Scared to death of newborn getting pertussis- anyone else? - Page 2

[Jugs]

Originally Posted by ema-adama 

Duh. Sorry, I do know it is a bacteria. Thats what you get when NAK a baby and emotional toddler make demands while trying to post Lesson to take a step back from the computer when I am needed IRL.

Transmission is most likely during the catarrhal stage, not the coughing stage.

I am not making these points to pick a fight about choosing this vaccines. Pertussis is scary. And some people feel much safer with the vaccine. I am pointing out that there is not good evidence that the vaccine prevents transmission and there is a lot of work being done to try and control pertussis with a vaccine. Perhaps a newer vaccine will have more success. 
 

Oh, there's definitely room for improvement with the vaccine; no doubt about that. Pertussis seems like a bacteria that can't be outsmarted by man. For me (and it was a long journey to come to this point), its the best we've got and is better than no protection at all. We had pertussis go through our house several years ago, and while it was fairly mild for us, its still worth avoiding... if for no other reason than it is such a long time to be sick.

[MrsJewelsRae]

My ds was almost 2 when he got pertussis last August, so it was never as severe as with a newborn.  I brought him to the doctor before the whooping started, he would cough till he was purple in the face.  My doctor said it was likely croup and gave him a puffer to use when he had coughing spells.  The puffer did NOTHING for him, he just worsened.  I started to suspect WC because he would cough for so long and his face would turn blue and he`d nearly pass out and would gag after each spell, and when he started with whooping after coughing till he was purple I *just knew* what it was.  I brought him to the ER twice and both times left without seeing a doctor after waiting hours upon hours in the middle of the night in the waiting room.  NO ONE would listen to me.  I brought him back to the doctor and myself and my older children started showing symptoms.  My ds, of course, managed not to have a spell while at the doctors and my doc looked at him and said he didn`t have WC because he didn`t look sick enough and he hadn`t seen a WC case in 20 yrs!!!  But he sent us to get the nasal swab done anyhow at the Lab and when we dragged our sick family all the way over there I handed the lady our sheet and she nearly threw it back at me and lectured me for coming into the office while suspecting we had such an illness!  She very rudely demanded that we leave immediately and I told her my doctor specifically told me to go there, she told me the nasal swab was to be done in office!  The ball was dropped once again!  At this point I had been to the doctor 3 times, the pharmacy twice, the hospital twice and the lab and still had no diagnosis or treatment or any help whatsoever- I even called the City Health Dept and asked if there had been any reported cases in the county of WC and was told NO!  Well- is it any wonder!?  We were DONE with doctors!  I have video recordings of his coughing spells, it is very clearly WC, w/o a doubt in my mind.  I read about Sodium Ascorbate on mothering- it was the only thing that worked for him.  My older children and I got it as well, though more mildly, I was coughing and puking w/o warning for weeks.  It took a while, but we slowly all recovered, it`s been about 8 months since he first got sick and he is fully recovered, no lingering issues or concerns.  If we were to have another child, I would probably not vax him or her as well, though I would worry much more about pertussis, having seen how awful it is.  It was very stressful and frightening, I lost 10 pounds in one week from the stress of it, I couldn`t eat or sleep, when he was at his worst I slept fully dressed in a reclining chair with him in my arms in case we needed to go to the ER.  I cannot imagine how much worse it would be with an infant, but I have a lot of confidence in the Sodium Ascorbate (Vitamin C buffered with salt- all the other supplements, herbs, garlic poultices, Ester C did nothing for him, the only thing we saw immediate and progressing results from was the SA.)  I wish there were a safer pertussis shot, I just don`t trust it myself, I personally have fears of it being linked to SIDS.  Each mother needs to do her research and make a choice she is comfortable with.

[JFTB1177]

Originally Posted by ma2two 

I'd have to hear your husband's cough or get a good description of it to have any idea whether or not it is pertussis.

Thanks for all the replies!
 

His cough was hacking and he coughed up a lot of "gunk". It's a week later and he doesn't cough much anymore though. My two older kids got whatever he had/has, but theirs is much less severe... my 2-year-old has a really runny nose and only lets out a cough once in a blue moon. My 4-year-old didn't get a runny nose, only the cough but the cough has been very mild and he hardly coughs at all. So far baby is still ok (crossing fingers)! My nose ran a bit for the first time, today, so looks like I may be getting what everyone else has!

