Whooping cough injection.

[Sandra800]

Hi guys,

I'm in a bit of a situation. I am 28 weeks pregnant and I have an appointment for the whooping cough vaccination. I'm so confused as to get it or not.

Iv done some research and some ppl are saying that it's very important to have it and some ppl have had some really bad experience after having the vaccination. The thing that has scared me the most is some ppl have said they have had still born births after having this injection.

Could I possibly have this injection after I give birth and then breast feed and the baby can get the antibodies through my milk.

Any advice please xxx

Read the section ‘Is the vaccine safe during pregnancy?’ This is the type of research I trust rather than anecdotal non-medical research by anti-vaxxers on the Internet.

www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/whooping-cough-vaccination-pregnant/

By the way, you getting the vaccine after you have given birth offers no additional protection to your baby other than preventing you from getting it and not passing it on.

I had it at 34 weeks and my daughter got whooping cough at 10 weeks old. She only had it mildly but it was still horrible. Her doctors said if I had had the vaccine earlier she may have been better protected.

An unfortunate percentage of people (0.5% overall) will suffer stillbirths. Many/most of them will also have had the whooping cough vaccine. That does not mean there is any link whatsoever. The number of people who suffered stillbirths is the same in both people who had the jab and people who didn't. Many stillbirths are unexplained, and that sadly makes people look backwards and try and find a "cause" so they feel in control. Some of them fasten onto the idea of the vaccine. But it wasn't the vaccine.

Whooping cough, on the other hand, kills and disables babies every year. Have the jab.

It’s recommended that you get it 16-32 weeks pregnant with a lot of trusts offering it at 20-28 weeks to give your body enough time to build up antibodies. Getting it after birth is pointless for your baby.

There is no point having the vaccine after your baby is born, the purpose of being vaccinated whilst pregnant is to transfer some of the protection offered by the vaccine to your baby.

I had the whooping cough vaccine (and the flu vaccine for that matter) whilst pregnant. Happy, completely healthy nearly 2 yo DS is asleep next door.

The vaccine is safe, don't take the chance.

I'm 18 weeks and I've had it today. It's perfectly safe. You will not find one bit of real evidence to suggest that it isn't.

Of course you should get it. Whooping cough is common and serious among new borns. It would be dangerous and foolish not to get it.

Having after birth would be too late to protect your baby in the early days and weeks which is when they are most vulnerable if they were to get whooping cough.

The NHS is very cost conscious.

They don't like having people vaccinated unless over all it decreases the costs of treatment of enough people in ths long term of getting that disease or other complications. If you have a briefly kept up with the news of people fighting to get other vaccines like the one for cervical cancer expanded to more people you would realise that.

Lots of the anti-vaxxer people are from the States where people pay more for their own individual health care, pharmaceutical companies can advertise direct to the public and doctors are more risk adverse due to the high costs of getting sued so push more medications, tests and procedures on patients. So if you see anti-vaxxer information check what country it comes from and think about their health care system.

My toddler had a mild case of whooping cough despite being vaccinated. It was terrifying. The noise your child makes when they are whooping is one no parent will ever forget. It would be deveststing watching a newborn with a proper case. You have the opportunity to prevent that and you have a responsibility to research your views on this
using credible sources.

The problem with relying on having the vaccine after birth is whether or not you WILL actually BF your baby.

You may intend to, but you may have difficulty. Your milk might not come in for a few days. Your baby might not want to latch.

If this is the case then there is a worryingly long period in which your baby could catch whooping cough. The illness itself is far more likely to kill than the vaccine, which they wouldn't give you unless it was safe.

If you had ever seen a tiny baby with whooping cough then you would get the vaccine. Getting it after the birth will not protect your baby.

My DD had whooping cough despite me having the vaccine and her being vaccinated. It was horrible. but she wasn't too badly affected by it, GP said it would have been worse if not vaccinated.

I worried about having the vaccine too. But I did, and I'm glad I did.

Get the vaccine. Trust me, you don't want to watch your child unable to breathe.

Just had my injection which is now a combined injection for whooping cough and a couple of other things the nurse said is now advised and no side effects just a slightly sore arm. The nurse was brilliant and explained how the benefits of having it outweighed not.