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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

Flu vaccine and hooping cough vaccine

50 replies

c12341 · 24/09/2020 15:28

Has anyone ever not had the flu and hooping cough vaccine and been fine?

OP posts:
peachypetite · 24/09/2020 15:29

The whooping cough vaccine is to protect the baby, not you.

c12341 · 24/09/2020 15:30

@peachypetite I know but wondering if anyone has not ever had it an been fine

OP posts:
peachypetite · 24/09/2020 15:32

What do you mean by fine??? Why take the risk?!

1990shopefulftm · 24/09/2020 15:35

I got whooping cough at 6 weeks old as when I was born they didn't offer it to pregnant women at the time and i hadn't had my vaccines yet. It's never possible to know for sure if it caused but I have dyslexia and dyspraxia and asthma and there's some evidence whooping cough can lead to developmental conditions, I count myself lucky that if it did contribute to it that my conditions are quite mild it could have been a much worse situation.

Talk it over with your midwife or doctor if you're worried.

c12341 · 24/09/2020 15:37

@peachypetite baby's been fine that's what I mean by that there's obviously mums out there who have not had either and baby's have gone on to be healthy, I'm asking a question to see the pros and cons I never said I was going to risk it

OP posts:
emptyshelvesagain · 24/09/2020 15:41

What you need to know here isn't if anyone's baby has been fine. You need to know about the babies who have not been fine. That will explain the 'pros' - have a google.

Lockdownseperation · 24/09/2020 15:42

Of course people have not had it and been fine but also people who haven’t had have had their baby had it die from whooping cough. There are also pregnant women who have ended up in icu with flu. If you are concerned about the vaccines then speak to your midwife or look at real medical research rather than asking for personal experiences.

OnlyFoolsnMothers · 24/09/2020 15:44

A friends mum spoke to me about whooping cough, when her kids were little people were sceptical over the vaccine and she didn’t have it for her eldest- she said it was horrendous, night after night whacking her child’s back who was struggling to breath from this cough. There is no negative to taking it.

mummy2myJJ · 24/09/2020 15:45

Is it really worth the risk? Whooping cough is so serious I didn't even have to think twice about having the jab... please speak to your midwife x

JemimaTiggywinkle · 24/09/2020 15:49

Yes, there will be people who haven’t had the vaccine and been fine. That’s because they have been lucky enough not to have come into contact with whooping cough or flu.

Just like there are children that haven’t worn life jackets on boats and been fine (because they didn’t fall in). That doesn’t mean it’s the safer choice to make.

I’m sure you will find lots of scare stories on the internet, but NHS vaccination programmes are really really rigorously tested and have been proven to be safe.

The side effects of a flu vaccine is that you might have a slightly itchy arm afterwards.

MrsTerryPratchett · 24/09/2020 15:49

Of course not every baby gets the flu or whooping cough.

But some do.

OnlyFoolsnMothers · 24/09/2020 15:51

Also this year there is a concern if you catch flu and covid together you will be in a very bad state- there’s expected to be a surge in demand, I’m actually happy to be pregnant and qualify for it- I’m booked in already

jomaIone · 24/09/2020 16:11

I will never understand why anyone questions the medical professionals advice. If your baby gets whopping cough in her first few months, she could die. What more do you need to know?? Of course there will be people who haven't had it and their children have been fine. But why risk it?? Why????? Fucks sake.

peachypetite · 24/09/2020 16:12
Confused
LayTheTableMabel · 24/09/2020 16:16

Got my whooping cough today. It's a combined vaccine. Polio, tetanus, whooping cough (maybe one other). I hate needles and feel like I have been punched hard in the arm. Totally worth it. Babies are born completely vulnerable. Please protect your little one.

Foreverbaffled · 24/09/2020 16:19

I had whooping cough a few years ago. Lost consciousness a few times because I couldn’t breathe. The thought of a newborn fighting that terrifies me. Not even worth questioning this. Just do it. Oh and flu vaccination protects both of you too, which is essential with Covid also floating around.

2020N · 24/09/2020 16:27

The whooping cough vaccine wasn’t offered/around when I was born and I was unlucky enough to catch it on the maternity ward shortly after birth. I almost didn’t make it and spent the first months of my life in intensive care, my parents were told to prepare for the worst. I was extremely fortunate to live and have no life-long complications. I have had the vaccine to protect my baby from the possibility of catching it, I’d rather not take the chance.

