Forum 3rd trimester

Boostrix/pertussis vaccine

19 replies

[email protected]Guest ·
Hi everyone

I'm 28 weeks pregnant today and I'm wondering whether I should get the Boostrix/pertussis vaccine during my pregnancy or not.

My husband and I actually got the vaccine 3.5 years ago. For us, there's no need for a booster, since the vaccine protects for 10 years and this way we won't pass on pertussis to our baby once he's born.

Now it's being suggested that I get vaccinated against pertussis again during my pregnancy. This is to pass on some antibodies to the fetus, so he can get through his first 2 months until his first vaccination. But babies who are not or only partially vaccinated still have a higher risk of getting pertussis until a month after their 3rd shot. So if you follow the schedule by "Kind en Gezin" (Child and Family), you'd get vaccinated at 6 months of age. Anyway, you should be careful and use common sense when people with a cold or cough visit.

The Boostrix vaccine contains - tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis - quite a few excipients and such things that are supposedly harmful. But in minimal amounts, they say it won't do any harm, but still...
As a pregnant woman, you have to be careful about everything, but is vaccination then not a problem?

By the way, vaccinating against pertussis during pregnancy is only a few years old.
Before that, mothers were vaccinated against pertussis shortly after giving birth, and even before that, you were vaccinated before becoming pregnant. Seven years ago, no one was talking about it.

What do you do and do you think it's a big risk not to get the vaccine during pregnancy?

Thanks for your replies.

Inne

Replies

  1. Amy #2

    I would definitely do it.
    There's whooping cough going around in my area, so I've decided to have my daughter vaccinated early at 12 weeks instead of waiting until 8 weeks.
    My son was hospitalized when he was just 10 days old, and I never want to go through that again. Luckily, it wasn't too bad—it was just a virus—but I'd do anything I could to prevent it from happening again.
    I can't speak to the medical risks, but I can share how I feel about it. I trust the doctors when it comes to risks—they've studied for this, not me. And as far as I know, they say it's safe.

  2. Anonymous Guest #3

    Hello. Thanks for your reply. Which region is that exactly?
    Greetings

  3. Amy #4

    I live in the Netherlands.

  4. Esperanza100 #5

    I'm also really torn. I'm in my 30th week, but it's all over the place here. Both the gynecologist, GP, and the CB recommend it.

  5. Inne Guest #6

    Hi Esperanza,
    Which region do you live in? I've been looking into this topic for hours and still haven't figured it out. If I follow my gut feeling, I lean more towards "no" than "yes"... here, some gynecologists recommend it for every pregnancy, while others say it's not necessary if you were vaccinated before.
    The question is how much the amount of antibodies passed on actually prevents infection.
    Greetings,
    Inne

  6. Anonymous Guest #7

    * answer without t of course

  7. Esperanza100 #8

    Hi Inne,
    I hear your doubts. By the way, I live in the Netherlands, South Holland south.
    In other countries, it's standard practice during pregnancy. No matter how good we think our healthcare is, we often lag behind here.
    Of course, there are always risks. These can't be ruled out with vaccinations for kids either, but I hear from all sides that the risks are minimal.
    The vaccinations we had as kids don't work anymore. That lasts a few years. If we were to catch whooping cough now, we might get it less severely. I find it really scary that it's prevalent and a baby could catch it before their first vaccinations. Then it could be very severe for the baby.
    So I think I'll get the vaccination anyway as a precaution. According to various advice, more than enough antibodies will pass through the umbilical cord to the baby so that the baby is protected after birth, and we're also better protected as mothers. So if we come into contact with someone who has whooping cough, we're less likely to pass it on and infect our child.
    Hope this helps... My gynecologist said it could be week 38 at the latest. I'll probably get it done in week 35/36.

    Best wishes!

  8. Anonymous Guest #9

    might as well do it again... even though I already got the vaccine myself 3.5 years ago and the booster is only needed after 10 years. my husband doesn't need to get vaccinated again, by the way. the grandparents are getting vaccinated too.

  9. Esperanza100 #10

    I don't know exactly how many years you're protected after that shot, but the baby is only protected if you get vaccinated again, obviously.
    Well, it's great that the grandparents are getting vaccinated too. That's really nice.

  10. Sammyloo Guest #11

    Has anyone experienced side effects/risks after getting vaccinated during pregnancy? I'm considering getting it, but I've read very few experiences from pregnant women. I'm curious if anyone here has had it and how it went. Greetings, Sammy

  11. Puck #12

    I've decided to go ahead and get it done. The midwife said around 30-32 weeks is the best time.

    The advice is to get vaccinated against whooping cough. It's standard in many countries and will be here in the Netherlands too. The recommendation is already in place, and funding still needs to be approved.

    I never understand why people hesitate when it's recommended by doctors etc. I assume those people know what they're talking about and weigh the risks. Plus, I've seen a case of whooping cough up close and it's quite impressive, I can tell you, such a little thing on life support. Luckily, he recovered after resuscitation and a few weeks in intensive care. But I'd never forgive myself if my child got that sick and I could have prevented it.

  12. Tooby #13

    I never understand why people hesitate when it’s recommended by doctors etc.  ''

    Those are just those idiotic anti-vax people who believe you get autism and all sorts of other things from vaccinations. Luckily, there are still a lot of sensible people.

  13. anoniem22 #14

    I also had it done at 33 weeks, and indeed, whooping cough is coming back more and more. I didn't experience any side effects myself.

  14. Orchidea #15

    They offered me the vaccination too, and I'm having it done at 31 weeks as well!

  15. AH Guest #16

    I’m getting vaccinated too. The RIVM website clearly states that there’s no known harm to the unborn baby so far, even though this has been standard practice in many countries for years.

  16. Mommy29W Guest #17

    Hey,

    You shouldn't even be doubting it, really! Here in Belgium, you get the Tdap vaccine at 28 and 30 weeks, and I've already had mine. You shouldn't be afraid of the shot. It was the mildest shot I've ever had.

    As moms, we do everything to protect our baby, but then with vaccinations, we suddenly start asking questions? Who do you trust? The medical world, or a bunch of American crazy moms who don't know better? Don't get swept up in all that stupid nonsense and just trust the experts. Otherwise, you could also give birth in a field without ever having had a single prenatal check-up, because 'that's how it used to be'.

  17. Jo Guest #18

    I also got vaccinated at 33 weeks. No problems or side effects. My little one is already a month old now.

  18. Jalt #19

    Without a doubt, go for it!
    I work in the hospital myself and have already seen the consequences of people refusing vaccinations...

  19. Daantje Guest #20

    I just heard about this vaccine for the first time today. Why didn't the hospital, midwife practice, or health center tell me about it? I'm already 37 weeks pregnant... Can I still get the shot? Is it still worthwhile? Can it do any harm to the baby at this stage?

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