The NHS recommends the following vaccinations in pregnancy to help protect you and your baby:

Flu can make you very ill in pregnancy as your immune system is weakened. The flu vaccine helps protect both you and your baby

When: Any time in pregnancy between September and March

Where: GP, pharmacy, or antenatal clinic

The whooping cough vaccine helps protect your baby from birth, before their first jabs at 8 weeks.

When: From 16 weeks pregnant

Where: GP, Practice nurses at your local surgery or hospital antenatal clinic

RSV can cause serious chest infections in babies. The RSV vaccine helps protect your baby after birth and up to 6 months of age

When: From 28 weeks pregnancy

Where: At your 31 week antenatal appointment

If you have trouble booking a vaccine, talk to your midwife 

Vaccines help keep you well and also protect your baby after they are born. 

When you are pregnant, your body finds it harder to fight off illnesses like flu. This means you could get more unwell if you catch an infection. 

Newborn babies can also become very poorly if they get flu, whooping cough or RSV. When you have a vaccine, your body makes antibodies. These pass to your baby through the placenta and give them protection in their first few months. 

The vaccines offered in pregnancy are not live. This means they cannot give you or your baby the illness they protect against.