This August, Blue Hills is proud to promote National Immunization Awareness Month (or NIAM). This campaign was established to help promote the education and importance of vaccinations and to make sure all ages are up to date on their vaccinations. Each week of the month focuses on a different age group: school-age children, pregnant women, babies and young children, preteens and teens, and adults.
This week's main topic is about pregnant women and immunizations. Vaccines are an important part of a healthy pregnancy. Women should be up to date on their vaccinations before becoming pregnant. There are certain vaccines women should have before pregnancy and certain vaccines women should have during pregnancy.
Quick Key Facts:
Be sure to have your immunizations up to date before becoming pregnant. These include MMR (Measles, Mumps, and Rubella), chicken pox, hepatitis A and B, pneumococcal, and travel vaccinations.
Two vaccines are routinely recommended for pregnant women: flu vaccine and Tdap vaccine. Both of these vaccines are safe during pregnancy.
*Women should get the Tdap vaccine during each pregnancy.
Vaccines protect you against serious diseases and prevent you from passing diseases on to your baby.
The vaccines you get during pregnancy will help protect your baby from diseases at birth. Babies need this early protection in the first few month of life until they can get their own vaccines.
Your pregnancy is a good time to start learning about childhood vaccines. These vaccines will provide your growing child with safe and proven disease protection
Breastfeeding moms can get some vaccinations too.
Parents can learn more about vaccines on the CDC's website here.
If you have any questions, your Blue Hills doctors are here to help every step of the way. Be sure to call our office to make an appointment!
Sources:
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/parents/