The COVID-19 vaccine is definitely a hot-topic and one that can often lead to debate. Vaccines in general can lead to heated discussions. I’m not here for the debate. I am here to share my thoughts and reasoning. Spoiler Alert: I got the vaccine.
Should I or Shouldn’t I?
I was so on the fence about the vaccine. There were unknowns; there was my/our desire to grow our family in the next year. There was fear and doubt and worry. There was also a desire to get back to the life we enjoyed before. I desperately miss traveling and vacations. I hate that my family is missing my baby growing up and going from baby to toddler. I really, really miss my friends. I miss coffee dates and happy hour and Sunday brunch. I miss conferences and parties and hugs. I’m in the “helping profession” and I felt so helpless. What could I really do?
I talked with friends about the idea of the vaccine. I texted with mom friends and those I knew were considering attempting pregnancy. I talked to family. My husband and I had numerous conversations about the pros/cons and how our family would be impacted. We initially decided to talk with my doctors. There wasn’t much information or opinions on pregnancy and vaccination. The day I was going to call I happened to check social media and saw that my doctor’s office had shared options by both ACOG (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) and ASRM (American Society for Reproductive Medicine). It tilted the scales.
My Experience
I’m a healthcare worker and had the privilege of being eligible for the vaccine in late December. I was cautious at first. (Again, that debate and those fears of the unknown). I didn’t tell anyone, other than my husband, I had signed up to receive the vaccine. I was pleasantly surprised to hear the chatter of my coworkers talking about their vaccine dates/times. So, on that Wednesday in December, I rolled up my sleeve and got my shot.
Just like any other injection, there was that momentary “sting” of the vaccine going in and just like that, I was done. I got my sticker and sat in the waiting area for 15 minutes to make sure there was no severe reaction. My arm was sore for the next 24 hours, so sore that I actually woke up that night when I rolled to my right side. I had no other side effects that I know of. Sure I was a bit tired, but I also had a teething baby waking up at all hours of the night (those molars are killers).
Why I Chose to Do It
I’ve seen several posts about why people got their vaccine and my reasons were the same. I got it to protect myself and my family. I got it to hopefully reduce the spread of the virus. I got it with the hope that it would help us get back to “normal.” I got it so that I can one day go inside of my child’s daycare center and I got it for those that can’t get it. I also got it with the hope that we would one day have vacations, pot lucks, dinner parties, visitors in the hospital. I got it to support small businesses that are struggling and with the hope that no one would have to put off something important. I got the vaccine because it was finally something I could do.
