whooping cough

saraellenM · July 2015

I was in for my 12 weeks "intake" appointment on Friday and met with the genetics counselor. She told me that including me everyone that wants to come visit our baby after its born and wants to hold him/her will have to get the whooping cough vaccine since it's prevelent in our area with the unvaccinated Amish etc. Has anyone else been told this? I am in Lancaster PA. My brother has already shown resistance to getting the shot. I'm worried because the counselor told me that if a newborn gets whopping cough its almost always fatal. That doesn't sound like something I want to take a risk with.....

RunnerMeg · July 2015

Pertussis isn't prevalent in our area, but when I was pregnant with DS my OB also recommended that DH, family members, etc get the booster. It is catastrophic if a newborn gets whooping cough.

cawalp · July 2015

Whooping cough is a huge thing for newborns and if your counselor said it is almost always fatal then I would take no chances. If your brother is opposed, then simply tell him he won't be able to hold the baby. It's not mean at all, it's for the baby's safety which is most important. and maybe he'll realize how stubborn he is being.

mamaksweez · July 2015

Yes, with our first my doc said anyone who will see baby on a regular basis has to get it. So me, my husband, my parents, his parents, and my sister's family got it. My brother's family does not do vaccines so they did not get it. We let my brother and sister in law see the baby, but not their children, because our view on vaccines is we need to protect our child, even if it means keeping family away. Once baby could get shots, of course we let her meet her cousins.
We plan to do the same this time around.

ainverso · July 2015

They told us that too when we had our first, as well as no one under the age of 14 was allowed in the room due to fly season. It is such a small precaution to make sure baby is healthy. Anyone who can't comply with a simple shot is not holding my baby

aphilli8 · July 2015

It was so prevalent when my daughter was born that they were actually sending kids to the hospital I delivered at because others were full. (People don't like to vaccinate in Cali *sigh*) I vaccinated and told everyone in my family they could vaccinate or they could wait to see the baby. Didn't bother me either way.

Emott13 · July 2015

I want to say that I would tell people "too bad, so sad" but I honestly don't know if I could if it were a sibling. Obviously I would much rather have my brother be mad than have my kid get sick with a fatal disease, but I can't imagine how hard that conversation would be. I don't envy your position.

T&P that your family and friends are understanding about it all...

willashbaby · July 2015

I've had it as an adult and it was an absolute nightmare. I will never expose my child to it if I can avoid it. Anyone who wants near my baby will have to have an updated vaccine.

peppercorn16 · July 2015

Emott13 said:

I want to say that I would tell people "too bad, so sad" but I honestly don't know if I could if it were a sibling. Obviously I would much rather have my brother be mad than have my kid get sick with a fatal disease, but I can't imagine how hard that conversation would be. I don't envy your position. T&P that your family and friends are understanding about it all...

Well stated, this is exactly how I feel! It would break my heart to have to turn away a close family member over something so simple, but I would certainly not ever knowingly put my child at risk! I feel for you OP!

Blueyedsky · July 2015

Yeah, this is a tough one

it is usually fatal to a newborn , if they survive then it's barely and have years of recovery if they can even get back to normal. Thankfully my fam is all very accommodating and are willing to be vaccinated. It's not a risk I'd be happy to take, so maybe try explaining to your brother? Is he anti-vax or something?? Why is he so against it?

mamaksweez · July 2015

peppercorn16 said:

Emott13 said:

I want to say that I would tell people "too bad, so sad" but I honestly don't know if I could if it were a sibling. Obviously I would much rather have my brother be mad than have my kid get sick with a fatal disease, but I can't imagine how hard that conversation would be. I don't envy your position. T&P that your family and friends are understanding about it all...

Well stated, this is exactly how I feel! It would break my heart to have to turn away a close family member over something so simple, but I would certainly not ever knowingly put my child at risk! I feel for you OP!

(I realize this is to the OP, and it is a hard conversation, but it's totally doable. )
For me, it was a super hard decision which is why we let my brother and his wife see her, just not their children. My doctor was very direct about my responsibility is keeping my child safe, and not to let my niece and nephew near her if they even have a sniffle. Definitely one of the toughest conversations we've had. They've moved across the country so we probably won't have to revisit the conversation again this time around.

lwebley · July 2015

We had all our family get their vaccines updated. Keep in mind it needs to be at least 2 weeks before the baby is born to be effective. I only say that because our first came 3 weeks early. I didn't care If they didn't get the shot, they just couldn't hold the baby or be close. In the end everyone chose to get vaccinated

saraellenM · July 2015

Thank you so much ladies for all your replies. This will help me stick to my guns. My brother is very stubborn to new ideas, so I'm pretty sure he will come around and get it done. It just hurt my feelings when he said, "I guess I just won't hold your baby then." At least he already acknowledges what the consequences will be if he doesn't get it. So I guess I should at least be thankful for that. The fact that our LO's will be born during flu season makes it really tricky too! It's also good to know it takes two weeks to be effective and keep in mind that baby could come early. My DD who is 5 came almost 2 weeks early.

KayTaylor14 · July 2015

My family has a history of breathing problems when young, I've already told my MIL that anyone who comes to see the baby is required to have the flu shot and Whooping cough vaccine. She has told me no one in her house gets the flu shot and that it won't be happening, I looked at her and told her she will be waiting until summer to see her grandchild then. I don't care about other people's comfort, my babies health comes first.

willashbaby · July 2015

I'm a teacher and I always get a flu shot, DH gets one too, no argument. I'll never understand why so many people are so stubborn about things like this.

jtk4life · July 2015

So how do people go about getting the whooping cough shot? Most of my family don't really have regular doctors and I want to be able to give them advise on how to get it. Is this something that a pharmacy like CVS or Walgreens would be able to give? Any idea on the cost? I suppose I could just call a place myself but I'm already here.

SummerOH · July 2015

jtk4life said:
So how do people go about getting the whooping cough shot? Most of my family don't really have regular doctors and I want to be able to give them advise on how to get it. Is this something that a pharmacy like CVS or Walgreens would be able to give? Any idea on the cost? I suppose I could just call a place myself but I'm already here.

Most pharmacies give them and insurance should cover it.

SummerOH · July 2015

This is a non-negotiable for me. Our kids will be born at the height of cold and flu season. If people aren't vaccinated, they're not around the baby. Not just not holding them, but not around period. Might be overkill, but I'm not taking chances. Luckily, our families are very pro-vaccine so it's never an issue.

mollyj931 · July 2015

Yes I will and family will. It's the Tdap vaccine which is also the tetnus vaccination. They are recommending every woman get it with each pregnancy and those who will have contact with the baby.

In a highly exposed area I would definitely get it!

JanMommy2under2 · July 2015

We are having babies during flu season, and my dr. highly recommends getting the tdap and flu shot after I think 28 weeks. It helps to protect baby. She also had my husband get one, and encouraged me to have anyone who was going to have frequent contact with baby get it too. When my son was born last march, we had our whole immediately family get it, especially my nieces and nephews because of school germs. My son was born with respiratory issues though, so we were really protective of him.

mamaksweez · July 2015

@jtk4life my husband got it at Walgreens during our first pregnancy. I got it at my OB

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