Whooping Cough vaccine - happy stories from people who had it at the beginning please!

[MrsAnxiety1]

Hi all,

I'm due my whooping cough vaccine today and I'm scared - not because of the needles or pain etc, but just because it's a relatively new vaccine for pregnant women and it can cause fever (which could cause future problems).

I've read all the studies on safety, so am aware that it is largely safe, but I'd LOVE to hear from some women who have now had their babies, as well as pregnant women, who can tell me what to expect afterwards.

Is fever common? Arm pain is fine, but what about the other symptoms like vomiting, diarrhoea, headaches etc?

Just a bit of hand-holding in advance please :) Thanks!

I had it last time and this time, no side effects.

I had nothing apart from some arm pain. LO is now 20 months and healthy.

Having had whooping cough as a child I would pick having the vaccine over suffering from it anyday, infact I am still being given it despite having suffering with it as a child. Glad that they have chosen to bring it back as I was never vaccinated as a baby and neither was my mum

Had mine last week. I didn't even know there were side effects apart from the usual dead arm stuff. I was fine. sore, hot, red arm that I couldn't lie on for 3-4 nights and there's still lump there now but other than that I have been perfectly fine.

www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199705293362203

Page 7: www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2004/19626scs019_dextrose_lbl.pdf

www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/pages/vaccine-ingredients.aspx

Dottie: you aren't comparing like to like there at all. Prolonged direct exposure to aluminium is not the same as a single exposure, and administering something to a pregnant woman is not the same as administering it directly to a preterm infant.

There ARE no studies on aluminium in vaccines (let alone in pregnancy)t, only for IV or injected aluminium. That's my concern....

I just wondered if anyone else had these concerns, a discussion if you will...

I don't think they bother with it in North Essex, maybe it's like the TB vaccine - only in certain city areas?

But surely if you've had whooping cough then you have immunity anyway?

EssexMummy you should have definitely been offered the jab by 28 weeks, if not, you need to ask your surgery about it. It's a country-wide thing brought out in late 2012 as the rates of whooping cough are so high and any latent immunity lasts only a couple of years and does not cover the baby for the first 8 weeks. HTH :)

*If you're planning on having it, that is :)

Dottie are you sure about that, or have you just believed what someone who opposes vaccination said? It's important to remember that a lot of people make a lot of money out of the fear of vaccination - their statements need checking.
www.fda.gov/BiologicsBloodVaccines/ScienceResearch/ucm284520.htm

I had it in my third trimester, and it was recommended that my husband get it too. That way the baby gets to build up some immunity before birth, to cover the first few weeks before he/she is able to have the first set of vaccines. And your partner can get it, just in case he/she happens to contract whooping cough in or around the time you give birth and passes it onto the baby while they are still vulnerable.

The spot on my arm where I had the injection felt a bit bruised for a couple of days, but otherwise was it was totally fine. In the US they offer a combination one that also protects against tetanus and (I think?) diphtheria. Entirely coincidentally, I was reading a novel written in the 1920s the week before I went to get the jab, which described a houseful of children who all got whooping cough at the same time and nearly died. Totally scared the hell out of me! (and made me realize how very lucky we are today!)

I both had the whooping cough vaccine and also actually got whooping cough when I was pregnant with DD in 2012. She's absolutely fine. I have a recurring hernia from coughing so much when I was heavily pregnant, and scared the shit out of DH when we were out a couple of weeks after having DD and I almost collapsed from not being able to get my breath in the middle of a shopping centre.

I would have the vaccine. Having whooping cough as a relatively healthy adult was quite horrendous. I couldn't imagine watching your newborn struggling to breathe through it, it would be awful.

You don't get lifetime immunity from whooping cough from having had it, unfortunately.

I am fully aware of the facts, I am a scientist working within the pharmaceutical industry. There have been no studies on the short OR long term affects of the aluminium based adjuvant used in the whooping cough vaccine on pregnant women and unborn babies or even non-pregnant humans (unless I have missed any in which case it would make my decision on this matter a little easier if you could point them out). We are the 'studies' ladies...

