HOUSTON – Starting a family during the pandemic can be challenging for pregnant women.
Tessa Trace is expecting her first baby in April.
“I’m almost in the third trimester,” Trace said. “It’s crazy. We are so excited. The nursery is being worked on right now.”
Trace is one of countless women across the world starting a family during the coronavirus pandemic.
“It’s bizarre,” Trace said. “It’s a bizarre time. You worry about your loved ones, and you worry about yourself.”
“Women that have gotten pregnant have gotten smarter,” Dr. Cindy Celnik said.
Celnik is the chief medical officer at The Woman’s Hospital of Texas and she’s an OBGYN. She encourages expectant mothers to get the vaccine before they get pregnant.
“You give yourself over a 95% chance of not getting COVID,” Celnik said. “There is no other way to ensure that getting COVID gives you some level of immunity, but we don’t know how much.”
For Trace, she’s waiting for her OBGYN at Houston Methodist to give her the green light on getting the shot.
“I know the last time that we spoke about the vaccine, they haven’t really done enough studies with pregnant women yet, so we are waiting on that,” Trace said.
Celnik said the vaccine will not cause infertility. In fact, it will help protect you and your newborn.
“Before you get pregnant, it’s time to get the vaccine, so you can protect yourself during your pregnancy,” Celnik said. “It’s safe. It’s not a live virus. There are no preservatives. It is something we believe women should get because it is safe and there are a lot of benefits.”