Whopping cough vaccine at week 20 or later?

[ai38]

My midwife recommended that I get my whopping cough vaccine when I go in for the 20th week scan and I read that NHS recommends to get it from week 16 to 32. But my sister who is pregnant and lives in the USA, told me that over there the CDC guideline is to take it after week 27 and when I checked the website it's what it says.

So, is it really better to wait few weeks more and get it done later? Does getting the vaccine later mean that the protection will last longer once the baby is born? or is it better to have it sooner?

I have no doubt that I will take the vaccine but it's just the best timing that I am a bit not sure about.

Babies have the whooping cough vaccine in England at 8 weeks, so I’m assuming the NHS schedule of vaccinating mums at 20 weeks is calculated to provide enough coverage until then.

The baby’s vaccination schedule is probably different in USA

I had it at about 25 weeks the first time. I'm 23 weeks now and planning to have it in the next 2 weeks. Not sure why but I just wanted to wait until after 24 weeks. Probably sounds silly x

Different rules in every country - some countries don’t even jab against WC.
I had mine at 21 weeks, and all is well.

I don't understand why they need two shots

Thanks everyone for your replies. This is the US policy:

Multiple DTaP doses are needed through 6 years old
A baby will need several doses of DTaP to best protect them. CDC recommends the first dose when they are 2 months old. One study showed that parents and doctors can prevent many whooping cough deaths among babies. They can do this by making sure all babies receive the first DTaP dose on time. A baby will need 2 more doses after that, given at 4 months and 6 months, to build up high levels of protection. They will then need booster shots at ages 15 through 18 months and 4 through 6 years to maintain that protection.

So babies there also get their first dose at 8 weeks after birth. My sister thinks the reason they are recommended to take it later is because if you were to get fever or some reaction to it that's not good for the baby, they prefer that to happen later rather than earlier in the US. But that's just her opinion as a person with no medical training.

I had mine at my 28 week midwife appointment with both pregnancies (2015 and 2019), both NHS. I was advised this was the optimum time as late in the window but not too late as to risk the baby being unprotected if born premature. From what I’ve heard midwife appointments have become more unreliable since Covid, so I wonder if some health trusts have started to do them at the 20 week scan as that’s less likely to be missed or shifted than a routine midwife appointment? That’s purely a guess though.

The US vaccination schedule is different to the UK schedule so don’t get too hung up on their guidance.

The whooping cough vaccine is advised FROM 16 weeks, usually given after your 20 week scan. The idea is you have it before 32 weeks ideally, as it can take a few weeks to achieve immunity for the baby and then even if baby is premature it will have some protection.

To be honest it doesn’t matter when you have it as long as its between 16 and 32 weeks ideally (but you can have it up to delivery).

(Nurse practitioner who gives these vaccines).