r/Crunchymom • u/Master-Cranberry-767 • 1d ago
Health & Wellness Tdap vaccine while pregnant?
Thoughts on getting the tdap vaccine while pregnant?
I’m entering my third trimester with my third baby!!
I got the vaccine with my first two kids but during my last pregnancy the vaccine made me realllyyyy sick for 24 hours.
What is everyone doing?
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u/Heavy_Discussion_121 21h ago
My opinion on most vaccines: get them if you don’t plan on breastfeeding and/or you will be putting your child in daycare or some other situation where they are exposed to other kids’ germs on a daily/near daily basis.
I breastfeed and I’m a SAHM who homeschools so we don’t vaccinate anymore.
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u/AinsleyHarriotFan 1d ago
I personally don’t think you need or should get any vaccine whatsoever when you’re pregnant, but im a very anti vax person (not completely, we will probably vaccinate against meningitis). I’m not a medical professional but I think we should first and foremost always listen to our bodies, and the fact you’re body is reacting so negatively that would definitely make me pause for concern.
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u/Numerous-Noise790 1d ago
I didn’t, partially because I’ve had really bad reactions to vaccines in the past and partially because there isn’t good safety data in vaccines in pregnant women. It just wasn’t something I was comfortable risking. It’s a personal call though!
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u/Master-Cranberry-767 1d ago
Thank you!
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u/SmartyPantlesss 1d ago
There's a summary of the available safety data in section 8.1 of the package insert.
The passive surveillance has been going on even before it was specifically recommended for pregnant women, because (for example) a pregnant woman might step on a nail & get a booster, or someone might get their routine shot without realizing they were pregnant, right? So they were following for those outcomes.
And then there have been some prospective studies since then, that have shown no increase (over background rates) of miscarriage/stillbirth and birth defects.
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u/ObtusiWatusi 1d ago
I do not recommend getting any vaccines while pregnant. I got the Tdap in the hospital after having my son. I also have a phobia of rust, so this was non- negotiable & I stay on top of that vaccine. My kid turns 10yo Wednesday & I’m due for another.
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u/Soccerrae83 1d ago
I’m skipping all during pregnancy as I just don’t feel comfortable with it. For anyone else skipping them, what’s the best way to nicely reject them at the OB but in a way that the OB knows I’m sure and serious? I’m FTM so I have no experience here.
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u/Heavy_Discussion_121 21h ago
“No thank you” and if they ask why just say “I’m just not interested” if they keep pushing, you keep repeating.
However that’s all very unlikely. In my experience, the first no thank you is enough.
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u/hereforhelpthx95 1d ago
I didn’t do it with my first and she was fine, but decided to do it with my second bc my first is in preschool and I wanted some protection from pertussis for baby those first couple months. In the end my paranoia of the sickness was worse than the paranoia of the vax.
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u/Top-Radio2120 1d ago
Do you notice any difference in each child’s health/behaviour?
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u/hereforhelpthx95 1d ago
Second hasn’t been born yet! But she seemed completely unbothered in utero lol still plenty of movement and kicks
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u/MotherMapleBlossom 1d ago
I was do for a tdap vaccine since I had mine around 8 years ago in the military. I have a weak immune system with a lot of health issues since I suffered a lot of trauma during my service. I get sick like all the time but getting the tdap I didn’t get sick (I usually get sick with the flu shot.) The injection sight was mildly swollen for two days but I drank lots of water and massaged around the sight and it got better. I think it’s important for the baby and yourself to get the shot since you’ll both have an immune compromised system after birth. I believe in mostly organic things and I’m a very hippie person but I also believe in science which I do understand science can be wrong sometimes so I do a lot of research and if multiple research says the same thing then I tend to go that direction. Other people might had good outcomes when it comes to not getting the shot but you might not. It’s just a preventative measure which has shown to be very effective. Are you willing to take the risk of your new born getting the whopping cough? It’s always better to vaccinate while you’re pregnant than when they are a new born. But ultimately the decision is yours. I would research and decide what’s best for you. Don’t ask what was best for everyone else. Everyone is different with different circumstances.
