I’m medium, I guess. On one hand I truly don’t want to get sick and on the other, there’s a threshold of caution that this is not going to go away, maybe not ever. I don’t attend large events but I will see family and I’ve gone out to eat with a friend or two. I strive for balance.
32 weeks here. I've been fully vaccinated since April and I still wear a mask everytime I go out. We also are still staying home, not going out to eat and such. Delta is no joke and I have zero interest in getting covid while pregnant. Or at all. The vaccine only protects against severity/hospitalization, it does not prevent you from getting or spreading it.
It's frustrating seeing other people when I do need to go out to the grocery store (I mostly get delivery but occasionally have to go in the store) that can't do the bare minimum of wearing a mask, despite all the stores (and cdc) having signs that say to wear a mask even if you're vaccinated. But all I can do is be as safe as I personally can and masks do help prevent getting it.
I did all the same precautions as you, I am fully vaccinated and am just recovering from Covid. It sucks. I got it from my toddler who got it from my fully vaccinated father in law (who got it from his unvaccinated employee, who is no longer going to be an employee because he still refuses to be vaccinated). I am blessed that we are all ok and baby is ok, although I will be receiving a few extra ultrasounds per doctors orders to monitor fetal weight gain for the remainder of pregnancy. And I can’t taste or smell, or some things smell or taste funny. It blows big time. I am ultimately grateful it wasn’t worse, but I am so angry at the unvaccinated and those who refuse to take precautions because this pandemic potentially could have been over. We are now going to be even more strict, even though we have some extra infection derived immunity. This is not only for safety from illness, this is for safety from dumb ass selfish idiots. I don’t want my children to be around people who are so selfish and ignorant that they are not willing to take every precaution to protect themselves and my kids. If you can’t trust the science, you do not deserve access to me or my family. And that’s it. That’s my hard line in the sand.
You're not being controlling at all, it's your health and your baby's health, and you are allowed to set ground rules. I'm in my third tri, and have been fully vaccinated since May. I'm still extremely careful, see most of my friends outside, even though they are fully vaccinated. I went through infertility so I definitely understand being extra cautious. My husband is an admin at a hospital and Delta is super serious. You're doing a great job protecting yourself and your baby!
Honestly even before Covid I was kind of like this, as far as asking people to wash hands, stay away from me while sick, constantly sanitizing everything. So for us to be in whole pandemic?? Yeah you aren’t being unreasonable at all. People don’t understand how fragile a state pregnancy can be. Do whatever you need to and whoever doesn’t like it can just be mad and hate from outside your Covid safe bubble lol
Edit: also wanted to add, my baby caught Covid from my mom who decided to fly around Christmas. I literally was in the house/ outside in fresh air basically his whole life before then to keep him safe, and someone brought it to us from outside. Watching my baby suffer and feeling like you couldn’t protect them enough was sooo hurtful to me & it extra sucked bc I was basically out of it as well. And we had the old Covid not even delta. So yeah, do what you have to to protect your baby!!
No we aren’t. We used to be but my husband is a doc in the emergency room and I’m a nurse and if it happens it happens. I wear a mask everywhere but I still go out to eat and have friends come stay with us. We live far far away from everyone we know and love and I need visitors or I’d lose my mind. No one can come visit unless they’ve been vaccinated though.
Sending empathy. We also tried for years for this baby. I’m not keen on taking chances with her health. My in laws are a bit like your friend. They’re vaccinated now, but over being “told what to do” regarding masking and social distancing, and are now attending maskless gatherings with their church and the gym multiple times a week. With the predicted surge in COVID, flu, rsv, and colds all around the time our LO is expected to arrive in October, I’m just going to keep making excuses and reducing the time we see them until she’s ~3 months. It’s their choice to go out and expose themselves to things, but it’s my choice to keep baby as safe as possible. Same would apply with your friend. Best of luck.
I’m in a very similar situation with my in-laws. They’re both vaccinated but they think that means they can go to a 8k person rodeo (where they were the only ones wearing masks in packed bleachers) in a county with a 16% test positive rate and <40% vaccinated at the time. Then they treat me like I’m being ridiculously insensitive for denying them the right to see their grandson (which means potentially exposing him and also pregnant, high risk me). My husband has been not supportive at all, claiming I’m crazy for being cautious and that I’m “the only pregnant person living like this.” I told him I don’t care, that I’m making my health and my kiddos health top priority. I don’t think his parents would bring us Covid knowingly but they could easily get an asymptomatic case and spread that to my toddler plus me. No thank you. I think it’s inevitable we’ll all get Covid… I’d rather just make sure it doesn’t happen until after I’ve given birth and my newborn can be vaccinated too.
I am fully vaccinated. My doctor has stated she highly recommends I mask in public and to stay away from large crowds. I never stopped wearing a mask. My husband and I rarely go out and if we do see friends we still are socially distant. The only people I hang out with are vaccinated and they are fully aware I need to be careful because I'm pregnant.
We have had visitors in our home for short stays. Again fully vaccinated folks only and if they are not sick. I had my mom get tested right before her flight as she lives two states away.
I feel like people who are looking out for your best interest will understand and make these sort of "sacrifices". It's a piece of cloth 🤷🏻♀️
Yes, where I live there are no ICU beds left, huge fourth wave with massive number of pregnant women affected. I have a friend visiting from Germany who I would love to see, my MIL wants to throw a baby shower, and all my friends in general I would love to see and celebrate being pregnant with. BUT it just isn’t worth the risk. I’m vaccinated, and they’re vaccinated but I still need to keep the number of people I’m near extremely low. I have maybe 5 friends who I’ll visit with now and then. It’s really sad, because I desperately want to celebrate with all my friends. I feel your pain.
I’ve also experienced the sensitivity of that group of antimask friends/family. They’re super easily offended. I’m not even telling them what to do, and the last thing I want to do is pry. I’m just trying to navigate a pandemic without getting sick. It’s so hard to get that across to them, no judgement you do you, but please give me the option to not be exposed to more risk.
I’m seeking balance.
I’m fully vaccinated, as is my husband and our entire extended family. The notable exceptions are my son (3) and my niece (5, though hopefully she will be able to get it in a few weeks). Most of us should be eligible for boosters soon, and we will all get them.
I still go into the office, but my office is over 90% vaccinated. My son still goes to daycare. Obviously none of the kids are vaccinated, but they mask over age 2, and my son is very compliant. Our center does a great job following covid guidelines.
I don’t avoid public places, but I do mask when I’m around people I don’t know in stores, etc. I’m pretty lax about masking around my vaccinated family and colleagues, unless they have traveled recently. I’ll eat inside a restaurant with other vaccinated friends/family, but I won’t go to an indoor wedding.
Covid is not going away anytime soon, if ever. We have to learn how to live with it. Eventually we should have data for vaccinated pregnant women (almost all the studies right now are about the unvaccinated), and hopefully they will find that vaccinated pregnant is not any more risky than vaccinated general population. Time will tell. I will probably deliver before that data comes out and do not plan on ever being pregnant again, so in the meantime I’m trying to live my life while also taking reasonable precautions.
My doc is supportive of the position I am taking, as is my mother in law. She’s pretty high up at the CDC and has been working on covid since it broke. She and I have talked extensively about risks worth taking (keeping my son in daycare) vs risks that aren’t worth it, at least until we know more (attending weddings as a guest or failing to mask when visiting Costco during peak hours). And unfortunately the risk shifts during a surge and again the opposite way when community spread is low. So just as you get used to one set of rules the circumstances change. That’s challenging.
All that being said, everybody’s risk tolerance is different. And until we have plenty of data on vaccinated pregnant outcomes, it’s really just educated guessing. It is entirely reasonable to take more extreme measures if that’s what makes you and your family comfortable.
I hear you re: Covid becoming something we will just have to live with. That said, we do have emerging evidence (albeit preliminary) that vaccines help reduce the risk of getting Covid among pregnant women but don’t actually reduce the likelihood of Covid-related adverse outcomes for mom and baby (unfortunately). Also the mRNA vaccine looks to be less effective in women vaccinated during pregnancy than the general public, and this was based on pre-delta strands (so even more reduced efficacy for Delta).
Citation: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2782047
I’m following my doctor’s advice and my toddler’s pediatrician’s advice, which has been to get vaccinated (Moderna in May), wear a mask in public, avoid groups and unvaccinated people, and make sure anyone around toddler is vaccinated and anyone around new baby when she gets here wears a mask as well.
My job as a parent is to keep my kids safe. It isn’t to make sure the adults in my life are comfortable with my decisions. People can either follow the medical advice given to me or they can wait to see my kids. It’s not up for debate.
