Getting the Tdap vaccine during pregnancy

Getting the Tdap vaccine during pregnancy protects you and your baby from whooping cough (pertussis) and other diseases. Here's more about when to get it and why.

In this article

• What is the Tdap vaccine?
• Who should get the Tdap vaccine?
• Is the Tdap vaccine safe during pregnancy?
• When will my baby get the Tdap vaccine?
• What else can I do to protect my baby from whooping cough?

What is the Tdap vaccine?

The Tdap vaccine offers protection from three serious diseases: tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (whooping cough). It's the first booster designed to protect adults and adolescents from whooping cough, a very contagious disease that they're at risk for themselves and can pass on to babies.

Whooping cough in adults can result in months of coughing, cracked ribs from severe coughing spells, pneumonia, and other complications. While you probably got vaccinated against this disease as a child, the immunity wanes over time.

Whooping cough can be life-threatening for babies who are less than a year old. And they're most likely to catch the disease from household members and other close contacts who might not even know they're infected. So vaccinating adults and adolescents against whooping cough also helps protect babies from the disease.

What's more, if you get the Tdap vaccine before or during pregnancy, your baby will get antibodies from you during pregnancy through the placenta, and postpartum through your breastmilk that will offer her some protection as a newborn, when she's still too young to be vaccinated herself.

Who should get the Tdap vaccine?

The CDC recommends Tdap for:

• Pregnant women. The CDC recommends that women get Tdap during each pregnancy, preferably between 27 and 36 weeks' gestation, regardless of when they last had the shot.
• Children ages 11 to 18 who have completed the DTaP vaccine series (the ideal time to get the shot is at age 11 to 12 years old).
• Adults 19 and older. If you haven't had a DTaP shot before, it's important to get one, especially if you plan to be around babies. If you've had a tetanus booster shot in the last few years, you may have been given the Tdap vaccine. Tetanus boosters are also available as "Td" shots, without the pertussis or whooping cough portion. (If you're not sure, check with your primary healthcare provider.)

A word of warning: Anyone who's ever had a dangerous reaction to a tetanus, diphtheria, or pertussis vaccine will want to avoid the Tdap vaccine.

Is the Tdap vaccine safe during pregnancy?

The Tdap vaccine is safe during pregnancy. Since Tdap was introduced in 2005, studies have found no evidence that pregnant women who get the vaccine are more likely than others to have problems.

Getting Tdap while you're pregnant protects your baby by making sure that you don't get pertussis and infect him after birth. You will pass on antibodies to help protect your newborn from catching the disease from others.

If you don't get the shot during pregnancy, the CDC recommends that you get it before leaving the hospital or birth center. (The vaccine is safe if you're breastfeeding.) However, it may take up to two weeks for your body to make the antibodies that will protect you from whooping cough, leaving you and your baby vulnerable during that time.

When will my baby get the Tdap vaccine?

Babies receive the pertussis vaccine as part of the DTaP series (which also protects them against diphtheria and tetanus). The DTaP vaccine is given at 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, and 15 to 18 months, and again at 4 to 6 years of age. Your child's protection against the disease increases with each shot she receives.

So babies under 2 months (and older infants who haven't been vaccinated) can catch whooping cough from the adults and children they come in contact with. And even babies who are getting their shots on time are vulnerable, particularly until they're about 6 months old and have gotten a few doses of the vaccine.

What else can I do to protect my baby from whooping cough?

In addition to getting yourself and your baby vaccinated, you can make sure all members of your household are vaccinated, as well as anyone else who's going to have close contact with your baby. As effectiveness of the Tdap vaccine naturally wanes over time, close family and regular caregivers to your infant may want to get a booster if their shot was more than 3-4 years ago, as only 30% of people continue to be immune after that time.

(Unvaccinated people who are exposed to whooping cough can talk to their caregivers about getting medication that may help limit transmission.)

Finally, keep your baby away from anyone who has a cough or other illness. And have everyone wash their hands before holding or touching your baby.

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