Actress Chloe Bridges and Dr. Charis Chambers on what moms need to know to help protect their baby against RSV infection

This episode is sponsored by Pfizer. This article is directed to a U.S. audience and may not be suitable for those outside of the U.S. We partnered with them to bring you this conversation, but everything you hear from me, Chloe, and Dr. Chambers is our own experience and opinion. Not medical advice, just a conversation between moms.

Pregnancy has a way of making you feel responsible for someone before you have ever met them. For actress Chloe Bridges and OBGYN Dr. Charis Chambers, that meant navigating the identity shift of new motherhood while also learning about respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a highly contagious respiratory virus that is the number one cause of hospitalization for babies in the United States with nearly 50% of RSV hospitalizations occurring during the first 3 months of life. Both moms built a trusted village of support to help navigate – and have a lot to say about what they wish they had known sooner.

In a candid conversation on The Motherly Podcast, Chloe and Dr. Chambers get real about the challenging transition into motherhood, learning to ask for (and accept) help, and what every expecting mom should know about helping protect their newborn from RSV infection.

Chloe Bridges is an actress with a career spanning film and television. A Columbia University graduate, she welcomed her first child, her son Beau, with her husband, actor and comedian Adam Devine, in February 2024.

Dr. Charis Chambers is a board-certified OBGYN and fellowship-trained pediatric and adolescent gynecologist known to millions online as The Period Doctor. She is the Chief Medical Officer at the cycle-tracking app Clue and the author of The Period and Puberty Parenting Revolution. She lives with her husband, Zachary, and their son, Joshua.

What was the first lesson that motherhood taught you?

Chloe: I think for me it was that everything is a phase. In the early days, I would get so nervous if something went wrong that day, you know, if he didn’t nap or wasn’t a good sleeper. I’d be like, ‘Oh my gosh, he’s never going to sleep. He’s always going to be a bad sleeper.’ And I just had to learn that a good day today doesn’t necessarily mean a good day tomorrow. A bad day today doesn’t mean a bad day tomorrow. Everything is just constantly changing and in flux.

Dr. Chambers: The first lesson was really that I just can’t do it all by myself. I take pride in being able to accomplish things, and I am so proud of the things I have accomplished, professionally, personally. But motherhood is not one of those things where there’s a badge of honor when you suffer. So I had to learn, from the newborn phase to the late infancy phase to now, that I need help. Sometimes I need help because I can’t be in two places at once. Sometimes I need help because I don’t feel well. Sometimes I need help because I need to be restored, and I need a break. And all of those are really good reasons to ask for help.

How would you describe your mindset heading into motherhood for the first time?

Chloe: I didn’t know what I didn’t know. It was almost like I didn’t want to think about postpartum too much, because I truly didn’t know what to expect. Everyone talks about how it’s just such a big transition, and I did really feel that. What’s that thing that people say? Two people are born that day. The baby is born, but then you are also born as a mother. And I absolutely experienced that. You can try to prepare mentally for what it’s going to feel like, but it’s still so surreal when it actually happens.

Dr. Chambers: I immediately threw up my hands in thanks, and then I looked around like, ‘Wait a second.’ Everything is different. I felt like I didn’t even know which way to move or walk. I didn’t know what to do next. I just sat with that moment. My beliefs, my vision for tomorrow, my to-do list, it all just exploded, all in that moment. And it was immense joy, but a nervousness that I think is in proportion to just the depth and caliber of what this is.

You’ve both described an identity shift. Can you talk a little bit about that?

Dr. Chambers: As someone who spent so long not being a mother, I never thought that motherhood would ever fully define me, and I still don’t feel that way today. I also think when you desire something so much, it’s hard sometimes to verbalize that desire. So knowing that you’re stepping into this role, this space, that has never really been in your control to step into, but that door is opening. It was an identity shift, but like an identity shift I’d always hoped for but never had the power to change. Becoming a doctor, I knew that. I knew I was going to go to med school. Once I got that MD, I was going to be a doctor. But this is almost like it’s not an earned thing. It is given. I knew it was a forever shift, but spending so much time desiring to be in that role, and seeing that for myself and not knowing if it was going to happen, that was a real identity shift for me.

Pregnancy can feel like a crash course in invisible responsibility. What decisions felt hardest during your pregnancy journeys?

Chloe: I think a lot of the decisions I was making were just about being so much more cognizant of my own health. Before pregnancy, I don’t know if I was necessarily the healthiest person, but you get pregnant and suddenly it’s not about you, it’s about you and your baby. And your health is intertwined obviously. So it was just a lot of decisions about, you know, obviously I’m going to follow all the advice. I’m going to limit my caffeine intake and I’m going to avoid foods that could give me listeria. And I’m going to, you know, take my prenatal. All of a sudden I was thinking about my health so much more, in a way I hadn’t been before.