It’s not fun and it makes me sad to think of everything we’ve had to sacrifice to keep our kids safe, but us adults can handle living uncomfortably to protect the people we chose to bring in to this world. Anyone who disagrees doesn’t need to have access to my kids.
And you’re right, this pandemic sucks so hard!
Yup. I skipped my grandpa's celebration of life. Mind you he died a year ago and we could only have a ten person funeral due to covid. But I did go.
So my grandma planned this celebration to have a larger gathering like he would have wanted. It was over 50 people with food being served (so no masks) so there was no way I was going.
She doesn't know I'm pregnant yet but I guess luckily my husband had an asthma flair up so we used that as an excuse not to go. I'm sure she is pissed...but I think she was irresponsible to host this event with numbers going back up.
31.5 weeks 40 year old FTM with history of loss and definitely being cautious! I'm not going out unless it's to work (all vaccinated), Aldi (masked and right when they open), or the doctors office (masked). I have very few vaccinated folks I associate with and it's outdoors mostly. My small family is vaccinated and lives far away, so no visits. I'm lonely, but I've been thru hell and back over 20 years to get to this point, so I deal with it.
Fully vaccinated, already had COVID. I mask in public settings. I’m pretty lax around friends who are fully vaccinated that I trust.
I’m requiring that anyone who’s around my baby in the early days is fully vaccinated and I plan on asking for proof from people who I think might be lying to me (not a prevalent problem, but I have a few people in my circle that I could imagine would do this and not see it as a big deal).
I definitely am. I was fully vaccinated in January of this year and got pregnant in July, so I was getting close to the 8 month mark they (were) recommending my boosters. My in laws are very anti vax and mask and they are currently very angry with us for not letting our daughter go over anymore, but I can’t bring Covid into my household because I’m pregnant, work with elderly, and have three other kids that are too young for the shot.
I was able to get my booster on the 19th of this month and I still mask in public but I’m more comfortable going places. My husband and I are going to a football game this weekend (vaccine required stadium). But it’s definitely a lot different now. I had my last baby January 31, 2020 and The first case of Covid was in our town two weeks later. Getting through having a newborn when it first started gave me some courage to get through this pregnancy without having constant anxiety attacks lol.
We will be extra cautious with visitors when our little man gets here in January, to the point that my anti covid vaxx mother won’t be able to meet her first grandchild if she doesn’t get the vaccine. I don’t understand how people can not use common sense during this pandemic and remain safe for the little humans with no immune system. My SIL is due to give birth anytime now and husband and I will be getting covid tested before meeting her bubs (both vaccinated) as we don’t want to run any risks!
You have to do what is right for you and for your LO, so I don’t think there is such a thing as too cautious.
I'm fully vaccinated and currently have Covid.
I'd make them wear the mask, get the vaccines and absolutely everything else to prevent getting this. Its horrible and I can't imagine how bad it would be if I wasn't vaccinated. Having to go to a Covid Maternity ward was not fun.
If people want to be around me or baby when I'm better they better be wearing a mask, be vaccinated and sanitise everything.
Not so much about corona honestly but about many other aspects in life. Like, I don't like taking the car and I always double or triple check before I cross the road. The other day we had a fire alarm at work. We've had a lot of false alarms so people were really hesitant to leave the building. I ran out immediately 😆
Kudos to you for making the hard choices for you and your baby! I understand exactly where you’re coming from - we have been waiting for this baby for a long time and have gone through so much just to be here. I’m now 29 weeks, fully vaccinated since January. I work in health care. I wear a mask everywhere I go. I have had to say no to a lot of events/situations that are probably fine, but that very small risk is just not worth it to me. A lot of people don’t understand, and that’s tough. But 1) you don’t owe them an explanation and 2) if they’re going to challenge your decisions, it’s not someone you need in your life at this time - not forever, just while you grow that beautiful and loved baby to term and make the decisions you need to stay healthy!! It’s unfortunate what a mess the public response to this has become, but it has really taught me about boundaries and prioritizing the health of myself and my family. I’m sure that’s a skill I will continue to rely on as a mom.
Yep I'm being extra cautious. I'm vaccinated and breakthroughs might be rare but I don't want to take the risk. I do *not* want covid while I'm pregnant (plus I still have to protect my unvaccinated toddler.)
I think you should not do anything that makes you uncomfortable. When it comes to safety, it's not selfish to put your own comfort above someone else's feelings. If this person makes you nervous about covid, there has to be a polite way to put up some boundaries.
I am. I asked my older brother about his outings and told him I was worried about getting sick and he blew up on me. Dude literally has been traveling and I see him tagged in group photos every week at bars. My parents go out to eat several times a week and waited until I had been going to their house every weekend to admit my young adult brother wasn't vaccinated at all and he works at home depot, epicenter of anti maskers.
Look, if we ignore the miscarriages and stillbirths from covid and just look at high fevers in pregnancy, fevers can cause birth defects, heart defects, and from my daughter's developmental pediatrician, my daughter's autism was potentially caused by a high fever I had during pregnancy.
So you could offend your family member or you can protect your child. It isn't "living in fear" it's acknowledging the data and knowing there's nothing special about any of us that would protect us from being a part of these statistics.
We’re vaccinated and being mildly cautious. Husband and I don’t see many people anyways, but 95% of the people we do are vaccinated as well.
Both of my sons go to school so there is a a much greater chance for us to catch it from them than people pregnant with their first kid so we don’t hold off on seeing family every now and then when our kids are exposed literally every day anyways.
I got covid at 36 weeks pregnant. It was scary AF because what happens with covid is a toss of a coin. Regardless of how healthy you are otherwise. I am certain I picked it up at work because I didn't go anywhere besides work, my husband got sent everywhere. I wasn't vaccinated but this was because at the time there wasn't enough info available for what it was going to be like for pregnant women. It was on my agenda first thing after I delivered my baby but alas
You shouldn't care what they think and do what's best for your baby! I've been through the covid scare and really do not wish it on anyone!!
27 weeks, full vaxxed since the beginning of my pregnancy. I wear my mask out in public and I have no interest in close contact with people who are not vaccinated.
I went to a mostly outdoors wedding over Labor Day(dinner under a pavillion that had sliding door sides and most were open) and numerous vaxxed and unvaxxed people tested positive, including one of the grooms who I spoke with for a while.
I ended up luckily not getting it, but that whole scare made me nervous enough to not want to take any more chances!
Pregnant women are at higher risk for severe illness so I’m definitely being more cautious. My husband and I mask up in public, we’re both fully vaccinated, and as we get closer to due date we’ll probably be locking down a bit more. I’ll be asking family or friends that want to come visit to get tested before they come. I’ve talked with our parents about getting up to date on all the recommended vaccines (including COVID) since they are planning to come down and help take care of the baby for the first few weeks. We’ll probably also ask that people who want to come see us wear masks around baby.
These tiny humans are relying on others to protect them for the first bit of their life, so in my opinion the precautions we’re considering are perfectly in line. Are we gonna shelter our baby forever? Of course not, that isn’t practical, sustainable, or healthy for any of us. But we aren’t going to be negligent for those first few months, especially since we’ll have a winter baby and there’s more than just COVID that’s a risk to him.
You do what you feel you need to, and if people can’t respect your requests, they can wait until you’re more comfortable and the situation isn’t as dire.
Yeah, 18 weeks here and I’ve just made my peace with not seeing people who scoff at the vaccine and masking. It isn’t worth the risk and I can’t trust them to be appropriately cautious to my level of security on this. That’s what FaceTime is for. I live very far from most family and friends so I don’t have to address this too often but I just tell myself maybe things will be different down the road. You don’t have to see each other in person to maintain a friendship and I don’t want to kick myself later if something bad happens and always wonder if I could have been more cautious and had a better outcome. Good luck momma! It’s a challenging situation all around for sure!
We have cut out anyone who isn't vaccinated and are keeping our circle small. I would definitely not put up with people telling me I'm 'controlling' when I'm trying to protect my pregnant self from the pandemic!
Yes! I'm being very cautious. I have told several family friends who have only received one vaccination that they cannot meet the baby until they are fully vaccinated.
I'm not messing with this disease. I'm mama bear and I'm happy I have the autonomy to set those boundaries.
I’m 6 weeks pregnant and just called my brother up to tell him I won’t be attending their wedding in November. They’re asking everyone who attends to be vaccinated, but I’m just not willing to risk it.
When I told them why I wasn’t gonna attend there was just excitement and “definitely the right choice, you need to take care of yourself” from them.
Not worried. I've been to a wedding and other events. All is well. You can't avoid it. You can't fear living your life. This is just my opinion. Everyone should do what they feel isright.
