TDAP Vaccine & Visitors

rms924 · June 2015

Hi!

I was lurking around S'15 and came across convo about the tdap vaccine that's administered to pregnant ladies in 3rd tri. Of course, being the germaphobe I am, I spent a little time doing some research, and no question about it, my husband and I will do this to protect our baby.

The only problem is how to handle long term visitors when the baby gets here. I am told that having a baby is not a good enough reason to be released from our thanksgiving hosting duties, and the whole family is coming to stay with us for 10 days-2 weeks. That means my FIL, MIL, SIL, and her husband. Plus, my family (Mom, Dad, and brother), but they live in the area so they won't be living with us the way my in laws will be. I know my family will have NO problem if I ask them to take a booster of tdap to protect the baby. The problem is my in laws. My MIL actually had a debilitating disease as a child due to not being vaccinated, so there's that weighing on my already fraught nerves, even though it's unrelated to the current matter...(I know I am being irrational, no need to comment on this aspect of the situation).

My questions for the ladies that are having long term visitors:

1. what precautions (if any) are you taking to protect the baby?

2. if those precautions require the cooperation of your guests, how are you handling that conversation?

FYI: the baby will be about 4 weeks old when the thanksgiving invasion takes place...

Edit: sorry! this was answered for my by a prior post, but I don't know if I can take it down

Sorry guys!

Carmofrap · June 2015

There was a tdap post last week I think. search the boards, everyone already talked about what they were going to do about having visitors take the tdap and flu shot. In my personal opinion it's rude to ask someones vaccine status. We don't ask people what their HIV status is and we certainly shouldn't ask them their vaccine status since it isn't like the people out of date on their vaccines walk around carrying infectious diseases in their pockets. Unlike an HIV positive who always carries it around. If you're uncomfortable having so many people around your newborn because of people possibly being out of date, remember it isn't just pertussis and the flu they can be passing around at that time of the year. she could get a nasty cold that could turn into complications, catch a stomach bug, etc. Then don't host thanksgiving, it's your life and your child. Do what makes you comfortable.

naka92 · June 2015

My MIL will be staying with us for a while after the baby is born, to help me out since dh wont have more than a few days off work. We haven't had the conversation yet, but she'll have to get the booster before shes welcome to come through the door. If she refuses, that's her loss and not mine. Both dh and i will be getting the shot too (unless mine was too recent, not even a year ago, planning to ask my ob next week).

millereliz13 · June 2015

You could casually bring it up. I wasn't even thinking of it when I talked to my Dad last night, just said DH and I were getting it and they recommend anyone near the baby have it. He said he'd talk to our doctor to see if he and my mom should get it. I hadn't planned to bring it up because I'm of the opinion that I can't tell others what to do but was glad my dad was so cool and offered to get it.

devonsd315 · June 2015

@rms924 here is the post from last week: https://forums.thebump.com/discussion/12591392/tdap-vaccine-for-mom-and-dad/p1

We have asked our parents to get the TDAP booster. Luckily both sets are already up-to-date. I don't think it is rude to ask that visitors get the booster. There have been pertussis outbreaks lately and it is devastating to infants.

I am not asking short term visitors (ie friends stopping by for an hour) about their vaccine status. Only people who will be staying in our home. I will ask our friends to wash their hands and not stop by if they feel sick.

What we said to our parents was something along the lines of "We are asking everyone who is staying to get the pertussis booster because of the risk to infants." Our parents were very understanding. If they weren't, we would have said "it is totally up to you not to get it, but we would ask that you not stay at our house and we will be unable to host you for long periods of time." We would just be totally upfront about it. Baby's health is more important than people's feelings, in my opinion.

rms924 · June 2015

Carmofrap said:

There was a tdap post last week I think. search the boards, everyone already talked about what they were going to do about having visitors take the tdap and flu shot. In my personal opinion it's rude to ask someones vaccine status. We don't ask people what their HIV status is and we certainly shouldn't ask them their vaccine status since it isn't like the people out of date on their vaccines walk around carrying infectious diseases in their pockets. Unlike an HIV positive who always carries it around. If you're uncomfortable having so many people around your newborn because of people possibly being out of date, remember it isn't just pertussis and the flu they can be passing around at that time of the year. she could get a nasty cold that could turn into complications, catch a stomach bug, etc. Then don't host thanksgiving, it's your life and your child. Do what makes you comfortable.

