

What does the Tdap vaccine protect pregnant women and their babies-to-be against? Trusted Source Food and Drug Administration FDA Approves Vaccine for Use During Third Trimester of Pregnancy to Prevent Whooping Cough in Infants Younger Than Two Months of Age See All Sources ĭiphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis (DTaP) VaccineĬhildren should get five doses of the comparable pediatric shot, known as the diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (DTaP) vaccine, at 2, 4, 6 and 15-18 months of age, followed by another at 4 to 6 years old.

This effect is so strong that the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the use of the Tdap vaccine during pregnancy as a way to protect infants up to 2 months of age. Your vaccination passes the antibodies to your baby so she has protection until she can get her own vaccine. Newborns are the most likely age group to be hospitalized because of whooping cough and suffer potentially fatal complications from it, and babies can't get vaccinated themselves until they are 2 months old. When you get the Tdap vaccine during pregnancy, it helps protect your baby from whooping cough through passive immunity, meaning immunity that's passed from mom to baby, which is critical, since if a baby gets pertussis as a newborn, it can be extremely serious and even life-threatening.
WHOOPING COUGH VACCINE AFTER EFFECTS UPDATE
Trusted Source American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Update on Immunization and Pregnancy: Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Pertussis Vaccination See All Sources Why should pregnant women get the Tdap vaccine? Yes, all moms-to-be should get the Tdap vaccine in the third trimester (between weeks 27 and 36) of every pregnancy for their health and the health of their newborn babies, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

Do I need the Tdap vaccine when I'm pregnant?
