TDaP shot----feelings??

LSatturo126

So i'll be 34 weeks on Thursday and I'm supposed to have taken a TDaP shot before I hit 36 weeks. I'm still debating with the whole vaccine shots. I know it's supposed to help prevent getting whooping cough but idk. Any advice from some of you? Thoughts? TIA

dragonfaerie

I have no problems with vaccines so I received the Tdap in my 3rd tri. Whooping cough is very scary for littles, so anything to help protect them is a-ok in my book. They wouldn't recommend the shots if the benefits didn't outweigh the risks. They've done extensive research 

flanners1

I second @dragonfaerie definitely get Tdap shot. Whooping cough is a real danger for newborns. The shot is going to you, and you will build antibodies to help baby, so it's not really a shot directly to baby if that makes the decision easier 

PoeMasque

As an ER nurse I've seen more babies than I ever wanted to in respiratory distress due to whooping cough. Infants DIE from the pneumonia they get from pertussis. And not just a few. If your baby gets pertussis in the first year it can often be lethal. Every baby I saw seemed to have gotten it from grandma or grandpa or an older relative (think about it.....they likely have not had a TDap in the last 10 years). The vaccine you get in the third trimester protects baby for their first year. If I was someone who couldn't get that vaccine for some reason (medical or allergy related) I would screen anyone who came within 10 feet of my newborn (not vaccinated, not getting in my house) and avoid taking them anywhere public for the first three months. Pertussis is no joke for babies. The hepatitis B vaccine they give at birth is also life saving. If they are exposed to it in the first year it's basically a guaranteed liver transplant. 

sorry for the rant, we have some of the lowest vaccination rates in the country where I live (we are in the middle of a mumps outbreak), so I get to see first hand what not vaccinating your children can lead to  

teebric

I agree with the PP it's definitely something I did without question. I was also advised to ask the grandparents and any other people who are going to be spending a lot of time around the baby to get a booster shot also. Is there any particular reason you're unsure about it?

cato99

-TW-

In my area eight babies have been lost recently to whooping cough. Get the vaccine. You're at a perfect time to ensure your baby gets some good defenses before going out into that scary world! 

LSatturo126

teriulbricht said:

I agree with the PP it's definitely something I did without question. I was also advised to ask the grandparents and any other people who are going to be spending a lot of time around the baby to get a booster shot also. Is there any particular reason you're unsure about it?

teriulbricht said:

I agree with the PP it's definitely something I did without question. I was also advised to ask the grandparents and any other people who are going to be spending a lot of time around the baby to get a booster shot also. Is there any particular reason you're unsure about it?

Thanks all! There were only two reasons I was hesitant with vaccines. 1)it took us a long time to get where we are and I'm just afraid of something going wrong. That could go either way I guess. 2) my cousin's brain went backwards after a vaccine when he was little and is now in a home, so I'm just afraid for that. But thanks ladies... I'll be going for my shot later today. I really appreciate all the words of wisdom!   

wifeinraleigh28

I got the TDap vaccine too a couple weeks ago. I'm all about doing what the research suggests so we'll be getting all the standard vaccines for our baby. And whooping cough is quite scary!

@LSatturo126 I'm so sorry about your cousin Do they know for sure that it is from the vaccine? If so, I do know that the risks of vaccines though are extremely rare, whereas problems from NOT getting them are much more common. Statistically speaking, the research definitely shows that the benefits far outweigh the risks!

jackiesmom324

Hey yes please as a medical professional you are giving your baby a big gift by getting tdap in utero so baby can get awesome passive antibodies from mommy.. At the end of the day it is your choice and I am sorry to hear about your cousin. I would second @wifeinraleigh28. Last thing is yes you have gone through all this to get to third trimester I think one tiny shot is a small price to pay to bring a healthy baby home and keep baby healthy from pertussis.. 

LSatturo126

jackiesmom324 said:

Hey yes please as a medical professional you are giving your baby a big gift by getting tdap in utero so baby can get awesome passive antibodies from mommy.. At the end of the day it is your choice and I am sorry to hear about your cousin. I would second @wifeinraleigh28. Last thing is yes you have gone through all this to get to third trimester I think one tiny shot is a small price to pay to bring a healthy baby home and keep baby healthy from pertussis.. 

we got it two weeks ago and so did the grandparents. Thank you!!

JWatt5

I have a question about this shot:
Do those of you in the US get this shot throughout your lifetime or is this the first time you've had it? I ask because this shot isn't something that is routine in Ontario during pregnancy because we've had to get it in school (I think I was 18 last I got it?) but the fact sheet does say that it diminishes with ago. Ontario funds the shot at newborn, age 19 (adult) and then again at 65. 

JWatt5

If it's routine you you gals through life and it's common now - I'd like to ask my OB about it which is why I ask!!

wabash15

@jwatt5 The whooping cough portion of the shot was traditionally given on the schedule that you mentioned but research has shown that your immunity can wane and since there have been some outbreaks  it has been wrapped into the tetanus vaccine which is traditionally boostered every 10 years or if you have a wound.

ARB425

@jwatt5 I thought that I wouldn't need one since I got one 8 years ago in nursing school but I was wrong. Upon my research and talking with my OB he said when you receive it within the last trimester you transfer the antibodies to the baby which has resulted in a 90% decrease in whooping cough in infants. I thought the benefits outweigh the risks on this particular immunization.

nellin-2

I had a whooping cough vaccine a year ago but am getting a booster so my baby has some protection until she is old enough to get it herself.  
At this stage here it's free for people with compromised immune systems  (kids, elderly, sick) and for people who work in education, social work or medical professions. 
Anyone else can get one and it's recommended for people who look after infants too young to be vaccinated (ie  fathers and grandparents). 

JWatt5

Thanks @wabash15 @ARB425 @nellin-2 - I had it a few years ago so I wasn't sure so that's good to know they said do it again. It's just not part of pregnancy care here in Canada. I'll have to pay for it but I'm going to ask about it at my next appt - I'm all for vaccinations that can keep us healthy and safe.