Whooping cough vaccine. How common is whooping cough anyway ?

[NightSkyWanderer]

I am hesitant about the vaccine.
My midwife is very adamant about pushing the whooping cough vaccine.
What's people's opinion on whopping cough? To be honest I'm rather reluctant to take a vaccine for something I'd never even heard about before. Midwife says it's common but at almost 40 years of age I've never had whooping cough so it begs me to wonder how common is it really? While i want my baby to be safe and I'm not opposed to all vaccines in life, however I am against having vaccines while I'm pregnant. I've already declined the flu vaccines and covid vaccines due to horrible responses from both past injections.
Since becoming pregnant I'm hardly out of the house , I'm fortune enough to be at home during the day and I only go out once in a while to supermarket. Ive stopped socialising and I've become somewhat of a hermit due to exhaustion and fear of exposure to virus's ect while pregnant so really wouldn't my risk be low anyway ?
I'd value some other opinions as to your experiences

I had whooping cough as a relatively strong and healthy 9 year old.

I had six weeks off school, and need up on a feeding tube and nearly died.

There is a HUGE outbreak of whooping cough at the moment because of views like this.

For your unborn baby's sake, have the vaccine.

I had whooping cough when I was about 8 and it was apparently a 'mild' case as I had been vaccinated. I was really ill. Felt ill and coughed until I vomited a few times a day, the cough was horrendous. I can see how it kills babies.

The reason there isn't a lot of whooping cough is because of the vaccine, if people stop having it the illness spreads again. Like measles...

Apparently in my area rates are higher than average because there has been an upsurge of pregnant women declining vaccines. A real shame imo

Whooping cough is referred to as the 100 day cough. The vaccine for pregnant women was brought in after a a few new borns (too young to have been vaccinated themselves) caught whooping cough and died. The vaccine is to protect your baby not you.

I don't think it's that uncommon. My husband had it as a child and it led to many years of on and off ear infections. He was lucky none of them led to hearing loss. I think adults aren't as much at risk as babies and children, but presumably they give it in pregnancy to avoid you passing it on to a newborn (very serious) or for some latent protection for your baby when born.

If you know anything about the NHS you must realise they don't just spend money they don't have on anything for fun? My dear mother lost all her hearing from german measles as a child, I'm afraid I am not kind very kind to anyone who doesn't see the point of the MMR...

I'm pregnant and have had the whooping cough vaccine as advised by my midwife. It was a combined jab that also tops up tetanus and some other childhood vaccines.
As others have said, it is to protect the baby as whooping cough is very dangerous for little ones.
I didn't have any side effects.

I think this is one of those times as a mum that you put aside your own needs ie fear of side effects, in order to do the safest thing for your baby, ie protect them from a horrible life threatening illness. There will be many more OP, as you'll find out when baby is born. You'll postpone doing a wee because baby needs feeding, you'll cram in a couple of grapes to keep you going because you need to change the nappy otherwise you'll be late leaving somewhere, you'll forget to drink your hot tea because baby is screaming then realise hours later it's still there stone cold. Without even thinking about it you will put your baby's needs first. It starts now, in pregnancy. I'm sure you're already doing it- avoiding alcohol and certain foods for your baby's health.

It’s not healthy for you to be hiding away, what are you going to be like when you have the baby?

Had it as an adult. Incapacitated for 3 months, deaf in one ear (post viral syndrome) and permanently reduced lung capacity. Oh and coughing so hard you end up cracking ribs is never fun.

My DH had whooping cough about 6-7 years ago.

Once it was confirmed by GP I had to pull the kids straight out of school. Get them a booster vaccination the same day. GP informed Public Health England and they had to stay off school a few days.

DH woke up regularly in the night struggling to breathe. We both slept terribly for months. He became convinced he would die in his sleep.

When I asked at the GP what I could do in the night to help DH breathe and reassure him they suggested I call 999 when his lips became blue.

Just about over the longtime cough and breathing issues he contracted Covid and now has long covid with associated respiratory issues.

Having seen first hand how it affected a fit and healthy marathon running 40 something year old I would not hesitate to get the vaccine.

