Whooping Cough in Babies: Breathing Pauses, Color Changes and Other Reasons for Urgent Care

The cough itself was almost nothing. A dry tickle, three or four times a day, the kind a parent half notices while packing the diaper bag. What made one mother sit bolt upright at 2 a.m. was the silence: her six-week-old had gone quiet mid-cough, mouth open, chest still, and his lips had taken on the color of a bruise. Ten seconds later he gasped and cried. She did not wait for morning.

That instinct was right. In the youngest babies, whooping cough infant warning signs rarely look like the textbook. There is often no whoop at all, sometimes barely a cough. Instead the illness announces itself through pauses in breathing, changes in color and a baby who cannot manage a feed without choking.

This explainer walks through what pertussis actually does to a small airway, which signs are worrying and which are emergencies, what gets mistaken for it, and what happens once a family arrives at the clinic or emergency department. Every decision about testing, admission and medicine belongs to the team caring for your baby; the aim here is to help you recognize the moment to call them.

Why whooping cough hits babies so much harder than older children

Pertussis is a bacterial infection of the airways caused by Bordetella pertussis. The bacteria attach to the tiny hair-like cells that sweep mucus out of the windpipe and release toxins that paralyze those cells and inflame the lining. Mucus thickens and pools. The cough that follows is the body’s only remaining way to clear it, which is why the fits are so violent and so prolonged.

An older child or adult has a wide airway and strong chest muscles; the fit is miserable but survivable. A baby’s airway is roughly the width of a drinking straw. The same swelling and mucus that narrows an adult’s windpipe by a fraction can nearly close an infant’s. Babies also have immature breathing control in the brainstem, the part of the brain that automatically triggers each breath, so the toxin’s effect on that reflex can show up as apnea, a pause in breathing, rather than as coughing.

The numbers reflect that vulnerability. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about one in three babies under one year who get whooping cough needs hospital care, and among those hospitalized, roughly two in three experience apnea and about one in five develop pneumonia. The CDC also reports that about one in a hundred hospitalized infants dies, most often from pneumonia or from the strain the illness puts on the heart and lungs.

Timing matters because of vaccination. Infants cannot start their own pertussis vaccine series until two months of age, and protection builds across several visits. The window between birth and that first visit is exactly when the illness is most dangerous and the warning signs are least obvious, which is the whole reason this article exists.

What are the 3 stages of pertussis? The whooping cough stages in a baby

Clinicians describe pertussis in three stages, and knowing them helps explain why a baby who seemed to have a mild cold can be in trouble two weeks later. The incubation period, the gap between catching the bacteria and the first symptom, is usually 5 to 10 days but can stretch to 21, per the CDC.

Stage one, the catarrhal stage, lasts about one to two weeks. Catarrhal simply means cold-like: a runny nose, a mild occasional cough, perhaps a low fever. Nothing about it says pertussis, and this is the stage when the baby is most contagious and antibiotics have the best chance of shortening the course. It is also the stage most often missed.

Stage two, the paroxysmal stage, is when the characteristic fits begin. A paroxysm is a rapid burst of coughs on a single breath, often followed by a gasping inhale. The CDC notes this stage typically lasts one to six weeks but can continue for ten. In babies, the fits may be replaced or accompanied by apnea, gagging, turning red or blue, and vomiting after coughing. Fits are usually worse at night.

Stage three, the convalescent stage, is gradual recovery that stretches over weeks to months. The fits become less frequent and less severe, though any new respiratory virus during this period can bring them roaring back. The NHS points out that the cough can persist long after the baby is no longer contagious.

The practical lesson: a baby under six months with a cold that is not getting better by day ten, especially one who has started coughing in bursts or pausing in breathing, deserves a same-day assessment, not a wait-and-see week.