Shoot total rookie move- I didn't search. This is me on emotional high alert. I am sorry! I am going to take a look now.

You are right, it drives me batty thinking about what people are carrying around. It's not my choice to host, and I don't want to do it. My husband hasn't seen his family all year (long story) and this is the time they get together...if it were my choice, I'd spend the first couple of months just with my baby and not entertaining

rms924 · June 2015

devonsd315 said:

@rms924 here is the post from last week: https://forums.thebump.com/discussion/12591392/tdap-vaccine-for-mom-and-dad/p1

We have asked our parents to get the TDAP booster. Luckily both sets are already up-to-date. I don't think it is rude to ask that visitors get the booster. There have been pertussis outbreaks lately and it is devastating to infants.

I am not asking short term visitors (ie friends stopping by for an hour) about their vaccine status. Only people who will be staying in our home. I will ask our friends to wash their hands and not stop by if they feel sick.

What we said to our parents was something along the lines of "We are asking everyone who is staying to get the pertussis booster because of the risk to infants." Our parents were very understanding. If they weren't, we would have said "it is totally up to you not to get it, but we would ask that you not stay at our house and we will be unable to host you for long periods of time." We would just be totally upfront about it. Baby's health is more important than people's feelings, in my opinion.

Thank you! I am going to take a look at it right now. I am sorry for the double post! Gah. I am usually silently judging the millions of repeat posts, and now I've become an offender. I can update to say answered or some such thing.

devonsd315 · June 2015

no worries... honestly double posts don't bother me that much. Sometimes it is hard to find the old ones and we all have a lot of the same questions. Just posted because there were a lot of good answers in there.

rms924 · June 2015

devonsd315 said:

no worries... honestly double posts don't bother me that much. Sometimes it is hard to find the old ones and we all have a lot of the same questions. Just posted because there were a lot of good answers in there.

Thanks for being so kind

Normally my position is search first, post later, but I had such an emotional response to this situation that all reason flew out the window!

It was a great thread, and I am happy that I am not just "overreacting" (per my husband). The only tough part is how to handle the in laws. For fear of losing my internet anonymity, I won't go into details, but it's going to be tough to get them to "volunteer" to do anything. They aren't exactly the most perceptive people, nor do they like to hugely inconvenience themselves.

naka92 · June 2015

Getting one shot isnt exactly a huge inconvenience, especially not considering it's to protect their grandchild.

Also, i think the duplicate threads that really bother people are the ones we have lots of. This is only the second one on the subject so i dont think its all that bad, personally

devonsd315 · June 2015

ugh... I can't imagine hosting Thanksgiving 4 weeks after giving birth. And having family stay for 2 weeks! Talk about unperceptive. We are going to DH's parents for maybe 5 days and all I will be doing is taking care of baby. No cooking for me.

Is there anyway they can stay in a hotel? You know, just this year?

Carmofrap · June 2015

aww, it's not like a duplicate post is a big deal and my first post reads pretty abrupt, but it isn't like seeing a duplicate bothers me. I just know almost everyone commented on the first TDap post so you'd have lots of comments to peruse.

I second the staying at a hotel idea, my in-laws stayed at a hotel when my son was 8 weeks old. Didn't bother them at all. They can easily afford it though and I know that not everyone can.

Otherwise (my opinion is the minority on this matter haha) just make it clear you want boosters or there won't be a thanksgiving at your house. Like I said your baby, your rules. Where is your husband on this? Why isn't he the one approaching his parents?

