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Tdap immunization
My midwife wants me to get the tdap shot and I am considering getting it ONLY because we may be flying during the holiday season before she's 2 months old and able to get her own dtap shot. Otherwise I wouldn't be because it will literally be only my husband and I around her as we don't live near family and don't have friends who come over. Has anyone else been given the shot? I did some research on it and it seems fine to get, but there is conflicting research saying it prevents pertussis until she can get her own shots going and some say despite getting it you and baby can still get it (adult-whooping cough, baby-sitting pertussis) but it MAY not be as severe. It kinda seems like the flu shot where it probably won't make any difference at all. I'm not anti vaccines, but I don't really agree that all of them are necessary. And what makes me hesitant about getting it is I have not read a single thing about receiving the tdap shot while pregnant in a single article or book.
I took my 5 year old to his pediatrician today to check out his cough (turns out it's just a common cold.l). We've all had a pretty bad cough in mt house for the last weeknor so and me being 34 weeks pregnant I'm super worried about one of us having whooping cough especially before my little miss gets here. Anyways, my son's pediatrician asked if I have gotten the dtap booster and I said no. She said I wouldn't recommend getting it while you're pregnant but you can get it right after baby is born (like while you're in the hospital). She said the effects are less noticeable in adults and we are more likely to carry it because most people haven't gotten a booster within the last 10 years.
I thought that was interesting so I wanted to share. ;)
I thought that was interesting so I wanted to share. ;)
Tdap is also classified as a class c drug....everyone should go look up that definition. I am shocked they even wanna give it to pregnant women with it being one class above positive fetal risk...wow
Some vaccines I am all for. While others I think are just ridiculous. I completley agree your body has to build immunities and naturally fight stuff off. We don't do the flu shot at my house either and everyone's been fine. However due to the fact that my husband smokes, my mom and his mom. My husband and I got the whooping cough shot when my son was born. But that's only because they all smoke and I wanted to be safe, I breastfed so it passed to him through my milk. My dr doesn't recommend anything while pregnant. She said it can all wait until after you have the baby, even if you only breastfeed for a week. Get your vaccines at the hospital before you leave. I am considering the flu shot after this pregnancy since she is going to be born in flu season, again I'm planning to breastfeed. My doctor just doesn't want to risk me or the baby having side effects while in utero. She has never pushed any shot on me. And I wouldn't do the dtap, just the whooping cough. Even if you are traveling, are you just going to let any Joe blow touch and hold your baby? Keep a blanket over the car seat or stroller when carrying her in public. If you are going to a third world country then maybe consider the dtap.
Also I'll add that not only myself but my husband are EXTREMELY healthy people. My husband is forced through his job to receive the flu shot and every year he gets the flu. I do not however get the shot nor the sickness he brings home. Last year he got the flu puff in the nose and snorted it out and he didn't get sick last year. We never get colds, the flu, never visit the Dr for anything besides regular checkups and even as children were extreme healthy as far as what our parents and records recall. We have amazing immune systems and I will be breastfeeding/pumping and refusing to give up despite the pain that follows because the benefits of that outweigh any pain I myself experience, which I don't believe I'll have as I have a high pain tolerance. If anything we'll postpone travel plans till she can start her own shots and just remain "clean" those first few months and build up a natural immunity on her own through the world my my milk
Watching videos of sick babies is not reason enough to get shots. Studies done before the vaccine was created showed less children under one got purtussis whooping cough than children do now WITH THE vaccine. That's because before they created it at some point as a child or adult you'd get whooping cough and the natural antibodies you created are 10x more effective at later passing on and protecting babies you have in the future. We've really screwed ourselves by creating this one ultimately. Straight from the cdc an estimated 20 babies under three months of age die from purtussis a year(did not specify if the mother had received the shot or not). While it is very sad they died, in 2013 3.9 MILLION babies were born. The odds of babies getting it and not being able to make a come back and fight it off are, as you can see, ridiculously low. I am still very much on the fence on if I wanna get the shot because as hard as it is to see a sick child, the natural immunity she'd build herself if being exposed to it is so much healthier than the shots. The shot itself also has been linked to having side effects to people with latex allergies(extremely dangerous). And the tetanus part in the shot is very harsh on the body and can have absolutely retched side effects. All the side effects I'd be passing through my body to hers with no way to tell how she's reacting to them. If it was really that important they'd separate the pertussis from the other two and give that as a shot alone. I'm just not sold this is a necessary shot as again, until my last appointment and looking things up on my own, I've not once read anything about it in the hundreds of articles I've read about vaccines for babies/children or things I need to so to be healthier for baby. Not even in the three books I've read was it ever mentioned. Seems suspect they're pushing it when there's hardly any info out there about it.
