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Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

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Original poster

Anyone NOT having the whooping cough vaccine?

182 replies

Bluepetra · 29/07/2015 00:20

Im not on here to sway anyone either way, for or against but I'm not entirely convinced I need to have this vaccine. I'm not anti vaccine, but this one has too many negatives for myself. Has anyone else decided not to have it ?

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Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
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mummyneedinganswers · 29/07/2015 00:28

I'm all for the vaccine I think a lot of negatives aren't proven to actually be connected to the vaccine but they do know it protects your baby and the last thing I want is my baby developing it when I haven't been vaccinated. I suffer a lot of chest infect due to asthma and I think knowing baby is protected would ease my mind. From my perspective the risk of not having it is greater than the risk of having it. Also if you think of it all medical procedures, treatments and medications all have a risk vs benefit factor to them and if your didn't have anything because of the risk to them nobody would be healthy iyswim x

Original poster
Bluepetra · 29/07/2015 00:37

I understand, it does make sense from a medical point of view to have it. I've numerous concerns about this vaccine only though, I've never even known anyone with WC in my area, and I'm wondering if it's still as prevalent now, also are some areas worse than others for WC ? I'd like to know that. But so far I'm still not convinced on this one. Difficult decision.

OP posts:
MessyMoo · 29/07/2015 00:48

I've been umming and ahhing over this jab for weeks now. I know it's NHS guidelines, and I'm booked in to have it next week. However I'm not convinced it's necessary, and can't find any suitable research. I also get the feeling that my midwife is unconvinced also. I would love some more information about this.

mummyneedinganswers · 29/07/2015 00:54

I understand a lot of people don't have it but for me I would be riddled with guilt if I didn't get the vaccine and then my baby got it in first 8 weeks and I could have done something to protect her. Everyone's opinions vary. A lot of people are agaisnt many vaccines but I am willing to have them all. Everyone I have known has had the vaccine and not had any problems at all with them so I would step away from researching and make the decision with a professional who can advise you honestly x

idontknowmyusernameanymore · 29/07/2015 00:54

I'm 6 months pregnant, live in South West England and no-one has mentioned this to me? Not even my midwife?! Confused I'll have to mention it to her!! Hmm

HedgehogAtHome · 29/07/2015 00:55

It also covers for diptheria, tetnus and polio. I chose to have it as I wanted baby to have immunity from these until old enough to have their own jabs. Info here on stats in the uk.

I chose not to have the flu jab as I'm not high risk and had seen that the jab offered didn't cover the main strain of flu laast winter.

Gillian1980 · 29/07/2015 01:04

idontknowmyusername I'm also in the SW and had to just book it myself at my gp surgery. If you l

Gillian1980 · 29/07/2015 01:05

Posted too soon!

If you look through your maternity notes there should be some info provided in there about it and when to book it. I think it's after 28 weeks - can't quite remember.

Atenco · 29/07/2015 01:15

You might find this facebook page of interest, OP. www.facebook.com/groups/arnica/

Featherbluedot · 29/07/2015 01:36

Is this a new thing. As far as I'm aware noones had whooping cough for years.
My mum had twin sisters who died of whooping cough age six months but this was many years ago when infants very much died as soon as they caught it, the same as German measles that also killed thousands of people before vaccinations. Hospitals in those days were full of dying people from measles and whooping cough, rows and rows of them. We are very fortunate to have vaccinations for these.

shmuf · 29/07/2015 03:30

Im not in the uk but guidelines here are to have the vaccine too.i wont be having it...i work in the equivalent (i think) of a well baby centre,and everysingle new mother coming in has complained the vaccine was the worst part of their pregnancy and wiped them out for at least a week. Thats not my main reason not to have it,but it is a contributing factor to my decision. There actually was a rise in wc around here recently but a vaccine operation aimed at reaching all babies from 4weeks has pretty much stamped it out,so i figured noweveryone else is vaccined im covered by herd immunity!also the amount of stories we heard where the mother was vaccined yet the baby still got ill...because the father doesnt get the jab!also worthwhile to remember there are a few strains of wc and the vaccine covers just one.eg,if we get a baby who has been ill with wc we still give it the vaccine against it...anyway,hope thats useful somewhat to someone

NerrSnerr · 29/07/2015 03:36

Whooping cough is really dangerous for small babies. If your child gets it they could die. You don't hear of people getting it much because most are vaccinated.

ChunkyPickle · 29/07/2015 03:38

I had the vaccine - both for the baby, and because I'd never had some of those vaccines, and I know that the whooping cough one is one that wears off more than others, and the thought of being pregnant with whooping cough myself was awful.

