Sep 28 2008
Weekend News - Pregnancy and Flu Shots
A recently released study suggests that pregnant women who get the flu shot pass on that immunity to their newborns. Although the FDA has been recommending flu shots for women since 1997 this is the first official study that has found that newborns can be protected from the flu up to six months after birth if the mother received a flu shot during pregnancy. The entire article can be found here.
The finding are important because flu shots are not currently approved for infants under six months of age but newborns are at high risk for hospitalization from flu complications. In the study, women were given the shots during the third trimester (researchers believe it takes up to a month for the immunity to build up in the fetus). Currently most doctors recommend flu shots to pregnant women anytime if the pregnancy occurs during the flu season. I got pregnant with my son in January so by the time I got to my first doctor’s appointment flu season was just about over. Other than that specific timing, however, flu season is tough to miss for pregnant women.
Need another reason to get a flu shot when you’re pregnant? I friend of mine recently delivered a baby 5 weeks early because she got the flu and dehydration started her labor. If the thought of having a baby 5 weeks early isn’t scary enough consider that she was in labor as she was still recovering from the flu! Yuck! From vomit straight to contractions - now that’s not a pretty sight.
