In the UK, pregnant women are routinely offered vaccinations against Whooping Cough (Pertussis), RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) and Flu. The timing of these vaccinations varies, with whooping cough typically given from 16 weeks, RSV from 28 weeks, and flu during the flu season, which may be at any time during pregnancy.
COVID-19 vaccines are also recommended during pregnancy and are offered as needed.
Your Midwife and Maternity Team will discuss vaccinations with you throughout your pregnancy.
Use the drop-downs below to view a more detailed look at the vaccination schedule:
Whooping cough is a highly infectious disease that can be very serious for small babies. Most young babies with whooping cough will need hospital care. Whooping cough can cause long bursts of coughing and choking making it hard to breathe. The ‘whoop’ noise is caused by gasping for breath after each burst of coughing. Whooping cough can last for around 2 or 3 months. It can lead to pneumonia, fits and permanent brain damage. In the worst cases, it can cause death.
Having a whooping cough vaccine while you are pregnant will boost your own protection. The antibodies that your body produces will also be passed through the placenta to your baby. These antibodies will help protect your baby against whooping cough over their first weeks of life.
You can have your whooping cough vaccine from 16 weeks pregnant (optimally 20-32 weeks).
If you have missed this, you can still receive the vaccine later, though it may be less effective.
If it wasn’t possible to have the vaccine before your baby is born, you can still have it afterwards, which will reduce the risk of spreading whooping cough to your baby. It is important to have the whooping cough vaccine during each pregnancy to boost your antibody.
Respiratory syncytial virus or RSV is a common virus which can cause a lung infection called bronchiolitis. In small babies this condition can make it hard to breathe and to feed. In England, around 20,000 infants are admitted to hospital each year with bronchiolitis, and some will need intensive care. A small number will die. RSV is more likely to be serious in very young babies, those born prematurely, and those with conditions that affect their heart, breathing or immune system. RSV infections can occur all year round but cases peak every winter.
Having the RSV vaccine whilst you are pregnant will boost your protection. The antibodies that your body produces will be passed to your unborn baby. These antibodies will help protect your baby against RSV from when they are born. RSV vaccination reduces the risk of severe bronchiolitis by 70% in the first 6 months of life.
RSV Vaccine is offered from 28 weeks of pregnancy and should be given as soon as possible after this to give the best protection for your baby. It can be given up until your baby is born but may be less effective later in pregnancy.
Flu is a highly infectious disease with symptoms such as fever, chills, aches and pains, headaches and extreme tiredness. Pregnant women have a higher chance of developing serious complications of flu, particularly in the later stages of pregnancy, including pneumonia and even death. Flu can also threaten your pregnancy, leading to premature birth, low birth weight and stillbirth. Flu can also be extremely serious for newborn babies and young infants.
The flu vaccine reduces your chance of getting serious flu, needing hospitalisation or intensive care during your pregnancy. It also reduces the risk of pregnancy complications. The vaccine boosts your antibodies against flu which are then passed to your unborn baby. This provides some protection to your new baby for the first few months of life. You will also be less likely to catch flu and pass it on to your new baby over the winter months.
Flu vaccine is usually available from September each year and is free for pregnant women. You should have the vaccine once it becomes available in September, whatever stage of pregnancy you are at. Ideally you should have your vaccine before the start of the flu season, but you can still have the vaccine at any time over the winter. You will need a flu vaccine every time you are pregnant during the flu season.
The risk from catching COVID-19 in pregnancy is much lower than it was at the start of the pandemic, but pregnant women are still eligible for vaccination in the autumn.
The vaccine will reduce your chance of having serious COVID-19 for a few months, which may be more important if you have an underlying medical condition.
The antibodies that your body produces will be passed to your unborn baby and provide some protection to your baby in those early weeks and months.
