Vaccines for Pregnant Women
Vaccines you may need before, during, and after your pregnancy.
Vaccines can help protect both you and your baby from vaccine-preventable diseases. During pregnancy, vaccinated mothers pass on infection-fighting proteins called antibodies to their babies.
Antibodies provide some immunity (protection) against certain diseases during their first few months of life, when your baby is still too young to get vaccinated. It also helps provide important protection for you throughout your pregnancy.
To protect yourself and your baby, it’s important to understand which vaccines you may need before, during, and after your pregnancy.
TT Vaccinations
Tetanus or lockjaw is a serious bacterial infection that releases toxins which affect the nerves and brain, resulting in muscle stiffness. These bacteria exists in the environment like in the soil and anybody who gets wounded by the contaminated oil can develop this infection that affects the entire body and can even be fatal. So, getting your child vaccinated against tetanus is very important to ensure they do not get infected.
Importance of TT vaccine schedule
The tetanus vaccine, also called as the tetanus toxoid vaccine, is the best way to prevent children from being infected by tetanus. Ensuring the following of baby’s vaccination schedule is important to help immunise them. Usually, 5 doses of the TT vaccine are recommended during childhood and 6th during adolescence. It is recommended that one gets a TT shot every 10 years after that to keep the infection away.
If one is not up to date with their TT shots, a booster shot should be administered within 48 hours of an injury. In the case of pregnant women, tetanus immunisations are given to prevent neonatal tetanus.
Flu Vaccine
Influenza or flu vaccines protect your baby from infections caused by the influenza virus. Influenza outbreaks occur often and cause respiratory infections. These vaccines help to protect your baby and those around them from the flu. Since the virus changes almost every year, it is recommended that one gets the flu shot every year as the vaccine does not provide immunity for a long period.
Importance of the flu vaccine
All children who are over 6 months old should get this vaccination. This is because children below the age of 5 are at a higher risk of suffering from flu complications like high fever, convulsions and pneumonia. Regular flu shots are also recommended for children who suffer from chronic conditions like lung disorders or weakened immune system.
The flu vaccine is also suggested for pregnant women as well especially during the flu season. This is because an immunised mother usually helps to protect her baby against the flu for the first few months. The shot is safe for pregnant as well as breastfeeding mothers and is highly recommended too since babies below 6 months of age cannot get the shot and the antibodies from the mother get transferred to her baby through the breast milk.
Diphteria Petussis & TT
Diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis or whooping cough are deadly diseases caused by bacteria. Diphtheria is a disease that causes respiratory problems, heart failure and paralysis while Pertussis causes severe coughing spasms that result in breathing difficulty in infants. Both these diseases are highly contagious and in serious cases, even lead to death. Tetanus is caused by bacteria that release toxins that attack the nervous system which results is muscle spasms and could even lead to death if left untreated.
DTaP and Tdap vaccines
For children below the age of 7, DTap is an important vaccine that must be given to help them develop immunity from these 3 deadly diseases. Tdap is the booster given when the child turns 11 to provide continued immunity from the diseases. The booster dose provides a boost to the immunity levels of the vaccines given earlier.
The Tdap vaccine is also recommended for pregnant women and is advised around the 27-36 weeks period of the pregnancy. This helps the mother to keep herself and her child safe from these deadly diseases.