I am pretty sure that the vaccine for whopping cough is not live therfore if you get the booster the virus cant be passed on to bubs. If you are birthing in a hospital Id ask the the dr's there for it, or see your gp when you are discharged. I had the vaccination after dd1 at her first lot of vaccinations, I think it has pertussis (whoping cough), diptheria and tetanus so you get the protection from all 3. The governemnt vaccine info line is 1800 671 811give them a call.
Oh Lisa, that sounds awful. I am so sorry to hear that you are having such a tough time. I have heard how awful it can be and that is why I am stressing so much about doing the right thing for our baby. The little ones really suffer from it because they end up panicking because they can't get air. At least we can understand what is happening and control it to *some* extent. I really hope that you and your family get better soon. Thanks so much for the advice, a friend of mine said exactly the same thing: just get it done as soon as baby is out!
Sararose, providing the OB gives me the go-ahead, I will get my doctor to prescribe the vaccine for my parents and I. I will take mine to the hossy so they can administer it while I am still there. My folks will need to get it done as soon as they arrive here. You are right, it is bundled will tenatanus, diptheria and polio - unfortunately you cannot get a WC booster on its own. Thank you for the government vaccination number, I will be giving them a call as soon as I post this
Thank you both so much for your feedback and advice - I really appreciate it x
This post is just for anyone who searches this topic and is asking similar questions. I called QLD immunology and they said that:
Ideally all parents AND grandparents should get the booster.
You should NOT get it during pregnancy.
There is no problem getting the booster as soon as possible after baby's birth i.e. you can take it with you to hossy and get it administered there. BFing afterwards isn't an issue either.
If my OB says anything differently, I will post what he says on Wednesday.
Sambo the hossy should just give it to you, you shouldn't have to supply your own....well in NSW you don't.
All close carers (entitled to Medicare of couse) get it for free
Again, thank you all for your responses - they are so helpful!
Kaz, great to know. My friend did the same thing and also had no side effects. So that sounds promising
Jitterbug, BF was a concern of mine...so good to hear that you had no issues.
Kim, it is different for different states. Apparently all states get assigned an immunisation grant from the Federal government and each state decides what medications / vaccinations they would like to subsidise. QLD, unfortunately doesn't have the Boostrix / Adecel vaccine on PBS...so we have to fork out $72 a pop with no rebate (unlike some other states where it is totally free for immediate carers). Quite silly really, considering there have been so many SE QLD outbreaks...
You *might* be able to get it for free... I have a brochure about the free immunisation clinics they run for newborns and in the corner it says "Immunise yourself too. Protect your newborn and take advantage of our adult whooping cough vaccine." I'm not sure if that means they are free as well or not because we didn't know about it at the time we did ours but might be worth looking into.
Ok, I actually did some research on WC and immunisations myself. Canada has the worst rate of WC in the more developed countries... and they have taken a strategy of giving the mother a booster after labour. It takes 10 days for the antibodies to go through to the breastmilk - which gives babies passive protection from Whooping Cough until their first needles.
NSW Health also informed me that the youngest you can take them for immunisation is 6 weeks.
We got the vaccination (Dh and I) when DD was about 2 weeks old. We'd have gotten it earlier had we realised it was available to adults. My parents have had it too.
I've breastfed throughout, glad to know that she was getting some kind of protection from it from me through the milk. The GP did not suggest there was any possibility of problems from BFing after the vaccine, nor did I find such a suggestion when I read up on it. Maybe that advice is outdated? I've also expressed some milk during the 10-15 days after I had the shot, in case she gets it before she is fully protected, in which case she'll definitely be getting some of that antibody-loaded milk from the freezer, in case that helps some.
Babies can die of whooping cough. Wikipedia reckons the death rate in infants is "up to 3%". There is no way the possible side effects from the vaccine could be worse than that! Adults can have it with little or no symptoms, so even though DD has had her 2-month shots I still worry about the possibility that someone around us catches it, doesn't realise, and passes it to her before she is more protected.
Thanks for the info Heather. We have already paid for DH's, but it is good to know that mine will be free. For something that is so important and life-threatening, I am truly surpised that it has taken the QLD government so long to wake up and subsidise it!
There was an interesting segment on the Today show regarding WC. Nothing that I didn't know before, but it is really great that they are educating the masses about the risks to children. I have spoken to a number of people with and without kids and they stare at me blankly when I speak about the risks etc. So getting some mainstream info out there can only help.
Tenar, thanks for sharing your experiences. I also understand that even though they get their first WC vaccine at 2 months, it can take several more months until they are protected and, even then, it isn't a given that they won't contract it. The idea of passing on some antibodies via breastmilk is somewhat re-assuring...that is providing I am able to BF
I'm not sure if this is correct but my dr said I should wait until I finished breastfeeding before getting the vaccine. She advised my dh to get it asap. Sorry don't know if that helps!
Yeah I have heard that too - which is why I am asking these questions It is all a bit scary because some professionals say yes and others say no - I wish there was a dinfinitive answer. Thanks anyway
DP and I both had booster shots done when DS was about 3 weeks old. I am fully breastfeeding him.
My mum and my MIL also got booster shots after he was born and both had contact with him when he was about 6 weeks old.
Nil negative effects or side effects here. My town has a massive outbreak of WC atm so we all decided the risks of vacinating were outweighed by the risk of contracting it when he was so young.
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It is all a bit scary because some professionals say yes and others say no - I wish there was a dinfinitive answer. Thanks anyway
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