Young infants are most vulnerable to severe disease and even death when infected with Bordetella pertussis. The current vaccines and vaccination programs do not guarantee protection of neonates from this disease. Maternal acquired pertussis-specific antibodies show low concentrations with short persistence in newborns creating a susceptibility gap for infection between birth and the first vaccinations. A possible strategy to protect infants from birth is pertussis vaccination during pregnancy, which will increase the amount of passively transferred maternal antibodies.