Vaccines

[OBwonKnewbie]

How do you guys feel about giving postpartum moms who opt to get the tdap and flu shots both vaccines at the same time? The nurses on my unit seem to be divided, and I see both sides of the argument. In doctors offices, patients, especially children, get multiple vaccines at once and are sent home 10 minutes later. However, if someone had a bad reaction, how would you know which vaccine it was if you gave multiples? What if the pp mom wants and qualifies for the tdap, flu, MMR, and pneumonia?l I didn't think much of it before but I had a coworker become very rude with me during report because I didn't give both the tdap and flu together. What are your thoughts?

[SiwanRN]

My clinic also, Klone. Although we usually just see them for the initial pregnancy test to confirm pregnancy for them, we offer flu that day and recommend Tdap in the 3rd trimester. Area OBGYNs who for some reason do not carry the vaccines will generally refer to my health department's immunizations clinic and I see them there. Of course, it's an easier sell when there is a pertussis outbreak in your county and state...

[OBwonKnewbie]

Thanks for all the info ladies! I feel a lot better about vaccines in general now

[LibraSunCNM, BSN, MSN, CNM]

We offer flu vax from the new OB visit onwards (if it's flu season obviously) and then Tdap starting at 28 weeks, so that ideally, everyone is good to go by delivery. Of course, some slip through the cracks and end up needing the vaccines postpartum. If they need 2, they give them at the same time (although knowing how much the Tdap hurts my arm, I would probably ask to at least have them in different arms! 2 inches apart in the same arm would be brutal). We get a fair amount of patients who deliver with us who went elsewhere for prenatal care, however, so those end up being the majority of our patients who need multiple postpartum vaccines. But no, no issues doing two together.