Vaccines: Pre- and During Pregnancy

• Maintaining accurate vaccination records and sharing them with healthcare professionals is vital before and during pregnancy
• If vaccination records are unavailable, healthcare providers can assist in locating them or recommend appropriate vaccines
• Utilize the Adult Vaccine Self-Assessment Tool to identify necessary vaccines before pregnancy

Vaccines Before Pregnancy

• Update vaccinations before pregnancy to safeguard both the mother and the child from preventable diseases
• Rubella during pregnancy poses risks like miscarriage or severe birth defects
• MMR vaccine provides the best protection against rubella

MMR Vaccine

• If not up to date with the MMR vaccine, get vaccinated before pregnancy and confirm immunity, with a pre-pregnancy blood test
• Avoiding pregnancy for one month post-MMR vaccine and immunity confirmation ensures safety

Vaccines During Pregnancy

• Vaccination during pregnancy shields both the mother and baby from potentially severe illnesses
• Getting vaccinated while pregnant helps protect you and your baby from serious diseases.

Whooping Cough

• Pertussis, or whooping cough, is life-threatening for newborns, with 7 in 10 deaths occurring in babies under 2 months
• Babies with whooping cough may not cough, but experience breathing cessation and turn blue
• Maternal whooping cough vaccination during pregnancy transfers protective antibodies to the baby, offering early protection
• The CDC advises whooping cough vaccination during the 27th through 36th week of each pregnancy

Flu

• Pregnant women face a higher risk of severe flu complications due to immune, heart, and lung function changes
• Yearly flu vaccination is crucial for pregnant women to protect against the flu and safeguard the baby for months after birth
• The CDC recommends getting a flu vaccine by the end of October

RSV

• Protection against RSV is possible through either RSV vaccination during weeks 32-36 of pregnancy (September to January), or RSV immunization for babies aged 8 months or younger during their first RSV season

COVID-19

• The CDC advises COVID-19 vaccination for everyone aged 6 months and older
• Staying up to date on COVID-19 vaccines during pregnancy protects both the mother and baby from severe illness

Other Vaccines

• Hepatitis B vaccination may be needed, as babies born to mothers with hepatitis B face a high infection risk during delivery
• The hepatitis A vaccine may be recommended for pregnant women with chronic liver disease
• For international travel, consult a healthcare professional 4-6 weeks prior to discuss necessary vaccines and precautions

Vaccines After Pregnancy

• Certain vaccines might be recommended postpartum to protect mothers, and antibodies are passed through breastmilk
• Postpartum vaccination is crucial if certain vaccines were missed before or during pregnancy
• It takes about 2 weeks after vaccination for the body to develop antibodies
• Babies begin receiving their own vaccines to protect against serious childhood diseases

Prophylactic anti-D immune globulin

• Prophylactic anti-D immune globulin is offered to unsensitized Rh D-negative women at 28 weeks gestation following repeat antibody screening
• Following delivery, if the infant is Rh D positive, all Rh D negative women who are not known to be sensitized should receive anti-D immune globulin within 72 hours of delivery
• Anti-D immune globulin will also be offered in the following situations:
• invasive diagnostic procedures (amniocentesis, chorionic villus sampling, etc.)
  • External cephalic version
  • molar pregnancy
  • first trimester miscarriage
  • pregnancy termination
  • ectopic pregnancy
  • antenatal hemorrhage after 20 weeks gestation
  • abdominal trauma during pregnancy
  • fetal death in second or third trimester