COVID-19 Vaccination for Women Who Are Pregnant or Breastfeeding | COVID-19
Recommendations during and after pregnancy
If you are pregnant or were recently pregnant, you are:
- More likely to get very sick from COVID-19 compared to those who are not pregnant.
- More likely to need hospitalization, intensive care, or the use of a ventilator or special equipment to breathe if you do get sick from COVID-19. Severe COVID-19 illness can lead to death.
- At increased risk of complications that can affect your pregnancy and baby including, preterm birth or stillbirth.
COVID-19 vaccination remains the best protection against COVID-19-related hospitalization and death for you and your baby. CDC recommendations align with those from professional medical organizations including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine, and American Society for Reproductive Medicine.
Pregnant and have questions about COVID-19 vaccine?
If you would like to speak to someone about the COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy, you can talk to your healthcare provider. You can also contact MotherToBaby, whose experts can answer questions in English or Spanish. This service is free and confidential.
To reach MotherToBaby:
● Call: 1-866-626-6847
● Text: 1-855-999-3525 (standard messaging rates may apply)
Safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy
Studies including hundreds of thousands of people around the world show that COVID-19 vaccination before and during pregnancy is safe, effective, and beneficial to both the pregnant woman and the baby. The benefits of receiving a COVID-19 vaccine outweigh any potential risks of vaccination during pregnancy. Data show:
- COVID-19 vaccines do not cause COVID-19, including in pregnant women or their babies. None of the COVID-19 vaccines contain live virus. They cannot make anyone sick with COVID-19, including pregnant women or their babies. Learn more about how vaccines work.
- It is safe to receive an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine (Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech), before and during pregnancy. Both vaccines show no increased risk for complications like miscarriage, preterm delivery, stillbirth, or birth defects12.
- mRNA COVID-19 vaccines during pregnancy are effective. They reduce the risk of severe illness and other health effects from COVID-19. COVID-19 vaccination might help prevent stillbirths and preterm delivery1234.
- COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy builds antibodies that can help protect the baby.45
- Receiving mRNA COVID-19 vaccines during pregnancy can help protect babies younger than age 6 months from hospitalization due to COVID-19. 678
- Most babies hospitalized with COVID-19 were born to pregnant women who were not vaccinated during pregnancy678.
Recommendations if you are breastfeeding
CDC recommends that women who are breastfeeding a baby, and infants 6 months of age and older, get vaccinated and stay up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines.
Vaccines are safe and effective at preventing COVID-19 in women who are breastfeeding a baby. Available data on the safety of COVID-19 vaccination while breastfeeding indicate no severe reactions after vaccination in the breastfeeding mother or the breastfed child.9 There has been no evidence to suggest that COVID-19 vaccines are harmful to either women who have received a vaccine and are breastfeeding or to their babies.10
Studies have shown that mothers who are breastfeeding a baby and have received mRNA COVID-19 vaccines have antibodies in their breast milk, which could help protect their babies.910
CDC also recommends COVID-19 vaccines for children aged 6 months and older.
Possible side effects
Pregnant women have not reported different side effects from women who are not pregnant after vaccination with mRNA COVID-19 vaccines (Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines)12.
- Fever during pregnancy, for any reason, has been associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes.
- Fever in pregnancy may be treated with acetaminophen as needed, in moderation, and in consultation with a healthcare provider.
Common questions
Scientific studies to date have shown no safety concerns for babies born to mothers who were vaccinated against COVID-19 during pregnancy. Based on how these vaccines work in the body, experts believe they are unlikely to pose a risk for long-term health effects. CDC continues to monitor, analyze, and disseminate information from women vaccinated during all trimesters of pregnancy to better understand effects on pregnancy and babies.
CDC and professional medical organizations, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, recommend COVID-19 vaccination at any point in pregnancy. COVID-19 vaccination can protect you from getting very sick from COVID-19. Keeping yourself as healthy as possible during pregnancy is important for the health of your baby.
Children, teens, and adults, including pregnant women, may get a COVID-19 vaccine and other vaccines, including a flu vaccine, at the same time.
Resources
For Healthcare and Public Health
link
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Best-Drinks-to-Have-When-You-Have-a-Cold-fec6b126ac9444c6878760ba4fa7b6e9.jpg "5 Best Drinks For Cold Symptoms and Immune Function")
