Whooping Cough Vaccination

pastry2010

Hi, just wondering if anyone out there has been asked whether they want to have this done between 27-33 weeks pregnant, my doctor has mentioned it to me today, I have read all good things about it but still a bit hesitant.

Would love some opinions on this!

Ocean Blue

pastry2010 wrote: »

Hi, just wondering if anyone out there has been asked whether they want to have this done between 27-33 weeks pregnant, my doctor has mentioned it to me today, I have read all good things about it but still a bit hesitant.

Would love some opinions on this!

I got it yesterday at 29 + 6. I would be very pro-vaccination so I didn't hesitate. Whooping cough can have horrendous effects on a baby so for me it was a no-brainer. It was a very easy vaccine to get, no discomfort at the time and apart from slight tenderness when I lay on that arm last night I feel fine after it.

Merkin

I'm booked in for mine on Thursday. Here in the UK both the flu vaccine and whooping cough vaccines are given as standard. I've read up on both and think both are well worth having.

Jerrica

Just like Ocean Blue I'm pro vaccination so I didn't hesitate, had mine at 29 weeks. Didn't hurt, didnt bat an eyelid really. Whooping cough deaths are on the rise in Ireland, it's a no brainer for me to protect my baby against it.

Moonbeam

I was never offered it but would not have accepted either . I have had whooping cough multiple times though .

Chattastrophe!

I got the flu vaccine (it's provided every year anyways through work), I did ask the doctor at some point about whether I should get the whooping cough vaccine and she said it was unnecessary, didn't really explain why and I didn't ask. I'd probably get it if I went again, why wouldn't you. As far as I know it gives the baby immunity for a few months after they're born too, as well as protecting them while in the womb.

Ocean Blue

Chattastrophe! wrote: »

As far as I know it gives the baby immunity for a few months after they're born too, as well as protecting them while in the womb.

Yeah, the protection afforded to babies between birth and their own vaccinations is the reason it's so important.

Moonbeam

vibe666 wrote: »

Not vaccinating your kids is akin to not putting on their seatbelts, with the added risk that you could harm someone else's kids as well as your own.

Measles can kill
Mumps can kill
Rubella can kill (unborn babies)
Whooping cough can kill

ALL are preventable diseases with perfectly safe vaccines and not using them is tantamount to child abuse.

Read this and then go and get your kids vaccinated.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/robertpearl/2014/03/20/a-doctors-take-on-the-anti-vaccine-movement/

It's not just about them, it's about everyone, as the recent outbreaks of vaccine preventable diseases caused the anti-vaccine movement have already proved.

The discussion as I understand it has nothing to do with childhood vaccinations and is about the whooping cough vaccine that pregnant women can avail of .

pwurple

There is a blood test they do right at the start of pregnancy to determine immunity i think. Is whooping cough in there I wonder? I remember them telling me I didn't need a vaccine for something or other because of that, can't recall what it was though now. Maybe rubella?

I got the flu vaccine during pregnancies alright.

Jerrica

The blood test is for rubella and chicken pox immunity

How Strange

As I understood it everyone should have a whooping cough booster vaccination every 7 years or so as the vaccination doesn't give lifelong immunity. I think this is standard in some countries.

The HSE/Dept of Health should be advising all women thinking of getting pregnant to get the vaccination similar to their advice about taking folio acid before getting pregnant.

The vaccination can also be given to your baby when they're born.

I decided against the vaccination on my last pregnancy. My gp wasn't providing it as he felt it was unsafe so I would've had to gone to another gp for it. He also said the whooping cough season is similar to the flu season so late spring and summer babies were not as susceptible.

vibe666

Moonbeam wrote: »

The discussion as I understand it has nothing to do with childhood vaccinations and is about the whooping cough vaccine that pregnant women can avail of .

you're right, i went off half cocked! :eek:

i blame the drugs (just had major surgery), but i'll delete the post anyway to save confusion, although it's likely just my own confusion.