INDIANAPOLIS — Flu season is just starting and the CDC has major concerns for pregnant women.

The agency has new data that shows two out of three pregnant women are not getting the flu shot or whooping cough vaccine.

“I just feel like sometimes moms don’t realize the importance of it, and how much it can impact both their health and the health of their newborn baby,” Dr. Emily Scott, newborn director at Riley Hospital for Children, told WISH-TV.

She says, despite some beliefs that vaccines make you sick, the flu shot and the whooping cough vaccine has a long record of being very safe for pregnant women.

“Just trust the evidence,” Scott said.

Scott adds that pregnant women who catch the flu are more likely to be put in the hospital because of it.

Getting the vaccines not only helps the mom’s health, but her baby’s health as well.

“When moms get the flu shot or the Tdap vaccine during their pregnancy, they actually pass protection on to their baby for the first several months of the baby’s life,” Scott said.

Dr. Scott says moms can get the flu shot at any time during their pregnancy, but suggest getting the whooping cough vaccine between 27-36 weeks of the pregnancy.

Scott says the final message is simple.

“As a pediatrician, we unfortunately see babies come into Riley Hospital with flu or whopping cough, and it can be deadly. This is a really safe and easy way to protect your baby.”

 

Photo by Juan Encalada on Unsplash