In this presentation, Kirstie Perrotta, MPH, from UC San Diego and MotherToBaby California, reviews the risks of respiratory viruses such as COVID-19 and flu during pregnancy, including potential impacts such as miscarriage, birth defects, and pregnancy complications. She also covers the latest data and recommendations for COVID-19, flu, Tdap, and RSV vaccines during pregnancy.

The webinar also covers the latest data and clinical guidance on vaccination during pregnancy, including COVID-19, influenza (flu), Tdap, and RSV vaccines. Attendees will learn how current recommendations are designed to protect both pregnant individuals and their infants, and how to communicate these benefits effectively to patients. Practical insights will be provided on integrating vaccine counseling into routine prenatal care, addressing patient concerns, and promoting informed decision-making.

By the end of this session, participants will leave with a better understanding of the benefits of vaccination for both mom and baby. They will also be able to clearly explain the 2024–2025 vaccine recommendations during pregnancy, supporting evidence-based clinical practice and improving maternal and infant health outcomes.

Continuing Education (CE) credits are available for ACNM members and non-members who view this session via the ACNM Online Learning Center.

The Bilingual Website is the Latest Addition to the Non-Profit’s Toolkit to Promote Healthy Pregnancies and Reduce Birth Defects

BRENTWOOD, TN – ¿Hablas español? ¡Sí! In time for January’s Birth Defects Awareness Month, MotherToBaby is proud to announce the launch of its fully bilingual (English/Spanish) website. It’s the first of its kind for housing an extensive bilingual library of fact sheets on everything from alcohol to zolpidem during pregnancy and breastfeeding as well as connecting bilingual experts with parents and healthcare providers.

Only select portion of MotherToBaby’s resources were previously available in Spanish. The now fully bilingual website is designed to fill the gap in the disparities of health education information for pregnant and breastfeeding individuals who are Spanish-speakers. MotherToBaby wants to improve birth outcomes in the Latinx community by giving improved access to language-appropriate resources to families and health professionals.

“It’s our experience that all parents and parents-to-be want the best information possible in order to have a healthy baby,” said Lorrie Harris-Sagaribay, MPH, a bilingual teratogen information specialist and the MotherToBaby President-Elect. “No matter what the language they speak is, we want everyone to have access to the best, expert health information possible. Making our free resources available in the second most-used language in the U.S. will help us reach many who are currently underserved.”

MotherToBaby, a no-cost service of the international non-profit Organization of Teratology Information Specialists (OTIS), has been available to the public for more than 30 years. During that time, it has become the leader in birth defects research as well as answering questions the public has about exposures, like medications, vaccines, beauty products, herbal supplements, workplace exposures and much more, during pregnancy and breastfeeding. MotherToBaby is a suggested resource by many federal agencies including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The fully bilingual website comes on the heels of other Spanish resources previously available including more than 300 fact sheets, a phone information service (866-626-6847), texting line (855-999-3525), and live chat and email (available on MotherToBaby.org). Just some of the website updates include one-stop resource hubs organized by exposure topic and health field, a FREE online materials ordering system for patient education and materials, and fully translated information about the research arm of the organization, MotherToBaby Pregnancy Studies. Much of the information that the scientific community knows about medication and vaccine use during pregnancy comes from observational studies. With accessible information about study participation in Spanish, MotherToBaby is aiming to increase participant diversity and better reflect the community that may need to take these drugs to treat or prevent illness.

“The risk to the developing baby from certain exposures during a pregnancy can vary greatly depending on timing of the exposure and much more,” said Harris-Sagaribay. “To be able to provide information tailored to a pregnant person’s personal circumstance allows for better informed decision-making. I’m proud to be part of a service that empowers parents like that not only in English but also in Spanish.”

The Spanish-language website is just one of MotherToBaby’s latest effort in making health education information more accessible to people outside of native English speakers. MotherToBaby is exploring the expansion of its bilingual resources to make them available in more languages. For example, it recently made its COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines fact sheet available in Arabic, Chinese, Portuguese, Tagalog and Vietnamese.

Visit the new Spanish-language website at MotherToBaby.org/es. The MotherToBaby website is not intended to be a substitute for professional judgment. Users should consult personal healthcare providers for pregnancy and breastfeeding advice related to their particular situation.

More about OTIS and MotherToBaby

The Organization of Teratology Information Specialists (OTIS) is a professional scientific society made up of individuals engaged in assessing and evaluating risks to pregnancy and breastfeeding from environmental exposures. Members include, but are not limited to, specialists in the fields of obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, genetics, dysmorphology, perinatal epidemiology, teratology, behavioral teratology, pharmacy, genetic counseling, nursing, midwifery, maternal and child health, public health, and includes experts that provide MotherToBaby services and researchers that conduct MotherToBaby Pregnancy Studies.

MotherToBaby is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $6,000,000 with zero percentage financed with non-governmental sources. The contents of this release are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government. To learn more about MotherToBaby and OTIS, please visit www.MotherToBaby.org.  

Media Contact: Nicole Chavez, 619-368-3259, nchavez@mothertobaby.org

MotherToBaby is the Leading National Resource on Exposures during Pregnancy and Breastfeeding

BRENTWOOD, TN – The non-profit Organization of Teratology Information Specialists (OTIS), which provides the MotherToBaby free service, receives new funding aimed at enhancing partnerships to address birth defects, infant disorders and related conditions, and the health of pregnant and postpartum people. The grant is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The funding is a five-year award beginning October 1, 2023. “This remarkable funding is a testament to our tireless dedication to staying ahead of the curve when it comes to diseases, infections, and empowering the public with the latest information,” said Alfred Romeo, RN, PhD, President of MotherToBaby. “We are thrilled to collaborate with numerous organizations to amplify the impact of our vital work,” he added.

