How can flu affect unborn baby

They can make your flu milder and help you feel better faster. Antivirals also can help prevent serious flu complications, like pneumonia. For flu, antivirals work best if you take them within 2 days of having symptoms. Quick treatment with antiviral medicine can help prevent serious flu complications.

Three medicines are approved in the United States to prevent or treat the flu in pregnant women and women who recently had a baby. Talk to your provider about which one is right for you:. If you have a fever, call your provider as soon as possible and ask about taking acetaminophen. If you have the flu, get lots of rest and drink plenty of fluids. You may not want to eat much. Try eating small meals to help your body get better. When you have the flu, you can spread it to others.

The flu can be dangerous during pregnancy because pregnancy affects your immune system, heart and lungs. When your body senses something like a virus that can harm your health, your immune system works hard to fight the virus. Another reason the flu can be harmful during pregnancy is that your lungs need more oxygen, especially in the second and third trimesters. Your growing belly puts pressure on your lungs, making them work harder in a smaller space. You may even find yourself feeling shortness of breath at times.

Your heart is working hard, too. All of this means your body is stressed during pregnancy. This stress on your body can make you more likely to get the flu. See also: Flu and your baby , Vaccinations and pregnancy. Get expert tips and resources from March of Dimes and CDC to increase your chance of having a healthy, fully-term pregnancy and baby. Sign up for our emails to receive great health information and join us in the fight for the health of moms and babies.

March of Dimes leads the fight for the health of all moms and babies. We support research, lead programs and provide education and advocacy so that every family can have the best possible start. Building on a successful year legacy, we support every pregnant person and every family. If you had the flu vaccine last year, either because you were pregnant or because you're in a vulnerable group, you need to have it again this year.

Find out more about how the flu vaccine works. The vaccine does not contain any live viruses, so it cannot cause flu.

Some people get a slightly raised temperature and aching muscles for a couple of days afterwards, and you may feel sore at the injection site. Find out more about flu vaccine side effects. Yes, you can have the flu jab at the same time as the whooping cough vaccine, but do not delay your flu jab so you can have both at the same time. Pregnant women are at risk of severe illness from flu at any stage of pregnancy, so you need to have the flu vaccine as soon as possible. The best time to get vaccinated against whooping cough is from 16 weeks up to 32 weeks of pregnancy.

If you miss having the vaccine for any reason, you can still have it up until you go into labour. Find out more about the whooping cough vaccine in pregnancy. Talk to a GP as soon as possible. September and October are generally good times to be vaccinated. Early vaccination also can be considered for people who are in the third trimester of pregnancy, because this can help protect the baby after birth during their first months of life when they are too young to be vaccinated. Some children need 2 doses given at least 4 weeks apart children 6 months through 8 years of age who either have never received flu vaccine, or who have not already received a total of at least 2 doses in their lives.

These children should get their first dose soon after vaccine is available, so that they can receive the second dose which has to be given at least 4 weeks after the first by the end of October. Flu shots have been given to millions of pregnant people over many years with an excellent safety record. There is a lot of evidence that flu vaccines can be given safely during pregnancy. It is very important for pregnant people to get the flu shot. Pregnant people should not get nasal spray vaccine.

Find Vaccines. In addition to getting a flu shot, pregnant people should take the same everyday preventive actions CDC recommends for everyone, including avoiding people who are sick, covering coughs, and washing hands often.

In addition, breastfeeding also has many benefits, including helping to protect infants from infections like flu. If you get flu symptoms call your health care provider right away. There are flu antiviral drugs that can treat flu illness and prevent serious flu complications.

CDC recommends prompt flu antiviral treatment for people who have confirmed or suspected flu infection and who are at higher risk of serious flu complications, such as pregnant people. In addition to getting the flu shot, be sure that you and others around you are doing the following to help prevent spread of the flu:.

If you have flu-like symptoms, call your healthcare provider right away. Your healthcare provider may recommend antiviral medications to lessen the symptoms of the flu and to reduce the chance of serious illness. These medications work best if taken early in the course of the illness. If you are sick, stay home and avoid close contact with others to prevent passing the flu to other people. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC encourages people to continue to breastfeed or provide breast milk for their babies even if they have the flu.

There are antibodies in breast milk that might help prevent a baby from getting sick with the flu. Be sure to talk to your healthcare provider about all your breastfeeding questions.

While sick, it is important to try to protect the baby from getting sick. Wash hands with soap and water before holding your baby. Avoid coughing or sneezing on your baby. While you are ill, you may want to consider having someone who is not sick help you care for your baby. If a male has the flu, could it affect fertility ability to get partner pregnant or increase the chance of birth defects?

Illnesses that cause fever, such as the flu, might cause a temporary reduction in the movement or number of sperm which could make it harder to get a partner pregnant. Close contact may not be recommended when you have the flu to try to avoid passing the flu to your partner.

In general, however, exposures that fathers or sperm donors have are unlikely to increase the risk to a pregnancy.