My toddler has whooping cough!!! And I'm due a baby in 16 weeks!!!

[Nikki2ol6]

How can I ensure my baby won't catch this as it says online it can last for months

[IamCarcass]

Have you had the vaccine?

[popthisoneout]

Have the vaccine. You can have it from 28 weeks I think

[Branleuse]

Vaccinate, and take your toddler for antibiotics.

[Idefix]

As others say you should have been offered the boostrix vaccination, was your ds vaccinated? Or is this a vaccine resistant strain?

What has your mw and gp advised?

[Nikki2ol6]

He is taking antibiotics since Tuesday but. I difference yet. And no I haven't been vaccinated but will ask my midwife when I see her for my 25wk app in a few days

[Idefix]

This must be terrifying op have no other advice but really hope that abx kick in soon. What did the gp say?

[Nikki2ol6]

She just said he had a chest infection and gave him antibotics, that was Tuesday but he's still having sever bouts of coughing, vomiting, coughing up phlegm, coughing sooooo much he's going purple and not breathing for a few second and which point he panics and it's awful, I called 111 and they said it's whooping cough from listening to him on the phone. I'm yet to see anyone else about it

[insan1tyscartching]

Ds caught whooping cough at six weeks once the course of antibiotics is completed your toddler won't be infectious even if they are still coughing. With ds the worst of it was over within three weeks and by 4 weeks there was no cough. You have the option of the vaccine as well (ds is 22 now) so wouldn't worry.

[insan1tyscartching]

Your toddler needs a nasal swab to confirm and the right antibiotics administered you need to insist he sees a GP it can't be diagnosed by someone on the end of the phone. Has he been immunised?

[boodles101]

You can have the whopping cough vaccine from 20 weeks now cos I've got mine booked for Thursday. Ring your gp and they can book for you

[DozyDoriss]

Your Ds needs to see a gp and get the correct antibiotics if he has whooping cough.

[Nikki2ol6]

He has had all his immunisations upto date so yes I assume he has been

[Dlah]

Midwife doesn't do whooping cough, just ring and get booked in with nurse, they'll sort it for you

[insan1tyscartching]

If he's been immunised then it's unlikely to be whooping cough anyway and somewhat wrong for you to be worried by someone diagnosing over the phone. It's simple to diagnose and painless so get him to a GP and get him tested.

[Shemozzle]

Huge sympathies. I am a former anti vaxxer and when my toddler had whooping cough it was the worst parenting experience to date. It really was awful to see her suffer and suffocate so much for weeks and weeks on end and know it was my fault for not having her vaccinated. If you have the vaccination now or within the next few weeks then baby will be protected. Antibiotics are very unlikely to lessen symptoms for your DS but will stop him being contagious so you aren't stuck in for over a month. Good luck OP.

[44PumpLane]

Yep I had my whooping cough vaccine at 22 weeks (was on hols before this), you can have it from 20 weeks.

Call your local surgery and get booked in asap x

[Laura05]

My gp surgery said you can get whooping cough vaccine from 16weeks. I'm booked in for it at 17weeks.

Definitely speak to your midwife.

[insan1tyscartching]

My ds caught whooping cough before he was old enough to be immunised. My older ones had been immunised so didn't contract it thankfully. I was furious tbh because ds was put at risk most likely by someone who had chosen not to immunise their child.

[PacificDogwod]

Get vaccinated at the normal time and by the time your new baby arrives you will have passed on some immunity to the baby. And your toddler will be all better by then of course too.

The antibiotics will help if he has a bacterial chest infection just now. Unfortunately the cough can continue for 3 months even after he is better (Whooping cough used to be known as the 100 Day Cough) as the bacteria leave a toxin behind that irritates the airways for a long time.

[sj257]

I'd get him to out of hours

[anotherdayanothersquabble]

It is not true that it can't be whooping cough if he has been vaccinated.

[DozyDoriss]

My daughter got whooping cough at 10 weeks, 2 weeks after having her first jabs.

[insan1tyscartching]

No not saying it can't be just that it's more unlikely to be as 8 or 9 out of every ten children would be immune. For a toddler who has received all immunisations 98% of children would be immune.

[Unhappyhousehunting]

Hello, although whooping cough symptoms last for a long time, people who have it can only pass it on for about 3 weeks from the start of the illness. So even if your toddler has it, a baby due in 16 weeks should not be at risk of catching it from him/her. You should definitely consider the vaccination though, it's now generally being done at around 20 weeks of pregnancy.

[Strawberrimoon]

You're fine so long as you've had the whooping cough vaccine (you can have this from anytime Over 20 weeks) otherwise call your GP Monday morning for advice. Xx