Vaccination during pregnancy: all you need to know

Vaccination during pregnancy and before pregnancy not only helps to protect the mother's health but also ensures the safety of the baby.

The mother's immune system is the first shield to help the baby against the risk of some serious diseases. So, if you are planning to have a baby or are pregnant, prepare the necessary knowledge about vaccination. Here are some vaccines you should be aware of during pregnancy.

Get vaccinated during pregnancy to prevent the flu

The flu can cause a lot of discomfort for adults, especially those with a chronic illness or those with weak immune systems (including pregnant women). The flu has even more serious effects on children. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that pregnant women get the flu vaccine between October and May because that is when a flu pandemic is likely. Pregnant mothers should also avoid using nasal sprays because they can be the germs that cause the flu.

Pregnant mothers should not be subjective, even if they were vaccinated last year, they should still be vaccinated once a year because the immune system in your body will weaken over the years. Besides, the vaccine formula can also be renewed regularly to avoid drug resistance.

If you are planning to have a baby or are pregnant, make sure you have been fully vaccinated and also pay attention to vaccinate your baby in the future.

Vaccines against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (Tdap)

Tetanus is an infectious disease caused by bacteria that enter the body through scratches on the skin. Toxins caused by these bacteria lead to symptoms related to the nervous system such as seizures, epilepsy. Diphtheria and pertussis bacteria are spread through coughing, sneezing and cause serious breathing problems.

To prevent all 3 types of diseases in adults, health centers often use Tdap vaccine. This vaccine is recommended for pregnant women between 27 and 36 weeks. However, if there is a high risk of infection from those around you or are deeply scratched and want to increase your defense against tetanus bacteria, you can also get Tdap earlier. When the vaccine is injected into the body, your immune antibodies are passed to your baby. This protects your baby from whooping cough until he is old enough to be vaccinated (2 months old).

It is very important to vaccinate babies in the womb and after they reach the age of the vaccination because whooping cough is contagious and causes a high risk of death, while the child's immune system is not complete development.

Other vaccines

During pregnancy, if you are at risk of developing a chronic illness or working and traveling in an unsafe environment, you can seek advice from your doctor before getting the following vaccines:

Anti-pneumococcal vaccine: this vaccine protects you against infections caused by pneumococcus such as pneumonia , meningitis , and ear infections;

Hepatitis A vaccine : you should use this vaccine if you have problems such as: chronic liver disease, using drugs that cause hematoma, working in laboratories containing hepatitis viruses A often travels to places with high rates of hepatitis A infection such as Mexico, Eastern Europe, Central and South America;

Hepatitis B vaccine: the sexually transmitted hepatitis B virus, saliva, and needles cause liver disease and may not show any symptoms for many years. Hepatitis B vaccine is recommended if you have high risk of liver disease such as a health care worker or dialysis patient, having had sex with more than one person in 6 years. months, to countries where hepatitis B epidemic is happening such as Africa, Middle East, Asia and Western Europe;

Meningococcal vaccine: an infectious meningococcal disease causes severe meningitis and can cause death within 24 to 48 hours due to the rapid growth of bacteria. It is not common, but you should still get vaccinated to avoid the risk of it.

What if i'm allergic to the vaccine?

Serious reactions to vaccines are rare. Your doctor will skip injections that contain your allergen. If you are allergic to baker's yeast, you should skip the hepatitis B vaccine. You should also not get the flu vaccine if you are allergic to eggs. In this case, you should consult your doctor for alternative prevention of the above diseases.

When the baby is in the womb, when the baby is completely surrounded by the mother, your health is also the vitality of the baby. So, protect yourself and your baby by having regular maternity check-ups, full vaccination scheduled for you and your baby after birth, eating well and living a healthy lifestyle.