Just a bit of background so that you can understand my predicament:
We intend vaccinating our boy and getting all of the appropriate boosters ourselves.
I am, at present, particularly concerned about Whooping Cough as there have been several outbreaks in SE QLD. DH went for his booster last Friday (only to discover that someone at his office had contracted it! - so the timing couldn't have been better!). His folks have also agreed to get it, which is great. So that side of the family is sorted.
I, unfortunately, was not advised to have the booster before I fell pregnant and am therefore unprotected. My folks will be coming to stay for 6 weeks after the birth and I have told them to get a booster while they are still in South Africa and well before they get to Australia. Apparently in South Africa it "isn't necessary" and they do not have a Whooping Cough booster available for adults at all (the mind boggles and I find it incredibly interesting that they can be so sure of themselves!).
My GP has said that it is safest for family members to have the booster a month or more before bubs enters the world (not for me obviously, as I am pregnant). He then said that I can have my booster when our boy gets his first set of vaccinations when he is 2 months old. That is all well and fine, but I want to know what happens in those 2 months when 3 close carers of bubs are not protected!
I will be speaking to my OB on Wednesday, but thought that some of you ladies may have found yourselves in a similar situation and could share your experiences.
My questions are:
Can my folks and I have the booster just after bubs is born, or will this put him at risk?
Will it be safe if I am breast-feeding at the time?
Would you see getting the vaccine as a bigger risk than bubs possibly contracting WC?
I'm sorry that I can't answer most of your questions, but I can definitely say get the booster done as soon as possible!
My DH & I were discussing getting the booster done for him and the kids before the baby gets here... and about 2-3 weeks after discussing it me & the kids contracted whooping cough. I can tell you now it is the WORST thing I have been through. My poor kids are only just getting over it. I am still phlegmy and have a cough at night and I was diagnosed with WC close to 3 weeks ago and suffered through it for a week before diagnosis. My youngest son (2) is fully immunised against WC but he still got it. It has been awful seeing him cough until he basically can't breathe and he has been vomitting phlegm after some coughing fits I would hate to see a newborn suffer through this illness.
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.
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.
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.
Pertussis / Whooping cough booster for parents
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I would hate to see a newborn suffer through this illness.
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