Pregnant women should get coronavirus vaccine, WakeMed physician says

Lauryn Stillwell, a paramedic in Johnston County who is 31 weeks pregnant, said both she and her husband recently got shots of Moderna's vaccine.

"It's been scary," Stillwell said Tuesday. "[With] the nature of my work, I see COVID patients every day."

Still, for a while, she said she was unsure about whether to get the vaccine.

"What really swayed me is when they started having data come out about babies and how this affected them and, during pregnancy, that they were at high risk with being born prematurely and having a high risk of being stillborn." she said. "That’s when I was like, 'I draw the line there.'"

Your Vaccination Questions, Answered: Fertility and Pregnancy

Meanwhile, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that pregnant women consult their doctors before rolling up their sleeves.

Dr. Michele Benoit-Wilson, an obstetrician/gynecologist with WakeMed, said she's been swamped with vaccine questions from soon-to-be moms.

"A number of my patients have been coming in and asking about the safety of the vaccine and whether or not [they] should get it. My answer is consistently yes, that they should absolutely get the vaccine," Benoit-Wilson said.

"I​f a woman who is pregnant were to get COVID, we know she is more vulnerable to getting serious illness and disease and death," Benoit-Wilson said. "The benefits significantly outweigh any risk."

The women shouldn't worry about any of the three available vaccines and take whichever one is available, she added.