Are you expecting a new grandchild? Here’s Why You May Need to See Your Doctor First

When a baby is on the way, doctors often recommend that the mother receive certain vaccines to protect her newborn — and it turns out that other family members who may be visiting the infant, especially grandparents, are also advised to stay up to date on certain vaccines.

As the United States is in the midst of respiratory virus season and experiencing the worst measles outbreak in decades, vaccinated family members can play an important role in protecting newborns who are too young to receive many of their own vaccines. Babies remain particularly vulnerable during their first weeks of life, relying largely on antibodies passed down from their mothers and the immunity of those around them.

“During those six months, zero to six months, they’re really vulnerable and at risk, and we need to protect them,” said Dr. Dhaval Desai, a board-certified internal medicine and pediatrics physician at The Atlanta Internists.

Everyone around a newborn should be up to date on all routine immunizations, especially the pertussis vaccine, known as tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis, or Tdap; and the seasonal flu vaccine, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Many doctors also recommend additional vaccines – and emphasize that these vaccines are important for grandparents of children, at any age. Mothers get plenty of advice about vaccinations during pregnancy and during their baby’s first year, but grandparents may not get the same kind of check-in with their doctor.

“Now is a great time to make sure all vaccines are up to date,” Dr. Lori Solomon, associate professor and chair of family and community medicine at New York Medical College, said in an email.

Before meeting a new grandchild, ask your doctor if you are up to date on these vaccines:

“Being up to date on all their vaccinations is beneficial for grandparents for several reasons: First, it helps grandparents stay healthy and not miss out on that special time with their new grandchild. Second, being vaccinated helps protect their new grandchild, especially in the early months when babies’ immune systems are still developing and they rely on all of us around them to be vaccinated to help keep infectious diseases at bay,” Dr. Michael Warren, physician and chief health officer at the maternal and child health nonprofit March of Dimes, said in an email.

“New grandparents, or soon-to-be grandparents, should talk with their healthcare provider to find out if they are up to date on all their vaccinations or if they might need additional vaccinations,” he said. “Ideally, grandparents should be up to date on all their vaccines before the baby arrives. And we know that babies don’t always arrive as expected, so getting a head start and getting vaccinated before the baby arrives is a smart strategy.”

Vaccines for grandparents and other guardians

The Tdap vaccine can help prevent tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough.

“Whooping cough is whooping cough,” Desai said. “It’s a debilitating cough. We see babies stop breathing. It’s a very scary thing. Most get over it, but it’s something we want to avoid. So Tdap would be one of my non-negotiables for a new grandparent.”

For babies and young children in particular, whooping cough is more than just a bad cough; it can be incredibly dangerous. It triggers violent and uncontrollable coughing fits that even make it difficult to breathe. Beyond that, serious infection can lead to complications such as pneumonia, seizures, permanent brain damage, or death.

The Tdap vaccine is given as a single dose and a booster is recommended for adults every 10 years.

Although it remains low nationally, seasonal flu activity is increasing in many parts of the country, and the CDC warns that early season activity is higher than usual for this time of year.

Many people may think that the flu simply has cold-like symptoms, but for babies and toddlers, it can be especially dangerous. Because their immune systems are still developing, the flu can hit them hard and fast and quickly lead to serious complications, including pneumonia, extreme dehydration, brain inflammation, or death.

In general, everyone aged 6 months and older is encouraged to get a flu vaccine every year.

The protection provided by the vaccine lasts about six months in older adults, “so it is recommended to get it in September or early October to protect during the typical winter flu season,” Texas-based pediatrician Dr. Ari Brown, a spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics and author of the book “Baby 411,” said in an email.

“You can plan ahead based on when the grandbaby is due and when you will visit them.”

RSV is another common respiratory virus that can cause serious illness in babies and young children. Because their airways are so small, this virus can easily block them with thick mucus, making it difficult to breathe. RSV was the leading cause of hospitalization among infants in the United States before the introduction of RSV vaccination.

For older adults, a single dose of RSV vaccine is generally recommended.

“Talk to your doctor about the RSV vaccine because it is given at age 50 to people with certain conditions like asthma, heart disease and insulin-dependent diabetes,” Solomon said. “For healthy adults, the RSV vaccine is administered starting at age 75.”

A single dose of the updated Covid-19 vaccine is recommended for all adults.

Covid-19 vaccination continues to be associated with a reduced risk of hospitalization, including in people at high risk of severe disease, such as the elderly and infants. And getting vaccinated can help reduce the risk of spreading the virus to vulnerable family members like newborns.

A Covid-19 shot this season “protects you and reduces the chances” of you bringing the virus home to your loved ones, Dr. Céline Gounder, an infectious disease specialist at NYU Langone Health and public health editor at KFF Health News, said in an email.

“The scariest thing a parent can experience is a positive Covid test in a baby, because there’s nothing you can do other than supportive care,” Desai said. Infants are not old enough for treatment such as that of the prescription drug Paxlovid.

“If I’m a new grandparent and I have to watch a two-month-old child once the parents return to work, I want to be as protected as possible from the common viruses that are out there and protect my grandchild who can’t get vaccinated,” he said. “So for a new grandparent, I think it’s very reasonable to get the Covid booster at this point.”

An unusually high number of measles cases have been reported in the United States this year, increasing the risk of infections among newborns.

Nationally, more than 4,500 confirmed cases of measles have been reported to the CDC, and an ongoing outbreak in Pennsylvania has quickly become the nation’s largest and deadliest in more than 30 years. Infants are among those who have died this year.

But two doses of the measles, mumps, and rubella or MMR vaccine provide about 97% protection against measles.

“If you are unsure of your immunity to measles, there is no harm in getting another MMR shot,” Gounder said.

Immunity to measles can sometimes be checked with a blood test or by reviewing your vaccination record. But “we generally don’t recommend checking antibody levels,” she said.

If you were born before 1957, “the CDC considers you immune because most people got measles as children,” Gounder said. “Born in 1957 or later, with no record of a dose: receive at least one dose. »

If you only have one dose documented in your medical history, “get a second if advised by your local health department,” she said. For example, adults who received one dose were recommended to receive a second dose during a measles outbreak in Texas last year. “If you receive one dose and help care for the baby in an outbreak area, I recommend a second dose. »

Measles is one of the most contagious diseases in the world. Virus particles can spread through the air and remain infectious for up to two hours, even after an infected person leaves the area. And infants and young children are at higher risk of complications and serious illnesses.

“Here’s the motto I tell patients: If you don’t know if you’ve had measles if you’re older, or if you don’t know you’ve had the vaccine, there’s no harm in getting an MMR booster,” Desai said. “It’s safe. It gives you immunity and it’s very appropriate.”

It is important to be fully vaccinated before visiting a newborn in the hospital or at home. “Ideally, it is best to vaccinate at least 30 days before the scheduled date,” Solomon said.

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