Krysta6 · June 2015

My husband and I are asking the grandparents to get boosters. Especially the ones that will be staying in our house. It's our parents so I'm not sure why someone would say it isn't right? My husband plans on speaking to his parents and I've already spoken to mine and I will remind them around August to set up their appointments.

Krysta6 · June 2015

My husband and I are asking the grandparents to get boosters. Especially the ones that will be staying in our house. It's our parents so I'm not sure why someone would say it isn't right? My husband plans on speaking to his parents and I've already spoken to mine and I will remind them around August to set up their appointments.

Carmofrap · June 2015

I also don't mean to be a worry wart encourager but there is soooo much more to worry about than just pertussis, your babies odds of getting pertussis are tiny compared to getting RSV which kills way more infants than pertusiss. In the US we see about 10k to 40k cases of pertussis and 10-20 babies die of pertussis. But whooping cough is also a very under reported disease because most don't even need medical treatment for it so those odds actually get smaller. Yet each year almost 500 babies die of RSV. In both situations the majority of the babies recover just fine.

So I personally think if you're that worried about pertussis you also have to worry about these other diseases we cannot vaccinate for, yes your inlaws can go out and get a booster and you'll only have to worry about every single other person that comes in contact with her carrying it, not to mention the pertussis vaccine has a fairly high failure rate. And if they'll get it it isn't a bad idea to have it but my point is, cherry picking which disease makes you worry the most is not a safe way to go about protecting your baby. If you want to protect her from all of the other things you can catch that are just as, if not more dangerous, you have to be willing to stand up for what makes you uncomfortable. Don't have people stay in your house if they just hopped off a plane, make people wash their hands, etc. There's a lot more to worry about than just the tdap vaccine.

I was to polite to ask people to wash their hands when my son was an infant and as a result absolutely no one did and he ended up getting a stomach virus from my husbands family when they flew into town, knew they were sick and kissed all over him. So for me, worrying about who has boosters is a lot less important than just keeping people at a distance for a little while, breastfeeding exclusively and having people be responsible about not coming over when sick and washing their hands.

Anyway just to clarify I am up to date on my tdap in case it comes off that I'm encouraging people not to get it.

edavis926 · June 2015

I thought the booster was only the tetanus and diphtheria portions? Either way my doctor scheduled for me to get the full shot at my 28 week appointment (I asked about it but she was planning on it anyways and just hadn't talked about it yet) and SO will be getting the full shot because in his job he's exposed to a lot of people from across the country and world on a daily basis.

I brought up that I wanted to ask everyone who had to go through an airport to see our infant to get a flu shot. But I was shot down by SO. My parents will still be doing it though. That being said we're definitely not doing anything about visitors and the tdap booster

devonsd315 · June 2015

There is a Td booster that just has tetanus and diphtheria but Tdap has pertussis as well.

Carmofrap · June 2015

oh I assumed op would be asking people to get the tdap as a booster, which you can do, rather than just the td booster.

rms924 · June 2015

Thanks guys!

@carmofrap I didn't think you were abrupt

I would also understand the frustration of having to type the same answer over and over!

I agree 100% but unfortunately my in laws aren't in a financial position to shell out $ for a hotel for an extended period of time, and they like to visit for an extended period of time. Also, they like to bring their pets with them...trust me, I am 100% with you. I always say the reason why good manners exist is so that both sides make sacrifices to make a situation bearable (and dare I say pleasant?). Unfortunately I am in a situation where I was raised to be a good host no matter what, but my guests don't have the same belief system I do around what makes a "good guest." So here I am. My husband is speaking to them about the dtap but I doubt the current schedule will change...I hate to hurt people's feelings and (I know this sounds nutty), but Iwish they would figure it out themselves and not put me in this position of feeling like I am the "bad guy"

devonsd315 · June 2015

@rms924 do you have to host or is it possible for this year to go to them?

