Illness and Vaccines during Pregnancy
Pregnancy is a long nine months, so it is inevitable that you will come down with some illness at some point. In fact, pregnancy can weaken your immune system, so you may be more likely to get sick.
Don’t freak out - studies suggest that a third of women get a fever at some point in their pregnancy, and the vast majority go on to have perfectly healthy babies (think about all the second-time pregnancies where there are germy toddlers around)
The first trimester is the riskiest period for developing a fever, as data suggests it lead to a small, but significant increase the chance of birth defects, depending on the severity and duration of the fever. Keep in mind the absolute risk of defects is still very low, even with this increase, but still worth being a bit more careful in terms of avoiding sick people and washing hands, if you can.
COVID
While being pregnant does slightly increase your risk of getting very sick from COVID, the overall risk of serious illness is still super low if you are vaccinated and otherwise healthy. So unless there is a major change in COVID strain severity, I don’t think extra precautions are really necessary.
Best time for a COVID booster is third trimester to increase immunity that baby receives for his or her first months of life (source). However, depending on the timing of your pregnancy, if there is a COVID surge happening earlier in your pregnancy, it might make sense to prioritize protecting yourself earlier to avoid infection, even if it means fewer antibodies for your baby.
If you do get COVID, the biggest risk to your baby is a fever so it’s recommended to take Tylenol (safer in pregnancy than Advil) to reduce the fever and to contact your doctor if fever goes above 101 degrees.
Flu
Definitely get the flu vaccine, it is safe for pregnant women! While never a guarantee that you won’t still catch it, it can lower your risk of serious illness, and some of the antibodies will get passed on to your baby.
The biggest risk to your baby is a fever, so it’s recommended to take Tylenol (safer in pregnancy than Advil) to reduce the fever. I’d also ask your doctor about Tamiflu (a prescription antiviral drug that is pregnancy-safe) to reduce symptoms and possibly the length of time you are sick. If fever goes over 101, contact your doctor.
Food poisoning/Norovirus
Despite your best efforts to avoid certain higher-risk or expired foods, you can still randomly end up getting food poisoning (listeria, ecoli, salmonella) or norovirus (which can spread on surfaces/between people in addition to food)
In most cases, there isn’t much you can do except wait it out - thankfully the nausea/vomiting/diarrhea is usually over pretty quickly, within a day or so
The most important thing is to stay hydrated by taking small sips of water or gatorade to replenish lost fluids. If you’re struggling to keep any fluids down, you may need to go to the hospital to receive IV fluids to treat the dehydration.
Listeria is the most dangerous and may require antibiotics to treat, but it is also rare, and hard to avoid because outbreaks occur very randomly in different food items.
UTI
UTIs are more common when you’re pregnant for a host of reasons (more hormones in urine, increased pressure on the bladder, etc).
This is only risky if left untreated - can lead to serious infection associated with preterm labor. But a short course of antibiotics usually treats it within several days without issue
Your urine will be tested during prenatal visits, but you should also look out for pain when you pee, feeling like you have to pee frequently, and any change in the smell or look of your pee.
This can be a little confusing during pregnancy when pressure of the uterus on the bladder can make you feel like you have to pee a lot, even if you don’t have a UTI, so I’d only be concerned if you have any of the additional symptoms
Staying hydrated is one of the best ways to lower the chances of developing a UTI, in addition to peeing before and after sex, and trying to fully empty your bladder whenever you go
Additional Vaccines
You’ll want to get the TDAP vaccine during your third trimester, between 27 and 36 weeks, ideally on the earlier side of that range. Even if you’ve had the vaccine before, you’ll need it for every pregnancy since it will confer protection onto your baby.
Getting the new RSV vaccine while pregnant can offer protection to your baby for their first 6 months of life (and serve as an alternative to giving the baby the vaccine directly once born). It’s recommended to get between 32 and 36 weeks of pregnancy and is most effective when given between September and January, so it aligns with RSV season.
