Pregnant moms are often overlooked as needing flu shots. After all, so many other things are restricted during pregnancy, including certain medications and foods.  But pregnant women are considered to be a high risk group and it is recommended they get a flu shot during flu season, which is usually begins around November or December and continues through March and April in the United States.  While it used to be recommended that you should wait until you were past your first trimester to get your flu shot, it is now thought that you can get the flu vaccine during any trimester.

The main reason is that you don’t want to get the flu while you are pregnant, since it will put you at higher risk of flu complications, both for yourself and your baby.  Also, having a flu shot will decrease the chances your new baby will get sick once he or she is born. Without a flu shot, you can get sick with the flu and then pass the infection to your new baby.

You should also consider getting a flu shot for other household members that will be in contact with yourself and your new baby. Remember that anyone over 6 months of age can get a flu shot each year.

Getting a flu shot during pregnancy can also help keep your baby healthy by transferring influenza vaccine-specific antibodies to them, which can last for at least 2 months and will be able to help your new baby from getting the flu.