Stay Healthy throughout Your Pregnancy

And, here's the kicker—if you get the flu, it could affect your baby. After major worldwide flu outbreaks like the one in 1918, infected women had higher rates of miscarriage and premature births, especially those who developed pneumonia. During the Asian influenza pandemic of 1957, it appeared that babies of women who developed the flu were more likely to have birth defects. Even during normal flu years, getting the flu during early pregnancy may increase the risk of cleft lip or palate, neural tube defects such as spina bifida (in which the spinal column doesn't completely close) and heart defects.

So, protecting yourself against the flu by getting the flu vaccine while you're pregnant provides protection for your unborn baby as well. In addition, because vaccines aren't recommended for children until they are 6 months or older, getting a flu vaccination can help your baby once he or she is born. One study found that the risk of flu in infants dropped 63 percent when the mothers were vaccinated during pregnancy, plus the risk of other respiratory illnesses in infants also dropped nearly a third.

That's why the CDC recommends flu vaccines for all pregnant women, no matter where they are in their pregnancy. In fact, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and seven other leading national maternal and infant health organizations say that getting your flu shot is an essential part of prenatal care. If flu vaccines are not offered by your obstetrics practice, they are widely available from multiple sources, such as drugstores, schools and workplaces.

Flu Vaccine Is Safe and Effective for Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women

The good news is that the injectable flu vaccine, made with an inactive form of the virus, is safe for pregnant women at any time during pregnancy and is also safe for breastfeeding women. You also can consider flu vaccines that are not made with the mercury-based preservative thimerosal. Plus, no matter what you've heard, you cannot get the flu from the flu vaccine. However, if you're pregnant, you should not get the nasal version of the vaccine that contains attenuated, or partially live, viruses.

OK, so what if you forgot to get vaccinated and now here it is flu season? What can you do? Get your flu vaccine! It only takes two weeks for the vaccine to rev up your immune system to better resist the virus.

Guarding Against Flu during Pregnancy in Other Ways