Of course each of us has our own situation and we can't possibly understand the details of each other's lives, but it boggles my mind that people think it's ok to just assume they can stay with new parents for two weeks, with their pets. I hope that your husband is trying to see your side of this situation. It took a long time for me but I convinced my husband that his parents need to stay at a hotel when they come visit the first time. I think the new Mom and Dad should be focused on baby and not on hosting visitors.

rms924 · June 2015

Carmofrap said:

oh I assumed op would be asking people to get the tdap as a booster, which you can do, rather than just the td booster.

I wanted the the full tdap. I am most worried about whooping cough based on what I've read.

Carmofrap said:

I also don't mean to be a worry wart encourager but there is soooo much more to worry about than just pertussis, your babies odds of getting pertussis are tiny compared to getting RSV which kills way more infants than pertusiss. In the US we see about 10k to 40k cases of pertussis and 10-20 babies die of pertussis. But whooping cough is also a very under reported disease because most don't even need medical treatment for it so those odds actually get smaller. Yet each year almost 500 babies die of RSV. In both situations the majority of the babies recover just fine.

So I personally think if you're that worried about pertussis you also have to worry about these other diseases we cannot vaccinate for, yes your inlaws can go out and get a booster and you'll only have to worry about every single other person that comes in contact with her carrying it, not to mention the pertussis vaccine has a fairly high failure rate of the vaccines. And if they'll get it it isn't a bad idea to have it but my point is, cherry picking which disease makes you worry the most is not a safe way to go about protecting your baby. If you want to protect her from all of the other things you can catch that are just as, if not more dangerous, you have to be willing to stand up for what makes you uncomfortable. Don't have people stay in your house if they just hopped off a plane, make people wash their hands, etc. There's a lot more to worry about than just the tdap vaccine.

I was to polite to ask people to wash their hands when my son was an infant and as a result absolutely no one did and he ended up getting a stomach virus from my husbands family when they flew into town, knew they were sick and kissed all over him. So for me, worrying about who has boosters is a lot less important than just keeping people at a distance for a little while, breastfeeding exclusively and having people be responsible about not coming over when sick and washing their hands.

Anyway just to clarify I am up to date on my tdap in case it comes off that I'm encouraging people not to get it.

THIS is exactly what I needed to hear. I still struggle with the being too nice. I have no idea how to navigate all this being a ftm & dealing with in laws and the like.

My take on protecting baby is that if there's an action I can take to reduce risk, then I will do it. It's sort of my approach to pregnancy too. I am not much of a risk taker! I am planning on keeping baby at home for the first month or so of life. In my culture, the baby doesn't leave home for the first 40 days. However, it gets tricky when you start talking about family. I have no idea how to navigate this whole thing. I am at my wit's end with this situation.

I am planning on breastfeeding, and keeping the baby with me in my room. Also, keeping a pottle of purell for anyone that wants to hold him. But I know they are going to want to spend time with him...I wish I can make everyone wear face masks!

FrozenMommy · June 2015

Eh, I was direct with my in laws. You want to see baby, you get shot. Plain and simple. BTW: So SORRY that you have to have them in your home for 2 weeks. I can barely stand mine for more than 4 hours!!! Luckily, I can be a bitch when I need to, the hand washing, the no perfume. If I smell perfume on you, sorry, you can't touch the baby. I remember with my first, my SMIL wanted to feed her, and I was like NO, this is MY job. I wasn't able to breast feed, so it was like, please don't try and take this bonding away from me peeps!

carlymarie021 · June 2015

People need to respect your decisions as a mother. Especially when entering YOUR home.

oywiththepoodlesalready · June 2015

I can understand what you are dealing with. We are asking both sets of parents, siblings and their significant others to get tdap. My parents have already gone to the doctor and gotten it which was great because I didn't even have to ask! My in-laws are a different story, we have yet to have the discussion with them about tdap. The message will be that if they want to see the baby, they will get vaccinated. It is a small inconvenience but it is to protect their grandchild. In your situation I would make it a condition of them coming to stay. Having someone stop by for a few minutes whiteout a buster is one thing, staying in your house for 2 weeks is completly different!
In terms of other visitors, we are going to really limit who comes to see baby in the first month and we are not going to participate in family holidays. When people do come over, including parents, they will have to follow house rules, wash hands, not coming if they are feeling unwell or they do not get to hold baby. Remember, you are the mom and you are in charge of your baby!

