CDC Vaccine Recommendations Info on Vaccine Benefits for Mom and Baby
Covid Vaccine- In pregnancy, you are more likely to get very sick from COVID, compared to those who are not pregnant. Additionally, if you have COVID during pregnancy, you are at increased risk of complications that can affect your pregnancy and your baby from serious illness from COVID. This vaccine is recommended at any time in pregnancy.
Flu Vaccine- The flu shot protects both the pregnant mother and baby (before and after birth). It can be given as soon as it is available, usually yearly in September.
MMR- Stands for measles, mumps, and rubella (german measles). This vaccine can be administered either before or after pregnancy, but not during. You may have received this vaccine in the past, and during your pregnancy we order a lab to check the status of your rubella antibodies (they wear down with time). If you are no longer immune, you can opt to receive the MMR after your baby is born. Since newborns are too small to get the MMR vaccine, they receive protections through your protection and through your milk if you are breastfeeding.
Rhogam- If your blood type is O-, A-, B-, or AB- you will be offered rhogam at around 28 Weeks of pregnancy and within 72 hours of birthing a baby with a positive blood type to prevent your body from developing antibodies to a fetus with a possible positive blood type. We also recommend rhogam in any case where your blood might mix with your developing negative blood type fetus, such as miscarriage, abdominal trauma, and vaginal bleeding with an unknown source in pregnancy.
RSV- Stands for respiratory syncytial virus. RSV is recommended in pregnancy during Weeks 32-36 from September through January (RSV season).
RSV is a common virus that produces cold-like symptoms in adults. It is the leading cause of hospitalization for infants.
Tdap- Stands for tetanus, diptheria, and pertussis (whooping cough). Tdap is recommended with each pregnancy right around or after Week 27.
This allows mom's body to produce plenty of antibodies to pass along to the baby. Babies aren't able to get their own whooping cough vaccine until two months of age, and so Tdap protects baby over the two vulnerable months and the weeks baby is developing antibodies.