I’ve never had the flu vaccine before but I will be having it this year for the same reason, I’d rather have the vaccine than take a chance on the possibility of not catching the flu x

passthemustard · 24/09/2020 16:38

The vaccine wasn't offered in pregnancy when I had my existing children. They are all fine. But this is by chance of course. I'm now 26 weeks pregnant and will be having the vaccine in the next few weeks because why would you risk it?

Disappointedkoala · 24/09/2020 16:39

I've never been in a car crash but I still put my seat belt on every single time I get in a car.

If the vaccines are strongly recommended, it's with good reason.

c12341 · 24/09/2020 18:01

@jomaIone not sure why you are swearing at me! And guys I think u all need to chill out I asked a simple question no need to all start going on about why I would even risk it?? Who said I'm risking anything I asked a simple question so if your not gonna reply nice to me questions then don't answer at all an shove ye answers up ye arse🖕🏽thank you to those who explained there side of story's nicely to me I appreciate it xx

OP posts:
SnowFan · 24/09/2020 18:07

Hello @c12341

34 weeks pregnant here, and have a PhD in whooping cough research!

In the 1970s/1980s there were concerns about the safety of the DTP vaccine (which protects against diptheria, tetanus and whooping cough). The concerns were mostly found to be unnecessary, but a new version of the DTP was developed anyway, and we've been using it in the UK since around 2004.

The current version of the DTP whooping cough vaccine has pretty much zero concerns around safety, as far as I'm aware (and I researched it fairly thoroughly when writing my PhD thesis a few months ago!). I had the booster myself back at 18 weeks pregnant, and didn't even think twice about it. The booster the NHS gives to pregnant women is the same they give to school children around the age of 5 years old, so is a very low dose - just enough to boost your immune system enough that you can pass on the immunity to baby for the short time before their own immune system develops and/or they're old enough to be vaccinated themselves.

Pros: Basically no risk at all from having the vaccine. Whooping cough is a mild illness for children and adults, but is very very serious in young babies - it can be fatal, or cause them lifelong problems. So protecting them from catching it is a very strong pro, in my opinion.
Cons: The vaccine might make your arm sore for a few days. Mine hurt for about a week! But that was the only side-effect I experienced.

I won't claim to be an expert on the flu vaccine, but can give you a relatively educated opinion on it! Unlike the whooping cough vaccine, this one is primarily to protect you, not baby. This is because pregnant women (particularly in later pregnancy, I think) are prone to catching the flu more severely than most other people. In a way, protecting yourself from the flu is also a way of protecting baby, because if you are severely ill, that is surely not very good for the baby either - I've read that it can even lead to giving birth prematurely or, in earlier pregnancy, miscarriage.

Pros: Again, very little risk. There's a chance this year's vaccine may not be very effective (we never really know until the flu season gets going), but even then it wouldn't do you any harm. It will protect you and your baby in what could be a very busy winter for the NHS - we all need to stay out of hospital as much as we possibly can, so the hospitals don't get overwhelmed.
Cons: the flu vaccine can make you feel a bit unwell for a couple of days afterwards. It CANNOT give you the flu, just mild flu-like symptoms for a relatively short period of time.

I'm getting my flu vaccine at the weekend.

Sorry for the giant wall of text, but it's rare someone asks a question here which I'm so well poised to answer!

c12341 · 24/09/2020 18:15

@SnowFan thank you so much for taking the time to explain and educate me on that xxx

OP posts:
c12341 · 24/09/2020 18:18

@SnowFan I will be booking In with my midwife to get the vaccines, it's my first pregnancy so obviously I don't no about all the different things you need to get to protect baby's as my mum can't remember weather she had them or not and the same with other people I've asked so I was just curious about it x

OP posts:
jomaIone · 24/09/2020 18:25

Then you ask your midwife. No randoms on the internet. Look at the NHS website re pregnancy. The question came across like you were concerned about it and wouldn't get it which is why everyone jumped on you, including me. Its not even a question that anyone needs to ask.

SnowFan · 24/09/2020 18:30

@c12341 Happy to help! Giving the whooping cough vaccine to pregnant women is pretty new (it was introduced after a really bad outbreak in 2012 when lots of tiny babies ended up in hospital with it), so your mum almost definitely wouldn't have been offered it when she was pregnant anyway :)

The same goes for the vaccines they'll offer once the baby's here as well - the benefits of getting them always far outweigh any potential risks, as far as I'm concerned!

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