Vaccinations during pregnancy

The vaccinations recommended in pregnancy are Whooping Cough, Flu, Covid-19 and RSV.

University Hospitals of Leicester have a drop- in clinic, Monday to Friday, 9am until 4pm at both hospitals (Leicester Royal Infirmary and Leicester General Hospital). Both vaccination clinics are easy to find.

You can ask your midwife or GP for more information about any of the recommended vaccinations or pop into the vaccination room to talk to the Maternity Vaccination Team.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)

From the 1^st September 2024, all pregnant individuals over 28 weeks will be offered a single dose of RSV vaccine. This protects against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a contagious respiratory virus that can be severe in young children. It’s important to be vaccinated during pregnancy to protect your newborn baby.

You can find out more information about RSV here.

Whooping cough

• The ‘whooping cough vaccine’ is recommended from 16 to 32 weeks of pregnancy.
• You can have this vaccine after your detailed scan and can just ‘drop in’ with your maternity notes during the opening times.
• If for any reason the vaccine is missed during this period, it can still be offered up until you go into labour.
• It is better to get the vaccine as early as possible as it will work better to protect your baby.
• The whooping cough vaccine does not have the whooping cough bacteria. It cannot infect you or your unborn baby and is safe to have if you are breastfeeding.
• There is no vaccine just for whooping cough alone, so you will be offered a vaccine which also protects you against Polio, Diphtheria and Tetanus.

Flu (Influenza)

• It is advised you should have a vaccination against flu whilst you are pregnant if you have not already had it.
• The vaccine is safe to have at any stage of pregnancy, even if you are breastfeeding.
• This can be easily done at any scan or clinic appointment in the Antenatal Clinic, or you can just ‘drop in’ with your maternity notes
• Flu vaccines do not have a live virus so the vaccine cannot infect you or your unborn baby.
• The vaccine is usually given from September to March (unless there are stock issues or a delayed start date).
• There is evidence that you have a higher chance of having complications if you get flu while you are pregnant.
• The flu can lead to babies being born earlier than expected or being small.
• Some studies show that vaccination while you are pregnant can also protect your baby against the flu in the first few months of their life too.

COVID-19

• It is highly recommended that you are vaccinated against COVID-19.
• The vaccine is safe to have at any stage of the pregnancy, even if you are breastfeeding. COVID-19 vaccines do not contain a live virus so cannot infect you or your unborn baby causing a COVID infection.
• Availability of the COVID vaccine whether a primary dose or seasonal booster depends on the current government guidance. Click here for more guidance on COVID vaccination during pregnancy.

You can find more information and advice around vaccinations during pregnancy on the NHS website.