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Watch Now: Pregnant Lincoln woman gets vaccinated after seeing her doctor on TV

The Lincoln Journal Star - 10/29/2021

Oct. 29—Nuha Andersen was planning on getting the COVID-19 vaccine in the spring, but then she found out she was pregnant, and that caused her to hesitate.

The 26-year-old wanted to get vaccinated, and she had good reasons to — an autistic son with health issues and parents nearing age 70. But she wasn't sure if getting vaccinated when pregnant was a good idea.

Then she saw her doctor on TV.

Sean Kenney, a fetal medicine specialist with Bryan Health, spoke with the media last month after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention put out an urgent call for pregnant women to get the COVID-19 vaccine. He urged pregnant women to get vaccinated as soon as possible.

Andersen was familiar with Kenney, as he had delivered both of her children, one of which was a high-risk pregnancy that required her to deliver early by emergency caesarean section.

She said that after seeing him on TV, "I just thought that this is my time."

"Clearly he knows what he's talking about; he's the best of the best," Andersen said. "So that's why I decided to get it."

Andersen, who is 24 weeks pregnant, got her first dose of the Pfizer vaccine last Friday. She said she felt fine afterward and has had no issues.

Kenney said he's glad he could convince at least one woman who was hesitant to go get vaccinated.

He noted that pregnant women who get COVID-19 are three times more likely than the average patient to wind up in intensive care and on a ventilator, and they are nearly twice as likely to die.

Considering pregnant women are generally pretty young, and young people are much less likely to have COVID-19 complications, "that's an astonishing number," Kenney said.

Thankfully, he said he's personally only cared for one pregnant woman who died of COVID-19, but he's had several patients who have gotten very ill and had to deliver their babies early.

Kenney said the neonatal intensive care unit at Bryan was full for a time last week and couldn't accept any more patients because there were so many premature babies there whose mothers delivered early because of COVID-19.

He said there is no evidence that pregnant women are at a higher risk for complications from the vaccine, nor is there any documented link to infertility, birth defects or miscarriages.

Andersen said she's glad she finally decided to get vaccinated and has no qualms about her decision.

"It's really a simple thing," she said. "It's putting a shot in your arm."

Reach the writer at 402-473-2647 or molberding@journalstar.com.

On Twitter @LincolnBizBuzz.

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