The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) is urging pregnant women in Scotland to get vaccinated against Covid-19 as the best way to protect themselves and their baby against the worst impact of the disease.
The call comes following a rising number of unvaccinated pregnant women being admitted to Scottish maternity units with severe coronavirus symptoms and reports from Heads of Midwifery in Scotland that vaccine uptake amongst pregnant women is low the RCM is urging pregnant women to get their vaccine.
Having the virus during pregnancy, particularly in the later stages can result in “serious consequences” for mothers and their children, the College said, “doubling the chance of stillbirth and tripling the chance of preterm babies”.
READ MORE: Pregnant Scots receive vaccine with 'no adverse events'
Dr Mary Ross-Davie, RCM’s UK Director for Professional Midwifery, said: “We know that the vaccine is a safe and effective way of preventing this, with hundreds of thousands of pregnant women worldwide having been vaccinated.
“We recognise that, until fairly recently, the advice has sometimes felt confusing, which is why we want to reassure women that there are now numerous studies confirming the safety of the vaccine, both for you and your baby.”
The RCM has produced a new leaflet, available via its website and social media channels, to answer some of the questions pregnant women might have about the vaccine which contains the latest advice.
Alongside this, the College has published support for midwives and other maternity staff to advise the women in their care.
Dr Ross-Davie added: “The past 18 months have been really challenging for maternity services across Scotland. Every midwife is working hard to deliver the best possible care to pregnant women, and we recognise that they’ve been doing so in a rapidly changing environment.
“That’s why we’ve been doing all we can to provide them with the most up-to-date guidance and advice so they can pass on that advice to the women in their care.
“That includes guidance for midwives and maternity staff on the vaccine and how best to discuss and share the evidence of its safety with women.”
Last month, Public Health Scotland recorded that almost 4,000 pregnant women had received a Covid-19 vaccine.
On Monday, the UK health regulator said that there is no evidence to suggest that Covid-19 vaccines raise the risk of miscarriage and stillbirth or affect fertility and the ability to have children.
Data gathered according to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) so far also does not support a link between changes to menstrual periods and Covid vaccines.
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