Jabs during pregnancy

Winter is fast approaching and infections are on the up. A recent outbreak in whooping cough has resulted in the Department of Health offering whooping cough vaccinations to all women who are 28-38 weeks pregnant (nct.org.uk/press-release/wh....

This may lead you to think about other infections which may affect your pregnancy, and it is important to get evidence based information so that you can make the best decisions for you. We have articles on:

Flu in pregnancy: nct.org.uk/pregnancy/flu-an...

German measles in pregnancy: nct.org.uk/pregnancy/german...

Chickenpox in pregnancy: nct.org.uk/pregnancy/chicke...

These articles outline what symptoms to look out for and discuss what you can do if exposed to the virus.

You can also learn more about the risks vs. benefits of immunising your baby here: nct.org.uk/parenting/baby-i...

[RadiantMum]

I think you should also mention stomach bug (stomach flu) which may be quite common this time of year as well.

I'm only just recovering from one, and have to say this time it was really bad, and got me worried, as I am 30 weeks pregnant at the moment, and read on NHS site that sometimes heavy diarrhoea may cause premature labour. I was constantly on the toilet for 2 days and 2 nights, even after only drinking plain water. Never had it that bad and after discovering mucus and blood in my diarrhoea I decided it's time to call NHS direct, as it was midnight. Went to the doctor next day, and my belly was checked, also my doctor listened to baby's heart beat and said it seems baby is fine. It's now 3 days since diarrhoea stopped, but I don't feel like I'm back to my normal self, but at least I can eat now.

So please ladies be very careful and take care of yourselves

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Thanks for sharing your experience RadiantMum - very glad to hear you and baby are both OK!

It is important to get all the information you can about which vaccinations are available during pregnancy, and what they do so that you can make the decisions you are most comfortable with for you and your baby.