Great strides will be made under this grant, including collecting and disseminating data, developing and distributing data-driven resources, forging valuable partnerships, and fostering community engagement to raise awareness of the invaluable services provided by MotherToBaby.

“This support is a game-changer, enabling us to further equip pregnant and breastfeeding individuals with crucial information, especially during health crises like the recent COVID-19 pandemic,” Romeo emphasized. “The partnerships we build will help us navigate the next emerging issue affecting people who are pregnant and breastfeeding.”

MotherToBaby provides information on exposures, like medications, vaccines, diseases, herbal supplements, occupational exposures and more before and during a pregnancy as well as while breastfeeding. The service is provided through its no-cost helpline 866-626-6847, texting service 855-999-3525 and website www.MotherToBaby.org, where the public can live chat, e-mail an expert or browse a library of fact sheets in English and Spanish. Additionally, MotherToBaby hosts LactRx, a free app providing current information on the use of medications, vaccines, diagnostic agents, and drugs of misuse during breastfeeding. LactRx is available for iPhone and Android.

More about OTIS and MotherToBaby

The Organization of Teratology Information Specialists (OTIS) is a professional scientific society made up of individuals engaged in assessing and evaluating risks to pregnancy and breastfeeding from environmental exposures. Members include, but are not limited to, specialists in the fields of obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, genetics, dysmorphology, perinatal epidemiology, teratology, behavioral teratology, pharmacy, genetic counseling, nursing, midwifery, maternal and child health, public health, and includes experts that provide MotherToBaby services and researchers that conduct MotherToBaby Pregnancy Studies. To learn more about MotherToBaby and OTIS, please visit www.MotherToBaby.org. 

Media Contact: Nicole Chavez, 619-368-3259, nchavez@mothertobaby.org

Last year I was pregnant with my first child. At the same time, I was going through the immigration process to apply for permanent residency in the United States. I wasn’t aware of the many things that you must do to get your health records cleared by immigration and how that process can be a great source of anxiety during pregnancy. If you are an immigrant, you may not have health insurance or cannot understand the language, which can be another challenge. In order to have sound and scientifically true advice during that critical period, I always consulted with my doctor and then MotherToBaby.

First, I was told that I needed to get revaccinated for certain diseases, even though I may have had them or may have been previously vaccinated in the past. Those vaccinations included measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), varicella, polio, tetanus diphtheria pertussis (Tdap), hepatitis B, and COVID-19. As soon as I heard this long list, I went online and checked the MotherToBaby facts sheets about those vaccines one by one to see what was known about their use in pregnancy. It turns out the Hepatitis B and COVID-19 vaccines are not associated with risk during pregnancy. Even more, it is recommended to get a Tdap vaccine during pregnancy to provide protective antibodies to your baby against pertussis (whopping cough). Live vaccines like MMR and varicella (chickenpox) are not recommended during pregnancy. Thankfully I was able to get bloodwork done to check antibody levels (protective proteins) showing prior protection. If you can show full protection, you no longer need to get vaccinated for these diseases after pregnancy. 

One other thing I had to find out was my tuberculosis (TB) status. This is done by blood work, but if the results don’t rule out the disease, you would need a lung x-ray. In general, X-rays are not recommended during pregnancy. However, if needed, studies show that a single chest x-ray is not associated with an increased risk for birth defects or pregnancy complications for the developing baby. It is important to know your tuberculosis status before pregnancy since active infection can be associated with preterm labor (early birth before 37 weeks), low birth weight of the baby, or even maternal death. Getting TB treated as soon as possible, even when you are pregnant, is so important. Tuberculosis is a slow-growing, pesky disease that is common in certain countries, including my home country, Turkey, but not common in the United States. That is why it is important to get it checked during the immigration process to prevent spread.

In addition to making sure I was getting my immigration to-do list sorted out, I also had to contend with new feelings brought on by pregnancy, both happy and stressful ones. This included all day nausea, aka the morning sickness, I had lots and lots of morning sickness. My first instinct was to call my mom and ask for help. She gave me a recipe for a concoction that included turmeric, sage, ginger, and mistletoe. I made it and drank it a couple of times without thinking whether that might be safe during pregnancy since it was all natural and herbal. A few days later, I was talking with one of my best friends, who was pregnant as well, complaining about morning sickness and asking for suggestions that have helped her. She said she would not drink any herbal tea without checking with her doctor. Ding ding, after talking with her, I was terrified to research the topic, and when I did, it confirmed my worst fears. The mistletoe in my nausea drink might cause miscarriage if consumed in large amounts. Many of the other herbs hadn’t been studied in pregnancy at all. I didn’t consume any more of the morning sickness drink and am fortunate that I had a healthy term baby. Lesson learned!

As immigrants, we bring our full heritage with us and try to combine the best of both worlds. Those herbal remedies and recipes are our culture; however, pregnancy is a special and very vulnerable time period. Everybody should be cautious about what we put into our bodies, especially herbal remedies since they are mostly not well studied during pregnancy to show whether they are associated with risks to the baby or not. Even if they are studied, the production and harvesting are not regulated or controlled by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), or other governmental agencies, and contaminations might happen. Better safe than sorry, right?

Carrying my baby through the immigration process and following my dreams along the way was challenging, but I learned on that road that it is important to question my customs and traditional medications when pregnant. Not everything my mother or grandmother did is safe and effective. Also, I was glad that MotherToBaby was there for me when I was going through the immigration process while pregnant to ask my burning questions about vaccinations and x-rays.

Anyone with questions about herbals, vaccines, TB testing, or any other exposure in pregnancy should know that MotherToBaby is a great resource. Call or chat today to get your individual questions answered by a teratogen information specialist so you can rest assured that you and your baby can have a healthy and well-informed entry into America.