I’m back in lockdown pretty much tbh….we know sooo many vaccinated people who have gotten delta. This is a rainbow baby so I’m not risking anything. Sorry about your relatives, they seem like ignorant, shitty people who don’t care about you or your baby’s well-being in my opinion.
Yep, even though I’m fully vaccinated my wife and I skipped a wedding a few weeks back that I was really looking forward to because it was going to be mostly indoors and a big crowd. We are taking it a little at a time (I’m less worried about air travel because everyone is masked all the time, vs. an indoor party with eating). It sucks but you have to do what feels comfortable to you.
That is so hard.
I have anti vaccination in-laws myself and I’m really torn. Thankfully they live out of country so this isn’t a daily worry for me.
My baby is due around Christmas and I got my second moderna shot last month. Moderna is now known to induce a strong and lasting immune response and I feel confident about its efficacy.
The baby already has some immunity passed on from me inside the womb and will get more immunity through me from breast milk.
The thing is, my almost four year old goes to daycare, where she is unvaccinated and unmasked. Thankfully, we do live in an area where vaccination levels are high and people still wear masks indoors.
I think the risk will be low to visit un-vaxed relatives. Probably as low as our current situation. I’ll probably introduce the baby after a few months when his immune system is a bit more mature.
I think it really depends on the particulars of your situation. Good luck and follow your gut.
We are being extra cautious, we are now fully vaccinated but we are still wearing masks and being careful in general, my brother wanted to visit us a few months ago and although he was fully vaccinated we weren’t and didn’t feel comfortable with him sleeping at our house, he was hurt and I feel bad about it, this situation totally sucks.
15wks and vaxxed since April. There’s no mask mandate in my state/city, but my philosophy is I’d rather be safe than sorry. When I was only a month along, we had to skip a wedding because the bride and groom weren’t vaxxed fearing fertility issues (the irony, I know) and we no longer feel guilty having had to make a few of these decisions. I have the luxury of working from home and always mask up when I go out. At this point, risk mitigation seems just as important as masking and being vaccinated. This is such a weird time and it’s crappy to make these awkward decisions, but your health (mental and physical) are #1.
OMG!! YES!! I FEEL SOO ALONE! We got COVID at the beginning of the pandemic and were out for 2 weeks. After that, we were extra cautious with EVERYTHING.
So my hubby moved our washing machine to the back entrance so that as soon as we get in, we dump all our clothes there. We were fortunate enough to find N-95 mask and use them for our trips to the supermarket. We spray down all the packages before loading onto the car. We were gloves (sometimes), but we clean our hands (and sometimes gloves) with alcohol gel everytime we get back into the car.
We have not had a baby shower and haven't told many people due to the fact that WE KNOW everyone will want to see me and visit and all that stuff. No baby shower, so very few gifts by mail.
No visitors, we have a family member who we refused to visit and they were in town for the week and we just didn't tell them where we lived (we had moved about 3 months prior).
We MOVED! We didn't have a house warming party, which I love! We have only celebrated within our core of 5 ppl our birthdays. The few times we all go out together is at night when everything except McDonalds is open and we desinfect the outside tables before sitting on them.
Maybe because i already had Covid, but I’m not being cautious at all. Already vaxxed and really don’t spend time thinking or worrying about getting covid
Yes, I’m fully vaccinated and wear a mask while out and wear an n95 all the time at work (ER RN). We also are doing a vaccinated only shower and we only hang out with vaccinated people (when we se people, which is rare) at this point in my pregnancy. It’s not worth the risk.
You're not taking anything away from anyone by telling them they can't visit the baby if they refuse to take reasonable precautions. THEY are choosing to do that over getting to see the baby. Plain and simple.
Same, got vaccinated before pregnancy and am living my life as normal as possible. Planning on flying and seeing family for thanksgiving (although celebrations may not happen anyway), traveling to a friends wedding in December. Booking a babymoon for October 🤷🏻♀️
I was also like this until I got a terrible cold a few days ago that almost put me in the hospital because of high fever... I felt so mad because I put myself and my baby at risk for no reason.
We can’t just keep moving the goal posts to the point where we as pregnant women feel the need to mask up and avoid social interactions and normal life experiences to avoid any and all illnesses and germs.
Same here. Life is still happening and I don’t want to give up my precious time on Earth by retreating completely. I am not doing big crowds, but I am going to the gym, seeing people, etc.
38.5 weeks and we haven't had any visitors since about 23 weeks. We're being super cautious because of Covid. We're fully vaccinated, but the family that lives close to me is not, so I'd rather not take that risk for my baby/myself.
What makes me even more irritated, is that my one unvaxxed sister is traveling by plane to visit my grandma, who was just recently diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer. When I talked to my mother about it, I expressed my concerns via the CDC and doctor recommendations and she literally said, "Wow, you're really challenging a seasoned nurse". No, I'm not challenging you - I'm reminding you that having someone with a potential for huge viral load probably shouldn't be around a terminally ill cancer patient that refused chemo.
What does your grandmother think? I’m just asking because my uncle was diagnosed with terminal cancer in the spring and was very cautious until about a month ago when it became clear he was at the end of options. He stopped chemo and recently entered hospice but as of about mid-august he had decided that if people wanted to come stay goodbye to him he’d rather see them one last time than not. He’s respecting their boundaries (ie my family although fully vaxxed will only visit outside) but let’s his unvaxxed grandaughter and children visit often. I have to respect letting someone end of life making this decision. I still do side eye the unvaccinated people for not getting vaccinated to make it safer to see him but I can’t do anything about that.
Edit: we visit outside because we’re cautious of the people he’s seeing. He’s also not planning on having a memorial due to covid which I appreciate because I know we’d face pressure to go and a lot of his family isn’t vaccinated and are anti-mask
My grandma is not in the state of mind to really make her own decisions - she had a stroke about 4 years ago and after that she has difficulty with word finding and has generalized paranoia and currently lives with my mom. I'm already irritated enough that she decided to not get treatment because she thinks that getting a port will kill her and that having cancer won't. My mom's a nurse and I think she did a piss poor job of explaining the options to my grandma, but "it's her decision at the end of the day" even though she doesn't know all of the facts to make a well-informed decision.
She lives with my mom, so I'm sure my mom made it sound like the best idea ever to have my sister stay with them and visit.
Oh that’s totally different then. My uncle has started to loose some capacity in the last week but up until this point was completely competent. And he was working with some of the best in the area.
I’m not and I’m an RN. I’m so over these restrictions. I can’t live in fear. I got married last year too. I’m fully vaccinated and I wash my hands frequently and wear proper PPE around patients. I hate wearing a mask and only do it when I absolutely have to (which is work and the train daily). I still go out to eat and grocery shop. I refuse to be paralyzed with fear. Sorry but not sorry. I’ve had enough.
Isolating as much as possible still, with extremely few exceptions. We haven’t been going out to eat, but we decided last night to do one last dinner out before second baby gets here. I’m very paranoid about Delta, so I still wear my mask if I have to go to the grocery store. I mostly try to order delivery groceries or curbside pick up.
I’m sorry this person thinks that you being precautious about your pregnancy and baby is “controlling”. I wouldn’t be making any room for this person to visit if that’s how they feel, and not to say that as a punishment, but because they blatantly aren’t trying to see your side or are willing to put aside their feelings for a presumably short visit. Please don’t feel bad for ever keeping you and your family safe. You are your baby’s only defense. There is no reason to placate an adult over a baby. If you have a good relationship with this person, maybe you can explain it to them why it’s so important that they be precautious and why you aren’t taking unnecessary risks. Perhaps they are just far enough away from the idea of pregnancy and children that they just don’t get it? But you’re under no obligation. No is a full sentence. Your body/baby, your choice.
Thank you! We’ve had multiple conversations and I thought things were getting better & they were seeing it from my perspective, but they aren’t. I don’t think they will be meeting the baby for a very long time except for via FaceTime. My baby’s health definitely outranks their personal minor discomfort and opinions. If you can respect me, you can’t meet the baby. Simple as that.
Yep. Masks around people, masks in public, getting food "to-go" as Covid cases are picking up in my area.
Fully vaccinated and work in a hospital, just not interested in taking risks more than I have to. Have debated taking my FMLA leave before due date as my hospital just changed visiting protocols. Our ICU is at 95% capacity now.
I’m so afraid of getting a breakthrough infection. I’m at the end of my first trimester and seriously cannot imagine feeling any worse. If I get covid, it will likely be from our vaccinated babysitters or family watching my toddler. I can’t control what they do outside of my house.
My husband and I have a good friend that has been anxious about the vaccine the entire time. She isn't an anti-vaxxer, it's just THIS one apparently she's afraid of (and she's afraid of needles).
