"Shameless" star Emmy Rossum has revealed that her new baby girl, with husband Sam Esmail, has COVID-19 antibodies because she got vaccinated while pregnant.
In her first baby photo post on Instagram, the actress uploaded an image where she's carrying her daughter. She's seen kissing the baby's head, whose face was not facing the camera.
Rossum said that she and her husband had been blessed with a "healthy, beautiful baby girl" who has the antibodies, which means that the young one will be protected from the virus infection. The new mom took this chance to encourage the public to get vaccinated.
In May 2021, Rossum and Esmail announced their daughter's birth, but the actress has kept her pregnancy low-key. The couple has been married since 2017 following almost four years of dating.
No Safety Concerns Found
Dr. Rochelle Walensky of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a press conference in April that the experts found no safety concerns for vaccinating pregnant women against COVID-19. A study published in The New England Journal of Medicine showed that for more than 35,000 pregnant women who completed their vaccination in the U.S., the majority reported only the usual side effects, such as pain on the injection site that goes away after a few days.
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The research did not discover any untoward effects of the COVID-19 vaccine on the baby. Thus, the CDC recommended for pregnant women to get the jab as well.
However, Dr. Walensky said it should be understandable for some mothers to hold off on their vaccination until they speak with their primary care providers. It's also important for the moms to have all the information to decide on what's best for their health and the baby's health, with the guidance of the doctors.
Vaccine Hesitancy in Pregnant Women
It comes amid false viral reports that the vaccine may lead to a miscarriage, cause infertility in women, or impact a woman's menstrual cycle. According to USA Today, various health authorities have debunked all of these claims, including the Mayo Clinic and the CDC.
In Florida, doctors said that vaccine hesitancy is still a problem as many pregnant women or those who plan to have a baby soon are nervous about getting their jab. Dr. Ashley Hill, obstetrician and gynecologist at the AdventHealth Medical Group, said that they get calls nearly every day from women asking if the vaccine is safe for the baby.
Dr. Hill said that misinformation about vaccines and pregnancy is still rampant, especially on social media. Her hospital currently has 900 patients with COVID-19, and around 90 percent are unvaccinated, including one pregnant woman who has been intubated in intensive care.
"We would certainly much rather you be reassured with medical advice from an actual doctor, than from some random person on the internet who may not know the answer," the doctor said.
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