IMMUNIZATION and Pregnancy
Vaccines help keep a pregnant woman and her growing family healthy.
Before pregnancy
Before becoming pregnant, a woman should be up-to-date on routine adult vaccines. This will help protect her and her child. Live vaccines should be given a month or more before pregnancy. Inactivated vaccines can be given before or during pregnancy, if needed.
During pregnancy
Flu Vaccine
It is safe, and very important, for a pregnant woman to receive the inactivated flu vaccine. A pregnant woman who gets the flu is at risk for serious complications and hospitalization. To learn more about preventing the flu, visit the CDC website http://www.cdc.gov/flu .
Travel
Many vaccine-preventable diseases, rarely seen in the United States, are still common in other parts of the world. A pregnant woman planning international travel should talk to her health professional about vaccines. Information about travel vaccines can be found at CDC’s traveler’s health website at http://www.cdc.gov/travel .
Childhood Vaccines
Pregnancy is a good time to learn about childhood vaccines. Parents-to-be can learn more about childhood vaccines from the CDC parents guide at http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/flyers-brochures.htm . Also, the child and adolescent vaccination schedule can be downloaded and printed at http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/spec-grps/default.htm .
Did you know that a mother’s immunity is passed along to her baby during pregnancy? This will protect the baby from some diseases during the first few months of life until the baby can get vaccinated.
After pregnancy
It is safe for a woman to receive vaccines right after giving birth, even while she is breastfeeding. A woman who has not received the new vaccine for the prevention of tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (Tdap) should be vaccinated right after delivery.
Vaccinating a new mother against pertussis (whooping cough) reduces the risk to her infant too.