Almost half of pregnant women in the UK will avoid vaccines while carrying their baby, due to fear of harm to their child’s health, as well as their own.
Worries about health risks to their unborn child, and their own health, was cited by 44% of those who claimed they would not get vaccinated while pregnant. Not having enough time to have the vaccination was given as a reason by 16%, with 11% claiming they don’t believe in vaccinations.
The findings come from a survey of over 2,600 pregnant women, conducted by the Royal College of Midwives and Emma’s Diary, a support network for mothers-to-be.
Mandy Forrester, head of Quality and Standards at the Royal College of Midwives said: ‘One of the most important findings to come out of our survey was that pregnant women want and need more time to talk about vaccinations with their midwives before they make a decision. Having that time is so important because there can be misconceptions about some vaccinations and although it is useful to have leaflets and websites to refer to, there is nothing quite like having a real conversation, to talk through any concerns or questions’.
