benefits of getting vaccinated outweigh the risks if you are pregnant or breastfeeding?

Check out this decision aid tool from the Shared Decision-Making: COVID Vaccination in Pregnancy working group at the University of Massachusetts Medical School–Baystate if you are still unsure if getting vaccinated is right for you and your family.

And know that there is plenty of information available already to help you make an informed decision.

More on COVID-19 Vaccines for Pregnant and Breastfeeding Moms

• Myths About Vaccines and Breastfeeding
• Vaccines in Pregnancy
• Influenza and Tdap Vaccination Rates Among Pregnant Women
• Did the FDA Admit That the Government Is Recommending Untested, Unlicensed Vaccines for Pregnant Women?
• Why is the Tdap Vaccine in Category C?
• Fainting After Getting a COVID-19 Vaccine
• COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Monitoring Systems
• Look Who’s Getting the COVID-19 Vaccine
• Where Are the COVID-19 Package Inserts?
• The Truth About COVID-19 Vaccines
• How to Breastfeed Your Child During Vaccinations
• Is the La Leche League Anti-Vaccine?
• ACIP – Anaphylaxis Following m-RNA COVID-19 Vaccine Receipt
• ACIP – Interim Clinical Considerations for Use of mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines Currently Authorized in the United States
• ACOG – Vaccinating Pregnant and Lactating Patients Against COVID-19
• ABM – Considerations for COVID-19 Vaccination in Lactation
• SMFM – Provider Considerations for Engaging in COVID-19 Vaccine Counseling With Pregnant and Lactating Patients
• SMFM – Experts in High-Risk Pregnancy Respond to the FDA’s Decision to Offer the Newly Approved COVID-19 Vaccine to Pregnant and Lactating People
• Coronavirus, Pregnancy, and Breastfeeding – JAMA Webinar
• American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) Patient Management and Clinical Recommendations During The Coronavirus (Covid-19) Pandemic
• Shared Decision-Making: COVID Vaccination in Pregnancy working group
• Q&A: Should pregnant or breastfeeding women take the COVID-19 vaccine?
• Your COVID-19 Workplace Rights: Breastfeeding and Lactation
• SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines in Pregnant Women
• Study – COVID-19 Breastfeeding Guideline for African-Americans (COVID-BF)
• Study – Breastfeeding Education in the Time of COVID-19