Vaccination Tips for Expecting Moms

I was pretty much settled in my career when I and my husband finally decided to grow our family. Much like everything else we did for the first time, we both met Gynaecologists and Experts to understand the responsibilities of rearing a child before starting our parenting journey.

It was clear that our regular weekend outing had to wait, including clubbing and our daily dine outs. We decided to change a few things in our life and get educated around certain things before we started to think about starting a family. One of the most significant things that we did was to make ourselves aware about vaccination during pregnancy.

We Updated Ourselves On Vaccinations During Pregnancy

When a baby is born, their immune system is still developing¹ and a significant proportion of their immunity comes from their mother. Immunization during pregnancy is a preventive healthcare measure. It is simple and helps protect the mother from certain illnesses. Once vaccinated, the expecting Mom also passes on the immunity from those diseases to the baby, which helps the baby from birth to 2 months old. (Immunity is passed on during pregnancy).²

1. Tetanus

Tetanus is a nerve disease which may be life-threatening to mother or the newborn baby.³ Hence, Tetanus vaccination has been one of the common vaccinations during pregnancy.⁴

2. Diphtheria

Diphtheria is a serious throat infection which can block airways and make breathing difficult. It can cause a lack of oxygen in babies due to difficulty in breathing.⁵ Hence, it’s always better to do timely prevention with vaccination.⁴

3. Pertussis

Pertussis, also called whooping cough, is a contagious infection, which can lead to hospitalization, especially for babies below 2 months of age.⁶ Thus, the option is for the Mom to be vaccinated during pregnancy for Pertussis as then she can pass on the immunity to the baby. So, this vaccine is also recommended.⁷

Moreover, pertussis is a contagious disease, which means it can pass on to the baby from caretakers or family members.⁶ Thus, it is a good idea that anyone who is expected to have close contact with the baby also receives immunity from this disease.

3-in-1 Protection

During our research we also came to know about 3-in-1 Protection which can help protect the mother and the baby against these three common diseases - Tetanus, Diphtheria and Pertussis during pregnancy.

It’s important to understand that a newborn is not adequately protected against these three diseases at birth. For a baby, vaccination against these three diseases starts only once they are 6 weeks of age.⁸ That is why 3-in-1 vaccination during pregnancy is a key step in helping in passing on the protection from the mother to the newborn baby from Tetanus, Diphtheria & Pertussis.

I recommend you speak to your Gynecologist for more details about 3-in-1 vaccination during pregnancy. Please do share the awareness with fellow expecting Moms and moms-to-be if you found this information valuable.

References

1. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/parents/why-vaccinate/strengthen-baby-immune.html. Accessed October 2023.
2. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/concerns/vaccines-during-pregnancy.html. Accessed October 2023.
3. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/tetanus. Accessed October 2023.
4. https://www.cdc.gov/pertussis/pregnant/hcp/vaccine-safety.html#:~:text=Pregnant%20women%20have%20been%20getting,the%20mother%20or%20baby%2Ffetus. Accessed October 2023.
5. https://www.cdc.gov/diphtheria/about/symptoms.html. Accessed October 2023.
6. CDC. Whooping cough is deadly for babies.
7. https://www.cdc.gov/pertussis/pregnant/mom/get-vaccinated.html. Accessed October 2023.
8. Kasi et al. Indian Pediatr. 2021;58:44-53. CL Code: NP-IN-PVU-WCNT-240002