To be worried about newborn and whooping cough

[Timemysticaltime]

I have a 6 day old baby and my DD(4)'s preschool sent home a letter saying that whooping cough is going round. DD has a runny nose and mild cough and I've seen this can be an early sign. She has had all her vaccines and is generally pretty healthy.

I have had the vaccine in pregnancy and am currently EBF but I am utterly terrified my newborn will catch it as I know outcomes can be very bad for very little ones.

I have spoken to the midwife who has said that baby should have some immunity from the vaccine but I am really worried that this won't stop him from getting it completely. The stats from the NHS about the vaccine are reassuring but I guess I was hoping someone here may have had experience with baby being exposed to whooping cough and not catching it? Or if they did catch it did they manage okay if vaccinated? Basically I think I just want some reassurance and positive stories as I'm feeling quite anxious about it all! Thanks in advance!

Can’t offer huge reassurance here - but the only experience of whooping cough in babies that I know of is with my brothers. They’re a year apart in age and had it at the same time as babies. I believe my youngest brother was very young and the older was under 2. They both turned out ok and this would have been about 25 years ago, so less medical help / knowledge etc.
I guess if you can keep your children apart as much as possible then you’re doing all you can.

That's the whole point of getting the vaccine in pregnancy to protect babies from it before they get the vaccine themselves. If you got the vaccine, and are breastfeeding, I would imagine they're very well protected!

If you're vaccinated in pregnancy and your daughter is vaccinated then it is unlikely either of you will pass it to the baby who has passive immunity via you anyway

Thank you all that's what I'm hoping. I have stopped my DD kissing him and we are upping hand washing so will be cautious. I know I'm probably being a bit over anxious but he's just so precious!!

Are you really utterly terrified? 😳 babies mostly always have a little cough and runny nose etc. I really wouldn't worry.

There was a query over whether my eldest daughter should have the whooping cough jab and she caught it whilst waiting for a medical decision. I
My baby girl was less than 3 months but didn't catch it.
Now 33 and 30. All fine.

Honestly @Makeitmakesensetoday I am. I'm finding it quite distracting this evening and with things like this my mind does fixate on worst case scenario. I do have a history of some mental health struggles so I wonder if this is triggering something with the postpartum hormones. I will mention it at my next health visitor appointment. Thank you for your input.

makeitmakesensetoday, this isn’t true and most definitely not for a tiny baby. I know this from being medical and from DD1 having it as a two week old baby.

She didn’t cough - tiny babies don’t, they just stop breathing and turn blue. Terrifying. She ended up in ITU for a month on a ventilator before we were told she’d live, but they didn’t know what the long term effects might be from her hypoxia and the strain on her organs.
Luckily, apart from her sense of smell being affected, she’s fine, but the 9 week old boy in the next ward wasn’t..

We’re going back nearly 30 years now, when vaccinations in pregnancy weren’t a thing, so I wouldn’t worry too much, op. Just do what you’re doing and even if he is unlucky enough to get it, your immunity will give him some protection and the fact that your daughter has had all her immunisations means it’s unlikely she’ll get it to pass on to him.
I can’t believe this is still an issue in 2024 though.

Oh gosh, I'm so sorry you went through that, it sounds awful. This is what scares me but you're right - the NHS stats indicate that the vaccine has been very successful so I will have to hope that DS just doesn't get it.

It is infuriating that so many parents are refusing vaccines that have been thoroughly tested, are safe and have minimal side effects but that's another thread altogether!

You’ve taken the right steps OP, you’re vaccinated and your children are, that means you’re in the best position possible to avoid it.

It can be really really scary but between the vaccines for you and your DD being up to date baby should be well protected

Also i had whooping cough as a baby 35 years ago and still here to tell the tale. try to find something fun to do now to distract yourself, it's so easy to get caught up in obssessive

Do you know anything about whooping cough? It's much more serious than a little cough and a runny nose.

Yes but the baby doesn't have it, has been vaccinated and the OP is panicking unnecessarily.