OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Medical experts with CHI Health discussed the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy.
Dr. Traci Lynn Hirai and Infectious Disease Expert Dr. David Quimby talked about research and why the vaccine is one of the most important conversations they continue to have with women who are pregnant or looking to become pregnant.
Hirai gave birth to her first child in October. She was fully vaccinated and received her booster shot two weeks before delivery.
"I got the vaccine. It did not affect my personal fertility and there's studies coming out about how it does not affect fertility. It was able to keep me safe throughout 2021 and take care of patients. I took care of patients that were COVID positive throughout that year, and I worked straight up until the day that I delivered," Hirai said.
She says the baby is in great health four months later and hopes more women who are expecting will get vaccinated to keep themselves and their child safe.
"I did all of this knowing that we wanted to have a baby and I had gone through the preliminary data and decided that that's what I wanted to do," said Hirai. "They found that vaccines don't affect fertility. If you get COVID while you're pregnant, they found it wasn't necessarily the virus itself affecting the baby, but the virus itself affect the placenta, which is basically how the baby gets all of its food and oxygen."
Because of the complications connected to COVID-19, pregnant women who contract the virus are more likely to experience stillbirth.
"So, vaccines are safe for pregnancy and they can help prevent you from getting severely ill, which is all kinds of good for the little baby you are carrying," said Quimby.
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