August is National Immunization Awareness Month, and each week has specific people in mind. This week will focus on expectant mothers and the recommended vaccines they should receive. Nurse Lynn Fisher of Washington County Public Health says often times pregnant women think they shouldn’t get vaccines, but there are two that they should consider. The first is the seasonal influenza vaccine, as Fisher advises pregnant women are at a higher risk of complications from the flu, which could lead to hospitalization.

The second recommended vaccine is for pertussis, or whooping cough. Women in their third trimester are advised to get the vaccine so antibodies can travel from the mother to the developing baby, and the baby is born with some immunity to whooping cough. The flu vaccine can also be transferred this way. Fisher says babies don’t receive their first shots for two months after birth, so it’s helpful to start out with some resistances.