Navigation

You are here: Main Hub » Maternity » After the Birth » Pregnancy Vaccinations » Pregnancy, Breastfeeding, Fertility and COVID-19 Vaccination

Pregnancy and COVID-19

If you're pregnant, read about how COVID-19 could affect you, your baby and your pregnancy care.

It's important to tell your midwife or maternity team if you have symptoms of COVID-19. They can give you support and advice and you can speak to them about any concerns.

How to reduce your risk of getting COVID-19

It's important to follow advice about how to avoid catching and spreading COVID-19 throughout your pregnancy.

You should go to all of your pregnancy (antenatal) scans and appointments unless you're told not to.

You can talk to your employer about how they can help reduce your risk at work. This might include working from home if you are able and wish to.

You may be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine if you have a weakened immune system because of a health condition or treatment.

Find out more about who can get the COVID-19 vaccine

If you have COVID-19 or symptoms of COVID-19

If you have COVID-19 or get any symptoms of COVID-19, speak to your midwife or maternity team. They will advise you what to do and you can speak to them about any concerns.

You may need to rebook some of your pregnancy appointments or have them online, by phone or as a video consultation.

You can ease mild symptoms by resting and drinking plenty of fluids.

Before taking any medicine, including painkillers, check with your pharmacist, midwife or GP that it's suitable.

Find out more about:

If you have a high temperature or you do not feel well enough to go to work or do your normal activities, try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people.

Important

If you're worried about your symptoms or not sure what to do, go to NHS 111 online or call 111.

Call your midwife or maternity team immediately if:

  • your baby is moving less than usual
  • you cannot feel your baby moving
  • there is a change to your baby's usual pattern of movements
  • you have any bleeding from your vagina
  • you're feeling very anxious or worried
  • you have a headache that does not go away
  • you get shortness of breath when resting or lying down
  • you cannot cope with your COVID-19 symptoms at home
  • your temperature is raised
  • you have severe tiredness
  • you feel unsafe at any time

Do not wait until the next day or your next appointment – call immediately, even if it's the middle of the night.

If you do not have a midwife or maternity team call a GP or go to NHS 111 online. Call 111 if you cannot get help online.

Call 999 if:

  • you feel very unwell or think there's something seriously wrong
  • you have severe chest pain
  • you cough up blood
  • you feel cold and sweaty, with pale or blotchy skin
  • you collapse or faint
  • you have a rash that looks like small bruises or bleeding under the skin and does not fade when you roll a glass over it
  • you feel agitated, confused or very drowsy
  • you've stopped peeing or are peeing much less than usual
  • you're so breathless that you're unable to say short sentences when resting
  • your breathing has got suddenly worse

If you have COVID-19 and go into labour

If you have symptoms of COVID-19 and go into labour, you'll be advised to give birth in a unit led by a doctor (obstetrician). This is so the team can look after you and your baby more closely.

You'll be cared for in an area within the maternity unit that's just for pregnant women and people with COVID-19.

Your maternity team will make sure you get the best care and respect your birth choices as closely as possible.

After your baby is born, you should be able to have skin-to-skin contact unless your baby is unwell and needs care in the neonatal unit.

You'll also be encouraged to breastfeed. There's no evidence COVID-19 can pass on to your baby in breast milk, so the benefits of breastfeeding and the protection it offers outweigh any risks.

If you have any questions or need help

If you have any questions or concerns at any time, speak to your midwife or maternity team.

Content last reviewed by the NHS: 24 October 2025

Content last collected from the NHS: 27 March 2026

Women's Health Sussex

Thank you for visiting the Women’s Health Sussex website. We’re continually expanding our resources to support your health and wellbeing. While many sections are now live, some areas are still being developed.

Help Us, Help You

Women's Health Sussex is continually evolving, and your feedback helps us secure future funding and improve our service. If you’ve found our website useful, please take a moment to share your thoughts - it really makes a difference.

Leave Feedback Not Now

Help Us, Help You

Accessibility Tools

Your choices will be saved as a non-identifying cookie. This means that each time you load a webpage from this website, your chosen accessibility options will be applied. These cookies will last for 28 days before resetting.

Translate

Please translate the page prior to using Text to Speech if you'd like the page read in a different language.


Select a language from the Google provided selector below.

Text To Speech

When text to speech is active, you can click the play button to hear the whole sites content read aloud. You can also highlight a section of text and press play, to hear only the highlighted text.

Settings

1
1

Screen Mask

A screen mask is a reading tool which follows your cursor. It allows you to remove distractions from around the page and gives a clear area of focus.

Text Size

Use these icons to increase, decrease or reset the size of the text throughout the site.

Contrast

Change the colour of text and the background of the site with the selectors below. This removes images and makes the content across the site easier to read.