Good luck with your pregnancy.

It was around when I was at primary school. It's only uncommon because most people are vaccinated. It's a horrible disease.

I know a young adult who had it at the end of last year, had a terrible time and is now under a chiropractor due to damage they did to their back coughing.

Have the vaccine OP, as PP's have said it's to protect the baby more than you.

I'm 22 weeks by the way and will be having it in the next couple of weeks.

I got whooping cough as a baby and developed asthma as a result.

That you've never heard of it says more about you then anything else to be honest.

My mum had whooping cough as a small child. It scarred her lungs and she developed COPD in her early 40’s. She had to give up work at 51 as she had less than 30%
lung function. She died at 61.

I was pregnant 5 times, and I got the vaccine 5 times.No side effects.

1/3 of babies with whooping cough need hospital. 1 in 100 die. That’s shit odds of you get it and the reason vaccines exist and eradicate illnesses. If you’re not the 1in 100 1 in 5 get pneumonia, brain damage is possible.

The vaccine isn’t for you it’s for your baby.

Would really recommend you be out of house. I've never been more ill than in my child's first year, and it was because a mix of WFH during Covid and then after Covid during pregnancy (and generally being a hermit) meant my immune system got lazy. Fast forward to going to baby classes and cafes etc and I regretted it.

I'm not even going to address the reluctance for a vaccine because you've 'never hard of it' what bizarre thinking, and unless you're an epidemiologist or similar, I think you'd better just accept that most professionals will know better than you. And fwiw, my dad had whooping cough when I was a child and it was horrendous.

www.standard.co.uk/news/health/whooping-cough-cases-london-double-fortnight-vaccine-ukhsa-b1134971.html

It's really prevalent at the moment. And can be fatal to newborns. If you're willing to put your baby at risk, don't have the vaccine.

Good god, do you not realise the reason whooping cough is no longer common BECAUSE of the vaccination? And that, if people like you don't get it, it will become common again?

If you're scared of exposure to viruses why would you turn down a vaccine?

Medical professionals recommend that pregnant women have the whooping cough vaccine to protect their babies in the first weeks of life because the vaccine is safe, and whooping cough is common and potentially very nasty. Frankly I don't understand why this is a difficult decision.

My friends 13 year old son has just had it, he's been off school for a month. It's horrible and more prevalent than previously due to kids not getting vaccinated.

I just wanted to mention for those that mentioned about me hiding away. I'm not hiding away solely out of anxiety of catching something. I just thought I'd share some background info. I'm just completely exhausted and don't feel like physical interaction at the moment. I've been through numerous rounds of fertility drugs, one after another followed straight into ivf. My last egg collection resulted in a severe complication which left me bed ridden for the first 9 or 10 weeks of pregnancy while I had to wait for it to gradually resolve. Pregnancy prolongs ohss and I've slowly been recovering. My body is just exhausted and I want as much time as possible to sleep. I've had extreme exhaustion this pregnancy couples with the fact I do already suffer from chronic fatigue. I don't socialise as much in person as I'm just knackered and yes I am wary of catching something while my body isn't feeling as strong as it usually is. I'm fully supported by family, friends and my partner aswell as my health care providers .

Whooping cough was never explained to me by the midwife as to the purpose and benefit to baby. I felt very hesitant to accept something that I felt I didn't have enough knowledge about. I'd spoken to friends regarding this who informed me when they had their children years ago whooping cough vaccine was never something that was really advised by their midwives and they had never had them.
Having heard how important it is for baby, not for me , I will of course be reconsidering my stance on whooping cough

It’s not very common because most of us are vaccinated. We’re doing our bit for broader society by getting vaccinated.
but FWIW my cousin had it as a baby and was extremely ill.

If you decline something, please do your research.

You are rather flippantly putting your child at risk.

For example flu in the second or third trimester, could make you both very ill or kill you both. You need to be aware of the risks you are taking.

Can I ask, OP, did you read the section of the NHS website regarding whooping cough? Or did you come straight to Mumsnet?