HOUSTON — It took two years and a round of IVF for Caitlin Sutton to get pregnant with her second child.
The experience made finding out she and her husband are having a baby girl even more meaningful. She’s now 39 weeks pregnant and scheduled to be induced this week.
“Gosh, I was at work when they called to tell me I was pregnant, and I could hardly believe it,” said Dr. Sutton, who is a maternal-fetal anesthesiologist at Texas Children's Pavilion for Women and Baylor College of Medicine.
Like so many other moms, she wondered if getting the COVID-19 vaccine would put her pregnancy or her baby at risk. She ultimately decided the benefits outweighed the risks.
“As confident as I am in my decision and as thankful as I am to have this option to protect my baby and my family, it wasn’t an easy one,” she said.
Saying yes to the vaccine puts her in the minority. A CDC study found only 11 percent of pregnant women are fully vaccinated.
Vaccination rates are even lower for young moms under 25 years old. Less than 6 percent of pregnant women between 18 and 24 are vaccinated.
Many moms have been hesitant about the shots, because pregnant women were excluded from the original vaccine clinical trials. But doctors say a lot has changed in the last 8 months. Now many thousands of pregnant women have been immunized. Studies show the vaccines are safe, and pregnant women pass immunity on to their unborn babies.
Dr. Sutton says it’s up to each mom to decide what’s right for her family. She hopes her story gives other moms more confidence in the decision to get the vaccine.
“The more support we can give each other and build each other up with confidence, rather than judgment, the better,” Sutton said. “I want women to know if they’re struggling with the weight of this decision, they’re not alone. Knowing my baby will be born with protection from the choice I made, it feels really good. I’m really thankful to have the opportunity to give that to her.”