You may be rolling your eyes or say im crazy when i ask you to get your vaccines before my little man comes home. But let me ask you this one question?....Have you ever witnessed a baby gasping for air? Seeing their sweet baby face turn so blue and purple that you can't do anything about it? I have and not on videos. I was holding her when she had an episode. The only thing I could do was tell her to breath and rub her sweet chest. Baby Lawson was hospitalized after two months of being born up until she was 6 or 7 months old. When I saw her she was almost home free.
So yes I am that strict Mom the one that is forcing you to get the vaccine or you can't hold our baby boy. If you know you have a cold please don't go near him. I know he isn't born yet but I rather be safe than have him hospitalized like Lawson.
Heres pieces of an article that i have read on the whooping cough....
Whooping cough (pertussis) is an infection of the respiratory system caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis (or B. pertussis). It mainly affects babies younger than 6 months old who aren't yet protected by immunizations, and kids 11 to 18 years old whose immunity has started to fade.
Whooping cough causes severe coughing spells, which can sometimes end in a "whooping" sound when the child breathes in.
Before a vaccine was available, pertussis killed about 9,000 people in the United States each year. Now, the pertussis vaccine has reduced the annual number of deaths to less than 30. But in recent years, the number of cases has started to rise. In 2004, the number of whooping cough cases spiked past 25,000, the highest level since the 1950s.
Signs & Symptoms
The first symptoms of whooping cough are similar to those of a common cold:
runny nose
sneezing
mild cough
low-grade fever
After about 1 to 2 weeks, the dry, irritating cough evolves into coughing spells. During a coughing spell, which can last for more than a minute, a child may turn red or purple. At the end of a spell, the child may make the characteristic whooping sound when breathing in or may vomit. Between spells, the child usually feels well.
While many infants and younger kids with whooping cough develop the coughing fits and accompanying whoop, not all do. And sometimes babies don't cough or whoop as older kids do. Infants may look as if they're gasping for air with a reddened face and may actually stop breathing (this is called apnea) for a few seconds during very bad spells.
Adults and teens may have milder or different symptoms, such as a prolonged cough (rather than coughing spells) or coughing without the whoop.
Winter is just around the corner as well and he will be here just a few months before the cold/flu season hits so please get your shots if you haven't already.
Love,
The Strict Mom
