[tadpole] Pertussis PSA

[surrealestate]

[Feel free to pass it along in whatever form you prefer.]

As y'all know, I'm due any day now (or maybe not for a few weeks) and as such, have become aware of all sorts of things about which I previously had no real clue. While many of these relate to tmi bodily functions, there's also some useless stuff, such as pertussis, aka whooping cough.

Recently, the immunization guidelines for pertussis were updated and the upshot is that, unless you've had a kid recently or had it specifically called to your attention for some reason like working in healthcare or with kids, odds are good you are not up to date on your booster. (Or maybe you have a better PCP than I do. I just found out I'm out of date on the entire Tdap set by pretty much any measure, and given that I'd been seeing the same doctor for over 10 years, they were perfectly aware of that and should have told me I was due for a booster. But it seems that sort of proactivity is not very common.) I will get my booster immediately post-partum (which has become pretty standard in the wake of the resurgence).

Anyway, there are a bunch of new babies coming in the relatively near future, pertussis has become a much bigger issue than it's been in a while, and babies are particularly vulnerable. I've seen many recommendations that parents not allow anyone to even hold their baby who isn't up to date on their immunizations. I don't know that we'll go that far, but we are making sure that all the grandparents get theirs and I respectfully request that you consider it for yourself for the sake of the community. I know there are mixed feelings about vaccinations for children for various reasons, but shots for adults are a different matter, right?

If you want to know, you should be able to call your PCP and find out your status. Note that it used to be common to get a Td (tetanus, diphtheria) booster without the pertussis part, so even if you've had a tetanus shot recently, you may not be current.

I know several parents who've had to deal with the pain of their baby catching this (always from an adult, btw, not another kid), and while luckily they all survived, it is a serious medical ordeal in an infant that is best avoided.

Thanks.

PS: Respectful disagreement and debate is, as always, welcome.

--

And for the sake of an update: Today's checkup (38w3d) was even less eventful than the last. I wasn't offered an internal (she only mentioned it in the context of "We could do this if you want, but it won't really provide anything useful" so it didn't seem worth taking clothes off for) and situation remains at everything is good to go whenever it happens. Tadpole is chillin' out upside-down with periodic rolls side-to-side. Cop a feel if I see you tonight. ;)

Comments

[lillibet.livejournal.com]

We took the precaution of carrying hand sanitizer and having everyone use that before holding Alice. Since she was born in January and everyone was sick, as usual, only one person even commented on it.

Glad everything is still looking good for delivery!

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

Good idea!

I confess I also wonder if it might be a bit before I'm willing to let anyone else hold the baby in any event. :] I don't want to be selfish but I can see feeling very.. protective? It's why I rarely ask a mom about holding their baby unless they are clearly already being passed around.

And thanks. I am simultaneously a little impatient and not at all impatient.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

I never ask to hold babies, or even touch them at all unless specifically told I may. I think of it as personal choice of the parent, and if they want their baby held by someone else, they'll let that be known in their own good time.


Puppies, though, I have considerably less impulse control about. :-)

[chenoameg.livejournal.com]

Huh, it never occurred to me to be protective of Smiles that way. I mean, it was H1N1 time, so we asked people not to come over if they were sick. But aside from that we just asked people to use hand santizer when they came in for the first few weeks.

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

Probably "possessive" would have been the more accurate word.

Not so much that I think anyone else would cause harm, but no, I'm not done with our exclusive relationship yet! sort of thing.

[chenoameg.livejournal.com]

That makes sense. For me it was "look, I just made the most amazing toy, don't you want to play with her too?"

(I know, I owe you scheduling email. Have babysitter, am working on figuring those things out right now.)

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

It's still theoretical at this point, of course. Both sides are two of many possible feelings I can imagine having. I never had my own puppy or anything, so I don't really have sufficient personal data to compare.

There are also the interesting dual-sided issues of not wanting to pressure someone to hand over their baby but also not wanting to pressure someone into holding a baby if they don't want to.

[hahathor.livejournal.com]

I had a DPT in '07 before traveling to South America for the first time. So I can hold ALL the new babies. I can JUGGLE the babies.

wheeeeeeeeeeeeeee babies!!!

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

Whee, baby juggling! :)

[pekmez.livejournal.com]

My standards for baby-holding and baby-juggling are different. (My baby now has his pertussis vaccine, anyway. I, on the other hand, was suppsoed to try to get it and still haven't quite managed. Sigh.)

