It’s natural to be concerned about your baby’s health during pregnancy. Eating well, exercising regularly, and getting enough sleep can benefit your baby. But what about vaccines — can they protect you and your baby? Are there risks?

Contrary to some of the claims, vaccines do not cause birth defects. It is essential to discuss vaccination status with a healthcare professional before and during pregnancy to ensure adequate coverage and overall safety. Staying up to date with relevant vaccinations can maximize maternal and fetal health in pregnancy.

Here’s what you need to know about vaccines during pregnancy, and how to protect you and your baby from potentially serious illnesses.

To date, there’s no evidence that being vaccinated during pregnancy can cause birth defects or developmental issues for the baby.

In fact, vaccines during pregnancy can help in protecting both you and your baby from serious complications associated with certain infections.

One major 2017 study analyzed over 20 years of data reported to the national Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) between 1990 and 2014. Researchers noted that there were few reports of birth defects. They also said no pattern from these reports points to any condition caused by vaccines during pregnancy.

Most vaccines are safe during pregnancy. But some vaccines should be taken before you get pregnant or after you have delivered your baby.

Live vaccines

Vaccines that include live viruses are not recommended during pregnancy because there’s a risk that the live viruses may cause infections in an unborn baby. However, there is no research to link these vaccines to birth defects.

Examples of live vaccinations include those protecting against:

Typically, a doctor will not recommend these while a person is pregnant. However, they can fully assess a person’s needs on an individual basis and advise accordingly. In certain circumstances, live vaccinations may be necessary during a pregnancy to reduce infection risk.

Travel and vaccinations

If you plan to travel, try to get any vaccines before you’re pregnant, if possible. These vaccines, which are often needed for travel, are not recommended during pregnancy:

Discuss these vaccines with your doctor to determine if the benefit of the vaccine outweighs the risk. If you have one of these vaccines and then discover you’re pregnant, tell your doctor immediately. You’ll likely need to get a further dose if necessary after delivery.

Can vaccines cause side effects during pregnancy?

While vaccines during pregnancy aren’t linked to birth defects, it’s still possible to experience mild side effects after getting a vaccine. Some of the most common side effects include:

  • fatigue
  • fever
  • muscle aches
  • pain, swelling, and redness at the site of the injection

These types of side effects are temporary and tend to go away on their own. However, if any of these side effects concern you, it’s best to talk with a doctor about next steps.

Vaccinations before or during pregnancy are important for the sake of your health, as well as the health of your baby.

With vaccination, you reduce the risk of certain infections that could lead to serious illness and potential pregnancy complications. Your baby also benefits from some of the antibodies created from vaccines during the first few months of their life.

For example, newborns with the flu virus are at a higher risk of developing pneumonia. Also, half of newborns who develop whooping cough (pertussis) are hospitalized with serious disease.

Even if you’re fully vaccinated during pregnancy, your baby will still need to follow their childhood vaccination schedule and get fully vaccinated.

There has been no evidence linking the COVID-19 vaccine to birth defects. Getting vaccinated against COVID-19 helps protect both you and your pregnancy from the disease.

If you have not yet gotten the COVID-19 vaccine or are partially vaccinated, talk with a doctor or healthcare professional about the appropriate next steps based on your vaccination schedule.

People should receive their annual flu and whooping cough vaccines during each pregnancy. Depending on a person’s history, risk factors, and health status, a doctor may also recommend several other vaccinations.

The benefits of doctor-approved vaccinations outweigh any possible — and often unfounded — claims for birth defects and developmental issues. Always discuss information about vaccines with a doctor or healthcare professional.

RSV (respiratory syncytial virus)

The respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common cause of coughs and colds in people of all ages. While healthy adults typically experience mild symptoms, RSV can cause serious complications in older adults and newborn children.

As a result, doctors recommend the RSV vaccine for pregnant people as a one-time dose at 32 weeks and zero days to 36 weeks and 6 days.

Whooping cough (pertussis)

Whooping cough is a serious and highly contagious respiratory infection. While this infection may be severe in anyone at any age, it can be deadly in infants.

Babies and young children don’t start the whooping cough vaccination series until 2 months of age. Thus, getting vaccinated during pregnancy can help protect you and your baby from having this potentially fatal infection.

Currently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that all pregnant people receive a Tdap vaccine between week 27 and week 36 of pregnancy, with earlier vaccinations within this timeframe preferable. Doing so ensures the most protection possible for your baby.

Flu

If you don’t already get an annual flu vaccine, now is a good time to start.

People who are pregnant may be at a higher risk for severe illnesses from the flu virus, possibly due to temporary changes in overall immune and organ function. As with the whooping cough vaccination, timing is key here in providing the optimal protection against the flu.

The CDC recommends that pregnant people get their flu vaccinations by the end of October to ensure the most adequate protection possible for both mother and baby.

COVID-19

If you haven’t had a COVID-19 vaccination yet or need a booster, the CDC says it’s safe to get those during pregnancy.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) strongly recommends that all pregnant individuals be vaccinated against COVID-19.

These vaccinations are safe at all trimesters. Receiving a COVID-19 vaccination as early as possible helps maximize maternal and fetal health.

Other vaccine recommendations

Other possible vaccines a doctor may recommend during pregnancy include:

  • Hepatitis A: A hepatitis A vaccine may be necessary for pregnant people if they have a history of chronic liver disease
  • Hepatitis B: Doctors may recommend a vaccination for hepatitis B during pregnancy if a person has not received it.
  • Meningococcal disease: Vaccines for meningococcal disease before pregnancy, and possibly other bacterial and viral infections if you plan on international travel during pregnancy.
  • Dengue: If a pregnant person is at risk of infection, a dengue vaccination is recommended; otherwise, deferred vaccination is preferable.

Additionally, if you have not yet received an MMR vaccine, your doctor may recommend getting the shot one month before trying to get pregnant.

This helps prevent possible birth defects, miscarriage, or stillbirth from rubella. Rubella is a serious and life threatening type of viral infection.

Most vaccines are considered safe during pregnancy. There is no evidence to support any connection between vaccinations and birth defects or developmental issues in babies.

While some vaccines may cause mild side effects, it’s important to know that these may occur outside of pregnancy, too.

Talk with a doctor or healthcare professional about any concerns you have regarding vaccines for you and your baby. They can make recommendations that will help ensure the best health possible for both parent and baby.