Whooping Cough

Justin and I met with the baby's pediatrician last Thursday. We really like him and he had a lot of great information to share. One of the things we discussed with him was the increase in the number of people seen in the past few years with whooping cough (Pertussis) again due to a lapse in people not getting immunized. Babies are not able to be immunized against this disease until 8 weeks old, so the best protection we can give is to all be immunized against it so that if we are exposed, the likelihood of passing the disease on to the baby would be minimal.

The doctor has suggested that anyone that will have close/frequent contact with the baby during the first few months get the immunization (if you haven't had it before) at least a couple weeks before the baby is born. We hate to have to ask this of y'all, but we figure it is a small price to pay to help keep our new little baby healthy. 

Here is a link to the CDC's website if you'd like more information:

CDC - Pertussis

The vaccine to ask for is Tdap or Dtap...they are the same thing. It's basically a tetanus shot with pertussis. You can get it at your doctor's office or at CVS pharmacies that have a Minute Clinic among other places. 

Thanks to everyone for being so understanding!! We don't plan on being overprotective parents, but this is something young babies have a really hard time fighting off if they contract it and we want to give the baby the best first few months of life possible. If you have any questions/concerns, let me know!!!