A Healthy Start: Pregnancy and Vaccines
PROTECTED CONTENT
If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.
Username and Password Help
Please enter your email and we will send your username and password to you.
During pregnancy, you are often thinking about baby names, nursery colors, and prenatal vitamins, but you should also be thinking about vaccines. Vaccines during pregnancy not only protect you against diseases, but you can also begin to pass some protection to your baby that’ll last the first few months of life. The two vaccines that are routinely recommended by doctors and midwives during your pregnancy are the pertussis or whooping cough vaccine (Tdap) and the flu vaccine.
To celebrate the importance of immunizations for a healthy start and throughout our lives – and to make sure everyone is protected with all the vaccines they need – the Saint Croix Valley Immunization Coalition is joining with partners nationwide in recognizing August as National Immunization Awareness Month.
“Getting a flu shot is the best way to protect a pregnant woman from the flu and prevent serious flu-related problems, such as premature labor and delivery. And when you get a whooping vaccine, or Tdap, during each pregnancy, you’ll pass some antibodies that will help protect your baby for the first months of life,” said Sharon Reyzer, Saint Croix Valley Immunization Coalition member, “That’s when babies are most vulnerable to the devastating complications associated with whooping cough. I encourage pregnant women to talk to their ob-gyns or midwives about these important vaccines.”
You can find out more about the vaccines recommended during pregnancy at www.cdc.gov/vaccines or by talking to your doctor or midwife. To become a member or learn more about the St. Croix Valley Immunization Coalition, contact Sharon at 715-246-8372. Parents can find out more about the recommended immunization schedule at www.cdc.gov/vaccines/parents or www.sccwi.us or call St. Croix County Public Health at 715-246-8263.