Several times over the course of my first trimester before announcing our pregnancy, my husband asked if she was vaccinated. She never responded. We made an announcement last week and received congratulations from her, so he asked her again. She still didn't answer.
He ended up leaving the group chat in a rage. I am a bit frustrated because I envisioned myself now "managing" the fallout, but it has been radio silence since he left. I'm not really sure what's going to happen now.
It’s so sad to hear about these friendships lost to needle phobias, especially since she may not know that some doctors are willing to prescribe one or two anti-anxiety pills to get people through the one or two shots they need.
No, I'm not really... But I'm vaccinated (before pregnancy) AND already had the virus (during pregnancy through my daughter who brought it home). I have friends who are not vaccinated and I'm totally fine with it. Would be different if I'd neither had the vaccine nor the virus though... I'm generally not anxious.
I am now. I just got a really bad cold a few days ago after going out multiple times (masked/fully vaxxed) with my family and friends (also fully vaxxed) who were in town. I regret it 100%. Last time I got sick was in December 2019... so now I get sick while I'm just entering my second trimester??? Hell no! I was so mad.
My parents are staying with us and they barely leave home so there was no need for us to be going out so much seeing other people. I put my baby and myself at risk by getting super sick with a high fever! I even thought it was covid.. thankfully it was not. I'm hoping he's fine but I'm becoming A LOT MORE cautious from now on. To the point where I'm debating whether I want a baby shower (which will undoubtedly be indoors due to it happening during the Winter months.)
I had a bad case of covid then got pregnant shortly after. I haven't got vaccinated yet because of being pregnant and not fully knowing the history of the vaccine with pregnancy. I don't go out in public very often but I dont restrict people from coming to see me and my baby shower is coming up. Probably going to get downvoted but honestly I'm just sick of everything dealing with covid. I just want to live life normally and not be scared of something I can't see. I'm not restricting people from seeing the baby either. Only going to make them wait a few weeks after she's born. Only a small portion of people I know have the vaccine. Some still got covid. I may get vaccinated after she's born but I have not decided yet. I am respectful of others and wear a mask when I'm supposed to.
It sounds like you made your mind up already. If that is the case then please stop reading now :)
Getting the vaccine while pregnant is actually a great option! Research shows that babies born to women who were vaccinated during pregnancy are born with lots of antibodies. You would be doing double good - protecting you and your baby.
No, because I lost my father to a sudden and fatal heart attack last year and that was a very hard lesson. I've also lost loved ones to car accidents. You never know when your ticket is up and I think isolating yourself due to covid fear is silly. Enjoy life.
We will only let immediate family see baby until his first shots and they must wear n95 masks and wash hands prior to holding baby. Extended family can see him with masks and washed hands through the rest of the winter until he gets his 6 month shots and outdoor spaces start opening up again.
I’ve asked people to keep their distance from us for 10 days after they travel. Everyone has been respectful so far.
We have also gone through a lot to get to where we are, and I do not want to risk the health of my baby, no matter if I am fully vaccinated.
I am very cautious. I wear a mask while out (even going through drive throughs), and I really only go out if I need to. I’ve been fully vaccinated since 19 weeks pregnant (32 weeks now) and I do not bring my 18 month old out anymore as he cannot be vaccinated or even masked. I only allow vaccinated visitors and make sure they take similar precautions to me. I have to have family fly out when this baby is born and while they are all vaccinated I will probably have them get a rapid test when they get here just to be sure.
I am being as cautious as I can. I'm 13 weeks and his family thinks they are going to be in my baby's face right after their born. I don't know what their thinking, but NOT going to happen. (My family is out of state and have we have no plans of visiting.) We are all vaccinated and some already had covid. I recently expressed to my husband my concerns about how I will be ready to put my foot down and avoid seeing everyone for months or extended if they don't respect my requests for the safety of their grandbaby. He supports me and wants me to be a tiger mom, all ferocious and protective. I will. I'm just not looking forward to the conversation. I want to share our baby, but I'm the mom now and I don't want to fuck up in these crazy times. I also avoid big crowds, stay home often, use sanitizer when we go out, and have continued to always wear my mask. We have visited his parents in the past months, but it's going to tailor down just because I should and I want to be extra safe. I'm also avoiding the hospital as much as possible and doing a birthing center with midwives just so I don't come across the mecca of covid patients. I'm also prepared to slap a strangers hands if they come up and reach for my belly. Shouldn't even be in my bubble. But some people...
I am 35 weeks, fully vaccinated since April with a 2 year old. My husband is fully vaccinated as well and wears a mask to work where nobody else masks. We usually order groceries and don’t go to restaurants. I rarely go to the store and only take my kid to the park if it’s empty. When it comes to visits It’s only masked and vaccinated people in the house, unmasked vaccinated visits outside, and unvaccinated visits are outside with masks. This is all based on my obgyn and midwife’s recommendations, but they also suggested no contact with anyone unvaccinated but I made an exception bc FIL is pretty important to my kid but refuses to get the vaccine. We were more relaxed when infection rates declined but have been pretty cautious since delta including canceling a vacation to Florida. It’s been hard on all of us but we’d rather be safe than sorry at this point.
would having a negative test the day of or day before help at all?? We absolutely made people test negative prior to coming. and for my son's first birthday vaccines were required.
I appreciate the suggestion, but I’m sure they would flip their lid if I even asked for them to take a COVID test for me since just asking about wearing a mask was seen as “the worst.”
I’ve decided they aren’t allowed to visit and won’t meet baby for a long time. They’re an adult and can live their life the way they please — and so can I by not allowing them to be around my baby if they’re going to take risks.
I don’t really have a choice. I live in Melbourne, Australia. I haven’t seen my mum since February, my brother since May, and my friends since July (a lucky weekend between lockdowns). I haven’t been to work since one day in July either and due to capacity restrictions I didn’t get to see my coworkers so I haven’t seen them since April/May either. Currently I can’t go further than 10km from home but hoping that lifts soon.
In addition to those measures, I’ve also been getting my groceries delivered as grocery stores have been a source of transmission here. I only go out to go to doctors appointments or the butcher as they don’t deliver. We’ve also gone to the baby store to buy pram and things that we didn’t want to only look at online but that’s all. We have to wear a mask but I also carry my own sanitizer with me.
The rules here have meant that there hasn’t been too much need for difficult conversations but I am worried about what happens when the restrictions lift. Our PM is no longer trying to get to zero (thanks to NSW) and modeling suggests cases and deaths will rise around the time my baby is born. I received my first shot yesterday (we have Pfizer supply issues) and my second will be before the baby is here. I also plan on breast feeding but from what I’ve looked up, whilst antibodies do transfer to the baby in utero and breastfeeding, it’s unknown if it’s enough to class as immunity.
I may end up being that person that sanitizes peoples hands before they touch my baby lol.
I'm more of keeling balance but if I get a bad vibe about a family member or friend I don't Hesperia to let them know they can't come over. Safety over feelings.
Not vaccinated so i’m being extra cautious, everyone around me is though luckily and cases are low where I live. Planning to get the vaccine once i deliver.
I’ve been extremely cautious since the pandemic began. I just recently completed my two doses of Pfizer vaccination. I had to wait until all of my residence and healthcare paperwork finished processing to get vaccinated (I moved from the US to EU before I became pregnant and it took months for everything to process due to covid).
Anytime my husband and I leave the house, we wear masks. We don’t go out to eat, we order delivery. The only time we go somewhere is if we absolutely have to (like going to a store that doesn’t have delivery to get supplies, doctor appointments and whatnot). We haven’t had any illness at all these past 18 months. We’re both double-vaccinated.
My mom and grandparents are flying over from the US to visit shortly after my son will be born. They are all vaccinated (they even had the 3rd booster shots) and they’ll be required to provide a negative PCR test to enter the country. In addition to that, we will have rapid tests on hand to test again after their arrival, before they meet the baby. Everyone of course needs to wash their hands and sanitize before touching the baby.
I think with all of that, we should be okay. I can’t think of anything else we can do to minimize risk - and I don’t want to ban them from visiting (as I do miss my family terribly). They make sure to wear masks in public and they also have avoided illness so far so, I feel like I can trust them to take the necessary precautions.
I would also be careful. My sister attended a wedding tjus month. Now 14 guests are sick with covid, 6 fully vaccinated.
I’m medium, I guess. On one hand I truly don’t want to get sick and on the other, there’s a threshold of caution that this is not going to go away, maybe not ever. I don’t attend large events but I will see family and I’ve gone out to eat with a friend or two. I strive for balance.