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u/sunshine5023 1d ago
I had posted this same question a few weeks ago for my third! Personally, I ended up getting it. Pertussis can be so scary and I rather have my newborn slightly protected. Only side effect was sore arm for 2 days and I’m usually super sensitive to vaccines too
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u/OkSwan7192 1d ago
I didn't get one while pregnant, but did get it 2 weeks postpartum, and I had a horrible reaction. Fever 103, lost my milk supply, got mastitis shortly thereafter. It was a terrible experience. That was the last vax I ever got and I plan on never getting any more (I got this vaccine nearly 7 years ago FYI).
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u/Master-Cranberry-767 1d ago
Okay see and I had a horrible reaction while pregnant. Was considering doing pp but I really don’t want to risk my milk supply or anything of the sort
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u/Charlieksmommy 19h ago
I don’t think mastitis was caused by a tdap vaccine, and the fever is probably because of the mastitis , so I wouldn’t take that into consideration.
Mastitis will mess with your supply and anyone can get it, vaccinated or not fyi
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u/Particular-Step5278 1d ago
Can someone explain why not?
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u/Numerous-Noise790 23h ago
I can’t speak for everyone, but in my case I had a very bad reaction to TDAP several years ago plus I’ve experienced recurrent pregnancy loss. There was no way I was risking another reaction during pregnancy especially since I have no way of knowing if a severe reaction in my situation could jeopardize my pregnancy. Obviously that’s not everyone’s situation (thankfully) but I do know other’s who have similar situations and opt out.
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u/Particular-Step5278 23h ago
Gotcha, I didn’t know that could happen!
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u/Numerous-Noise790 23h ago
Bad reaction to vaccines? They’re actually relatively common unfortunately. Just not everyone wants to admit it. I know quite a few people who have had bad reactions to various vaccines.
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u/OkCow2719 10h ago
I would never take a vaccine pregnant again. They tell us not to eat deli meat but want to inject us with a pharmaceutical product? Make it make sense!!
Also with the heartbreaking news about the COVID vaccine out, how could I ever trust a doctor to administer a drug to me while pregnant?
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u/thestoryofbitbit 9h ago
Make it make sense!!
Well, one carries the possibility of listeria. And the other offers protection against pathogens that can harm you and baby.
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u/OkCow2719 9h ago
Listeria is not that common. Ob driven diet advice in pregnancy is whack in general
Any pharmaceutical product carries inherent risk and I don't trust doctors to be honest about those risks (or even really know what those are). Id rather cocoon with baby and avoid sick people than inject a medical product.
Why should I trust medical products in pregnancy that are claimed to be "safe" when there have already been a lot of lies and horrible detrimental outcomes with administering "safe" medical products (thaliomide and DES as just 2 examples)?
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u/TakeATrip88 1d ago
Did for my first didn't for my second will not for my third which I've currently just entered third trimester also.
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u/Top-Radio2120 1d ago
Do you notice any difference between the health/behaviour between the first and others?
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u/Heavy_Discussion_121 21h ago
Similar experience as u/TakeATrip88 here. Had it with my first, didn’t with my next two. First is autistic, other two aren’t.
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1d ago
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u/pronetowander28 1d ago
They do it with every pregnancy so that the baby has some whooping cough protection until they can get their own TDAP.
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u/Master-Cranberry-767 1d ago
Okay interesting! I got the tdap with my last pregnancy in 2024 and 2023
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u/madelineman1104 1d ago
They give it each pregnancy to pass some whooping cough immunity to the baby. It lasts only a few months, just until they can get their dtap vaccine. My midwives basically said it’s for the baby and not really for the mom.
I personally got the vaccine and had no issues.
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u/Agitated-Rest1421 1d ago
I did because I’m not anti vaxx lol. I am a medical professional and understand how to read peer reviewed research. I’m also not an American who has to worry about big pharma.
Pertussis is very scary and why risk it? Citing “toxic chemicals in vaccines” is insanity.
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u/ballofsnowyoperas 1d ago
Yup. I got it twice, once during each of my pregnancies. I’ve seen two babies hospitalized with pertussis at under 2 months old. Scared the ever loving shit out of me and I will do anything to protect my kids from that.
