Pregnant people

Vaccines are an important part of a healthy pregnancy. They help protect you and your baby against serious diseases.

Some diseases are particularly harmful to pregnant people and their babies and can cause birth defects, premature birth, miscarriage, and death. Many of these diseases can be prevented through vaccination.

It’s important to know which vaccines you need before, during, and after pregnancy.

Vaccines before pregnancy

It’s best to make sure all of your routine vaccines are up to date before becoming pregnant. This is important because some vaccines cannot be given during pregnancy but provide important protection. For example, the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine should not be given during pregnancy, but rubella infection during pregnancy can cause miscarriage and serious birth defects. If you are planning to become pregnant, talk to your health care provider about vaccines you may need.

It’s also a good idea to make sure that everyone in your household is up to date with their vaccines. This will help protect your baby by lowering the chance of household members getting a disease and passing it onto your baby. This is especially important because babies don’t start getting vaccines until they are two months old, and most vaccines require more than one dose. This means that newborn babies are especially vulnerable to disease. Even though you may not be able to receive certain vaccines while pregnant, it is safe for others in your household to receive routine vaccines during your pregnancy.

Vaccines during pregnancy

It is recommended that all pregnant people get the pertussis (whooping cough) and influenza (flu) vaccines during each pregnancy to protect themselves and their babies. Other vaccines may be recommended during pregnancy if you're travelling or at risk for certain diseases.

Influenza (flu) vaccine

Canada's National Advisory Committee on Immunization recommends that all pregnant people at any stage of pregnancy get the influenza (flu) vaccine during the influenza season to protect themselves and their newborns. Pregnant people should receive the inactivated influenza vaccine (given by injection).

What is influenza?

Influenza, often called the flu, is an infection of the upper airway caused by the influenza virus. Influenza spreads easily from person to person through coughing, sneezing, or having face-to-face contact. 

Why is the influenza vaccine recommended during pregnancy?

Influenza can be very serious during pregnancy. Normal changes that happen in your body during pregnancy, like changes in your immune system, make you more likely to get really sick from influenza and to be hospitalized. 

Influenza can also be harmful to your baby. When you get the influenza vaccine during pregnancy, you can pass protective antibodies to your baby that can help protect your baby for several months after birth. This is important because babies can get really sick from influenza but can’t get the vaccine until they are six months old. If you did not receive the influenza vaccine during pregnancy, you should get it as soon as possible after your baby is born and preferably before discharge from the hospital.

Getting the influenza vaccine during the influenza season will help protect you and your baby.

What is the best time to get the influenza vaccine?

The influenza (flu) vaccine is recommended and provided for free for pregnant people during the influenza season (usually from October to April each year). For best protection, you should get immunized as soon as possible during the influenza season.

Is the influenza vaccine safe in pregnancy?

Pregnant people should receive the inactivated influenza vaccine (given by injection). There is good evidence to show the inactivated influenza (flu) vaccine is safe for pregnant people and their babies. 

Where can I get the influenza vaccine?

Influenza vaccines are available at a wide variety of locations across the province including pharmacies, public health clinics, and some primary care providers' offices.

You can book your influenza vaccine through the provincial government's Get Vaccinated system. Book your influenza vaccine appointment.

Flu Shots During Pregnancy

 

Pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine 

The Tdap vaccine is recommended and provided free to pregnant people in every pregnancy. The vaccine should be given at 27-32 weeks of pregnancy regardless of previous Tdap immunization history but may be given as early as 13 weeks and up until delivery. The pertussis vaccine is given as the tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis (Tdap) vaccine. This will protect newborn infants in BC from severe outcomes related to pertussis infection.

What is pertussis?

Pertussis is a serious infection of the airways caused by the pertussis bacteria. It can cause complications such as pneumonia (an infection of the lungs), seizures, brain damage, and death. Pertussis is most dangerous in babies.

Why is the pertussis vaccine recommended during pregnancy?

Babies don’t start getting the pertussis vaccine until they are two months old. The best way to protect your baby from pertussis and its complications during their first two months of life is to get the vaccine yourself. When you get the pertussis vaccine, your body makes protective antibodies. Antibodies are proteins made by the body to help fight off diseases. You can pass some of these antibodies on to your baby through your placenta before birth. These antibodies will help protect your baby from pertussis during their first couple of months of life. This is when your baby is most at risk of getting pertussis and of having serious complications from it but is too young to get vaccinated.

What is the best time to get the pertussis vaccine?

The best time to get the pertussis vaccine is between 27 and 32 weeks of pregnancy. This allows time for you to pass the protective antibodies on to your baby. However, the vaccine may be given earlier and can be provided up until delivery. Talk to your health care provider about timing.

Is the pertussis vaccine safe in pregnancy?

The pertussis vaccine is very safe for pregnant people and their babies.

Where can I get the pertussis vaccine?

Tdap vaccine will be provided by prenatal care providers including family doctors and midwives, but can also be provided by specialty prenatal care service providers and by community-based pharmacists, or at the local health unit at adult immunization clinics.

Other vaccines 

In certain situations, other vaccines may be recommended during pregnancy. 

Some examples:

• The hepatitis B vaccine is recommended for pregnant people whose jobs, lifestyles, or health histories puts them at high risk of becoming infected with hepatitis B. Your health care provider will let you know if you need the hepatitis B vaccine.
• The hepatitis A, meningococcal, and polio vaccines may be recommended for pregnant people travelling to areas of the world where these diseases are common. Tell your health care provider if you are travelling outside Canada during your pregnancy.

Safety of vaccines during pregnancy

Inactivated vaccines are generally safe in pregnancy. However, live vaccines (for example, the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) and the chickenpox (varicella) vaccines) should generally not be given during pregnancy because they have not been proven to be safe for pregnant people and their babies. 

Your healthcare provider can tell you which vaccines are recommended for you and which vaccines are safe to get during pregnancy.

Vaccines after pregnancy

If you didn’t catch up on certain vaccines before or during your pregnancy, it’s important that you get them as soon as possible after your baby is born. This will help protect you and your baby, by lowering the chance of you getting a vaccine-preventable disease and passing it onto your baby. It will also ensure you’re protected in future pregnancies. It’s safe to receive vaccines right after birth, even if you are breastfeeding.

COVID-19 vaccination

If you are pregnant or thinking of getting pregnant, getting vaccinated with all recommended doses of a COVID-19 vaccine is the safest way to protect yourself and your baby.  People who are pregnant are at increased risk of experiencing a severe case of COVID-19 with serious outcomes for themselves and their baby, including preterm birth.