On 02/01/2021 I found out I was expecting. What a joy, and what a blessing for us! Definitely not expected, but welcomed with open arms from us and our families. With COVID vaccines available to me at the time, I started to ask myself the questions of: to vaccinate or not to vaccinate…

I believe in science and for the most part the positive that it brings to our lives. If I was not pregnant, I would not even question signing up for it. Yet, a little life was growing inside me and my instinct told me to obtain more information before I took the “Fauci Ouchie”.

By the time I found out I was pregnant, I was about 1.5 months pregnant. After doing some research, I found that the first trimester is crucial for brain development hence the hesitation. I waited another month and I decided to bring my questions to my doctor and she said without hesitation “get it”. She went on to share with me that many of the frontline nurses and doctors dealing directly with COVID patients who were pregnant, decided to get the shot as soon as it was available. After asking further clarification, she mentioned that women who are pregnant are more likely to need to be intubated in case of getting COVID than non pregnant women. Again, I wanted to find out more and went on handy google for further connection between her statement and reality. Always fact check what people tell you.

What I found was that the immune system for women who are pregnant is weaker due to the fact that our bodies have to get used to that foreign body (our new baby) to develop and grow inside. Remember that your bodies tend to “fight” the unknown. Now, the body has to play nice to host the best environment to our babies. This new mom vulnerability allows other viruses to develop easier and attack us.

Another fact that I took into consideration was the way the vaccine worked. Note, that I would not have taken the Johnson and Johnson vaccine if offered. I’m not fully vaccinated with Pfizer and very happy I did so. The next piece of information is taken from the CDC website regarding the category that the Pfizer falls under.

mRNA vaccines contain material from the virus that causes COVID-19 that gives our cells instructions for how to make a harmless protein that is unique to the virus. After our cells make copies of the protein, they destroy the genetic material from the vaccine. Our bodies recognize that the protein should not be there and build T-lymphocytes and B-lymphocytes that will remember how to fight the virus that causes COVID-19 if we are infected in the future.

I received my first dose 3/8/2021 and the second one on 3/30/2021. The most severe symptom I experienced was fatigue after the first shot and a lesser version of it during my second I felt safe to travel out of the country approximately 14 days after the second shot. Although I’ve taken the vaccine, I still do not feel safe to hug or be in closed spaces with others, no matter who they are. Remember I mentioned that instinct at the beginning? I believe my feeling and precautions are connected directly to that. I do feel that my baby and I have an extra layer of protection against a virus that has taken friends and loved ones.

We are learning about this virus, its consequences and the possibility of going back to a kind of normal after we go through this first round of vaccinations. I’m not here to convince you to get or not get vaccinated. I’m here to share with you my experience with the vaccine. Please do your research and do not get discouraged by misleading statements like “They will insert a chip to control you” or “They will change your DNA”. My best advice would be to get your information from credible sources.

If you are an expecting mom like me reading this, good luck to you and congratulations on your blessing. Like many family and friends are telling me: “Enjoy your sleep and get plenty of rest”. This is probably one of the most accurate advise anyone can give you before having your first child.

For more updated information about Covid and vaccines, please visit: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines/how-they-work.html