Close friend has whooping cough

catrionanic

Hi ladies and gents, hope the baby brewing is treating you well!

So I'm 24 weeks pregnant and haven't had the whooping cough vaccine yet (I believe you need to wait until 27 weeks at the earliest). A very good friend of mine, who I see maybe 3 days a week on average and work with occasionally, has been sick with what her GP thought was a bad chest infection for the past 2 months approx. It hasn't gone and now she's off to hospital for tests. Likely diagnosis is whooping cough.

Has anyone any experience of someone close to them getting whooping cough while they were pregnant? I've rang my GP for advice but it's been a few hours and am still waiting on her to get back to me.

Thanks.

angeldelight

Best to get medical advice obviously but the reason for the whooping cough vaccine is to pass immunity to the newborn so they don't catch whooping cough, not because it's particularly dangerous for pregnant women the way the flu is

catrionanic

Yeah I knew it was mainly about the baba. Just wondering whether the baba is at risk now or if it should be okay as I'm not in the third trimester? Or is it ok anyway so long as baby is in utero, and only dangerous if baba catches it after birth without having been vaccinated?

Wish GP would hurry up and return my call!

PhoenixParker

Did they test you for immunity with your 12 week blood tests?

Similar thing happened to me but with Chicken pox, rang the midwives (was with domino scheme) and they looked up my record and told me I was immune.
Can't remember if whooping cough is covered in those 12 week blood tests, but rubella is too, and they all kind of go together.

Basically try the midwives/hospital not your GP.

catrionanic

Good shout, I'll give Holles street a ring

catrionanic

Just rang Holles street, apparently they don't test for immunity and vaccine can't be given before 28 weeks. They just advised me to stay away from her and to look after myself, mind baby's moments etc. And if I get a cough to contact my GP, but not to come into the hospital and infect everyone!

rainbow kirby

Most recent NHS recommendation is that the vaccine can be given any time after 20 weeks...

fits

I asked a doctor about this last week and she thought I didnt need to get the vaccine as she hadnt witnessed any cases. But told me to ask my GP. hmmm

Gatica

I heard it was making a comeback so they're recommending it to pregnant women. If you've had the vaccine before you could be immune, the late pregnancy vaccine is aimed at protecting baby at birth, it's the tetanus, difteria, pertussis vaccine as far as I know.

Digs

Gatica wrote: »

I heard it was making a comeback so they're recommending it to pregnant women. If you've had the vaccine before you could be immune, the late pregnancy vaccine is aimed at protecting baby at birth, it's the tetanus, difteria, pertussis vaccine as far as I know.

Yep unfortunately just out of tallaght hospital, my poor little 13 week old managed to catch it. Staff up there told us it's definitely on the up. I wouldn't think twice about getting the vaccine, it's a no brainer. They said the fact I got it during pregnancy and she's had her first round of shots meant it didn't affect her even worse.

It's bloody horrible to watch, absolutely awful.

Jen44

thanks for sharing Digs! Totally agree no brainer!! i saw a baby with whopping cough once and it frightened the life out of me nasty nasty illness!!

fits

I got both whooping cough and flu jabs today. GP was adamant about whooping cough, less so about flu.

Beanybabog

I would avoid anyone who is sick even if there is no risk to baby. I've been sick for around 11 days now, just a head cold but it's lasting ages, I feel crap, I am tired enough already without being sick and to top it all off your're not allow take the good OTC drugs!!!