Except that one I linked above and the previous study it references.

And the 60 years of usage, obviously. It might be fair to say that your gran was the studies, but otherwise this argument is actually beyond silly.

I work in medical stats like Dottie and clinical trials aren't usually done on pregnant women or women of child bearing age. That doesn't mean it's unsafe though, it's just that researchers are wary of recruiting pregnant women after scandals in the 60s, and let's face it, no one would sign up anyway.
I would say though that whooping cough is very dangerous and there's lots of it around right now - an outbreak at a local school this week. I had the jab with DS and will be this pregnancy too.

Its not a silly argument siani, its a discussion and something that I am concerned about and I'm sure others are too. Is it wrong that I question this subject or just nod and say yes sir no sir? The paper you point out is from the FDA...

Have you read this paper?
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21568886

or this one? (scroll down to the bottom for conclusion if you do not want to deal with figures):
omsj.org/reports/tomljenovic%202011.pdf

Clinical trials never include pregnant women. Studies are investigations into previous or ongoing use.

The FDA study that you point out siani, is promoted by the FDA. The FDA will add disclaimers to all products so that their recommendations never fall back to them if there are problems:

Boostrix IPV:
Use In Pregnancy (Category B1)
Non-clinical data obtained with Boostrix reveal no specific hazard for humans based on
conventional studies of embryo-foetal development in rats and rabbits, and also of
parturition and postnatal toxicity in rats (up to the end of the lactation period).
As with all inactivated vaccines, one does not expect harm to the foetus.
However, adequate human data on use during pregnancy are not available. Therefore,
BOOSTRIX® should be used during pregnancy only when clearly needed, and the
possible advantages outweigh the possible risks for the foetus. When protection against
tetanus is sought, consideration should be given to tetanus or combined diphtheria-tetanus
vaccines.

REPEVAX (previously used 2012-2014):
Pregnancy
The effect of REPEVAX on embryo-foetal development has not been assessed. No teratogenic effect of vaccines containing diphtheria or tetanus toxoids, or inactivated poliovirus has been observed following use in pregnant women. Limited post-marketing information is available on the safety of administering REPEVAX to pregnant women.
The use of this combined vaccine is not recommended during pregnancy.

No, I don't think others are concerned, for the reasons previously stated, and no I don't think they should be. I think it's wildly irresponsible to try to discredit the vaccination program, and I don't think any of your links show any cause for concern whatsoever.

Clinical trials are not normally carried out on pregnant women, for the reasons previously stated in this thread. Fortunately they don't need to be because we have lots and lots and lots of information to extrapolate from.

Those are not reputable sources, they are antivax propaganda from the same well known person, who publishes antivaccine papers despite being an ophthalmologist . The fact that you consider them trustworthy and the fda untrustworthy kind of says it all.

www.skepticalraptor.com/skepticalraptorblog.php/tag/tomljenovic/

sciblogs.co.nz/diplomaticimmunity/2013/05/02/more-pseudo-scientific-garbage-from-tomljenovic-and-shaw/

www.metabunk.org/debunked-lucija-tomljenovic-christopher-shaw.t2444/

One could call your references pro-vaccination propaganda....

I actually work within the pharma industry specifically IV drugs and immunisations, I have done for nearly 10 years. I have also had many dealings with the FDA, so I have more than enough experience to question them and their recommendations, yes.

I am not an anti-vacs person but I do like to research the decisions I make for my family; but this new program worries me, yes.

Obviously we are all free to have our own opinions and some of us choose to make our own decisions and not blindly follow without questioning.

I have still not made my mind up whether or not have have the Boostrix-IPV vaccine.

Also, you did not comment on the information leaflets of REPEVAX, apparently recommended at the time by the NHS, health professionals and FDA but their insert clearly states:

The use of this combined vaccine is not recommended during pregnancy.

Had the vaccine. Sore arm, so make sure you get it in the arm you don't sleep on!

Son just had whooping cough. Very scary. Just get the vaccine!