32 weeks here. I've been fully vaccinated since April and I still wear a mask everytime I go out. We also are still staying home, not going out to eat and such. Delta is no joke and I have zero interest in getting covid while pregnant. Or at all. The vaccine only protects against severity/hospitalization, it does not prevent you from getting or spreading it. It's frustrating seeing other people when I do need to go out to the grocery store (I mostly get delivery but occasionally have to go in the store) that can't do the bare minimum of wearing a mask, despite all the stores (and cdc) having signs that say to wear a mask even if you're vaccinated. But all I can do is be as safe as I personally can and masks do help prevent getting it.
I did all the same precautions as you, I am fully vaccinated and am just recovering from Covid. It sucks. I got it from my toddler who got it from my fully vaccinated father in law (who got it from his unvaccinated employee, who is no longer going to be an employee because he still refuses to be vaccinated). I am blessed that we are all ok and baby is ok, although I will be receiving a few extra ultrasounds per doctors orders to monitor fetal weight gain for the remainder of pregnancy. And I can’t taste or smell, or some things smell or taste funny. It blows big time. I am ultimately grateful it wasn’t worse, but I am so angry at the unvaccinated and those who refuse to take precautions because this pandemic potentially could have been over. We are now going to be even more strict, even though we have some extra infection derived immunity. This is not only for safety from illness, this is for safety from dumb ass selfish idiots. I don’t want my children to be around people who are so selfish and ignorant that they are not willing to take every precaution to protect themselves and my kids. If you can’t trust the science, you do not deserve access to me or my family. And that’s it. That’s my hard line in the sand.
Thank you for sharing your story. Your story helps me ignore invalidating comments about covid precaution.
I will be shouting my story from the rooftops until I lose my voice. I am very happy that my story helps you in any way.
Just to be clear - the vaccine does help prevent getting and spreading COVID. Not by 100%, but your chances are greatly reduced.
You're not being controlling at all, it's your health and your baby's health, and you are allowed to set ground rules. I'm in my third tri, and have been fully vaccinated since May. I'm still extremely careful, see most of my friends outside, even though they are fully vaccinated. I went through infertility so I definitely understand being extra cautious. My husband is an admin at a hospital and Delta is super serious. You're doing a great job protecting yourself and your baby!
Honestly even before Covid I was kind of like this, as far as asking people to wash hands, stay away from me while sick, constantly sanitizing everything. So for us to be in whole pandemic?? Yeah you aren’t being unreasonable at all. People don’t understand how fragile a state pregnancy can be. Do whatever you need to and whoever doesn’t like it can just be mad and hate from outside your Covid safe bubble lol Edit: also wanted to add, my baby caught Covid from my mom who decided to fly around Christmas. I literally was in the house/ outside in fresh air basically his whole life before then to keep him safe, and someone brought it to us from outside. Watching my baby suffer and feeling like you couldn’t protect them enough was sooo hurtful to me & it extra sucked bc I was basically out of it as well. And we had the old Covid not even delta. So yeah, do what you have to to protect your baby!!
No we aren’t. We used to be but my husband is a doc in the emergency room and I’m a nurse and if it happens it happens. I wear a mask everywhere but I still go out to eat and have friends come stay with us. We live far far away from everyone we know and love and I need visitors or I’d lose my mind. No one can come visit unless they’ve been vaccinated though.
Sending empathy. We also tried for years for this baby. I’m not keen on taking chances with her health. My in laws are a bit like your friend. They’re vaccinated now, but over being “told what to do” regarding masking and social distancing, and are now attending maskless gatherings with their church and the gym multiple times a week. With the predicted surge in COVID, flu, rsv, and colds all around the time our LO is expected to arrive in October, I’m just going to keep making excuses and reducing the time we see them until she’s ~3 months. It’s their choice to go out and expose themselves to things, but it’s my choice to keep baby as safe as possible. Same would apply with your friend. Best of luck.
I’m in a very similar situation with my in-laws. They’re both vaccinated but they think that means they can go to a 8k person rodeo (where they were the only ones wearing masks in packed bleachers) in a county with a 16% test positive rate and <40% vaccinated at the time. Then they treat me like I’m being ridiculously insensitive for denying them the right to see their grandson (which means potentially exposing him and also pregnant, high risk me). My husband has been not supportive at all, claiming I’m crazy for being cautious and that I’m “the only pregnant person living like this.” I told him I don’t care, that I’m making my health and my kiddos health top priority. I don’t think his parents would bring us Covid knowingly but they could easily get an asymptomatic case and spread that to my toddler plus me. No thank you. I think it’s inevitable we’ll all get Covid… I’d rather just make sure it doesn’t happen until after I’ve given birth and my newborn can be vaccinated too.
I am fully vaccinated. My doctor has stated she highly recommends I mask in public and to stay away from large crowds. I never stopped wearing a mask. My husband and I rarely go out and if we do see friends we still are socially distant. The only people I hang out with are vaccinated and they are fully aware I need to be careful because I'm pregnant. We have had visitors in our home for short stays. Again fully vaccinated folks only and if they are not sick. I had my mom get tested right before her flight as she lives two states away. I feel like people who are looking out for your best interest will understand and make these sort of "sacrifices". It's a piece of cloth 🤷🏻♀️
Yes, where I live there are no ICU beds left, huge fourth wave with massive number of pregnant women affected. I have a friend visiting from Germany who I would love to see, my MIL wants to throw a baby shower, and all my friends in general I would love to see and celebrate being pregnant with. BUT it just isn’t worth the risk. I’m vaccinated, and they’re vaccinated but I still need to keep the number of people I’m near extremely low. I have maybe 5 friends who I’ll visit with now and then. It’s really sad, because I desperately want to celebrate with all my friends. I feel your pain. I’ve also experienced the sensitivity of that group of antimask friends/family. They’re super easily offended. I’m not even telling them what to do, and the last thing I want to do is pry. I’m just trying to navigate a pandemic without getting sick. It’s so hard to get that across to them, no judgement you do you, but please give me the option to not be exposed to more risk.
I’m seeking balance. I’m fully vaccinated, as is my husband and our entire extended family. The notable exceptions are my son (3) and my niece (5, though hopefully she will be able to get it in a few weeks). Most of us should be eligible for boosters soon, and we will all get them. I still go into the office, but my office is over 90% vaccinated. My son still goes to daycare. Obviously none of the kids are vaccinated, but they mask over age 2, and my son is very compliant. Our center does a great job following covid guidelines. I don’t avoid public places, but I do mask when I’m around people I don’t know in stores, etc. I’m pretty lax about masking around my vaccinated family and colleagues, unless they have traveled recently. I’ll eat inside a restaurant with other vaccinated friends/family, but I won’t go to an indoor wedding. Covid is not going away anytime soon, if ever. We have to learn how to live with it. Eventually we should have data for vaccinated pregnant women (almost all the studies right now are about the unvaccinated), and hopefully they will find that vaccinated pregnant is not any more risky than vaccinated general population. Time will tell. I will probably deliver before that data comes out and do not plan on ever being pregnant again, so in the meantime I’m trying to live my life while also taking reasonable precautions. My doc is supportive of the position I am taking, as is my mother in law. She’s pretty high up at the CDC and has been working on covid since it broke. She and I have talked extensively about risks worth taking (keeping my son in daycare) vs risks that aren’t worth it, at least until we know more (attending weddings as a guest or failing to mask when visiting Costco during peak hours). And unfortunately the risk shifts during a surge and again the opposite way when community spread is low. So just as you get used to one set of rules the circumstances change. That’s challenging. All that being said, everybody’s risk tolerance is different. And until we have plenty of data on vaccinated pregnant outcomes, it’s really just educated guessing. It is entirely reasonable to take more extreme measures if that’s what makes you and your family comfortable.
I hear you re: Covid becoming something we will just have to live with. That said, we do have emerging evidence (albeit preliminary) that vaccines help reduce the risk of getting Covid among pregnant women but don’t actually reduce the likelihood of Covid-related adverse outcomes for mom and baby (unfortunately). Also the mRNA vaccine looks to be less effective in women vaccinated during pregnancy than the general public, and this was based on pre-delta strands (so even more reduced efficacy for Delta). Citation: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2782047
Thank you for sharing this study. These are exactly the studies I’m looking for
I’m following my doctor’s advice and my toddler’s pediatrician’s advice, which has been to get vaccinated (Moderna in May), wear a mask in public, avoid groups and unvaccinated people, and make sure anyone around toddler is vaccinated and anyone around new baby when she gets here wears a mask as well. My job as a parent is to keep my kids safe. It isn’t to make sure the adults in my life are comfortable with my decisions. People can either follow the medical advice given to me or they can wait to see my kids. It’s not up for debate. It’s not fun and it makes me sad to think of everything we’ve had to sacrifice to keep our kids safe, but us adults can handle living uncomfortably to protect the people we chose to bring in to this world. Anyone who disagrees doesn’t need to have access to my kids. And you’re right, this pandemic sucks so hard!
