Immunizations and Pregnancy
The minute you find out you’re pregnant, you start to make plans. Be sure that protecting you and your baby through vaccination is part of your plan. Vaccines, also known as immunizations, are a safe and effective way to protect yourself and your baby from many harmful diseases. Talk with a health care provider you trust about getting up to date on recommended vaccines to protect you and your baby.
The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) provides guidance for vaccines to get before and during pregnancy, plus vaccine guidance for your baby. They use the best science to create these recommendations. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American Academy of Family Physicians, and American Academy of Pediatrics, approve these recommendations.
Before you get pregnant
Being up to date with vaccines before getting pregnant helps you have a healthy pregnancy. Below are some of the vaccines that are recommended before getting pregnant. Your health care provider can help you check if you’re up to date and make a plan to get the recommended vaccines.
- MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella)
- Chickenpox (varicella)
- Human papillomavirus (HPV)
If you received routine vaccines, like MMR and chickenpox, when you were younger, you do not need to get additional doses.
Other vaccines to consider
Your provider may also recommend additional vaccines that are appropriate for you, depending on your vaccine history, risk, and season.
- Flu (influenza)
- Updated COVID-19 vaccine
- Hepatitis A
- Hepatitis B
- Pneumococcal
While you’re pregnant
Your baby counts on you for protection while you’re pregnant and in their first months of life. Talk to your health care provider to learn more and make a plan to get up to date with the recommended vaccines.
- Flu (influenza)
- Updated COVID-19 vaccine
- RSV (respiratory syncytial virus)
- Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis)
Note that if you received some vaccines before getting pregnant, like flu, you likely do not need to get them again while pregnant. It is important to be up to date since changes in your immune system during pregnancy make it especially risky if you get sick from the flu or COVID-19. Being vaccinated reduces your risk of serious illness and complications. Getting the recommended vaccines during pregnancy also helps protect your baby from RSV and pertussis (whooping cough) in their first months of life. The CDC and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continue to monitor these vaccines, and ongoing studies show that these vaccines are safe and protective for both you and your baby. Learn more about when you should get the vaccines below.
There are some vaccines you should not get while pregnant. They include:
- MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella)
- Chickenpox (varicella)
Talk to your health care provider if you have any questions.
You should plan to get the flu vaccine by the end of October.
Depending on when your baby is due, your health care provider may recommend getting it earlier to protect both you and your baby from serious illness and complications, like pneumonia.
Flu vaccines are safe to get at any point before, during, or after pregnancy.
Note, you should get a flu shot and not the nasal spray flu vaccine while pregnant.
It is recommended to get up to date with the COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy, if you are not up to date before getting pregnant.
Staying up to date with the COVID-19 vaccine can help protect you and your baby from serious illness and complications. COVID-19 vaccines continue to be a safe and effective way to protect you and your baby.
The Tdap vaccine protects against tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis. Pertussis causes the whooping cough illness. Whooping cough can be serious for anyone, but for a newborn it can be life-threatening.
Getting the Tdap vaccine between 27 and 36 weeks of pregnancy protects your baby from whooping cough.
Respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, is a common respiratory virus that causes mild, cold-like symptoms but can be severe for babies and infants.
You can protect your baby from RSV by getting the RSV vaccine (Abrysvo) if you are between 32 and 36 weeks and 6 days pregnant and it is between September 1 and January 31.
This vaccine protects your baby from serious illness and hospitalization in their first months of life. If you are not eligible for the RSV vaccine, talk to your health care provider about your baby receiving nirsevimab. Nirsevimab is a monoclonal antibody that protects babies from RSV.
Most infants need only Abrysvo or nirsevimab, not both.
After pregnancy
After pregnancy, it is important for both you and your baby to continue staying up to date on vaccines. Your health care provider can help you both stay on track with the recommended vaccines. At birth, it is recommended for your baby to get a hepatitis B vaccine, and depending on the time of year, the RSV monoclonal antibody.
- Hepatitis B: Your baby should get this vaccine before being discharged home. If you have hepatitis B, your baby can also get the hepatitis B immune globulin (HBIG), which gives your baby’s body extra help to fight the virus as soon as your baby is born.
- RSV (nirsevimab): If you didn’t receive the RSV vaccine (Abyrsvo) while you were pregnant, your baby may also need nirsevimab, an RSV monoclonal antibody.
The vaccines your baby gets in their first months and years of life are critical to protecting them as their immune system continues to develop and they are exposed to viruses and bacteria. It’s important for everyone caring for the newborn to be up to date on their vaccines as well. Getting routine shots while you are breastfeeding is also safe and helps protect you and your baby.
Where can I get vaccines?
Depending on your insurance type, you can get vaccines in many different places. Most private health insurance plans cover vaccines at no extra cost to you at the doctor’s office. Medicaid also pays for many vaccines. Call your insurance provider to ask what’s covered under your plan. If you or your baby are uninsured or underinsured, you and your baby may be eligible for free or low-cost vaccines through the following programs and locations:
- Vaccines For Adults (aged 19 and older)
- Vaccines For Children (under age 19)
- Federally Qualified Health Centers, rural health clinics, and local and Tribal health departments also offer low-cost vaccines.
Resources and materials
Patients
To learn more about vaccines before, during, and after pregnancy, talk to a health care provider you trust. The following resources also provide more information about how to protect you and your baby.
- Recommended Immunizations for Birth Through 6 Years Old, United States, 2024 | CDC (English and Spanish)
- Recommended Vaccines During Pregnancy, Patient Education Videos | American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (English and Spanish)
- Vaccines During Pregnancy | American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
- Pregnancy and Vaccination | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Health care providers, pharmacies, and community partners
Your recommendation of vaccines goes a long way in protecting your pregnant patients and their babies. Use the following materials to help give a strong recommendation for vaccines and provide more information to your patients.
- Plan to Protect Campaign | Wisconsin Department of Health Services (English and Spanish)
- From Me To You Campaign | CDC (English)
- Vaccines During Pregnancy | American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
- RSV | Wisconsin Department of Health Services
While this webpage uses language focused on the person giving birth, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services recognizes the diverse experiences of people who give birth, including surrogacy, and the various pathways to becoming a parent, including adoption.
It is important for all individuals involved in the birth and parenting of newborns to be up to date on vaccines.