Mount Auburn Hospital - Great Expectations

STEP 5

GET VACCINATED

Vaccinations Not Safe During Pregnancy

Vaccines (immunizations) help prevent people from catching diseases that can cause serious medical problems. Unless your health care provider tells you differently, the following vaccines are recommended during pregnancy:

• Measles • Mumps • Chickenpox

• COVID-19 (if you didn’t receive it before getting pregnant) and booster shots as recommended • Yearly flu vaccine • Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, and whooping cough)

• Hepatitis B if you haven’t already received it • Pneumococcal if you are at high risk for pneumococcal disease • RSV if you or your baby are at risk for RSV

Ask your health care provider about vaccines required for foreign travel and other reasons.

Both the flu and Tdap vaccines are considered safe and can protect both you and your baby during pregnancy. You should not get a vaccine made from live viruses (measles, mumps, and chickenpox) while you’re pregnant or within a month of becoming pregnant. Studies of the safety and effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine continue to suggest that the benefits of getting vaccinated outweigh any known or potential risks of vaccination during pregnancy. Getting the vaccine may also protect you from severe or life-threatening illness if you do contract COVID-19. The respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine is approved by the FDA for use during the middle of the third trimester (32 to 36 weeks) of pregnancy. This vaccine helps protect you and your new baby from lower respiratory tract infection and severe disease until they are 6 months old. The vaccine is especially important if your due date is during the fall or winter months when RSV cases spike.

STEP 6

GET MOVING

Exercise tips • Start slowly if you haven’t been physically active recently • Drink plenty of water and don’t get overheated • Walk fast enough to carry on a conversation but not get short of breath • Swimming and stationary cycling are good options during pregnancy • Riding a bicycle is good early, but you are at greater risk of falling later • Look for pregnancy-modified classes such as water aerobics, pilates, or yoga Exercises to avoid during pregnancy • Contact sports such as soccer and ice hockey • Snow skiing, horseback riding, and water skiing • Mountain hiking at high altitude • Scuba diving, hot yoga, and hot pilates Talk to your health care provider before you run, play racquet sports, or do weight training, even if you did them before becoming pregnant.

There are many good reasons to be physically active when you’re pregnant. It helps with backaches, circulation, insomnia, mood changes, constipation, and weight management. Exercise

may also lower your risk for pregnancy-related high blood pressure, gestational diabetes, cesarean birth , and depression. Certain complications during pregnancy might require you to keep a low activity level with little or no exercise. Talk to your health care provider about exercising if you’re expecting twins or have high blood pressure or other high risk pregnancy conditions. If you were exercising regularly before you became pregnant, you may be able to continue that same workout routine. Be sure to check with your health care provider first. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends doing at least 150 minutes (2 1/2 hours) of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise every week. You can do this by raising your heart rate and sweating for about 30 minutes a day most days of the week.

WARNING!

Call your provider or seek emergency care immediately if you have:

• Leaking fluid or blood from your vagina

• Decreased fetal movement • Calf pain or swelling

• Extreme fatigue • Dizziness or headache • Uterine contractions

• Shortness of breath • Chest pain • Uneven heart rate

Your Guide to A Healthy Pregnancy

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