Talking to Your Pregnant Patients about Vaccines

Purpose

  • Vaccines can help protect your pregnant patients and their babies against diseases including flu, COVID-19, RSV, and pertussis. However, many patients may not be aware of these recommendations. You are their most trusted source of health information during their pregnancies. Here are some tips and strategies to help you talk to them about vaccination and provide a strong recommendation.

Present Vaccinations as a Standard of Care

Provide each of your patients with information and resources about maternal vaccines when you meet at their first prenatal visit and mention the timeframe for each vaccine.

Ensure your staff deliver consistent messages about the importance of maternal vaccinations (including nurses, front office staff, managers, etc.).

Normalize vaccination as a part of your patient’s care.

Example‎

"When you come back for your next visit, it'll be time for your Glucose Challenge Screening Test and your whooping cough vaccine."

Provide a Strong Recommendation

State clearly that you would like your patient to get vaccinated. Research indicates that some pregnant people did not feel their ob-gyns or midwives strongly recommended vaccines.

Example‎

"I recommend Tdap and flu vaccines for you and all of my pregnant patients, because I believe vaccines are the best way to help protect you and your baby against whooping cough and the flu."

Starting the conversation

SHARE Additional Information (as needed)

For many patients, a strong clear recommendation will be sufficient to accept recommended vaccines. Others may need more information. You can use the SHARE method to make strong vaccine recommendations and provide important information to help pregnant patients make informed decisions about vaccinations.

SHARE tailored reasons why the recommended vaccine is right for the patient because she is pregnant, which may lead to certain risk factors.

Example‎

"Whooping cough can be a threat to you or your baby. Since 2010, we see between 10,000 and 50,000 cases of whooping cough each year in the United States. The whooping cough vaccine during your pregnancy will pass some early protection against the disease to your baby."

HIGHLIGHT positive experiences with vaccines (personal or in your practice) to reinforce the benefits and strengthen confidence in vaccination

Example‎

"Vaccination during pregnancy is a safe and effective way to protect yourself and your baby. During my last pregnancy, I received Tdap, COVID-19 and Flu vaccines. I also asked that anyone who wanted to visit our baby to be up-to-date on their vaccines."

ADDRESS patient questions and any concerns about the vaccines, including side effects, safety, and vaccine effectiveness in plain and understandable language.

Example‎

"Whooping cough vaccine has been carefully studied by medical and scientific experts. Getting the vaccine during pregnancy does not put you at increased risk for pregnancy complications like low birth weight or preterm delivery."

REMIND your patient that vaccine can protect her, her developing baby, and other loved ones from many common and serious diseases.

Example‎

"Getting the whooping cough vaccine now will not only help protect you from getting whooping cough and passing it on to your baby, but it will also pass protection on to your baby. That way, your baby will be born with some protection against this very dangerous disease."

EXPLAIN the potential cost of getting the disease, including serious health effects, time lost (such as missing working or family obligations), and financial costs.

Example‎

"About 7 in 10 deaths from whooping cough are among babies younger than 2 months old. These babies are too young to receive a whooping cough vaccine. The younger the baby is when they get whooping cough, the more likely they will need to be treated in a hospital. Getting vaccinated during your pregnancy will help protect your baby until they are able to receive their own vaccinations."

Resources to share

Talking to Pregnant Women About Vaccines 
Use this printable handout to train staff on how to address patient questions about vaccines recommended during pregnancy.

From Me to You: Pregnancy is a precaution; may be used if benefit outweighs risk.
CDC created this handout in an effort to invite Black pregnant people, their loved ones, and their healthcare providers into a conversation about how recommended vaccinations during pregnancy help pregnant people share protection with their babies.

Making A Strong Vaccine Referral to Pregnant Women 
This 8.5″ x 11″ fact sheet offers tips for how to make a strong referral to pregnant patients to help ensure that they get recommended vaccines to prevent pertussis and influenza. It is designed for healthcare professionals who are not able to stock and administer Tdap or influenza vaccines in their office.

Prenatal Care and Routinely Recommended Vaccinations 
This one-page chart lists key vaccination recommendations for before, during, and after pregnancy. It is a quick reference table summarizing important contraindications and recommendations related to maternal vaccination. See a full list of ACIP’s guidelines for vaccinating pregnant women.

Letter to Providers: Tdap and Influenza Vaccination of Pregnant Women 

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Content Source:
National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD)