Whooping cough and pregnancy

There is a lot of whooping cough around at the moment and babies who are too young to start their vaccinations are at greatest risk.

Whooping cough is a serious disease that can lead to permanent brain damage in young infants

The only way you can help protect your baby from getting whooping cough in its first weeks after birth is by having the whooping cough vaccination yourself while you are pregnant. You will then pass some immunity to your baby before he or she is born. The best time to get vaccinated is between weeks 28 and 32 of your pregnancy but you can still have the vaccination up to week 38.

 You should have the vaccination even if you were vaccinated when you were younger or had whooping cough yourself. If you have missed the vaccine during your pregnancy talk to your GP.

If you are in week 28 or more of your pregnancy, your GP or midwife will contact you to arrange an appointment for you to have the vaccination. If you are in the earlier stages of pregnancy, wait until you hear from them.

Remember that breastfeeding your baby as soon as they are born provides added protection. 

For more information please read the Whooping Cough and Pregnancy Leaflet provided by the NHS.