Breathing pauses: the whooping cough infant warning sign that comes without a cough

Apnea means a pause in breathing. In the context of pertussis, it usually refers to a stop lasting longer than about 15 to 20 seconds, or any pause accompanied by a color change or limpness. The CDC lists apnea as the single most common complication in hospitalized infants, affecting about two in three of them, and in babies under three months it can be the only symptom.

What does it look like at home? Sometimes a baby coughs, then simply does not take the next breath. Sometimes there is no cough at all: the baby is lying quietly, then the chest stops moving, the face turns dusky, and after an unnervingly long moment there is a gasp, a cry, or a sudden sleepy limpness. Parents frequently describe it as the baby “forgetting” to breathe.

There are two mechanisms. The first is mechanical: thick mucus and swelling can briefly block the small airway during or after a fit. The second involves the pertussis toxin’s effect on the brainstem, the automatic breathing center, which can switch off the drive to breathe even without coughing. Young infants, especially those born early, are more susceptible to this second kind.

What to do is not subtle. Any breathing pause with a color change or floppiness is an emergency: call your local emergency number. If the pause resolves and the baby pinks up and seems fine, it still needs a same-day urgent assessment, because pauses tend to repeat and often lengthen as the illness progresses.

In hospital, a baby with suspected pertussis is usually placed on a monitor that tracks breathing, heart rate and oxygen so that pauses are seen in real time rather than remembered afterward. That monitoring is a large part of why admission is so common at this age.

Color changes in the lips and face: what blue, gray or red means

Parents of babies with pertussis talk about color more than sound. Three shades come up, and they mean different things.

Red or purple during a fit is the face flushing as the baby strains against a closed airway. It is distressing but, on its own, reflects effort rather than oxygen loss. Watch what happens next: a baby who coughs red, then gasps, cries and settles is working hard but still ventilating.

Blue or gray on the lips, tongue or around the mouth is cyanosis, the visible sign that blood is not carrying enough oxygen. It is listed by the CDC, the NHS and Mayo Clinic as a sign requiring emergency care. In darker skin tones the blue tint may be easiest to see on the lips, gums, tongue, nail beds or the inside of the lower eyelid rather than on the cheeks.

Pale, gray or mottled skin between fits, especially with a limp, unusually quiet baby, suggests the body is struggling more broadly and is also an emergency sign.

One nuance that catches families out: a brief dusky tinge during a long fit that resolves within seconds as soon as the baby draws breath is a warning sign, while blue color that persists after the fit ends, or appears without any coughing, is a stop-everything sign. Both should be reported, but the second means calling emergency services rather than driving.

Small bursts of bleeding can also appear: red spots in the whites of the eyes or tiny pinpoint dots on the face after hard coughing. These come from burst capillaries during the pressure of a fit. They usually heal on their own, but they confirm how forceful the fits are and are worth showing the care team.

Why the whooping cough sound is often missing in infants, and what to listen for instead

The whoop is the sound of air rushing back in through a narrowed voice box after a long run of coughs. It needs two things: enough breath-holding capacity to produce a long paroxysm, and enough strength to pull air in sharply afterward. Young infants often have neither. The CDC states plainly that many babies with whooping cough do not cough at all, and the NHS notes that young babies may not make the whoop.

So what is the baby whooping cough sound when it is not a whoop? Families describe:

• A string of short, staccato coughs on one breath, like machine-gun fire, with no inhale between them.
• A gag or retch at the end, often with vomiting of milk or clear mucus.
• Silence. A fit that trails off into no breathing at all, then a gasp.
• A grunt or squeak on breathing in, which can be a subdued version of the whoop.

Between fits the baby may look perfectly well, which can be reassuring to the point of misleading. Pertussis is unusual among infant chest infections in that the lungs often sound clear to a stethoscope and there is little or no fever. A doctor listening between fits may hear nothing wrong. That is why describing the fits in detail matters so much, and why a phone video of an episode, filmed once the baby is safe and breathing, is genuinely useful to the team.

If you do hear a true whoop in a baby, treat it as a strong sign. But its absence tells you nothing about severity. Breathing pauses, color changes and feeding difficulty carry far more weight than any sound.