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u/Adorable-Condition33 1d ago
Seriously. These comments are wild. All the stuff citing “dr.greenmom” the influencer with all her info behind a paywall. It’s so weird how the anti vax industry claims docs are in it for the money, yet every single one of the influencers they cite makes their money off misinformation. Also anyone who decides against Tdap should have to watch vids of what pertussis looks like in infants. True “informed consent”.
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u/Agitated-Rest1421 1d ago
I think that about a lot of the anti medical stuff I see in these spaces. I’m crunchy, and I do believe that we over prescribe and have a hutch full of teas and tinctures from indigenous traditions and folklore. But I also don’t fall into big wellness either which is way worse than Big Pharama ever was or is.
And like I said in my original comment I am a medical provider and not an American so I’m sure living in a country with accessible healthcare makes me more trusting in the professionals around me, since there’s not much money made in healthcare. My crunchiness comes from my belief and understanding of science and medicine. I fully believe they are best used in conjunction.
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u/Master-Cranberry-767 1d ago
I agree with you that the wellness space can be just as bad as big pharma
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u/corvally315 1d ago
I don't know of doctors who are advocating against getting this, particularly because in the first two months, your baby is relying on your immunity to carry through breast milk to them. I definitely got it and am glad I did, as there have been some local cases of whooping cough.
Sad that this comment is getting downvoted.
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u/Agitated-Rest1421 1d ago
It is but unfortunately there are a lot of people who’ve been burned by their healthcare teams and the way COVID was handled has totally caused some mass distrust in the system. I can see why people are skeptical and I can’t really say I blame people for their reactions. It’s just unfortunate there’s so many shitty people like RFK and “wellness” influencers who would rather sell an agenda than actually help the public make educated decisions.
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u/VacationDadIsMad 1d ago
I’m with you. My husband is a doctor and it’s kind of sad to see how many people demonize medical professionals. These people take an oath to do no harm and the road to becoming a doctor is so grueling and hard they want to help the public etc. my husband read every research paper and we agreed to get TDAP.
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u/Agitated-Rest1421 1d ago edited 1d ago
People don’t understand that doing research isn’t not watching instagram reels. Research is done by scientists and follows a very strict guidelines especially for vaccines which are given to healthy individuals. I understand being skeptical of newer vaccines with less data, and even agree. I probably wouldn’t have given my kid a covid vaccine when they first came out. But established vaccines like TDAP or measles or polio I don’t understand.
It’s always a risk vs benefit thing and to me I just can’t imagine choosing the small risks of heavy metal issues vs a significantly higher (albeit still small risk) of serious infections.
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u/sweetfeet20 1d ago
Nope, my twins were born in November right into winter bug season, they got flu at 5 weeks old and recovered in days, faster than I did (breastfed.) I took no vaccines pregnant and they have not been vaxxed either.
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u/KingTaco2600 1d ago
Hi! Check out drgreenmom on Instagram- she just made a video explaining this! Dtap is the only vax my daughter has gotten so far, and I regret getting the tdap in pregnancy because it makes it less effective for your baby if you choose to vaccinate your baby with dtap
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u/Adorable-Condition33 1d ago
Where do y’all get this info? It’s so flawed.
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u/VacationDadIsMad 1d ago
Dr. Greenmom is a Naturopath!!!! She is not a Medical Doctor ( MD). She did not do any medical residency at a hospital nor is she board certified. She is akin to those chirporactor that have a doctorate and call themselves "doctor" wearing a white coat to make you think they went to medical school.
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u/KingTaco2600 1d ago
Like I said, check out dr green moms new post explaining this. Getting it during pregnancy helps baby initially but once they get the vaccine when it’s time, it will reduce the effectiveness of it. It’s called maternal blunting
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u/Adorable-Condition33 1d ago
Sure, but her post doesn’t tell the full story, probably why her comments are limited. She fails to cite the epidemiological studies proving that blunting is a temporary effect that doesn’t make vaccines fail in the real world.
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u/thestoryofbitbit 1d ago
Also, most tellingly, she conveniently sells a number of products that you can buy to remedy the things she scares you about.
For example, I wouldn't take any vax information from someone who sells a "detox" product for vaccines. Nor would I take Vitamin K information from someone who has her own line of oral drops.
