If you're a pregnant and not sure of your vaccine status, the recent outbreak of measles may have sent you in search of a booster shot. As you would have found out, you can't get vaccines such as these when you're pregnant. However, there are vaccines that you can -- and should -- get if you are pregnant. This is because protecting yourself with these vaccines will provide protection in more ways than one for your baby once he or she is born.

Maternal Protection Part 1

Vaccines are inappropriate for newborns whose immune systems are still trying to adjust to the new surroundings. But two vaccines, the flu and the Tdap (for tetanus, whooping cough, and diphtheria), can create antibodies that transfer to the infant before birth. This transfer gives a newborn a bit more protection. The protection is short-lived, but it's enough to provide a lot of help to the newborn. Once the infant reaches a certain age, he or she will have to start getting fully vaccinated because the maternal antibodies will not be enough.

Maternal ProtectionPart 2

Many diseases, such as whooping cough, seem like children's diseases. But in reality, adults can get the diseases as well. If you are vaccinated, you've reduced your chances of getting the flu, whooping cough, and another diseases. That means you've also reduced the chances of passing those diseases on to the child through contact, not to mention that you will still be able to care for the child. If you were to get sick, you wouldn't be able to go near the child until the illness passed.

Once you've given birth, talk to an obstetrician, like Triad OB-GYN PC, about getting vaccinated for other diseases like measles as quickly as possible. You want to be sure you don't catch these diseases because you really do run the risk of transmitting them to your child.

Additional Protection

Do remember to follow good hygiene practices such as sneezing into the inside of your elbow and washing your hands with soap and water frequently. Even if you've been vaccinated and are successfully avoiding viruses yourself, you can still pick them up on your hands if you touch surfaces that have been touched by someone who is sick. The viruses can live on your hand and transfer to anything else you touch, such as your child. If you want more information on pregnancy-friendly vaccine schedules, please contact your obstetrician today.