Whooping cough infant warning signs at a glance: worrying versus emergency

Parents in the middle of a fit need a short answer, not a lecture. The table below separates signs that mean “call the doctor today” from signs that mean “call emergency services now,” drawing on the red flags listed by the CDC, NHS and Mayo Clinic. It is a prompt for action, not a tool for diagnosis; only the care team can confirm pertussis.

What you notice	Same-day urgent assessment	Emergency call now
Breathing	Fast breathing between fits; brief pause that resolved on its own	Any pause with color change or limpness; pause longer than about 15–20 seconds; struggling to breathe
Color	Red or purple face during fits that pinks up afterward	Blue, gray or dusky lips, tongue or face; pale or mottled skin between fits
Cough pattern	Bursts of coughing on one breath; cough getting worse after a week of cold symptoms	Fits ending in vomiting plus exhaustion, floppiness or unresponsiveness
Feeding	Coughing or gagging during feeds; taking less than usual	Refusing feeds entirely; fewer wet diapers, dry mouth, sunken soft spot
Behavior	More irritable or sleepier than usual between fits	Very hard to wake, limp, or inconsolable high-pitched crying
Other	Red spots in the whites of the eyes after coughing; low fever	Seizure or jerking; fever in a baby under three months

Two habits make this table more useful. First, write down the time and length of each fit and each pause; patterns over a day tell the team more than a single episode. Second, if the baby is under three months, lean toward the right-hand column. The CDC’s hospitalization figures make clear that this age group has the least reserve and the shortest path from “worrying” to “critical.”

What gets mistaken for whooping cough? And what whooping cough gets mistaken for

Misidentification runs in both directions, and both can cost time.

Illnesses mistaken for pertussis include bronchiolitis, a viral infection of the smallest airways that peaks in winter and causes wheeze, fast breathing and feeding trouble in babies; croup, which produces a barking cough and a harsh noise on breathing in; ordinary viral colds with a lingering cough; and reflux, where milk coming back up triggers coughing and gagging after feeds. Choking on a feed can also look briefly like a paroxysm. A clinician separates these by the pattern of the cough, the presence or absence of wheeze and fever, how the baby looks between episodes, and, when needed, a laboratory test.

Pertussis mistaken for something milder is the more dangerous error. In the first week or two it is indistinguishable from a cold. The NHS notes it may be mistaken for a common cold or chest infection early on. Because the lungs often sound clear and fever is mild or absent, a baby can be sent home with reassurance just before the paroxysmal stage begins. Apnea without a cough may be attributed to reflux or to normal periodic breathing, the short, regular pauses healthy newborns make during sleep that last a few seconds and never involve a color change.

Three clues shift the odds toward pertussis: a cough that is getting worse rather than better after a week, any coughing in bursts or any pause with color change, and a known exposure, most often an adult or older sibling in the household with a prolonged cough. Mention that exposure explicitly. Adults with pertussis often think they have bronchitis, and their cough is the usual source of infection for a newborn.

What are the odds of a baby getting whooping cough, and who is most at risk?

There is no single number that applies to every baby, because risk depends on age, the mother’s vaccination during pregnancy, household exposure and how much pertussis is circulating locally in a given year. What the evidence does show is consistent. The CDC reports that infants under one year have the highest rate of reported pertussis of any age group and account for the majority of deaths, and that most infant deaths occur in babies too young to have completed their own vaccinations.

Within that first year, the highest-risk group is babies under about three months, before the infant series has had time to build protection. Premature babies, babies with heart or lung conditions, and babies in households with unvaccinated or long-coughing adults sit higher still. The WHO describes pertussis as endemic worldwide, meaning it never disappears, with periodic peaks every few years even in well-vaccinated populations.

