While getting a vaccine while pregnant may seem scary, there is a long and successful history of vaccinating expectant moms. Dr. Iolanda Edsall explains how recommended vaccines not only support the health of moms, but protect the health of their developing babies, too.

Learn more about COVID-19 vaccines and pregnancy.

Video transcript

There are benefits from COVID-19 vaccination while you are pregnant, and while you are lactating. In pregnant moms who received the COVID-19 vaccine, the antibodies that they create that help fight against COVID-19 infection will cross the placenta.
Babies have some passive protection against COVID-19 when their moms get vaccinated. Antibodies have been demonstrated to be available in breast milk as early as five to seven days after vaccination. COVID-19 vaccination is not the first vaccine we've recommended during pregnancy.
Knowing what we know about compromised immune systems in our pregnant populations and knowing what we know about the fact that moms will transfer their protection to their baby, when they receive vaccines during their pregnancy, we have recommended the influenza vaccine every season, and we recommend the science the Tetanus, Diptheria, and Pertussis vaccine, every single pregnancy in between weeks 27 and 36.
This is not a new concept — to immunize pregnant women for very specific reasons. And part of that is baby’s protection.