Vaccinations?????

[Tiggerian]

I would wait on the whooping cough vaccine and get it shortly after you deliver--that should be preventative enough. .

They don't vaccinate to protect the mum - it's to protect the baby! It has to be in pregnancy so the antibodies can pass to the baby. We've had an outbreak with a lot of dead new borns in the UK this winter which is why they give it in pregnancy as the antibodies pass to the baby in those first months where they are most vulnerable.

[Mrs_P]

Does it work if i have it now though, when i'm not due until the summer time or do i have to wait til closer to delivery

[hopingforsaskia]

If you're going to get it, wait until the brain is fully developed at LEAST.

[Rosie85]

Isn't the brain not fully developed util 39 weeks?

[hopingforsaskia]

Then I would be waiting til then.

[Tiggerian]

It's at 25 weeks.

Mrs P I'd assume that as its your antibodies they'd continue to go to the baby during your pregnancy. But, it won't hurt to wait until your in your second or third trimester if you are concerned with something like brain and neural development.

This is what the NHS website says:

"All pregnant women are now offered vaccination against whooping cough when they are 28-38 weeks pregnant."

So technically, you needn't worry about it yet anyway.

[strawberrymom]

Here is a link to statistics in the UK and Wales pertaining to whooping cough HPA - Whooping Cough (Pertussis) . Also the cdc (in US) has some great info on their site. Reccommending whooping cough for pregnant women is something new that has not been tested for safety. The shot is not live so it will not give you or baby the disease but other complications are unknown. The medical community by and large believe the risk of the disease is greater than possible side effects, but once again nothing is certain. Ultimately you need to research the pros and cons, statistics and treatments and not go by anyone else's opinions either way. It is you and your baby and you and your family are the ones that this decision affect. I wish you best of luck.

[Mrs_P]

Oh gosh no idea what to do to be honest, my midwife is pushing me to get the flu vaccine but i checked and i'm pretty sure i didn't have it with any of the others but she said its something that (the nhs or whoever) they are pushing people to do this year as there have been recent out breaks and a lot of problems amongst pregnant women.

Thw whopping cough she confirmed is for later on in pregnancy and i think its the same thing they give babies at 8 weeks old. But she reckoned the out break was happening as less people are vaccinating these days, these diseases that were irradicated are coming back and obviously to newborns it can be deadly.

I do trust her opinion, she is a great midwife, it just seems a lot to take in without any real information on. The only thing she did say is to wait until after 12 weeks for the flu vaccine

[Butterfly Spirit]

JJC, where's the video interview? I'd like to watch it.

[Tiggerian]

They tell you to take multivitamins with higher vitamin D in. People on lower income can get these for free during pregnancy over here (through sure start).

I'm not sure about the flu vaccine either. I've not had it with any of mine, despite being asthmatic. Considering the whooping cough is a problem right NOW, I'd probably get that - no heavy metals will pass to your baby, only antibodies.

Besides, the jury is out on whether all the stuff out there is true (i.e. DNA of aborted foetuses). There is NO verification out there - there are plenty of bodies who will testify that its true, but its the same with the autism and MMR vaccine which HAS been proven NOT to be right.

You also have to remember that things ARE different in USA and UK, Mrs. P.

This is what the NHS website says about safety:
"here is no evidence to suggest that the vaccine is unsafe for mother or baby if used in pregnancy.

The vaccine, called Repevax, has not been clinically tested on pregnant women because clinical trials don’t usually involve pregnant women. For this reason, evidence on safety in pregnancy can be limited. A similar vaccine (without the component that protects against polio) has been used in America in pregnant women, and there is no evidence of risk to the health of the pregnant woman or the baby.

Repevax has been used in the UK childhood immunisation programme since 2004, and has an excellent safety record. All of the components in the vaccine have been given singly or in combination to pregnant women without any evidence of harm to the mother or her baby."

og det her:

"Repevax® (containing diphtheria (low dose), tetanus, acellular pertussis and inactivated polio antigens – dTaP/IPV) is the recommended vaccine for this programme. This vaccine is licensed as a booster from 3 years of age and contains low dose diphtheria suitable for adults."

Its ONLY the antibodies that cross the placenta. =)