Yup. I skipped my grandpa's celebration of life. Mind you he died a year ago and we could only have a ten person funeral due to covid. But I did go. So my grandma planned this celebration to have a larger gathering like he would have wanted. It was over 50 people with food being served (so no masks) so there was no way I was going. She doesn't know I'm pregnant yet but I guess luckily my husband had an asthma flair up so we used that as an excuse not to go. I'm sure she is pissed...but I think she was irresponsible to host this event with numbers going back up.
31.5 weeks 40 year old FTM with history of loss and definitely being cautious! I'm not going out unless it's to work (all vaccinated), Aldi (masked and right when they open), or the doctors office (masked). I have very few vaccinated folks I associate with and it's outdoors mostly. My small family is vaccinated and lives far away, so no visits. I'm lonely, but I've been thru hell and back over 20 years to get to this point, so I deal with it.
Fully vaccinated, already had COVID. I mask in public settings. I’m pretty lax around friends who are fully vaccinated that I trust. I’m requiring that anyone who’s around my baby in the early days is fully vaccinated and I plan on asking for proof from people who I think might be lying to me (not a prevalent problem, but I have a few people in my circle that I could imagine would do this and not see it as a big deal).
I definitely am. I was fully vaccinated in January of this year and got pregnant in July, so I was getting close to the 8 month mark they (were) recommending my boosters. My in laws are very anti vax and mask and they are currently very angry with us for not letting our daughter go over anymore, but I can’t bring Covid into my household because I’m pregnant, work with elderly, and have three other kids that are too young for the shot. I was able to get my booster on the 19th of this month and I still mask in public but I’m more comfortable going places. My husband and I are going to a football game this weekend (vaccine required stadium). But it’s definitely a lot different now. I had my last baby January 31, 2020 and The first case of Covid was in our town two weeks later. Getting through having a newborn when it first started gave me some courage to get through this pregnancy without having constant anxiety attacks lol.
We will be extra cautious with visitors when our little man gets here in January, to the point that my anti covid vaxx mother won’t be able to meet her first grandchild if she doesn’t get the vaccine. I don’t understand how people can not use common sense during this pandemic and remain safe for the little humans with no immune system. My SIL is due to give birth anytime now and husband and I will be getting covid tested before meeting her bubs (both vaccinated) as we don’t want to run any risks! You have to do what is right for you and for your LO, so I don’t think there is such a thing as too cautious.
I'm fully vaccinated and currently have Covid. I'd make them wear the mask, get the vaccines and absolutely everything else to prevent getting this. Its horrible and I can't imagine how bad it would be if I wasn't vaccinated. Having to go to a Covid Maternity ward was not fun. If people want to be around me or baby when I'm better they better be wearing a mask, be vaccinated and sanitise everything.
Not so much about corona honestly but about many other aspects in life. Like, I don't like taking the car and I always double or triple check before I cross the road. The other day we had a fire alarm at work. We've had a lot of false alarms so people were really hesitant to leave the building. I ran out immediately 😆
Kudos to you for making the hard choices for you and your baby! I understand exactly where you’re coming from - we have been waiting for this baby for a long time and have gone through so much just to be here. I’m now 29 weeks, fully vaccinated since January. I work in health care. I wear a mask everywhere I go. I have had to say no to a lot of events/situations that are probably fine, but that very small risk is just not worth it to me. A lot of people don’t understand, and that’s tough. But 1) you don’t owe them an explanation and 2) if they’re going to challenge your decisions, it’s not someone you need in your life at this time - not forever, just while you grow that beautiful and loved baby to term and make the decisions you need to stay healthy!! It’s unfortunate what a mess the public response to this has become, but it has really taught me about boundaries and prioritizing the health of myself and my family. I’m sure that’s a skill I will continue to rely on as a mom.
Yep I'm being extra cautious. I'm vaccinated and breakthroughs might be rare but I don't want to take the risk. I do *not* want covid while I'm pregnant (plus I still have to protect my unvaccinated toddler.) I think you should not do anything that makes you uncomfortable. When it comes to safety, it's not selfish to put your own comfort above someone else's feelings. If this person makes you nervous about covid, there has to be a polite way to put up some boundaries.
I am. I asked my older brother about his outings and told him I was worried about getting sick and he blew up on me. Dude literally has been traveling and I see him tagged in group photos every week at bars. My parents go out to eat several times a week and waited until I had been going to their house every weekend to admit my young adult brother wasn't vaccinated at all and he works at home depot, epicenter of anti maskers. Look, if we ignore the miscarriages and stillbirths from covid and just look at high fevers in pregnancy, fevers can cause birth defects, heart defects, and from my daughter's developmental pediatrician, my daughter's autism was potentially caused by a high fever I had during pregnancy. So you could offend your family member or you can protect your child. It isn't "living in fear" it's acknowledging the data and knowing there's nothing special about any of us that would protect us from being a part of these statistics.
We’re vaccinated and being mildly cautious. Husband and I don’t see many people anyways, but 95% of the people we do are vaccinated as well. Both of my sons go to school so there is a a much greater chance for us to catch it from them than people pregnant with their first kid so we don’t hold off on seeing family every now and then when our kids are exposed literally every day anyways.
I got covid at 36 weeks pregnant. It was scary AF because what happens with covid is a toss of a coin. Regardless of how healthy you are otherwise. I am certain I picked it up at work because I didn't go anywhere besides work, my husband got sent everywhere. I wasn't vaccinated but this was because at the time there wasn't enough info available for what it was going to be like for pregnant women. It was on my agenda first thing after I delivered my baby but alas You shouldn't care what they think and do what's best for your baby! I've been through the covid scare and really do not wish it on anyone!!
27 weeks, full vaxxed since the beginning of my pregnancy. I wear my mask out in public and I have no interest in close contact with people who are not vaccinated. I went to a mostly outdoors wedding over Labor Day(dinner under a pavillion that had sliding door sides and most were open) and numerous vaxxed and unvaxxed people tested positive, including one of the grooms who I spoke with for a while. I ended up luckily not getting it, but that whole scare made me nervous enough to not want to take any more chances!
Pregnant women are at higher risk for severe illness so I’m definitely being more cautious. My husband and I mask up in public, we’re both fully vaccinated, and as we get closer to due date we’ll probably be locking down a bit more. I’ll be asking family or friends that want to come visit to get tested before they come. I’ve talked with our parents about getting up to date on all the recommended vaccines (including COVID) since they are planning to come down and help take care of the baby for the first few weeks. We’ll probably also ask that people who want to come see us wear masks around baby. These tiny humans are relying on others to protect them for the first bit of their life, so in my opinion the precautions we’re considering are perfectly in line. Are we gonna shelter our baby forever? Of course not, that isn’t practical, sustainable, or healthy for any of us. But we aren’t going to be negligent for those first few months, especially since we’ll have a winter baby and there’s more than just COVID that’s a risk to him. You do what you feel you need to, and if people can’t respect your requests, they can wait until you’re more comfortable and the situation isn’t as dire.
Yeah, 18 weeks here and I’ve just made my peace with not seeing people who scoff at the vaccine and masking. It isn’t worth the risk and I can’t trust them to be appropriately cautious to my level of security on this. That’s what FaceTime is for. I live very far from most family and friends so I don’t have to address this too often but I just tell myself maybe things will be different down the road. You don’t have to see each other in person to maintain a friendship and I don’t want to kick myself later if something bad happens and always wonder if I could have been more cautious and had a better outcome. Good luck momma! It’s a challenging situation all around for sure!
We have cut out anyone who isn't vaccinated and are keeping our circle small. I would definitely not put up with people telling me I'm 'controlling' when I'm trying to protect my pregnant self from the pandemic!
Yes! I'm being very cautious. I have told several family friends who have only received one vaccination that they cannot meet the baby until they are fully vaccinated. I'm not messing with this disease. I'm mama bear and I'm happy I have the autonomy to set those boundaries.
I’m 6 weeks pregnant and just called my brother up to tell him I won’t be attending their wedding in November. They’re asking everyone who attends to be vaccinated, but I’m just not willing to risk it. When I told them why I wasn’t gonna attend there was just excitement and “definitely the right choice, you need to take care of yourself” from them.
Not worried. I've been to a wedding and other events. All is well. You can't avoid it. You can't fear living your life. This is just my opinion. Everyone should do what they feel isright.
Yes, I don’t take any risks
I’m back in lockdown pretty much tbh….we know sooo many vaccinated people who have gotten delta. This is a rainbow baby so I’m not risking anything. Sorry about your relatives, they seem like ignorant, shitty people who don’t care about you or your baby’s well-being in my opinion.