What do you think? Do you think maybe it's just a cold??

[JFTB1177]

Originally Posted by MrsJewelsRae 

My ds was almost 2 when he got pertussis last August, so it was never as severe as with a newborn.  I brought him to the doctor before the whooping started, he would cough till he was purple in the face.  My doctor said it was likely croup and gave him a puffer to use when he had coughing spells.  The puffer did NOTHING for him, he just worsened.  I started to suspect WC because he would cough for so long and his face would turn blue and he`d nearly pass out and would gag after each spell, and when he started with whooping after coughing till he was purple I *just knew* what it was.  I brought him to the ER twice and both times left without seeing a doctor after waiting hours upon hours in the middle of the night in the waiting room.  NO ONE would listen to me.  I brought him back to the doctor and myself and my older children started showing symptoms.  My ds, of course, managed not to have a spell while at the doctors and my doc looked at him and said he didn`t have WC because he didn`t look sick enough and he hadn`t seen a WC case in 20 yrs!!!  But he sent us to get the nasal swab done anyhow at the Lab and when we dragged our sick family all the way over there I handed the lady our sheet and she nearly threw it back at me and lectured me for coming into the office while suspecting we had such an illness!  She very rudely demanded that we leave immediately and I told her my doctor specifically told me to go there, she told me the nasal swab was to be done in office!  The ball was dropped once again!  At this point I had been to the doctor 3 times, the pharmacy twice, the hospital twice and the lab and still had no diagnosis or treatment or any help whatsoever- I even called the City Health Dept and asked if there had been any reported cases in the county of WC and was told NO!  Well- is it any wonder!?  We were DONE with doctors!  I have video recordings of his coughing spells, it is very clearly WC, w/o a doubt in my mind.  I read about Sodium Ascorbate on mothering- it was the only thing that worked for him.  My older children and I got it as well, though more mildly, I was coughing and puking w/o warning for weeks.  It took a while, but we slowly all recovered, it`s been about 8 months since he first got sick and he is fully recovered, no lingering issues or concerns.  If we were to have another child, I would probably not vax him or her as well, though I would worry much more about pertussis, having seen how awful it is.  It was very stressful and frightening, I lost 10 pounds in one week from the stress of it, I couldn`t eat or sleep, when he was at his worst I slept fully dressed in a reclining chair with him in my arms in case we needed to go to the ER.  I cannot imagine how much worse it would be with an infant, but I have a lot of confidence in the Sodium Ascorbate (Vitamin C buffered with salt- all the other supplements, herbs, garlic poultices, Ester C did nothing for him, the only thing we saw immediate and progressing results from was the SA.)  I wish there were a safer pertussis shot, I just don`t trust it myself, I personally have fears of it being linked to SIDS.  Each mother needs to do her research and make a choice she is comfortable with.

Thanks for sharing your story and so sorry you had to go through that, but glad everyone was okay!

[JFTB1177]

Originally Posted by Jugs 

... if for no other reason than it is such a long time to be sick.

How long were you guys sick?

[JFTB1177]

Originally Posted by MsFortune 

Whopping cough has a pretty distinctive sound - it kind of sounds like they are saying "whoop whoop" (hence the name)

You can listen to it on youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuvn-vp5InE&feature=related

Since your baby is too young for the pertussis vax, you can protect baby by getting everyone around the baby vaxed or getting them boosters. Before my baby was born, DH, my MIL (who watches the kids a lot) and I all went and got the vax.  I figure we all probably got it when we were kids but I did not want to rely on that.  DS was already vaxed recently.  

If your DH does not have insurance, try calling the county or other health service.  My MIL got shots through the county for like $20.  Some drug stores also do shots, but I don't know which ones - maybe just flu.

Is the adult pertussis vaccine safe while breastfeeding??

[Subhuti]

We had the same round around of everyone doubting we had it, too.  You just don't look sick between spells.  But then you literally CANNOT breathe and start to black out/become incontinent.  Until you barf or gag.  Oh, terrible.  We had to insist that they do a swab on us.  Boy, did they eat crow when it came back positive.

We wore masks when we went out in public and would typically avoid the waiting rooms of dr's offices.  

