Vaccinations in Pregnancy

Seasonal Influenza (Flu) vaccine

The very safe flu jab will help protect you and your baby as there is good evidence that there is a higher chance of developing complications if you get flu during pregnancy, especially in the later stage.  Complications of flu include bronchitis that could develop into pneumonia, or your baby could have complications such as premature birth, low birth weight or other severe conditions.

When to get vaccinated

It is a good idea to get vaccinated as soon as possible after the annual/seasonal (due to different strains) flu jab becomes available in September (before flu starts circulating) by contacting your GP surgery/midwife to find out where the vaccine is available.  If this timeframe is missed it is still possible to have it later in the season.

Whooping Cough (Pertussis) vaccine

In recent years, cases of whooping cough (also known as pertussis) have risen sharply across the UK. It is a serious disease that causes long bouts of coughing and choking, making it hard to breathe. The ‘whoop’ noise is caused by gasping for breath after each bout of coughing. Young babies are most at serious risk from whooping cough.

Why you should get the whooping cough vaccine

• Getting vaccinated during pregnancy provides antibodies that will be passed to the baby so he or she has some protection during the first few weeks of life when whooping cough is most serious.
• The earliest your baby can receive the vaccine themselves is at two months, as newborn babies do not respond well to the vaccine (and they need 3 doses). Breastfeeding alone will not protect your child from whooping cough before their first injection, as not enough immunity is passed in the breast milk to your baby.

When you should get the whooping cough vaccine

The best time to get vaccinated to protect your baby from whooping cough is from 16 up to 32 weeks of pregnancy so that your baby will have maximum antibody protection at birth until they can have their booster at 8 weeks old.

How to get your vaccinations

The vaccine (Boostrix IPV that also contains diphtheria/ tetanus/polio and whooping cough) is available from your GP/midwifery team and may be offered it at a routine antenatal appointment from around 16 weeks of your pregnancy.  Don’t forget to discuss with your midwifery team if you have not been offered it.