Dr. Siobhan Dunnavant
As published in The Well News on October 30, 2026
By October, a mom at 30 weeks pregnant is on the exam table with her phone out, scrolling through notes she’s kept for weeks. “I keep hearing different things about shots. What’s actually recommended right now? Is it safe for the baby? Can I wait until after she’s born?”
And the question I hear most: “What would you do if you were me?”
These are all good questions. They come from women who are paying attention, and I never want a patient to feel embarrassed for asking them.
So here’s how I respond.
A newborn’s immune system is brand new. She hasn’t met the world’s germs yet, and she isn’t eligible to get most of her own shots until she’s about two months old. That leaves a gap in those first few weeks, right when illnesses like whooping cough and RSV can hit hardest.
Pregnancy can help close that gap. When a mom gets certain vaccines, her body makes antibodies, and those antibodies cross the placenta to her baby.
Think of it as sending your baby into the world with a head start: born with borrowed protection already on board, to carry her until her own immune system takes over.
Here are three vaccines I walk every one of my patients through.
First is the whooping cough vaccine, called Tdap. Whooping cough can be serious for newborns, and a dose in the third trimester of every pregnancy passes protection to your baby in those early months.
Next is the flu. Pregnancy changes your heart, lungs and immune system, so flu can hit harder. The flu shot, not the nasal spray, protects both of you.
Third is RSV, and the one I talk about most. For many of us, it feels like a cold. For a newborn, whose airways are tiny, it can mean trouble feeding and breathing.
Before RSV immunizations existed, it was the leading cause of infant hospitalization in the U.S. Parents of newborns deserve every tool to feel confident, and the good news is there are now two ways to protect your baby.
The choice is yours.
You can get a single maternal dose between 32 and 36 weeks, during RSV season (roughly September through January), and that passes protection to your baby for about six months.
Or your baby can get an RSV antibody shot after birth, which offers protection right away for at least five months. Most babies don’t need both. No path is wrong.
That choice belongs to a mother in consultation with her doctor.
There’s a lot of information out there, and it isn’t always consistent. If you’ve felt unsure, you’re not alone. Asking questions is how careful mothers protect their families.
I’d just ask that we point that curiosity toward the evidence.
Tdap has been recommended in pregnancy since 2012, and doctors who care for moms and newborns have studied it closely ever since. The RSV options are newer, which is all the more reason to ask questions.
Look at a few credible sources, then bring what you find to your doctor. Doing your homework and trusting your doctor aren’t opposites.
The best outcomes I’ve seen happen when both are in the same room.
My advice to any expecting mom this fall: ask, learn, decide.
Write your questions down and bring them to your next OB appointment. Ask what’s recommended at your stage of pregnancy and why. Ask about timing. Ask what the RSV choice looks like for your due date. Ask what your doctor would do if it were their own baby.
A good doctor won’t rush you or make you feel small. They’ll answer honestly and respect that the final call is yours. You’re a partner in the conversation, and you know your body and your family better than anyone.
Ask questions. Take notes. Decide with confidence.