Growing evidence shows that many parents begin the decision-making process about infant vaccination during pregnancy and these decisions – once established – may be resistant to change.

Despite this, many interventions which target vaccination are focused on communicating with parents after their baby is born. This indicates that the prenatal period may represent a missed opportunity for communicating with expectant parents about infant vaccination.

Using a longitudinal qualitative design, a research team recently conducted two interviews (prepartum and postpartum) with a group of women to explore the optimal timing of vaccination information.

Participants were recruited through maternity care providers (physicians and midwives), and complementary and alternative health care providers (acupuncturists and naturopaths).

Analysis found that most women in this study reported having formed an intention about infant vaccinations by the time their baby was born. Regardless of whether they were planning to vaccinate or not, some participants described persistent uncertainty or concerns about vaccines in the prenatal phase.

They were readily able to articulate their questions or concerns during this phase, and appeared eager to receive advice and additional information from trusted health care providers.

Most participants described their maternity care providers as competent, trustworthy, and generally capable of explaining health issues to them in ways that brought deeper confidence and understanding.

However, despite suggesting that they would be receptive to their maternity care providers’ recommendations about infant vaccinations, few women reported that these providers had initiated conversations about infant vaccinations, either in the prenatal phase or the postpartum period.

These findings reinforce the results of other studies which have shown the overwhelming majority of women want to receive vaccination information well in advance of the vaccination appointment.

“The lack of prenatal communication about the infant immunization schedule may not be of significant concern for those women who remain confident about their infant immunisation decision throughout the pregnancy and postpartum period”, the authors wrote.

“However, for those women who experience doubts about infant vaccination in the prenatal phase, the absence of discussions with their maternity care provider constitutes a missed opportunity to elicit information and recommendations from a trusted professional.”

“Given the close and trusting relationships with maternity care providers reported by women in our study, a vaccine recommendation followed by additional vaccination information from the maternity care provider may be important”, they said.

“What emerges from our study, and reinforces earlier work, is a clear consensus that women wish for opportunities to review infant/child vaccination information during pregnancy.”

“Taken together, these findings and data from our study suggest vaccination information should be provided in an ongoing and sustained manner, beginning in pregnancy and ideally continuing on throughout the infant’s first months of life."

The authors recommended that further research on maternity care providers’ current practices around recommending infant vaccination may help inform the crucial task of advocating for, and educating about, infant vaccines.