Immunisation in pregnancy

During pregnancy, your immune system changes, which can make infections more serious for both you and your baby. Many vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs), such as influenza (flu), whooping cough, RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), chickenpox and measles, can cause serious illness, pregnancy complications, or impact your baby’s growth.

By getting vaccinated:

1. It protects you

   Pregnant women are more likely to get very sick from infections. Even healthy women with an uncomplicated pregnancy can develop life-threatening complications from vaccine-preventable diseases, including premature labour or stillbirth. Vaccination greatly reduces these risks.
   
   

2. It protects your baby

   Newborns have very weak immune systems and cannot receive most vaccines straight away. While some immunisations are given at birth (such as hepatitis B or RSV for eligible babies), others, including influenza and whooping cough vaccines, are not available until later.

   Vaccines you receive during pregnancy pass protection to your baby, helping prevent serious illness in the first months of their life.
   
   

3. It prevents infections that could harm your baby’s development

   Some diseases, like measles and chickenpox, can be harmful to your unborn baby’s growth or cause serious pregnancy complications. The vaccines which protect against these diseases are not recommended during pregnancy because they contain a weakened live virus, which could affect your unborn baby. This is why it is important you have this vaccine at least one month before falling pregnant.

If you are planning a pregnancy, you should have your vaccination needs assessed as part of a pre-conception health check. This can help you catch up on any missed vaccines and protect you from vaccine–preventable diseases before becoming pregnant.

After you get vaccinated, it usually takes about 2 weeks for your body to build protection against the disease.

Vaccines recommended before becoming pregnant include:

Measles, mumps and rubella vaccine

Measles is a highly infectious disease and can have serious complications for pregnant people and their babies.

Mumps can result in serious complications, such as inflammation of the spinal cord and brain, hearing loss and infertility (not being able to have children).

Rubella is most serious during pregnancy. Infection in the first 20 weeks can result in serious harm to the unborn baby, resulting in congenital abnormalities such as deafness, blindness, and heart disease.

For best protection you should have 2 doses of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, at least 4 weeks apart, before you become pregnant.

This vaccination is not recommended during pregnancy; therefore, it is advised that you have this vaccine at least one month before falling pregnant.

Chickenpox (varicella) vaccine

Chickenpox can be more severe in adults and if you are infected during the early stages of pregnancy or at the time of delivery, it can cause birth defects or severe infection in your baby.

The chickenpox vaccination is not recommended during pregnancy, therefore it is advised if you are planning to get pregnant to have the vaccine at least one month prior to falling pregnant.

Influenza (flu) vaccine

It is recommended that everyone over the age of 6 months get vaccinated against seasonal influenza. While planning a pregnancy, it is important to stay healthy and protected from influenza.

COVID-19 vaccine

Pregnant people have a higher risk of severe illness if infected with COVID-19 compared to non-pregnant people with COVID-19. You can get a COVID-19 vaccine at any stage in pregnancy, whenever your next recommended dose is due. Discuss this with your immunisation provider.

For more information read the Should I get the COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy? | Sharing Knowledge About Immunisation | SKAI

RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) vaccine

RSV is a common virus that can cause a range of severe respiratory illnesses such as bronchitis and pneumonia in babies. In WA, RSV is the leading cause of hospitalisation in babies under 6 months of age. Getting vaccinated while you are pregnant protects your baby from birth up to 6 months of age.

The maternal RSV vaccine (Abrysvo) (external site) is offered to pregnant women from 28 weeks pregnancy, in every pregnancy. It helps protect babies against RSV from birth up to 6 months of age, by passing protective antibodies from mother to baby.

If you did not get vaccinated against RSV while pregnant, your baby can still be protected. Eligible babies can receive RSV immunisation after birth, which gives them immediate protection when they are most at risk.

Find out more about RSV immunisation.

Influenza (flu) vaccine

Babies aged under 6 months are more likely to be hospitalised with influenza than any other age group. During pregnancy, you are also at a much higher risk of respiratory complications if you catch influenza than other healthy adults.

Influenza vaccination protects you and your baby during their first 6 months of life, when babies are at high risk of serious complications from influenza. The influenza vaccine is free for pregnant people and recommended at any stage of pregnancy.

If you received the influenza vaccine before becoming pregnant, speak with your immunisation provider as you may need to get revaccinated during pregnancy to protect your unborn child.

Annual influenza vaccination is recommended for everyone in the same household and other people caring for your baby.

See Influenza vaccination in pregnancy (VIP) (PDF 245KB) for more information.

Learn more about the influenza vaccine for children.

Whooping cough (pertussis) vaccine

Babies under 6 weeks of age cannot receive the whooping cough vaccine because their immune system is not developed enough. Young babies are the most vulnerable and if they catch whooping cough, they are at risk of serious complications, and it may even be life-threatening. Around 80 per cent of babies with whooping cough get the infection from a parent or sibling.

You are the most important person to be vaccinated to protect yourself and your baby. The whooping cough vaccine is recommended during the third trimester of pregnancy (between 28 and 32 weeks). However, it can be given at any time during the third trimester up until 2 weeks before delivery.

The whooping cough vaccine is free for pregnant people and is delivered in one injection with diphtheria and tetanus (dTpa). Vaccination during pregnancy has been shown to be more effective in reducing the risk of whooping cough in young infants than vaccinations given to infants after birth. Read more about the whooping cough vaccine in pregnancy (PDF 716KB).

It's also important that people who will be in close contact with your baby during the first 6 months of life are immunised against whooping cough. Adults in close contact with your baby who haven't had a whooping cough vaccine in the past 10 years should receive a booster dose, and siblings should be up to date with their childhood immunisations.

Getting multiple vaccines at the same time

It is safe to get the influenza, whooping cough and RSV vaccines at the same time from weeks 28 of your pregnancy. You can also get them at separate times.

These vaccines are free for pregnant women but check with your immunisation provider for any consultation fees

Your baby’s immunisation schedule starts right away.

Following recommended birth immunisations (protecting against hepatitis B and RSV), your child’s next routine immunisations are due at 6 to 8 weeks of age.

The WA childhood immunisation schedule is carefully planned to protect babies and children when they need it most.

Hepatitis B vaccine

If you have hepatitis B (hep B) while pregnant, you can pass it to your baby during childbirth.

When you are pregnant, your doctor will offer you a simple blood test at your first visit to confirm whether you are protected against hepatitis B, so appropriate steps can be taken to protect your baby from the virus after birth.

It is recommended that all newborn babies receive their first dose of a primary course of hep B vaccine in the first 7 days of birth and before leaving the hospital.

RSV immunisation

An RSV immunisation (Beyfortus) is available to eligible babies and young children.