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Midwives urge pregnant women in Scotland to get COVID-19 vaccine

on 17 August 2021 Maternity Services Midwifery Midwives NHS Scotland Scotland NHS Staff RCM Scotland Scottish Government Scottish Maternity Services Pregnancy covid-19 Covid-19

The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) is urging pregnant women in Scotland to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as the best way to protect themselves and their baby against the worst impact of the disease. The call comes following a rise in unvaccinated pregnant women being admitted to Scottish maternity units with severe COVID-19 symptoms and reports from Heads of Midwifery in Scotland that vaccine uptake amongst pregnant women is low the RCM is urging pregnant women to get their vaccine.

Commenting, RCM’s UK Director for Professional Midwifery, Dr Mary Ross-Davie says.

“Having COVID-19 during pregnancy, particularly in the later stages, can have serious consequences for both mothers and their babies. It can double the chance of stillbirth and triples the chance of a preterm birth, which can have long term health impact for the baby. We know that the vaccine is a safe and effective way of preventing this, with hundreds of thousands of pregnant women worldwide having been vaccinated. We recognise that, until fairly recently, the advice has sometimes felt confusing, which is why we want to reassure women that there are now numerous studies confirming the safety of the vaccine, both for you and your baby.”

The RCM has produced a new leaflet, available via its website and social media channels, to answer some of the questions pregnant women might have about the vaccine. This is the latest in advice produced by the RCM to support women make the best choices about their health and their baby throughout the pandemic. Alongside this, the College has published support for midwives and other maternity staff to advise the women in their care.

Mary added:

“The past 18 months have been really challenging for maternity services across Scotland. Every midwife is working hard to deliver the best possible care to pregnant women, and we recognise that they’ve been doing so in a rapidly changing environment. That’s why we’ve been doing all we can to provide them with the most up-to-date guidance and advice so they can pass on that advice to the women in their care. That includes guidance for midwives and maternity staff on the vaccine and how best to discuss and share the evidence of its safety with women.”

ENDS

 

To contact the RCM Media Office call 020 7312 3456, or email media@rcm.org.uk.  

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