I do wish that the rest of the family could also have it.

I really wouldn't have said it was the worst part of the pregnancy though! I had a bruised arm for about a week, but nothing else! - and that's all that anyone else I know had too

DefinitelyNotElsa · 29/07/2015 04:11

I had the vaccine last week. I work in education and have known both adults and children to have whooping cough in recent years.

The vaccine is recommended because whooping cough can be fatal to young babies. I couldn't forgive myself if my baby was harmed by something preventable. It's that simple to me. Herd immunity or not - whooping cough can kill a baby.

HeiressesGiltnor · 29/07/2015 04:13

The worst part of pregnancy HmmConfused. I barely noticed mine. Baby now ten months old.

Whooping cough is so dangerous for tiny babies, and it's common enough for them to offer the vaccine. they only offer it because there is enough of a risk! Like nerr said you don't hear of it because most people are vaccinated. I'm in the SW too and I know of nobody who even considered not having it.

I would never expose my baby to unnecessary avoidable risk. My job as a mother is to protect him.

WanderingTrolley1 · 29/07/2015 04:22

I had the WC vaccine at 28 weeks with DC2. The same night, I ended up on maternity ward with threatened preterm labour. Thankfully, they managed to halt proceedings.

I didn't have the WC jab with DC3 and she was fine.

captainproton · 29/07/2015 04:25

Whooping cough is currently thought to be more prevalent than it was say 3 years ago. This is why they have introduced the jab for pregnant women.

I didn't have it for my first because the risk was low and the NHS didn't offer it. I doubt the NHS start up expensive vaccination programmes for limited risk.

I just couldn't live with myself if I refused it and my baby got sick from whooping cough and died. If you don't get the jab you only have hope and good luck that your baby won't catch it. But each to their own.

Also slightly different topic but Rubella has been doing the rounds of children who are too young to be vaccinated in our area. As this age group come into contact with pregnant ladies frequently (if pg with second child say) then it is just goes to show that so called herd immunity on once thought to be dying out diseases is not what it once was. I do blame the anti-vaccination brigade for that!

HeiressesGiltnor · 29/07/2015 04:34

wandering I can appreciate that must have been a horrid experience for you, but was that anything to do with the jab? That seems unlikely!!

I went into pre term labpur after eating a nandos. Don't eat nandos. Clearly related because it happened to me. Never mind all the medical research...

Don't scaremonger. It isn't fair.

If your baby had been born early, I'd have thought it even more important that they were vaccinated as the effects would be even more dangerous on a small premature baby.

lastnightiwenttomanderley · 29/07/2015 04:56

My boss had whooping cough.last year, was horrible for a fully grown healthy adult so I can easily.imagine how serious it is for a baby.

Also unclear about the comment from a pp about the baby still catching it from the dad..? The reason why they give it after 28 weeks is so that the mother produces antibodies which are passed onto the baby, giving them an initial immunity before they start their own vaccination programme. Vaccinating the mother is how they vaccinate the baby, the fact she's also.protected is an additional benefit.

gamerchick · 29/07/2015 05:06

I wouldn't hesitate man. Watching that video of the tiny baby with whooping cough was ruddy orrible. If you can avoid doing that to your baby then I'm all for it.

Skeppers · 29/07/2015 05:29

I had mine without a second thought. What's this about wiping you out for a week, etc.? It was literally nothing! Just a quick jab.

Felt absolutely fine afterwards, no bruising, nothing. Absolutely no idea some people experienced side-effects from it! Maybe I'm just a tough old bird?

Jengnr · 29/07/2015 05:41

I had it. Why wouldn't you?

No after effects here either. I WISH it had been the worst part of pregnancy :)

shmuf · 29/07/2015 06:03

Haha ignore me then,maybe its a diff make of vaccine here or something. Just to clarify, the reason they give the jab is so the mother wont get ill and pass it on to the baby, antibodies for this dont necessarily pass through to the baby..the idea is to keep the environment around baby free of wc

Schoolaroundthecorner · 29/07/2015 06:10

No, they also give it so that antibodies will pass through to the baby and they will be protected, not just so the mother won't get it.

Penfold007 · 29/07/2015 06:15

I had wc as an adult, caught off my toddler niece. It was horrible for both of us. My DSIS was utterly wiped out nursing her DD as was my DH who had to work, look after our DC and try and help me. I was very ill for six weeks and it took a full year to recover.
DSIS thought herd immunity would protect her child.