Emma Smith* has always gotten all the vaccines her doctor recommended during her pregnancy.
?I?m someone who believes in science and trusts the science, and also my doctors, so the conversation wasn?t around should I or shouldn?t I, but when should I get them,? says the Montreal mom, who?s expecting her third baby this summer.
Even if you?re someone like Smith, who believes vaccines are an important part of your healthcare arsenal, it can be confusing to know what?s safe during pregnancy and you might be worried about any adverse effects of immunizations on your baby.
?The vaccines that are recommended for every pregnant woman in Canada are the influenza (flu) vaccine and the pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine,? says Vanessa Poliquin, an OB/GYN and reproductive infections disease specialist at Winnipeg Health Sciences Centre. ?These vaccines protect both the mother from illness and also the infant for the first several months of life,? she says. Here?s how it works: after mom receives a vaccine, her body produces antibodies that can be passed across the placenta, giving baby protection that will last for several months after birth. This will cover them until they receive their own shots?recommended at two months for whooping cough, and six months of age for the flu.
Flu shot during pregnancy
Canada?s National Advisory Committee on Immunization recommends that, no matter what stage of pregnancy they’re at, moms-to-be get the inactivated influenza vaccine via injection ...