[beowabbit]

I had DPT boosters about a year and a half ago. I remember the pertussis part because I remember my (then) doctor saying it wasn't so common any more but he thought it was a good idea. (I think maybe he was extra-cautious about stuff like that since he mostly works with AIDS patients.)

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

Your doctor is more on the ball than mine! Nobody at my office even mentioned it when I was getting my hepatitis vacs for overseas travel.

[geminigirl]

I wasn't offered at TDaP after either of the kids was born-one was born in the hospital with an OB, the other born at home.

Babywearing was a great way to keep hands off the new babies-especially Miriam, who was born in December. I worried less with Naomi who was born in April (I have on baby who was born erev Pesach and the other who was born on the second night of Chanukah.)

The one thing valuable about the cervical checks for me was to find out whether using evening primrose oil made sense. I know from ultrasound that I have a super long cervix-about twice as long as average. With Naomi, the two I had were helpful in deciding that EPO was a good idea to help things along in order to reduce the chances of having to deal with a scheduled induction-and she still came at 41w5d. With Miriam, it was useful in deciding that I didn't need to.

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

I don't really think the checks are particularly harmful, but if they aren't offering, I don't see any reason to get nekkid for 'em, that's all. (And we can just check at home, anyway.)

It's more about being concerned that I *would* use the info as some sort of predictor, when it really doesn't work that way. And we're having plenty of sex, anyway. :)


(Here's an article about postpartum Tdap. It's a relatively recent thing.)

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

I have my next Dr's appt this week, so I'll make a note to ask her about it!

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

Woo! :)

(Hope all goes well in any case.)

[clevernonsense.livejournal.com]

A colleague of mine had whoopin' cough about 20 years ago. He still refers to it as the worse 2 months of his life. it's also *so contagious*. It also used to be one of the leading causes of death in children under 5 in the US.

My travel doc updated my vaccine just to be safe (there are regular outbreaks in many parts of Africa), so I too may recklessly juggle/cough on babies :)

[anotherjen.livejournal.com]

I got a tetanus booster with pertussis vaccine a year or two ago, so I'm all set.

[ifotismeni]

i just got my whooping cough vaccination in december as my PCP told me the same thing you did - huge resurgence in recent times and it's time to stay updated.

Do you know how recent this update is?

[drwex]

I know Pygment had her immunizations updated before we had Thing 1, but that was 11 years ago. I can recheck with my PCP who hasn't said anything. Nor, strangely, has the kids' pediatrician said anything to us though we've had extensive discussions with him over the kids' vaccines, particularly since Thing 2 had an adverse reaction to one and is on a non-standard schedule as a result.

Re: Do you know how recent this update is?

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

I would guess since the kids are already protected, it's not an issue for the ped. Plus it's not nearly as dangerous in adults, and he isn't providing for *your* health, anyway. ;)

Re: Do you know how recent this update is?

[drwex]

True, but he has talked with us about other adult health measures to help with the kids, such as flu shots.

[ron_newman]

I need to ask my PCP about these vaccines. Problem is, I really have no idea when or where I may have last gotten boosters for any of them (before I had my current PCP).

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

FWIW, as far as I can tell (based on the current, possibly overkill, recommendation that women get a postpartum Tdap if they haven't had one in over *two* years), it'd not considered harmful to get it more often than every decade, anyway. But obviously that's a decision for every individual to make.

I had whooping cough the summer between 6th and 7th grade

[nu-luba.livejournal.com]

and it sucked

back then (in 1994) my doctor claimed that it could not be wooping cough because that was a disease that only affected babies.

[gosling.livejournal.com]

Nothing about anything medical, but I have many baby things for you, including a sling and some breastfeeding related things you might find useful.

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

I actually just sent email to Chip in the past hour because I realized I don't have your current address. :) But somebody just provided it, so I can drop you a note now directly...

[quietann.livejournal.com]

Got my DPT shot when I started the new job. I'm not super big on holding babies, but should I happen to end up holding yours, well, I won't give it pertussis.

[intuition-ist.livejournal.com]

when is the baby scheduled for a DTP vaccination? i know i had one pretty early on, but i don't remember offhand what the recommendations are these days...

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

I think it starts at 2 months, though there are like 6 installments, so I'm not sure when it actually confers immunity.