There is nothing much they can do once you have it --  inhalers don't help at all.

[Jugs]

Originally Posted by JFTB1177 

How long were you guys sick?

We had the cough for about 3 weeks, though it was a good 2 weeks after that until we were fully-recovered.

[MsFortune]

Originally Posted by JFTB1177 

Is the adult pertussis vaccine safe while breastfeeding??

Yes.  I got mine in the hospital after giving birth.  
 

[Marnica]

Originally Posted by JFTB1177 

Is the adult pertussis vaccine safe while breastfeeding??

as with many things vaccine realted safety is assumed. They do not know if it is safe as they have never studied it.

 

It is not known whether BOOSTRIX is excreted in human milk.

Because many drugs are excreted in human milk, caution should be exercised when BOOSTRIX is administered to a nursing woman.

[MsFortune]

Originally Posted by JFTB1177 

Is the adult pertussis vaccine safe while breastfeeding??

http://www.marchofdimes.com/pregnancy/prenatalcare_vaccinations.html

[Marnica]

Originally Posted by MsFortune 

http://www.marchofdimes.com/pregnancy/prenatalcare_vaccinations.html

so? That doesn't prove safety. Assuming that there is no risk to infants of breastfeeding mothers who are vaccinated is still an assumption. The manufacturers do not do studies on whether or not the vaccine is passed through breastmilk and if it is what impact or effect it may have. Saying there are no known risks when you are not studying it and not looking for any effects is meaningless to me.
 

[Lauren31]

I think if you are going to be afraid of every cough/cold etc, you might as well just get the DTAP shot for your baby when he is 2 months old. My brother and mother were unvaxed (I had one shot DTP and had a bad reaction so my mom stopped all shots after that) growing up. My brother and mom both had pertussis when I was in Junior High. It was literally miserable for 6 weeks. The cough caused my mom to vomit blood a few times. Nights are the worst. And the times when they are most contagious they don't have the "whooping" sound so they assumed it was just a cold.  The shot, even if it is not 100% effective at eliminating whooping cough, it DOES lesson the horrible cough that most people develop from pertussis. Because of my experience with pertussis I vaccinated DD. DTaP is MUCH different then DTP which, if I am not mistaken, is the vaccine that was linked to sids and other more serious reactions like encephalitis, etc. Besides that, can't those who are vaccinated be passing the pertussis to your kids when they think it's just a cough bc the horrible whoop is not there?

Edited by Lauren31 - 3/24/11 at 12:17pm

[jeanine123]

Keep in mind that the most common time for pertussis is summer, not winter.

[eireann]

Originally Posted by JFTB1177 

Is the adult pertussis vaccine safe while breastfeeding??

Scientifically speaking, it depends on your genetics. Have you had a blood relative with Guillain Barre? You might want to think twice about it. While not "hereditary", there is a strong genetic factor of GB.

The bottom line is, (and I dont assume you don't know this :) ) what works for one might not work for another. That's a genetic, scientific, inarguable fact not subject to any moral high road, snotty comment, or subjective judgment. There is no "one size fits all" for ANYTHING in life, so anyone saying a definitive yes or no...well, anyway . Believe in science, believe in whatever, there is no one size fits all. "Safety" is based on a general tally and not individual, which is often not taken into consideration. Reactions are not always reported, so what is safe is questionable.

I suggest you look up the ingredients from the various drug companies (available on their websites), the CDC's report on TDAP, VAERS, and other sites to give you a well rounded picture. Obviously, CDC is in the business of vaccinating, so bear that in mind. Likewise, anti vaccination sites are on the other end. However, I like to hear from people and not just statistics.

Good luck.
 

[JFTB1177]

Well it's now two weeks later and myself and my newborn still have no signs of any cold or cough... would it be safe to assume at this point that whatever my dh had wasn't Pertussis? My other two kids got a slight cough and runny nose right after dh but all 3 are totally fine now.

[Marnica]

Originally Posted by JFTB1177 

Well it's now two weeks later and myself and my newborn still have no signs of any cold or cough... would it be safe to assume at this point that whatever my dh had wasn't Pertussis? My other two kids got a slight cough and runny nose right after dh but all 3 are totally fine now.

 That's good! Sounds like it was a regular run of the mill cold/cough/