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Vaccinations and Breastfeeding

By Wendy Jones in Thoughts on 28 October 2023.

Taken from Breastfeeding and Chronic Medical Conditions available from Amazon.

Most vaccinations can be undertaken during breastfeeding as they do not pass into breastmilk. For detailed information please check the Green Book which has sections for breastfeeding. https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immunisation-against-infectious-disease-the-green-book

Chicken pox (varicella): compatible with normal breastfeeding
Hepatitis A: compatible with normal breastfeeding
Hepatitis B: Vaccinations are routinely offered to healthcare professionals who may come into contact with body fluids. Compatible with normal breastfeeding
Influenza: compatible with normal breastfeeding
Meningococcal C: Immunization of pregnant or lactating women with meningococcal vaccine increased the specific secretory IgA content of milk. compatible with normal breastfeeding
MMR Injections: A breastfeeding mother can have an MMR injection if she is not rubella immune. Although live vaccines multiply within the mother’s body, the majority have not been demonstrated to be excreted in human milk (Bohlke K, Galil K, Jackson LA, et al. Postpartum varicella vaccination: is the vaccine virus excreted in breast milk? Obstet Gynecol 2003; 102:970–7). Although rubella vaccine virus might be excreted in human milk, the virus usually does not infect the infant. If infection does occur, it is well-tolerated because the virus is attenuated. Inactivated, recombinant, subunit, polysaccharide, conjugate vaccines, and toxoids pose no risk for mothers who are breast feeding or for their infants.
Pneumonia: compatible with normal breastfeeding
Polio: The injectable polio vaccine is inactivated and poses no risk when given to mothers who are breastfeeding. The oral vaccine may reduce the production of antibodies by the infant and immunisation of the mother before the infant reaches 6 weeks of age is not recommended.
Tetanus Vaccination: One study of previously vaccinated infants found that at 21 to 40 months of age breastfed infants had higher IgG levels against diphtheria, higher secretory IgA levels in saliva against diphtheria and tetanus and higher faecal IgM against tetanus than formula-fed infants. There is no contra indication to a breastfeeding mother having this vaccination.
Tuberculin and BCG: There is no reason to avoid tuberculin testing during breastfeeding nor to avoid use of the BCG vaccine unless the mother is immunocompromised.
Typhoid Vaccination: One study of previously vaccinated infants found that at 21 to 40 months of age breastfed infants had higher IgG levels against diphtheria, higher secretory IgA levels in saliva against diphtheria and tetanus and higher faecal IgM against tetanus than formula-fed infants. There is no contra indication to having the vaccination and continuing to breastfeed.
Whooping Cough: there is no evidence of risk of vaccinating breastfeeding mothers with the whooping cough (pertussis) vaccine as part of the campaign to protect new-born babies.