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 physician.

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.

Key Facts About Seasonal Flu Vaccine

There are two types of vaccines:

• The "flu shot" — an inactivated vaccine (containing killed virus) that is given with a needle, usually in the arm. The flu shot is approved for use in people older than 6 months, including healthy people and people with chronic medical conditions.
• The nasal-spray flu vaccine — a vaccine made with live, weakened flu viruses that do not cause the flu (sometimes called LAIV for "live attenuated influenza vaccine" or FluMist®). LAIV (FluMist®) is approved for use in healthy* people 2-49 years of age who are not pregnant.

Each seasonal influenza vaccine contains three influenza viruses-one A (H3N2) virus, one regular seasonal A (H1N1) virus (not the 2009 H1N1 virus), and one B virus. The viruses in the vaccine change each year based on international surveillance and scientists' estimations about which types and strains of viruses will circulate in a given year. About 2 weeks after vaccination, antibodies that provide protection against influenza virus infection develop in the body.

The seasonal flu vaccine will not provide protection against 2009 H1N1 flu.

When to Get Vaccinated

Yearly flu vaccination should begin in September or as soon as vaccine is available and continue throughout the influenza season, into December, January, and beyond. This is because the timing and duration of influenza seasons vary. While influenza outbreaks can happen as early as October, most of the time influenza activity peaks in January or later.

Who Should Get Vaccinated

In general, anyone who wants to reduce their chances of getting seasonal flu can get a seasonal influenza vaccine. However, it is recommended by ACIP that certain people should get vaccinated each year. They are either people who are at high risk of having serious seasonal flu-related complications or people who live with or care for those at high risk for serious seasonal flu-related complications. During flu seasons when vaccine supplies are limited or delayed, ACIP makes recommendations regarding priority groups for vaccination.

People who should get the seasonal vaccine each year are:

1. Children aged 6 months up to their 19th birthday
2. Pregnant women
3. People 50 years of age and older
4. People of any age with certain chronic medical conditions
5. People who live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities
6. People who live with or care for those at high risk for complications from flu, including:
   1. Health care workers
   2. Household contacts of persons at high risk for complications from the flu
   3. Household contacts and out of home caregivers of children less than 6 months of age (these children are too young to be vaccinated)

Use of the Nasal Spray Flu Vaccine

It should be noted that vaccination with the nasal-spray flu vaccine is always an option for healthy* people 2-49 years of age who are not pregnant.

Who Should Not Be Vaccinated

There are some people who should not get a flu vaccine without first consulting a physician. These include:

• People who have a severe allergy to chicken eggs.
• People who have had a severe reaction to an influenza vaccination.
• People who developed Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) within 6 weeks of getting an influenza vaccine.
• Children less than 6 months of age (influenza vaccine is not approved for this age group), and
• People who have a moderate-to-severe illness with a fever (they should wait until they recover to get vaccinated.)

Vaccine Effectiveness

The ability of a flu vaccine to protect a person depends on the age and health status of the person getting the vaccine, and the similarity or "match" between the viruses or virus in the vaccine and those in circulation.

Vaccine Side Effects (What to Expect)

Different side effects can be associated with the flu shot and LAIV.

The flu shot: The viruses in the flu shot are killed (inactivated), so you cannot get the flu from a flu shot. Some minor side effects that could occur are:

• Soreness, redness, or swelling where the shot was given
• Fever (low grade)
• Aches

If these problems occur, they begin soon after the shot and usually last 1 to 2 days. Almost all people who receive influenza vaccine have no serious problems from it. However, on rare occasions, flu vaccination can cause serious problems, such as severe allergic reactions. As of July 1, 2005, people who think that they have been injured by the flu shot can file a claim for compensation from the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP).

The nasal spray (also called LAIV or FluMist®): The viruses in the nasal-spray vaccine are weakened and do not cause severe symptoms often associated with influenza illness. (In clinical studies, transmission of vaccine viruses to close contacts has occurred only rarely.)

In children, side effects from LAIV (FluMist®) can include:

• runny nose
• wheezing
• headache
• vomiting
• muscle aches
• fever

In adults, side effects from LAIV (FluMist®) can include

• runny nose
• headache
• sore throat
• cough

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)