by Claudia Boyd-Barrett posted in Pregnancy

Getting vaccinated against whooping cough while you?re pregnant dramatically decreases your baby?s risk of getting the disease, according to a new study.
Researchers tracked almost 150,000 babies born in California between 2010 and 2015. They found that babies born to moms vaccinated against whooping cough (also known as pertussis) during pregnancy had more than a 90 percent decreased risk of getting the illness during the first two months of life, compared with babies whose moms did not get vaccinated.
Increased protection against whooping cough continued during the babies? first year, with a 70 percent reduced risk of the illness among infants whose moms were vaccinated while pregnant.
Moms in the study received the Tdap vaccine, which also protects against tetanus and diphtheria. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends Tdap shots for all pregnant women during every pregnancy, even if you?ve received the vaccine before.
You can get a Tdap shot any time during your pregnancy, but it?s best to get it when you?re between 27 and 36 weeks pregnant, the CDC says.
Whooping cough is very contagious and especially dangerous for babies. Infants under 1 year old are susceptible to complications from the disease such as pneumonia, convulsions, brain damage and even death. Vaccinated moms pass antibodies to their babies. That protection is especially critical during the first 2 months of life before babies can receive the...