Vaccines during pregnancy

The flu vaccine (inactivated, not the live nasal spray) and Tdap (whooping cough booster) are both routinely recommended during pregnancy. Tdap is given between 27 and 36 weeks so antibodies transfer through the placenta and protect your newborn. Skip live vaccines — MMR, chickenpox, and the nasal-spray flu vaccine — until after birth. Live vaccines pose theoretical risks that aren't worth taking during pregnancy. Talk to your provider about COVID vaccines and, seasonally, RSV boosters. Both have specific recommendations for pregnancy that pass immunity to your baby in the first months of life when they can't be vaccinated themselves.