Dr. Chambers: So many of the decisions that I knew I had to make, it was almost like I had the answers to the test, just because I’m an OBGYN. But then I started to realize that what I really knew about pregnancy was related to a role that I wasn’t playing this time. I was the actual patient. I had a point in my pregnancy where my cervix was shorter, and they were measuring it, and wondering, are we going to need to do something more invasive, like a cerclage, or can we just do vaginal progesterone. And my very best friend, it was her bachelorette party, but it was in a remote area of Mexico, and I said, ‘How can I reconcile potentially delivering early in this extreme prematurity state that we would be looking at because I just want to be on this girls’ trip?’ I had to just sit with myself, ‘All right, what makes the most sense?’ Of course my friend was amazing and was like, ‘Girl, say less. No one’s going to feel bad. Take care of you and your baby.’ But it just was hard. You want to do so many things, but at the end of the day, you have to stand in your values and stand in your truths and trust that the people around you will be supportive of that.

There’s so much noise around pregnancy, social media, group chats, your mom, your OBGYN. How do you determine whose advice you can really trust?

Dr. Chambers: This day and age, it is just hard, but it depends on the topic. When I was making my registry, for whatever reason, I just couldn’t start it. There’s a billion strollers. What do you mean there’s this many cribs? I was so overwhelmed. So I gave my sister my login and said, ‘Go to town.’ But as it related to my health, being someone who had a high-risk pregnancy, it was a meeting of the minds. I made sure all of my doctors were on the same page, and I wanted a yes. Like when you’re in the emergency row of the flight and they’re like, ‘Yes, yes, yes.’ ‘Nephrologist?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘High-risk doctor?’ ‘Yes.’ OBGYN who’s doing the delivery, yes. I trusted my team.

Chloe: I was also overwhelmed by the whole registry process. But I don’t have a lot of friends who have been pregnant before me, so I was leaning on the internet a lot. Dr. Google, and honestly lots of YouTube videos, all those videos of people being like, ‘This is what’s on my registry,’ or ‘Day in the life.’ And then my OBGYN was so helpful. I would be lost without her. She was truly such a resource, and I really felt like I had built a trust with her, and it really paid off later during birth and everything. I felt like I could ask her anything and trusted her advice.

What is RSV, and why is it such a concern for infants, especially in those first six months of life?

Dr. Chambers: RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, is a highly contagious respiratory infection that can get really serious for our youngest babies. When we think about the seasonality of it, it tends to run during the fall and winter months, and the seriousness is that it can lead to hospitalization. It can lead to infant mortality. This is a very serious thing.

What are some of the specific signs of RSV in infants, and how do they differ from a cold or flu?

Dr. Chambers: Cold and flu can look like fevers and things of that nature. Sometimes it isn’t terribly respiratory leaning. But RSV has a lot to do with how your baby breathes, the retraction signs, and the work of breathing is the term that we use. Babies can get really, really exhausted and tired, and that noisy type of rapid breathing, those are all red flags that something is wrong. These are not all the possible symptoms of RSV in infants, so it’s important to talk to your doctor. If you notice any symptoms in your baby, talk to your baby’s doctor right away.

If RSV is only vaguely on an expecting mom’s radar, what does she need to know about its potential impact during those early months?

Dr. Chambers: During those early months of life, that’s when your baby is at highest risk. Their immune systems are slowly building up, and when we’re thinking about the way RSV might affect an adult, it is not the same for your infant. So if it’s just vaguely on your radar, it’s important to know that this deserves more prioritization. It deserves more energy, more research. If eligible, pregnant women may have the power to help protect their babies by choosing to get vaccinated with ABRYSVO^® (Respiratory Syncytial Virus Vaccine), Pfizer’s respiratory syncytial virus vaccine that’s given during 32 through 36 weeks of pregnancy to help protect babies against RSV infection from birth through 6 months during September through January in most of the United States. 

To avoid the potential risk of preterm birth, ABRYSVO should be given during 32 through 36 weeks gestational age. The most common side effects in pregnant women are injection site pain, headaches, muscle pain, and nausea. Low birth weight and jaundice can also occur in infants. Please keep reading for full Important Safety Information at the end.

How does maternal immunization for RSV actually work?

Dr. Chambers: Many moms don’t realize that they are constantly making antibodies to things they’re exposed to and passing those antibodies onto their babies naturally. The RSV vaccination uses that natural process by allowing the mom to create antibodies to RSV and pass them down to her baby. When you get the maternal RSV vaccine, you are helping to protect your baby from the moment they take their first breath. Maternal immunization is an important part of my prenatal care discussions because babies are at highest risk of infection from RSV during their first three months of life. 

Chloe: RSV wasn’t on my radar. It was something that I learned about from my OBGYN. She recommended I get ABRYSVO for it, and I remain very happy that I listened to my OBGYN’s recommendation to get ABRYSVO when I was pregnant, and that helped protect him during his first six months of life when he is so vulnerable.