The intervention with the strongest evidence is vaccination of the mother during pregnancy. Antibodies cross the placenta and give the newborn passive protection until the infant’s own vaccine visits begin. The CDC recommends this in every pregnancy, in the early part of the third trimester, specifically between 27 and 36 weeks; the NHS program offers it from 16 weeks, ideally before 32. The NHS describes the vaccine as highly effective at protecting babies in the first weeks of life. Protection is temporary, which is why it is repeated for each pregnancy.

The second layer is sometimes called cocooning: ensuring that the adults and children who will be around the newborn are up to date on their own pertussis vaccination, so the bacteria have fewer routes into the home. Discuss both strategies with your prenatal and pediatric clinicians; they will tailor the timing to your circumstances.

Who is usually admitted to hospital, and who is usually watched at home

Families often ask whether a trip to the emergency department will automatically mean an admission. The honest answer is that it depends on age and on what the team sees, but the pattern is fairly predictable.

Babies usually admitted are those under about three months with suspected or confirmed pertussis, because the CDC’s data show this group has the highest rates of apnea, pneumonia and death, and because the pauses in breathing can only be caught reliably on a monitor. Any baby of any age with observed apnea, cyanosis, oxygen levels below the team’s threshold, a fit that required stimulation to restart breathing, poor feeding with signs of dehydration, or signs of pneumonia on examination or imaging is also typically kept in. Premature babies and those with heart or lung conditions are usually admitted at a lower threshold.

Babies sometimes watched at home are older infants, typically those who have had their early vaccine visits, who are feeding well, have had no breathing pauses or color changes, are coughing in fits but recovering fully between them, and whose caregivers can observe closely and return quickly. Even then, the team will usually arrange a review within a day or two and give explicit return instructions.

“Asked to wait” rarely applies to the baby; it applies to a few next steps. Antibiotics may be started before test results return if suspicion is high, because the laboratory result can take days and the medicine works best early. Siblings and adults in the household are commonly offered preventive antibiotics as well. Decisions about who stays, who goes home and who takes medicine rest with the treating team, and they are shaped by the baby’s age more than by any single symptom.

What happens at the clinic or emergency department when pertussis is suspected

Knowing the pathway takes some of the fear out of the visit.

Triage and monitoring. A nurse checks breathing rate, heart rate, temperature and oxygen saturation, measured with a small sensor on the foot or hand. If the baby has had pauses or color changes, monitoring usually continues throughout the visit.

History. Expect detailed questions: when the cold symptoms started, what a fit looks like, whether the baby vomits after coughing, how feeding is going, how many wet diapers, whether the mother was vaccinated in pregnancy, and whether anyone at home has had a cough lasting more than two weeks. This is where a written log and a video help.

Testing. The standard test is a swab from the back of the nose, sent for PCR, a laboratory method that detects the bacteria’s genetic material. Results typically take one to several days depending on the laboratory. A culture may also be sent. Blood tests and a chest X-ray are added if pneumonia or dehydration is a concern. The clinic does not usually wait for the result before acting if suspicion is high.

Treatment. Pertussis is treated with antibiotics, most often from the macrolide class. Mechanistically they clear the bacteria from the airway and stop the baby being contagious; according to the NHS, a child is no longer infectious 48 hours after starting treatment. What antibiotics do less well is reverse the toxin damage already done, so if started after the paroxysmal stage is established, they shorten contagiousness more than they shorten the cough. The choice, timing and course belong to the prescribing clinician.

Supportive care in hospital centers on keeping the airway clear with gentle suction, giving oxygen if levels drop, feeding small amounts frequently or by tube if needed, and watching for apnea. A minority of babies need breathing support in intensive care.

Are breastfed babies less likely to get pertussis? What the evidence actually shows

This is one of the most common questions new parents ask, and the honest answer is more nuanced than either camp would like.

Breast milk does carry antibodies, mainly a type called secretory IgA, which coats the lining of the gut and, to a lesser extent, the throat. Breastfeeding is associated with fewer respiratory and gut infections overall, and major public health bodies including the WHO and CDC recommend it for that broad protective effect. It is reasonable to think of it as one layer of general immune support.