allstagg · July 2015

not to scare you, but this is a bacterial vaccine so people who are vaccinated can still be asymptomatic carriers with the bacterial present in their throat and mucus. i wouldn't worry too much about others being vaccinated or not (as this is a difficult thing to ask many people), but make sure people wash their hands when they come into your home and when they handle the baby. like you, i am a huge germaphobe and wish i could put baby in a bubble but it isn't realistic. the chances of baby contracting a stomach bug or common cold is much higher. MOST people (and i emphasize most, but apparently not many have common sense), will recognize that you have a newborn in the house and will bow out of your festivities if they suspect that they may be ill and could infect your child or anyone else in the household. we are making a reservation at a restaurant and having thanksgiving out because i dont want to deal with people in our home (family or friends) and having to clean up afterwards when i have a little one to take after. dunno if thats an option available to you? best of luck!

jefinley1 · July 2015

I think everyone has great points: that there are tons of ways that babies can get sick early on that we can't control with vaccines. So if you can set up other parameters and limit outside contact a bit, that's probably for the best. Regardless of the opinion of any of your family members, having a baby actually should release you from Thanksgiving hosting duties, in fact, it shouldn't be some pass you have to wave around above your head, people should just be taking that for granted and offering to do it at theirs instead. I'm so sorry! I would have a complete panicked meltdown if someone tried to make me host Thanksgiving this year (or any year really).

That said, vaccines are a great way to eliminate a risk where there are so many that we can only do so much about. I don't think there is any problem with casually bringing it up and making it clear that that will be an expectation of anyone with frequent and close contact with your child (these aren't just people you pass in the super market, they will be kissing, touching, and holding your new baby), even if on general smart principle. While I'm sure some people may find it rude, many vaccine preventable diseases actually are classified as infectious because of their ease of transfer. So if there is something people can do to easily prevent them, and it will protect others, including your infant, they should do it. By not doing it or taking offense at the concern, they are expressing a higher regard for their medical autonomy than the safety of your child. I would be careful in comparing that to asking about HIV as the goal is to do everything you can to prevent, and HIV does not have a vaccine. Although I'm sure that many who are positive who would love to have had the opportunity to get one.

It also is infinitely more difficult to transmit, and therefore has nowhere near as high a risk of transmission in the kind of contact I'm sure we're all worried about around the holidays. Really the shame in all of this is that we would feel the desire or need to ask due to the deplorable state of vaccination right now. I live in a state where outbreaks of vaccine preventable diseases have actually been a problem specifically because of intentional opt-out, so maybe that's why I'm taking it especially seriously. While we can't completely control others' decisions, it is our right to make sure that we control how those decisions may affect us.

komorebi · July 2015

allstagg said:
not to scare you, but this is a bacterial vaccine so people who are vaccinated can still be asymptomatic carriers with the bacterial present in their throat and mucus. i wouldn't worry too much about others being vaccinated or not (as this is a difficult thing to ask many people), but make sure people wash their hands when they come into your home and when they handle the baby. like you, i am a huge germaphobe and wish i could put baby in a bubble but it isn't realistic. the chances of baby contracting a stomach bug or common cold is much higher. MOST people (and i emphasize most, but apparently not many have common sense), will recognize that you have a newborn in the house and will bow out of your festivities if they suspect that they may be ill and could infect your child or anyone else in the household. we are making a reservation at a restaurant and having thanksgiving out because i dont want to deal with people in our home (family or friends) and having to clean up afterwards when i have a little one to take after. dunno if thats an option available to you? best of luck!