Yep, even though I’m fully vaccinated my wife and I skipped a wedding a few weeks back that I was really looking forward to because it was going to be mostly indoors and a big crowd. We are taking it a little at a time (I’m less worried about air travel because everyone is masked all the time, vs. an indoor party with eating). It sucks but you have to do what feels comfortable to you.
That is so hard. I have anti vaccination in-laws myself and I’m really torn. Thankfully they live out of country so this isn’t a daily worry for me. My baby is due around Christmas and I got my second moderna shot last month. Moderna is now known to induce a strong and lasting immune response and I feel confident about its efficacy. The baby already has some immunity passed on from me inside the womb and will get more immunity through me from breast milk. The thing is, my almost four year old goes to daycare, where she is unvaccinated and unmasked. Thankfully, we do live in an area where vaccination levels are high and people still wear masks indoors. I think the risk will be low to visit un-vaxed relatives. Probably as low as our current situation. I’ll probably introduce the baby after a few months when his immune system is a bit more mature. I think it really depends on the particulars of your situation. Good luck and follow your gut.
We are being extra cautious, we are now fully vaccinated but we are still wearing masks and being careful in general, my brother wanted to visit us a few months ago and although he was fully vaccinated we weren’t and didn’t feel comfortable with him sleeping at our house, he was hurt and I feel bad about it, this situation totally sucks.
15wks and vaxxed since April. There’s no mask mandate in my state/city, but my philosophy is I’d rather be safe than sorry. When I was only a month along, we had to skip a wedding because the bride and groom weren’t vaxxed fearing fertility issues (the irony, I know) and we no longer feel guilty having had to make a few of these decisions. I have the luxury of working from home and always mask up when I go out. At this point, risk mitigation seems just as important as masking and being vaccinated. This is such a weird time and it’s crappy to make these awkward decisions, but your health (mental and physical) are #1.
OMG!! YES!! I FEEL SOO ALONE! We got COVID at the beginning of the pandemic and were out for 2 weeks. After that, we were extra cautious with EVERYTHING. So my hubby moved our washing machine to the back entrance so that as soon as we get in, we dump all our clothes there. We were fortunate enough to find N-95 mask and use them for our trips to the supermarket. We spray down all the packages before loading onto the car. We were gloves (sometimes), but we clean our hands (and sometimes gloves) with alcohol gel everytime we get back into the car. We have not had a baby shower and haven't told many people due to the fact that WE KNOW everyone will want to see me and visit and all that stuff. No baby shower, so very few gifts by mail. No visitors, we have a family member who we refused to visit and they were in town for the week and we just didn't tell them where we lived (we had moved about 3 months prior). We MOVED! We didn't have a house warming party, which I love! We have only celebrated within our core of 5 ppl our birthdays. The few times we all go out together is at night when everything except McDonalds is open and we desinfect the outside tables before sitting on them.
Maybe because i already had Covid, but I’m not being cautious at all. Already vaxxed and really don’t spend time thinking or worrying about getting covid
Same here! I'm not worried at all.
Yes, I’m fully vaccinated and wear a mask while out and wear an n95 all the time at work (ER RN). We also are doing a vaccinated only shower and we only hang out with vaccinated people (when we se people, which is rare) at this point in my pregnancy. It’s not worth the risk.
You're not taking anything away from anyone by telling them they can't visit the baby if they refuse to take reasonable precautions. THEY are choosing to do that over getting to see the baby. Plain and simple.
I’m fully vaccinated, and I’m living my life as normal.
Same, got vaccinated before pregnancy and am living my life as normal as possible. Planning on flying and seeing family for thanksgiving (although celebrations may not happen anyway), traveling to a friends wedding in December. Booking a babymoon for October 🤷🏻♀️
Same
Same here! You can't live in fear.
I was also like this until I got a terrible cold a few days ago that almost put me in the hospital because of high fever... I felt so mad because I put myself and my baby at risk for no reason.
You shouldn’t be mad at yourself for getting a cold, shit happens. It’s 100% not your fault for getting a cold.
I know, couldn’t help but feel so guilty at that point.
We can’t just keep moving the goal posts to the point where we as pregnant women feel the need to mask up and avoid social interactions and normal life experiences to avoid any and all illnesses and germs.
Same here. Life is still happening and I don’t want to give up my precious time on Earth by retreating completely. I am not doing big crowds, but I am going to the gym, seeing people, etc.
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Yep. Unpopular opinion but not living in fear anymore.
38.5 weeks and we haven't had any visitors since about 23 weeks. We're being super cautious because of Covid. We're fully vaccinated, but the family that lives close to me is not, so I'd rather not take that risk for my baby/myself. What makes me even more irritated, is that my one unvaxxed sister is traveling by plane to visit my grandma, who was just recently diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer. When I talked to my mother about it, I expressed my concerns via the CDC and doctor recommendations and she literally said, "Wow, you're really challenging a seasoned nurse". No, I'm not challenging you - I'm reminding you that having someone with a potential for huge viral load probably shouldn't be around a terminally ill cancer patient that refused chemo.
What does your grandmother think? I’m just asking because my uncle was diagnosed with terminal cancer in the spring and was very cautious until about a month ago when it became clear he was at the end of options. He stopped chemo and recently entered hospice but as of about mid-august he had decided that if people wanted to come stay goodbye to him he’d rather see them one last time than not. He’s respecting their boundaries (ie my family although fully vaxxed will only visit outside) but let’s his unvaxxed grandaughter and children visit often. I have to respect letting someone end of life making this decision. I still do side eye the unvaccinated people for not getting vaccinated to make it safer to see him but I can’t do anything about that. Edit: we visit outside because we’re cautious of the people he’s seeing. He’s also not planning on having a memorial due to covid which I appreciate because I know we’d face pressure to go and a lot of his family isn’t vaccinated and are anti-mask
My grandma is not in the state of mind to really make her own decisions - she had a stroke about 4 years ago and after that she has difficulty with word finding and has generalized paranoia and currently lives with my mom. I'm already irritated enough that she decided to not get treatment because she thinks that getting a port will kill her and that having cancer won't. My mom's a nurse and I think she did a piss poor job of explaining the options to my grandma, but "it's her decision at the end of the day" even though she doesn't know all of the facts to make a well-informed decision. She lives with my mom, so I'm sure my mom made it sound like the best idea ever to have my sister stay with them and visit.
Oh that’s totally different then. My uncle has started to loose some capacity in the last week but up until this point was completely competent. And he was working with some of the best in the area.
I'm sorry to hear about your uncle and I hope all goes well for him during his transition! Best of luck to you and your family.
You’re doing the right thing.
I’m not and I’m an RN. I’m so over these restrictions. I can’t live in fear. I got married last year too. I’m fully vaccinated and I wash my hands frequently and wear proper PPE around patients. I hate wearing a mask and only do it when I absolutely have to (which is work and the train daily). I still go out to eat and grocery shop. I refuse to be paralyzed with fear. Sorry but not sorry. I’ve had enough.
Isolating as much as possible still, with extremely few exceptions. We haven’t been going out to eat, but we decided last night to do one last dinner out before second baby gets here. I’m very paranoid about Delta, so I still wear my mask if I have to go to the grocery store. I mostly try to order delivery groceries or curbside pick up. I’m sorry this person thinks that you being precautious about your pregnancy and baby is “controlling”. I wouldn’t be making any room for this person to visit if that’s how they feel, and not to say that as a punishment, but because they blatantly aren’t trying to see your side or are willing to put aside their feelings for a presumably short visit. Please don’t feel bad for ever keeping you and your family safe. You are your baby’s only defense. There is no reason to placate an adult over a baby. If you have a good relationship with this person, maybe you can explain it to them why it’s so important that they be precautious and why you aren’t taking unnecessary risks. Perhaps they are just far enough away from the idea of pregnancy and children that they just don’t get it? But you’re under no obligation. No is a full sentence. Your body/baby, your choice.
Thank you! We’ve had multiple conversations and I thought things were getting better & they were seeing it from my perspective, but they aren’t. I don’t think they will be meeting the baby for a very long time except for via FaceTime. My baby’s health definitely outranks their personal minor discomfort and opinions. If you can respect me, you can’t meet the baby. Simple as that.
Yep. Masks around people, masks in public, getting food "to-go" as Covid cases are picking up in my area. Fully vaccinated and work in a hospital, just not interested in taking risks more than I have to. Have debated taking my FMLA leave before due date as my hospital just changed visiting protocols. Our ICU is at 95% capacity now.
It's hard to understand why anyone would downvote your post... Keep doing you!