Specific protection against pertussis is a different claim, and the evidence for it is weak. The antibodies that matter most for a newborn facing pertussis are the IgG antibodies transferred across the placenta before birth, and those depend heavily on whether the mother was vaccinated during pregnancy. That is why the CDC and NHS guidance on protecting newborns focuses on maternal vaccination rather than on infant feeding method. Breast milk antibodies against pertussis are present after maternal vaccination, but studies have not shown that they prevent infection on their own, and no major guideline presents breastfeeding as a substitute for vaccination.

Two practical conclusions follow. First, breastfeeding is not a reason to relax about exposure; a breastfed newborn in a house with a coughing adult is still at high risk. Second, if your baby does develop pertussis, breastfeeding often becomes the easiest way to keep fluids and calories going during the illness, because it can be offered in small, frequent amounts and the comfort of nursing may help the baby settle after a fit. Many families find that feeding right after a fit, when the airway is clearest, works better than feeding right before one.

What the following weeks usually look like after a pertussis diagnosis

The arc of recovery is long, and knowing that in advance prevents a second wave of panic around week four.

The first few days after antibiotics start are about contagiousness and monitoring, not improvement. The NHS notes the baby stops being infectious 48 hours after starting treatment, which is when siblings can usually return to school or child care if they too have been treated. The cough itself is unlikely to change much in that window, because the toxin damage is already done.

Weeks two to six of the paroxysmal stage are typically the hardest. The CDC notes fits usually continue for one to six weeks and can last ten. In hospital, the question each day is whether pauses and oxygen dips have stopped, whether the baby is feeding enough, and whether weight is holding. At home, the job is to log fits, keep feeds small and frequent, keep the air free of smoke, and watch for the red flags listed later.

The convalescent stage stretches over weeks to months. Fits thin out. Then a cold arrives, and the fits come back for a week, not because pertussis has returned but because the healing airway is still hypersensitive. This is expected, not a relapse, though a baby who develops breathing pauses or color changes again should be reassessed.

Follow-up usually includes a weight check, a review of feeding, and a discussion of the infant vaccine schedule. A baby who has had pertussis still completes the routine series, because natural infection does not give reliable long-term immunity; your pediatric team will set the timing.

Parents often describe the strangest part as the ordinariness between fits. The baby smiles, feeds, naps. Then the next fit arrives. That rhythm is pertussis, and it does end.

What people often get wrong about whooping cough in babies

“No whoop, no whooping cough.” The most dangerous misconception. The CDC and NHS both state that young babies often do not whoop and may not even cough. Apnea and color change are the signs to act on.

“The lungs sound clear, so it must be viral.” Pertussis typically produces a normal chest examination between fits and little or no fever. A clear chest is not reassurance when the history includes fits or pauses.

“Antibiotics will stop the cough.” They clear the bacteria and end contagiousness, which protects everyone else in the house. They do little for the cough once the paroxysmal stage is established, because the damage is toxin-driven. Expect weeks of coughing after a completed course; that is not treatment failure.

“Cough medicines will help.” Over-the-counter cough and cold products are not recommended for young children and have no demonstrated benefit in pertussis; the NHS and Mayo Clinic both advise against them for babies. Ask the care team before giving anything.

“My baby was vaccinated at two months, so we are covered.” One early visit gives partial protection. Full protection builds across the series, and no vaccine is 100 percent effective, which is why exposure to a coughing adult still warrants a call.

“Only unvaccinated families get it.” Protection from both infection and vaccination wanes over years. Adolescents and adults with faded immunity are the usual source for newborns, often without knowing they have pertussis. That is the logic behind maternal vaccination in every pregnancy.

“Once they have had it, they are immune for life.” Immunity after natural infection fades too, so the routine vaccine series is still completed.

Questions to ask your care team

Visits are short and fits are frightening; a written list helps. These questions are drawn from what families most often wish they had asked.