It's really a false sense of security. Locally we had a parapertussis outbreak and people were told to get the dtp and dtap boosters which did nothing for parapertussis. The best defense really is hand washing and limiting exposure to unnecessary visitors. Luckily we don't live in a third world country and can easily access medical care.

komorebi · July 2015

I get mean if people bring their sick selves or children into my newborns space. My people know better now. It's just common sense but you can't rely on it being so common.

rms924 · July 2015

komorebi said:
I get mean if people bring their sick selves or children into my newborns space. My people know better now. It's just common sense but you can't rely on it being so common.

Sadly no. It's unbelievable. According to my husband, I shouldn't "impose my belief systems" on his family but...gah!! It all just pains me and as much as I am looking forward to having the baby, I dread thanksgiving.

twogirlsandagreen · July 2015

I have been doing a TON of reading on this and I am totally on the fence about getting Tdap during pregnancy. The efficacy of the vaccine is only 60% or so. the efficacy of "cocooning" (everyone surrounding baby being vaccinated) is also not great because you can be an asymptomatic carrier. It seems like the best bet is to get the vaccine during 30-34 weeks of gestation. The safety of the vaccine has been studied in live births, but what terrifies me is that I can't find statistics in the u.s. about post-vaccine stillbirth. It makes me so so so nervous to get the vaccine when really they cannot say "no, this vaccine will not increase your risk of stillbirth."

For the record I am very much pro-vaccine.

amberrmariee20 · July 2015

I never had the tdap vaccine in like 8 years, my son is 4 and no one around us had it. If he were to step on a nail or something then they would give him the vaccine.. It's not common to have it during pregnancy here. I'm not immune to rubella or measles atm due to not having the shot since 2002... My dr won't vaccinate me till after the birth of the baby.

wildbutterfli2001 · July 2015

This is for the health of your child,not your personal amusement so I would hope your in laws would be accommodating given the situation.

If it were me I would either cancel or let everyone know that they need to have their vaccination up to date and provide research to back it up, as well as having your DH back you up. You may want to have him enforce it and bring it up to them. I don't think this is rude especially if you are opening your home with a new baby.

As a parent you will find that there will be situations that are uncomfortable but have to be handled. People may not understand or whatever but at the end of the day, you are your child's advocate and you surely wouldn't back down because of someone else's discomfort. Good luck momma. I don't think you are out of line for expecting anything for the same of your baby's health!

wildbutterfli2001 · July 2015

rms924 said:

komorebi said:
I get mean if people bring their sick selves or children into my newborns space. My people know better now. It's just common sense but you can't rely on it being so common.
Sadly no. It's unbelievable. According to my husband, I shouldn't "impose my belief systems" on his family but...gah!! It all just pains me and as much as I am looking forward to having the baby, I dread thanksgiving.

Reading this maybe you should do the research and have your husband check it out. See if that changes his attitude. I have had pertussis and I will do absolutely anything to keep a baby from being exposed. It is a horrible illness and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. Personally I wouldn't host Thanksgiving at my house if it meant having all those people stay with us. They would have to understand.

amberrmariee20 · July 2015

@wildbutterfli2001 the sad part about vaccinations are even if you had the vaccine you can still be a carrier and not know it or get sick from it. It doesn't prevent you from being a carrier.

FrozenMommy · July 2015

Got mine today, and yes, every pregnancy now they want you to get one. My arm hurts.

babyynumbertwo2015 · July 2015

I made it known to all family members that wanted to hold my daughter when she was born, that they had to be up to date on all vaccinations, specifically tdap and flu. This was my requirement until the age of 2 months when she started receiving her own vaccinations (even though she's not fully vaccinated at 2 months, the reality is by this point we are out and about more and I can't have the strangers in the grocery store walking by her vaccinated lol!). When it comes to my daughters health, I would rather the awkward conversation with my in laws then the slightest risk of her catching something like the whooping cough. I had a really close friend who refused the flu vaccine, and she didn't get to meet my daughter for several months, but to me the potential risk wasn't worth my friends stubborness, she made her choice to not vaccinate and made mine to not potentially expose my newborn. All of my family members wanted what was best for my daughter and had no problem being vaccinated!

devonsd315 · July 2015

@FrozenMommy I got it on Monday and my arm still hurts! booooo!!!

