Getting immunizations during pregnancy

Flu and pertussis (also known as whooping cough) are dangerous diseases for newborns and young infants. The flu can also be dangerous for you when you’re pregnant.

Getting the flu shot and Tdap vaccine during pregnancy is safe and recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

The CDC recommends:

• If you didn’t get the yearly flu vaccine yet, get the flu shot before, or during, your pregnancy. This is especially important if you have a chronic health problem (including asthma). The nasal-spray vaccine contains live virus, so it is not used during pregnancy. Talk to your care provider about getting your flu shot at a Kaiser Permanente medical office, at no cost to you.
• Get a tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (Tdap) shot before or during each pregnancy.
• Encourage those around your baby to get the flu and whooping cough vaccines — parents, brothers and sisters, childcare providers, grandparents, and close family friends. It’s best to get vaccinated at least 2 weeks before contact with your baby.

Flu shots protect you and your baby (up to 6 months old):

• The flu can cause severe illness, increasing the chance for premature labor and delivery.
• Babies under 6 months old are more likely to be hospitalized due to flu complications than anyone else and are too young to receive the flu vaccine — they rely on you to protect them.

A Tdap shots protect your baby from whooping cough:

• Whooping cough (pertussis) is a respiratory infection that can cause severe coughing or trouble breathing. It can be deadly for babies — about half of infants who get whooping cough are hospitalized. A Tdap shots will help protect you from whooping cough, and this protection will pass to your baby.
• When your baby is born, make sure he or she gets all 5 doses of whooping cough vaccine on time (at 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 15 to 18 months, and 4 to 6 years).