Vaccinations in pregnancy

A couple of vaccinations are recommended during pregnancy, and they’re one of the simplest, most effective things you can do to protect both yourself and your newborn. The idea can feel daunting if you’re worried about anything “extra” in pregnancy, so it helps to understand why they’re offered and how they work.

The two routinely recommended in every pregnancy in Australia are whooping cough (pertussis) and influenza (the flu). Depending on the season and current health advice, COVID-19 and, more recently, RSV protection may also be offered — your midwife, GP or pharmacist can tell you what’s currently recommended for you.

Whooping cough is the big one for protecting your baby. Whooping cough is very dangerous for newborns, who are too young to be vaccinated themselves until they’re a few weeks old. Having the vaccine in the third trimester (usually recommended from around 28 weeks, and in every pregnancy) lets you pass protective antibodies across the placenta, so your baby is born with some immunity for those vulnerable first weeks. It’s also worth partners and close family being up to date, so the people around the baby aren’t a source of infection — sometimes called “cocooning”.

The flu can be more serious in pregnancy, when your immune system and lungs are under extra load, and it can also protect your baby in early life. The flu vaccine is recommended at any stage of pregnancy, and is free for pregnant women in Australia.

These vaccines are considered safe in pregnancy — they’re recommended precisely because the benefits to you and your baby are well established, and they’ve been given to very large numbers of pregnant women. The whooping cough and flu vaccines used in pregnancy are not “live” vaccines, so they can’t give you the illness.

It’s normal to have questions, especially if you’re feeling protective of your pregnancy — and that’s exactly what your midwife, GP or pharmacist is there for. They can talk through the timing, what to expect (mild soreness at the injection site or feeling a bit off for a day is common and harmless), and anything specific to your situation, such as allergies or a complex medical history.

A few practical points. The vaccines are widely available — through your GP, many pharmacies, and antenatal clinics — and are timed to fit around your usual appointments. If you miss the ideal window for the whooping cough vaccine, it’s still worth having, so ask. And keep your own childhood vaccinations and any others (like measles immunity) in mind, as your care team may check these early in pregnancy.

A quick word on the newer ones. RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) is a common cause of serious chest infections in babies, and protection in pregnancy — either a maternal vaccine or, after birth, an antibody given to the baby — has recently become available in Australia; your provider can tell you what’s offered where you are. COVID-19 vaccination is also recommended in pregnancy, as COVID can be more serious when you’re pregnant, and it offers your baby some early protection too. Which of these apply depends on the season and current advice, so it’s a good thing to ask about at an appointment.

It’s completely normal to feel a bit anxious about vaccines when you’re pregnant and instinctively protective — but it may reassure you that the recommended pregnancy vaccines have been given safely to very large numbers of pregnant women and are backed by strong evidence. They won’t give you the illness, and the common side effects are mild and short-lived (a sore arm, feeling a little off for a day). If you have specific concerns — a past reaction, an allergy, or a complex history — that’s exactly the conversation to have with your GP, midwife or pharmacist, who can advise for your situation rather than the internet’s.

The bottom line: the recommended pregnancy vaccinations are a safe, well-studied way to give your baby a protected start and keep you well through pregnancy. If you’re unsure about anything, have the conversation with your provider — it’s a good question to bring, not one to worry about alone.