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Pregnant Women
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Are You Up-to-Date on Your Vaccinations?
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.
Vaccines can help keep you and your growing family healthy. If you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, the specific vaccinations you need are determined by factors such as your age, lifestyle, high-risk conditions, type and locations of travel, and previous vaccinations.
See the Immunization and Pregnancy Vaccines Chart, which shows the vaccines you may need before, during, and after pregnancy.
Recommended before Pregnancy
Before becoming pregnant, a woman should be up-to-date on routine adult vaccines. (See Adult Immunization Schedule.) This will help protect you and your child. Generally speaking, live vaccines should not be given within a month before conception, while inactivated (killed) vaccines may be given at any time before or during pregnancy, if needed.
It is best to talk to your healthcare provider about vaccinations before you become pregnant.
Recommended during Pregnancy
It is safe, and very important, for a woman who is pregnant during flu season to receive the inactivated flu vaccine. A pregnant woman who gets the flu is at risk for serious complications and hospitalization.
For more information, see Key Facts on Seasonal Flu Vaccine and talk with your healthcare provider.
Recommended 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 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. Also, a woman who is not immune to measles, mumps and rubella and/or varicella (chickenpox) should be vaccinated before leaving the hospital.
Did you know that your baby gets disease immunity (protection) from you during pregnancy? But it is temporary protection and only for the diseases that you are immune to. Protect your new baby and learn about infant immunization.
Pregnant Women and International 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. For more information, see Traveling while Pregnant, found on CDC’s Travelers’ Health website.
Resources
- Immunization and Pregnancy (2 flyers)
- Guidelines for Vaccinating Pregnant Women
Includes routine and travel - Prevention of Pertussis, Tetanus, and Diphtheria Among Pregnant and Postpartum Women and their Infants (ACIP Recommendations)
MMWR: May 14, 2008 / 57(Early Release);1-47 - Pregnancy and Hepatitis B
For women who test positive for the hepatitis B virus (HBV) during pregnancy - Varicella Vaccine—Q&As about Pregnancy
- Vaccination and Pregnancy
Resources, journal articles, more sources, etc., from Immunization Action Coalition - Newsletter from IAC "Vaccinate Women"
Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) - Video: "Vaccines and Your Baby" (26:41 min. 69,010 KB)
Vaccine Education Center, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, November 2002
Also available in 8 segments, including Can babies handle vaccines so young? (1:55 min. 4,954 KB)
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Content last reviewed on September 2, 2009
Content Source: National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases