MACON, Ga. — Janae Adams says the last month of her pregnancy was difficult.
The new mom tested positive for COVID-19 just three weeks away from her due date.
"My chest was really heavy, it was hard for me to breathe, so I called my doctor and she told me to come into the doctor immediately."
Because of her symptoms, doctors had to induce her labor and she delivered baby Leilani early.
Adams says she decided during her pregnancy not to get vaccinated.
"I just didn't feel comfortable getting vaccinated while pregnant just because it was new, I didn't really have anybody who was pregnant and vaccinated at the same time, so I figured it would be safer for the baby to get vaccinated after the fact," she says.
Doctors say they're seeing this same hesitancy in their offices and in hospitals.
Dr. Champa Woodham, director of maternal fetal medicine at Atrium Health Navicent, says most of the patients she's seen are both unvaccinated and testing positive for coronavirus.
"We definitely have seen an uptick more so with the Delta variant than with the original variant, and these moms are a lot sicker. This particular strain is a lot more contagious and the viral load is heavier on the body," she says.
Woodham says they've gone from having a couple positive cases per week to having that same number every two days or so.
"Unfortunately, we're having to make some really tough decisions to deliver these women early in order to give the mother a better chance of actually making it through their infection," Woodham said.
Dr. Mitch Rodriguez, medical director of the neonatal intensive care unit at Atrium Health Navicent, says the vaccine is crucial to keeping a mom and her baby safe.
"If you are COVID-positive, we're going to see a 30 percent increase in prematurity rate as a result of that. And B, if you're symptomatic, the likelihood of delivering prematurely is about three times higher based on the data that's out there this point in time," says Rodriguez.
Across town, Dr. Eric Roddenberry, an OB/GYN specialist who works closely with Piedmont Macon Medical Center, says he advises his patients to get vaccinated, whether they're pregnant or trying to have children.
"The way to protect yourself the best is to be protected from becoming ill before the pregnancy and all during the pregnancy," he says.
He says the toughest part is watching patients he's grown to know and care for end up suffering.
"We've, with our practice, have patients that have gone from being happy and healthy and in their 20s to being in the ICU within a matter of a week or two. It's a difficult thing to watch," says Roddenberry.
Piedmont Macon Medical Center says they went from averaging one positive COVID-19 pregnant patient a month to averaging one a week. They say the last few have required extra care, which includes hooking the patient up to a ventilator.
According to the CDC, pregnant and recently pregnant people are more likely to get severely ill from COVID-19 compared to people who are not pregnant.
The organization adds that about 23 percent of pregnant women in the country are vaccinated.