Yeah my doctor's are also very pushy about this. I told them I wanted to do research first. Also, 2 years ago I worked as a photographer in the maternity wing of 2 hospitals which required me to get a round of immunizations. I told my doctor that I had already got some of the vaccinations that are in the Dtap but she was saying it wouldn't carry over to the baby. Which confused me bc I was under the impression that all babies carry your immunities for the first several weeks of their lives. That's nature. Anyway they looked at me like I was a horrible person when I said I needed to think about it. Judgements already and I haven't even given birth yet.
My mother-in-law is a 30+ year RN and I was talking to her about it after my OB recommended the shot. She was saying the same thing my husband was the other day.. She goes, "What did everyone do before that shot and how are there so many people who weren't affected by not getting it?!" She goes, "It seems like they're just making up new shots and testing them out if you ask me." Then she asked if I got it with Chamberlain (my first son) and I said "No". So she said, "I wouldn't get it if you ask me, only because the possibility of it protecting the baby for "up to" 8 weeks isn't worth the risk." So I see where she's coming from... if it was guaranteed to protect the baby for a lot longer than that I probably would get it. So no shots for me... for now. But a lot of people gave strong opinions about vaccinations, which I'm not trying to knock by any means.. I haven't had the flu shot in over a decade and have yet to get the flu. My mother-in-law has never had a flu shot and she works with sickly people all year long.. As far as the Dtap, it's definitely personal preference and if you'll be traveling after she's born it could provide her with some benefits. :)
You could always look at videos of infants with whooping cough. They are horrible and if you don't get the vaccine, then the baby has no protection from it. Even if the 90% success rate is true, that's an huge increase from the 0% protection the baby would have otherwise. I'm glad your deciding to get it!
My midwife won't be the one giving me the shot, and she gave out no information and almost forgot to write me a script to get it done elsewhere. She's almost neglectful. I've read a few pregnancy books and have been scouring the Internet since yesterday's appointment since that's when she wrote the script. Everything I'm reading is basically it's not a big deal to get it but once the child starts getting it themselves is when you can see if they're having negative reactions. I'm just unsure I wanna get a shot with the "dead" version and have no idea how she's ultimately reacting towards it and my bodies attempt at building up antibodies to pass to her because of it. They don't start giving them their shot till 6-8wks old because it's strong and contains three compounds and is needed 5 times as a child.....only to lose its effect after 12ish years since last given. I'm just not sold fully. I will be getting it because we are traveling shortly after birth via plane. I'm just curious what info everyone else has been given that made them decide to get it. As stated before, I have yet to see any info regarding its needed or even proven to work with more than a 90% success rate besides looking for the info specifically from a credible site
I ready many on the papers my doctor gave me before receiving the shot.. Maybe you should ask your doctor . I'm glad I got it. I wasn't too sure at first either but I read up on it & came around .
I got mine somewhere around 28w. No issues and I think it's very important for the health of the baby. The illnesses it protects against are all very serious. From what I understand, it's now recommended that all pregnant women get the shot to protect their babies since they can't get it till they are older.
I got mine at 33 weeks. My doctor did not give us a choice. Looked like it was mandatory. Also my husband had to get one. That made me happy though! :D why should i take all the pain alone.. :)
What have you read that leads you to say there are benefits to getting it? I read nothing regarding it being beneficial to the mother because it's basically a booster since as a child you should have gotten your rounds of dtap already. I've only come across how it MAY be beneficial to the immune system of the baby until they can get their shots started at 6-8wks for these particular things.
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