Yahoo News County Durham mum's plea to pregnant women after three-week-old baby rushed to intensive care
A Chester-le-Street mum has made an emotional plea to pregnant women to make sure they get the whooping cough vaccine - after her weeks-old daughter spent a fortnight in intensive care.
Molly Pickering, 25, gave birth to baby Rosie Robson on February 25. But when she was around three weeks old she started to appear ill, and as she deteriorated, mum Molly rushed her to hospital. Rosie initially went to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Gateshead, before the NECTAR ambulance team transferred her to Sunderland Royal.
Then, when she began to deteriorate, the weeks old tot was blue-lighted to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, and after tests were carried out, doctors confirmed she had whooping cough. For Molly and partner Stephen Robson, this was a terrifying ordeal - and one Molly said had had a significant mental impact, too.
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Rosie spent a fortnight in hospital, including time when she was incredibly poorly in intensive care, though fortunately has now been able to go home and begin her recovery. Molly said that while she remembered being offered the whooping cough vaccine while pregnant, she did not think she was given enough information about how awful the illness can be.
Now, Molly, 25, wants to warn other budding parents and make sure people realise how important getting jabbed is. This comes as the latest national health data shows there has been a real jump in cases this year.
Data published in March by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) showed a persistent increase in cases of the infection - also known as pertussis. There were 553 cases in England in January, compared to 858 for the whole of 2023.
Molly said this was a picture, she was told, familiar to the doctors and nurses who looked after Rosie. She told ChronicleLive: "If I'm totally honest when I was pregnant I knew there was a whooping cough vaccine but wasn't educated about why it was important - and I never got it. If I had got it I could have prevented her becoming poorly.
"She was really bad - and i just don't think there's enough education out there about it during pregnancy - pregnant woman aren't told how bad it can be.
"At the hospital, the woman who was looking after Rosie said they had seen nothing like this [the number of Whooping Cough cases], She said it was wild how many babies were coming in with it. feel like you now we are really well-educated about getting the Covid vaccine but it's easy to forget about other viruses."
Molly said that, as a new mum, she had initially blamed herself, but felt that the key was to make sure more new parents get all the information they need about whooping cough, and know to get the vaccine that she didn't. The hospitals have been amazing.
Earlier this year, the UKHSA said the following: "We know that cases of whooping cough rise cyclically every few years, with the last peak year, 2016, recording 5,949 cases. The current increase is coming at a time when there has been a steady decline in uptake of the vaccine in pregnant women and in children.
"In response to increasing case numbers, the UKHSA is reminding mums-to-be to get protected against whooping cough so that their young baby has protection from birth against this serious disease and to ask their midwife if they are unsure. UKHSA is also urging parents to check that their children are vaccinated against whooping cough, which is offered to all infants at 8, 12 and 16 weeks of age (as part of the 6-in-1 combination vaccine) with an additional dose included in the pre-school booster vaccine."
Those under the age of three months who catch whooping cough are at greater risk of severe disease, including death, the UKHSA, and the agency said it "strongly encouraged" expecting mothers to get the vaccine when they are offered it - it is a 97% effective way at protecting infants from death due to the illness.
Steve Russell, National Director for Vaccinations and Screening at NHS England, said: "With whooping cough on the rise, it is important that families come forward to get the protection they need.
"If you are pregnant and have not been vaccinated yet, or your child is not up-to-date with whooping cough or other routine vaccinations, please contact your GP as soon as possible, and if you or your child have symptoms ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111."
