Pregnant and Nursing Women Can Safely Receive the COVID-19 Vaccine
The Claim
Taking COVID-19 vaccination while breastfeeding leads to infants' death.
News posted on
Emerging story
Another chapter in the series of misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccination has begun to unfold on social media in the last few days. Users began spreading the myth that COVID-19 vaccines cause health problems in infants that can lead to death. As a result, they advised mothers to avoid getting vaccinated while breastfeeding, or to discontinue breastfeeding after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbars investigation found no evidence that COVID-19 vaccines may cause health issues for breastfeeding mothers or their babies. On the contrary, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), Breastfeeding has many advantages for mother and child. It does not need to be discontinued during COVID-19 infection nor following vaccination of the mother. The WHO states that the virus that causes COVID-19 has not been detected in breastmilk, according to a limited number of studies to date, indicating that it is safe to carry on breastfeeding while taking recommended precautions, even if a mother develops COVID-19.
The WHO adds that “based on the evidence available so far and knowledge of how COVID-19 vaccines work, vaccinating a breastfeeding mother to protect her from COVID-19 poses no risk to her infant. Breastfeeding mothers who have received the COVID-19 vaccine have antibodies in their milk, which could even help to protect their babies from infection with the virus”, a conclusion that experts strongly support at the NHS and Harvard Medical School.
The American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends COVID-19 vaccination for breastfeeding people. Reports conducted by the CDC indicate that breastfeeding people who have received mRNA COVID-19 vaccines have antibodies in their breastmilk, which could help protect their babies. But the CDC confirms that more data are needed to determine what level of protection these antibodies may provide to the baby.
Experts at the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists also recommend vaccines for breastfeeding women, building on the premise that there is no plausible mechanism by which any vaccine ingredient could pass to your baby through breast milk.
When asked, "Can a breastfeeding mother get a COVID-19 vaccine?" Ireland's National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) stated, "Yes. There is little data on breastfeeding, but there is no theoretical risk from these vaccines. If remnants get into breast milk, they are digested in the baby's stomach." "If a pregnant woman is vaccinated, antibodies against COVID-19 disease may pass into her breastmilk and provide some protection to her baby," the committee added.