ABRYSVO should not be given to anyone with a history of severe allergic reaction (e.g., anaphylaxis) to any of its components. An increased risk of Guillain-Barré syndrome (severe muscle weakness) was observed after vaccination with ABRYSVO. Please keep reading for full Important Safety Information at the end.

How can moms care for their own anxiety and fear in new motherhood, especially around their baby’s health?

Chloe: I’m glad we’re talking about this, because sometimes it can feel like so many things are being thrown at you when you’re pregnant, especially if you don’t have a lot of knowledge going into it and then you’re hearing about things from your OBGYN. It can feel sort of rushed, where if I’m hearing about a vaccine in my 32-week appointment, but then they’re like, ‘Oh, by the way, you only have until your 36 weeks to get it.’ So the more you know going in, it can only help to be more informed, to have time to do research.

What about mental preparation for new motherhood, beyond the expected guidance?

Dr. Chambers: The mental shift that was required the most, that I still carry with myself today, is letting go of the whole independent aspect. I would pride myself in being someone who was very self-sufficient. ‘I got it. If you can’t do this, I’ll figure it out.’ And it’s not that I don’t believe in myself, it is that I fully acknowledge the weight of motherhood and all that is required, and I now welcome the help. I had to tell my older sister, ‘I need you to put together my pump,’ and she did. I had to tell my mother-in-law, ‘The only thing I need today is a nap.’ And she’s like, ‘Go nap.’ Until you learn to verbalize those things and truly believe that you’re worthy of it, not as a point of insufficiency, motherhood requires a village. It requires a team. It requires support. Your mental health will be that much better for it.

Chloe: You go from being an individual with all of your independence, and then suddenly you are putting this baby’s needs before your own. My advice would be to try to establish communication with your village early, whoever that is, and have some sort of plan. Learn how to delegate. I don’t think I had done a lot of delegating before becoming a mom, and then suddenly you’re delegating all the time.

When you think about your babies who have grown up already, what do you hope they say about you one day as a mom?

Chloe: I want him to see me as competent and capable, but I also want him to see me as playful and fun. I think that’s been a big part of it. Maybe especially having a little boy, I want to be playful with him, and I want him to be able to have that kind of relationship with me. The nurturing comes so easy, but the playfulness has come a little harder. I hope he looks back and he’s like, ‘You know what? We had fun.’

Dr. Chambers: I hope my son sees me as someone he can trust, as someone who can give him advice, as someone who always makes decisions that are grounded in love and goodness, and someone who’s been making decisions since before he was born to set him up to have the best possible life. I hope that he trusts me with every aspect of who he is, knowing that the love I have is profoundly unconditional, and it has been before I could even picture his face. Before I even knew who he was, he was always worthy of that love and support, and it’s not going anywhere.

This article has been edited and condensed for clarity. Watch the full episode of The Motherly Podcast on YouTube.

Important Safety Information & Use

• ABRYSVO should not be given to anyone with a history of severe allergic reaction (e.g., anaphylaxis) to any of its components
• An increased risk of Guillain-Barré syndrome (severe muscle weakness) was observed after vaccination with ABRYSVO
• To avoid the potential risk of preterm birth, ABRYSVO should be given during 32 through 36 weeks gestational age
• Fainting can happen after getting injectable vaccines, including ABRYSVO. Precautions should be taken to avoid falling and injury due to fainting
• Adults with weakened immune systems, including those receiving medicines that suppress the immune system, may have a reduced immune response to ABRYSVO
• Vaccination with ABRYSVO may not protect all people
• In pregnant individuals, the most common side effects (>10%) were pain at the injection site, headache, muscle pain, and nausea
• In clinical trials where ABRYSVO was compared to placebo, infants born to pregnant individuals experienced low birth weight (5.1% ABRYSVO versus 4.3% placebo) and jaundice (7.3% ABRYSVO versus 6.9% placebo)

Ask your healthcare provider about the risks and benefits of ABRYSVO. Only a healthcare provider can decide if ABRYSVO is right for you. Always talk to your healthcare provider about any side effects you may experience.

You are encouraged to report side effects of vaccines to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Visit http://www.vaers.hhs.gov or call 1-800-822-7967.

Individuals who received ABRYSVO during pregnancy are encouraged to enroll in a pregnancy exposure registry at 1-800-616-3791. The registry will monitor pregnancy outcomes.

WHAT IS ABRYSVO?

ABRYSVO is a vaccine indicated for pregnant individuals at 32 through 36 weeks gestational age for the prevention of lower respiratory tract disease (LRTD) and severe LRTD caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in infants from birth through six months of age.

Please see full Prescribing Information for ABRYSVO at pfi.sr/ABRYSVO_PI.

This podcast was made in partnership with Pfizer. This video is for U.S. residents only and is intended to be viewed as it was originally produced in partnership with Pfizer. The information provided is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace discussions with a healthcare provider.

PP-A1G-USA-3233 ©2026 Pfizer Inc. All rights reserved. September 2026.