Edwina Bartholomew explains why she’s getting the Pfizer vaccine during her second pregnancy

Eddie Bartholomew explains why she is confident she’s made the right decision for her body, baby and family to get the Pfizer vaccine.

Refresh. Refresh. Refresh. Remember the good old days when you used to sit at your computer, constantly updating your browser to secure concert tickets or those limited edition shoes. Now, we do the same thing to secure a vaccine appointment. If you are under 39 in this country, you’ll know my pain.

It was actually when I went to book my first AstraZeneca dose that I discovered a little hitch. The form asked if I was pregnant. I hadn’t been feeling very well, was very tired, eating a lot of cheese and biscuits. A quick test revealed I was indeed pregnant and due in February.

So what did that mean for the vaccine? After extensive research, I found that Pfizer is the jab recommended by Australian and International experts for pregnant and breastfeeding women.

The New England Journal of Medicine evaluated data from more than 35,000 pregnant individuals who received the mRNA vaccines, and found no safety concerns.

Conversely, catching Covid-19 can have a devastating impact on your health and the health of your baby.

If you are pregnant, you are five times more likely to end up in hospital, three times more likely of ending up in intensive care and you also have in increased risk of needing life support. It’s a no-brainer.

Channel 7 presenter Edwina Bartholomew with her daughter Molly. Edwina has announced on breakfast television that she is pregnant with her second child. Picture: Richard Dobson

On Friday the 13th, I had my first dose of Pfizer. I will have my second dose in the coming fortnight.

Like many people, I snapped a photo of my freshly-jabbed arm and posted it on Instagram.

Well, holy hell in a handbasket, didn’t that bring out the crazies.

Social media can be a wonderful platform, a force for good, a community when we are physically distanced from our loved ones, it can also be a quagmire of mis-information peddled by ill-informed influencers. I’m very thankful that I don’t get my advice from so-called experts who preach about ‘life, love and freedom’ but are actually just spreading incorrect information to their many followers. It’s dangerous and reckless.

To the sensible and smart nurses, doctors and midwives who also commentated on my post in support, thank you for all the work you do to keep us safe.

I’m confident I have made the right decision for my body, my baby and my family.

Please speak to your doctor and make up your own mind, too.

Originally published as Edwina Bartholomew explains why she’s getting the Pfizer vaccine during her second pregnancy