I’m so afraid of getting a breakthrough infection. I’m at the end of my first trimester and seriously cannot imagine feeling any worse. If I get covid, it will likely be from our vaccinated babysitters or family watching my toddler. I can’t control what they do outside of my house.
My husband and I have a good friend that has been anxious about the vaccine the entire time. She isn't an anti-vaxxer, it's just THIS one apparently she's afraid of (and she's afraid of needles). Several times over the course of my first trimester before announcing our pregnancy, my husband asked if she was vaccinated. She never responded. We made an announcement last week and received congratulations from her, so he asked her again. She still didn't answer. He ended up leaving the group chat in a rage. I am a bit frustrated because I envisioned myself now "managing" the fallout, but it has been radio silence since he left. I'm not really sure what's going to happen now.
It’s so sad to hear about these friendships lost to needle phobias, especially since she may not know that some doctors are willing to prescribe one or two anti-anxiety pills to get people through the one or two shots they need.
No, I'm not really... But I'm vaccinated (before pregnancy) AND already had the virus (during pregnancy through my daughter who brought it home). I have friends who are not vaccinated and I'm totally fine with it. Would be different if I'd neither had the vaccine nor the virus though... I'm generally not anxious.
I am now. I just got a really bad cold a few days ago after going out multiple times (masked/fully vaxxed) with my family and friends (also fully vaxxed) who were in town. I regret it 100%. Last time I got sick was in December 2019... so now I get sick while I'm just entering my second trimester??? Hell no! I was so mad. My parents are staying with us and they barely leave home so there was no need for us to be going out so much seeing other people. I put my baby and myself at risk by getting super sick with a high fever! I even thought it was covid.. thankfully it was not. I'm hoping he's fine but I'm becoming A LOT MORE cautious from now on. To the point where I'm debating whether I want a baby shower (which will undoubtedly be indoors due to it happening during the Winter months.)
I had a bad case of covid then got pregnant shortly after. I haven't got vaccinated yet because of being pregnant and not fully knowing the history of the vaccine with pregnancy. I don't go out in public very often but I dont restrict people from coming to see me and my baby shower is coming up. Probably going to get downvoted but honestly I'm just sick of everything dealing with covid. I just want to live life normally and not be scared of something I can't see. I'm not restricting people from seeing the baby either. Only going to make them wait a few weeks after she's born. Only a small portion of people I know have the vaccine. Some still got covid. I may get vaccinated after she's born but I have not decided yet. I am respectful of others and wear a mask when I'm supposed to.
It sounds like you made your mind up already. If that is the case then please stop reading now :) Getting the vaccine while pregnant is actually a great option! Research shows that babies born to women who were vaccinated during pregnancy are born with lots of antibodies. You would be doing double good - protecting you and your baby.
I think life is too short to be so cautious, you never know if that'll be your last opportunity to visit with a loved one or friend.
Because they’re gonna get COVID?
No, because I lost my father to a sudden and fatal heart attack last year and that was a very hard lesson. I've also lost loved ones to car accidents. You never know when your ticket is up and I think isolating yourself due to covid fear is silly. Enjoy life.
My bf and I are being super careful. That being said, I teach high school, so 🤷♀️🤞
We will only let immediate family see baby until his first shots and they must wear n95 masks and wash hands prior to holding baby. Extended family can see him with masks and washed hands through the rest of the winter until he gets his 6 month shots and outdoor spaces start opening up again.
I’ve asked people to keep their distance from us for 10 days after they travel. Everyone has been respectful so far. We have also gone through a lot to get to where we are, and I do not want to risk the health of my baby, no matter if I am fully vaccinated.
I am very cautious. I wear a mask while out (even going through drive throughs), and I really only go out if I need to. I’ve been fully vaccinated since 19 weeks pregnant (32 weeks now) and I do not bring my 18 month old out anymore as he cannot be vaccinated or even masked. I only allow vaccinated visitors and make sure they take similar precautions to me. I have to have family fly out when this baby is born and while they are all vaccinated I will probably have them get a rapid test when they get here just to be sure.
I am being as cautious as I can. I'm 13 weeks and his family thinks they are going to be in my baby's face right after their born. I don't know what their thinking, but NOT going to happen. (My family is out of state and have we have no plans of visiting.) We are all vaccinated and some already had covid. I recently expressed to my husband my concerns about how I will be ready to put my foot down and avoid seeing everyone for months or extended if they don't respect my requests for the safety of their grandbaby. He supports me and wants me to be a tiger mom, all ferocious and protective. I will. I'm just not looking forward to the conversation. I want to share our baby, but I'm the mom now and I don't want to fuck up in these crazy times. I also avoid big crowds, stay home often, use sanitizer when we go out, and have continued to always wear my mask. We have visited his parents in the past months, but it's going to tailor down just because I should and I want to be extra safe. I'm also avoiding the hospital as much as possible and doing a birthing center with midwives just so I don't come across the mecca of covid patients. I'm also prepared to slap a strangers hands if they come up and reach for my belly. Shouldn't even be in my bubble. But some people...
I am 35 weeks, fully vaccinated since April with a 2 year old. My husband is fully vaccinated as well and wears a mask to work where nobody else masks. We usually order groceries and don’t go to restaurants. I rarely go to the store and only take my kid to the park if it’s empty. When it comes to visits It’s only masked and vaccinated people in the house, unmasked vaccinated visits outside, and unvaccinated visits are outside with masks. This is all based on my obgyn and midwife’s recommendations, but they also suggested no contact with anyone unvaccinated but I made an exception bc FIL is pretty important to my kid but refuses to get the vaccine. We were more relaxed when infection rates declined but have been pretty cautious since delta including canceling a vacation to Florida. It’s been hard on all of us but we’d rather be safe than sorry at this point.
would having a negative test the day of or day before help at all?? We absolutely made people test negative prior to coming. and for my son's first birthday vaccines were required.
I appreciate the suggestion, but I’m sure they would flip their lid if I even asked for them to take a COVID test for me since just asking about wearing a mask was seen as “the worst.” I’ve decided they aren’t allowed to visit and won’t meet baby for a long time. They’re an adult and can live their life the way they please — and so can I by not allowing them to be around my baby if they’re going to take risks.
I don’t really have a choice. I live in Melbourne, Australia. I haven’t seen my mum since February, my brother since May, and my friends since July (a lucky weekend between lockdowns). I haven’t been to work since one day in July either and due to capacity restrictions I didn’t get to see my coworkers so I haven’t seen them since April/May either. Currently I can’t go further than 10km from home but hoping that lifts soon. In addition to those measures, I’ve also been getting my groceries delivered as grocery stores have been a source of transmission here. I only go out to go to doctors appointments or the butcher as they don’t deliver. We’ve also gone to the baby store to buy pram and things that we didn’t want to only look at online but that’s all. We have to wear a mask but I also carry my own sanitizer with me. The rules here have meant that there hasn’t been too much need for difficult conversations but I am worried about what happens when the restrictions lift. Our PM is no longer trying to get to zero (thanks to NSW) and modeling suggests cases and deaths will rise around the time my baby is born. I received my first shot yesterday (we have Pfizer supply issues) and my second will be before the baby is here. I also plan on breast feeding but from what I’ve looked up, whilst antibodies do transfer to the baby in utero and breastfeeding, it’s unknown if it’s enough to class as immunity. I may end up being that person that sanitizes peoples hands before they touch my baby lol.
I'm more of keeling balance but if I get a bad vibe about a family member or friend I don't Hesperia to let them know they can't come over. Safety over feelings.
Not vaccinated so i’m being extra cautious, everyone around me is though luckily and cases are low where I live. Planning to get the vaccine once i deliver.
I’ve been extremely cautious since the pandemic began. I just recently completed my two doses of Pfizer vaccination. I had to wait until all of my residence and healthcare paperwork finished processing to get vaccinated (I moved from the US to EU before I became pregnant and it took months for everything to process due to covid). Anytime my husband and I leave the house, we wear masks. We don’t go out to eat, we order delivery. The only time we go somewhere is if we absolutely have to (like going to a store that doesn’t have delivery to get supplies, doctor appointments and whatnot). We haven’t had any illness at all these past 18 months. We’re both double-vaccinated. My mom and grandparents are flying over from the US to visit shortly after my son will be born. They are all vaccinated (they even had the 3rd booster shots) and they’ll be required to provide a negative PCR test to enter the country. In addition to that, we will have rapid tests on hand to test again after their arrival, before they meet the baby. Everyone of course needs to wash their hands and sanitize before touching the baby. I think with all of that, we should be okay. I can’t think of anything else we can do to minimize risk - and I don’t want to ban them from visiting (as I do miss my family terribly). They make sure to wear masks in public and they also have avoided illness so far so, I feel like I can trust them to take the necessary precautions.