FrozenMommy · July 2015

I am telling you. I never had the best relationship with my in laws, but I laid down the law with them, and they went out and got vaccinated. It's actually not as bad as you think.

Rikki_5 · July 2015

Glad you brought this up. I'm not sure ..but here is an interesting article to read about it. https://www.redwineandapplesauce.com/2014/11/25/safety-of-the-tdap-in-pregnancy-and-exploring-the-evidence-for-pertussis-cocooning/

allstagg · July 2015

twogirlsandagreen said:

I have been doing a TON of reading on this and I am totally on the fence about getting Tdap during pregnancy. The efficacy of the vaccine is only 60% or so. the efficacy of "cocooning" (everyone surrounding baby being vaccinated) is also not great because you can be an asymptomatic carrier. It seems like the best bet is to get the vaccine during 30-34 weeks of gestation. The safety of the vaccine has been studied in live births, but what terrifies me is that I can't find statistics in the u.s. about post-vaccine stillbirth. It makes me so so so nervous to get the vaccine when really they cannot say "no, this vaccine will not increase your risk of stillbirth." For the record I am very much pro-vaccine.

like yourself, i am provaccine but i am all about personalized medicine. a lot of studies are conducted by using samples of patients that fit a certain profile and people who are actually receiving the vaccination do not necessarily fit that profile. they have these "profiles," if you will, to make sure data is more consistent so in theory, clinical data is skewed. this is a huge gap in R&D for clinical GMP pharma manufacturers but they will never make any changes to their methodologies. it's frightening, i know. best thing you can do for yourself is research every vaccination you take as you would any other regular medication. the fine print must NOT be ignored. my husband ignored the fine print on one of his meds and is now at risk for glaucoma in one eye and has permanent nerve damage in his lower limbs. when he complained of symptoms and i researched all his meds i forced him off and his glaucoma stopped progressing (thankfully). people assume fine print just states "rare" side effects, but in reality, many side affects are more common than many realize, they just go unreported or misdiagnosed. our doctors are only as informed as the pharma reps that visit them UNLESS they are actively in research, which is not often the case.

with that said, i took my Tdap today at 30 weeks because of "reported efficacy," but also because the booster i had last year didn't contain pertussis so i said whatever, i'll just take it and observe my temp and note any symptoms. fevers terrify me because i don't fight fevers well and i am literally incapacitated whenever i do have a fever or fall ill. my doctor did say i could always take the shot after i give birth but again, pertussis is a bacterial infection and there is no guarantee, just minimized risk. if youre on the fence about taking the vaccine, you can wait until after birth and it is safe and many women do this but definitely advise your doctor first. my doctor was OK with it because pertussis outbreaks are rare where we are. whatever you choose, just make sure you are making the best decision for you and your baby. :0)

intheversa · July 2015

I feel dumb asking, and I need to ask my doctor about this next week when I see him, but I had the TD last January (Tetanus and Diphtheria) because I was in an accident, but it wasn't TDAP. On my last appointment my doctor asked me when my last Tetanus was and he said I would be good for 10 years. I know based on what I read from the CDC that doesn't include Pertussis. So I guess I'll ask him if I should get the Pertussis during pregnancy to be safe or wait till after. I'll do whatever he thinks is best.

My DH is going to get the TDAP and the Varicella (chicken pox) because he's never had it. My mom had the TDAP recently and my dad is checking his vaccine records. I doubt my in-laws have had it, but I guess we'll have to have that awkward conversation as well. Good luck! And for the record, I think you have a really good argument against having Thanksgiving as it is flu season and I wouldn't want all those people around my one month old.

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