To be worried about Whooping Cough having declined the preg vaccine?!

[freakedoutlady]

I'm pro-vaccine and DD 8 and DS 11 are up to date. I'm 37 weeks pregnant and declined the pregnancy vaccine having read a horrific article about it being linked to stillbirth.

Rationale was rare for babies to catch it and die, I have natural immunity (had it as child).

Anyhow. Now I'm 37 weeks and DD now has nasty cough following sore throat and cold.

What should I do?! So worried! Should I be?

freaked, natural immunity for whooping cough is not permanent. it normally lasts about 10-15 years, so if you had it as a child you're likely to be sensitive by now.

There is absolutely zero evidence linking the whooping cough vaccination with stillbirth.

Babies who catch whooping cough before 6 weeks of age are very, very vulnerable both to the lung infection caused by the bacteria (as their lungs are immature) as tyo the coughing fits, who can reduce oxygen levels to their brain. Their immune system is also immature, so it takes much longer to fight the bacteria, and they have to be treated with huge doses of intravenous antibiotic while in ICU.

There is no way to avoid catching whooping cough unless you completely isolate yourself at home. The disease is often transmitted by adults who are unaware they have it (they may have been immunised or have had whooping cough as children and wrongly believe they are immune, just like you do), it travels in the small saliva drops when people cough or kiss babies.

I personally would not risk it, to be honest, however this is your choice.

There is no evidence that links pertussis vaccine in pregnancy with stillbirth.

There is plenty of evidence that links the introduction of pertussis vaccine in pregnancy with a massive reduction in neonatal incidence and fatality from pertussis infection.

Having the vaccine in a previous pregnancy does not provide sufficient protection for this pregnancy. The levels of circulating maternal antibodies may not be high enough for placental transmission. It would however reduce the likelihood of maternal infection, so indirectly reducing the risk to the foetus or newborn, but not at the level you would get from vaccination in pregnancy.

OP it is unlikely your DD has whooping cough, but if you are worried you could make a GP appointment. You could also decide to have the Boostrix-IPV vaccine, it's not optimal timing in your pregnancy but it can be given up to delivery and beyond if you change your mind.

I was reading about the no link to Stillbirths findings only this morning (yes, I am a saddo who reads back issues of the BMJ for fun).

and then about the 20% of kids who get pertussis even though they've been vaccinated. Looking back, I think I had it when I was 12.

not sure what you want, OP. Every decision in life carries some risk. Learn to live with it.

your childs cough will not turn into whopping cough - whooping cough is a specific illness and does not develop from having a normal cough.

So you'd rather run the risk of your child dying slowly of an illness than an incorrectly assumed risk of stillborn? Sorry OP but you very much lack common sense here. Go get the vaccine ASAP. If the NHS recommend it then it's based on medical evidence. Why else do you think they do?

It is such a pity that people choose to believe one article over actual medical fact. I am all for being able to choose when it comes to any sort of medical intervention but surely you need to make that an educated choice not just a read of an article.

The OP is not alone. The uptake of the WC vaccine during pregnancy averages at around 56% and really varies in different areas of the country. If her child does have WC (which is unlikely) then her immunity would be getting a boost from exposure to it anyway.

Freakedout, you can take your DD to the GP if you need some reassurance that it's not WC. They would need to test for it to confirm and results can take a while though. Do you live in an area with a lot of WC outbreaks? You can usually get reported case figures from gov.uk although, as others have said, there are a lot of unreported cases too.

Sorry to hear you're finding this all so stressful. The last few weeks of pregnancy can be tough enough

Just wanted to add that whooping cough is actually more common in the warmer months and tends to peak in quarter 3 (July Aug Sept). Someone upthread implied that it was more common in winter - that's not the case. www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/521637/hpr1616_prtsss_ann.pdf

Sorry OP for your worries but no one on the internet can tell you whether your child has whooping cough or not. You can ask the GP for their opinion and ask them to swab for it if you want to be sure. And you can still get vaccinated - although the benefits of the antibodies crossing the placenta may not kick in, you will be protected yourself and this will in turn offer some protection to the baby once it's born, as they can't catch it from you.

Just wanted to add that whooping cough is actually more common in the warmer months and tends to peak in quarter 3 (July Aug Sept). Someone upthread implied that it was more common in winter - that's not the case. www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/521637/hpr1616_prtsss_ann.pdf

Sorry OP for your worries but no one on the internet can tell you whether your child has whooping cough or not. You can ask the GP for their opinion and ask them to swab for it if you want to be sure. And you can still get vaccinated - although the benefits of the antibodies crossing the placenta may not kick in, you will be protected yourself and this will in turn offer some protection to the baby once it's born, as they can't catch it from you.

Hello ladies and thank you so much for your input. Spoke to midwife and nurse who both were of the opinion that it was still worthwhile for me to have it and reassured me it is safe.

Just had it. Still feel a bit wobbly as I'm so scared of stillbirth anyway and the scare stories are stuck in my head. But I'm aware that I've done the rational sensible thing. Sobbing in my car.

Hope I've made the right choice for him and as long as he isn't too early - he'll still get the benefit.

Thank you all so much.

You've done the right thing, OP. Your fears may seem irrational to us on the outside, but such anxiety can really take a hold on you. You've been really brave today.
Best wishes for the rest of your pregnancy.

Just had it. Still feel a bit wobbly as I'm so scared of stillbirth anyway and the scare stories are stuck in my head. But I'm aware that I've done the rational sensible thing. Sobbing in my car.

Well done OP.

Scare stories are just that.

I'm old and gray but in my younger years I wrote the health and safety policy for a couple of cardiology departments.

At the time there was a scare about VDUs (now usually referred to as monitors) being linked to still birth. If you look at the legislation from 1992 a pregnant woman can ask to be moved away from work using a computer.

We would probably laugh now at a woman refusing to look at a computer screen, tablet, phone etc but at the time the scare was worrying, and this is before many people even used computers.

This is why you should never base serious medical decisions on articles...esp one. There is no link between the vaccine and still birth, none at all.
There are however deaths from whooping cough in babies during g outbreaks. Which is why the VAX in pregnancy program was brought in.
Why do you think the NHS would spend millions doing this unless the experts knew that it was the safest and most sensible course of action?

Anyway, hope you're feeling better now having done the right thing. Well done.

Yep.

I should of done it at 35 weeks really as apparently it takes 2 weeks for me to get the anti-bodies. Only baby to die of whooping cough one year was born to a mum who had it at 37 weeks and delivered at 38.

At least my kids are vaxed. I'm vaxed and I live in a rural area where vax uptakes are very good.

In hindsight, I should not of let some scare stories and low numbers let me take a gamble like this.

Just hope my precious boy will be ok.

freaked the vaccine does not protect 100% even if you have it exactly 4 weeks before delivery, which is when it is believed to be most effective in protecting the baby. From memory I seem to remember it protects in about 60% of cases. There is no 100% way of guaranteeing a baby will not have whooping cough, or meningitis, or GBS infection. We can only do our best :)

Your baby is going to be absolutely perfect and 100% cute.

What article did you read? What is from some "quack" site?

My first baby is due in August and I had the vaccine, The NHS have found no evidence to suggest it's unsafe to either mum or baby which is the advice I listened too.

The fact you are no so worried says you aren't completely happy with your decision to not have the vaccine.

Ooh sorry OP just read your update, I'm tired this morning can you tell?

Glad to hear you had the vaccine