Get Flu Shot When Pregnant

There is new information out about one way mom's to be can protect their newborn once that happy day arrives---get the flu shot.

This year the CDC has recommended the flu shot for most people 6 months old and on. And for years they have recommended pregnant women get the vaccine. A new study shows just how important that vaccine during pregnancy can be for a baby once it arrives.

During most flu seasons, babies less than 6 months old get some protection from their mom's natural antibodies. But during severe flu seasons that doesn't seem to be enough since more of them get hospitalized and die from flu complications than older babies do.

This new study found that when a mom to be gets the flu vaccine while pregnant, the chances of her baby getting hospitalized or getting a respiratory illness during those first six months was much lower. Babies blood tests also showed they had more antibodies to the flu during this same time period. According to the researchers involved in this study, these finding give more support to the benefits of a mom's flu vaccine protecting infants from the flu virus up to the age where they can get the shot themselves.