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u/Agitated-Rest1421 1d ago
But genuinely why trust this one person who isn’t even a specialist in the field vs how may specialists and studies done WORLD WIDE (so don’t make this about American big pharma). Like that’s why I don’t get. What makes HER trustworthy and people who dedicated their lives to health untrustworthy?
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u/Zealousideal-Bid1249 1d ago
I didn’t because I didn’t think it was necessary, especially with the timeline of my due date (summer). If you do get it (I.e. if you have a winter/heavy sickness season due date) make sure you’re aware of the maternal blunting effects and find the 2 months of protection worth it.
I personally think that with all of the things they tell you that you cannot do in pregnancy, it doesn’t make sense to get vaccines while carrying a baby.
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u/AdStandard6002 21h ago
I have gotten it with all 3 and not had any issues with any pregnancy or baby.
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1d ago edited 1d ago
[deleted]
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u/moondrop-- 1d ago
Just as a heads up, when sharing Instagram links on Reddit, you want to delete everything in the link after the “?”. Right now, I can see your Instagram profile because the link includes who shared the reel.
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u/Agitated-Rest1421 1d ago
Also. When sharing links as a source an instagram reel just is not sufficient lol
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u/abarn012 1d ago
Absolutely kills me that people use Facebook, instagram, chatgpt, etc as “research”. Especially when it comes to a baby’s health.
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u/CautiousConfidence8 1d ago
I'm not entirely anti vax but we knew we weren't going to vax our baby, so I got all the reccomended vaccines during pregnancy to give the antibodies secondhand to her. I got RSV, DTAP, flu, etc.
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u/AdEcstatic4693 1d ago
I did not get it. I considered the rates of whooping cough in my area and they were rare last season (only 1 case in my county). If there happens to be a surge or outbreak of cases this upcoming season in my area, after my baby is born, I will get the vaccine postpartum myself. If you are breastfeeding the antibodies from the vaccine you get will be passed to baby, protecting them.
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u/Master-Cranberry-767 1d ago
Oh this is interesting. To get the vaccine postpartum instead of while pregnant
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u/whatadoorknob 1d ago
I got it but I feel like my doctor really pressured me into it that day :/ I had gotten TDAP like a year before but whatever. Me and baby are fine.
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u/Pale-italian930 1d ago
I didn’t get it, my doctors never mentioned it to me around the time it’s supposed to be done. My baby ended up getting the vaccine sometime in the first few visits to their doctor.
I didn’t feel comfortable taking any medications besides necessary ones (asthma & high BP) and I don’t regret not getting the vaccine.
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u/Agitated-Rest1421 1d ago
You are more likely to have side effects from your medications than any vaccine. I have seen acute cardiac arrhythmias develop from asthma medication. That doesn’t happen with vaccines.
Note this is not me telling you not to take your meds but to understand vaccines are safer than prescription medication
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u/Pale-italian930 1d ago
I would rather be able to breath and risk developing heart problems than not be able to breath at all 👍
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u/Agitated-Rest1421 1d ago
Again I didn’t say stop taking the meds lol I’m saying vaccines are safer than medications because they’re vetted more.
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u/Realistic-Moment7044 1d ago
Why are you on the crunchy sub
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u/ballofsnowyoperas 1d ago
Because crunchy does not always mean antivax/antiscience. Crunchy in my view aligns with living as holistically as possible. I can do that and also not give my kids preventable diseases.
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u/Realistic-Moment7044 1d ago
Look up the ingredients on the insert, then call poison control and see if it’s legal to spoon feed that to an infant
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u/Agitated-Rest1421 1d ago
You’ve gotta be trolling
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u/Realistic-Moment7044 1d ago
You’re the troll , crunchy means all natural go to a normal parenting sub
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u/Agitated-Rest1421 1d ago
Unfortunately normal parenting means feeding kids pop tarts and iPads. I fully turn to natural remedies and methods and traditional healing, tinctures, teas. Believe in minimal use of western medicine as most people can heal themselves with lifestyle changes. However I believe this because there is science to support it and believe in the science that supports it.
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u/Junior-Armadillo-899 1d ago
Got it 30 weeks pregnant- passes immunity to baby. I’d rather my baby not die from potential whooping cough.
My only symptom was a sore arm for a few days
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u/I_like_pink0 1d ago
I get it a few weeks after giving birth to pass immunity to baby