• Based on my baby’s age and what you have seen, do you think this is pertussis, and which test are you sending?
• Will you start antibiotics before the result comes back, and what are they expected to change: the cough, the contagiousness, or both?
• Does my baby need to stay in for monitoring? What would make you admit, and what would make you comfortable sending us home?
• If we go home, exactly which signs mean call the clinic, and which mean call emergency services?
• How long should I expect the fits to last, and what pattern would worry you?
• How should I feed my baby around the fits, and what signs of dehydration should I watch for?
• Should the rest of the household be tested or offered preventive antibiotics, and when can siblings return to school or child care?
• Is there anything I should avoid giving my baby, including cough or cold products?
• Does having pertussis change the timing of the routine vaccine schedule?
• Who do I contact after hours, and when is our follow-up appointment?

Two things make the conversation more productive. Bring the log of fits and pauses with times and durations, and bring a video of a fit if you were able to film one safely after the baby was breathing again. Clinicians can read a great deal from thirty seconds of footage that is hard to convey in words.

Finally, ask the team to repeat the return instructions back to you in plain language, and write them down before you leave. Sleep-deprived memory is unreliable, and the instruction you will need is the one you will need at 3 a.m.

When to call your doctor: red flags for a baby with a cough

This is the section to keep. The lists below are consistent with the emergency signs published by the CDC, the NHS and Mayo Clinic.

Call your local emergency number immediately if your baby:

• Stops breathing for any noticeable pause, especially with a color change or limpness.
• Turns blue, gray or dusky on the lips, tongue or face, or looks pale and mottled between fits.
• Is struggling to breathe, with the skin pulling in between the ribs or under the ribcage, or grunting with each breath.
• Has a fit that ends in floppiness, unresponsiveness or extreme difficulty waking.
• Has a seizure or jerking movements.
• Is under three months old and has a fever.

Contact your doctor the same day if your baby:

• Has a cold that is not improving after a week, or a cough that is getting worse rather than better.
• Has started coughing in bursts, gagging, or vomiting after coughing.
• Is feeding less than usual, coughing during feeds, or producing fewer wet diapers.
• Is more sleepy or more irritable than normal between fits.
• Has been in contact with anyone who has pertussis or a cough lasting more than two weeks, even if the baby seems well.
• Has red spots in the whites of the eyes or small pinpoint dots on the face after coughing.

If you are unsure which list applies, choose the more urgent one. Clinicians who care for infants would far rather assess a baby who turns out to have a cold than hear about a pause that went unreported. Whatever the outcome of the call, the decisions about testing, admission, medicine and follow-up remain with the team looking after your baby; your job is to notice, record and reach them quickly.

Frequently asked questions

What are the whooping cough infant warning signs that mean I should go to the emergency department?

Any pause in breathing, any blue or gray color on the lips or face, a fit that ends in limpness or unresponsiveness, visible struggling to breathe, a seizure, or fever in a baby under three months. Call emergency services rather than driving if your baby has stopped breathing or turned blue. Milder signs such as a worsening cough or reduced feeding warrant a same-day call to your doctor.

What are the 3 stages of pertussis?

The catarrhal stage, one to two weeks of cold-like symptoms when the baby is most contagious; the paroxysmal stage, one to six weeks of coughing fits, apnea and vomiting that can extend to ten weeks; and the convalescent stage, a gradual recovery over weeks to months during which new colds can briefly bring fits back. These ranges come from CDC guidance and vary between babies.

What gets mistaken for whooping cough?

Bronchiolitis, croup, ordinary colds with a lingering cough, reflux-related gagging and choking on feeds can all resemble pertussis. The reverse error matters more: early pertussis looks exactly like a cold, and apnea without coughing can be mistaken for reflux or normal newborn periodic breathing. A worsening cough after a week, fits, pauses or a coughing household contact should prompt testing.

What are the odds of a baby getting whooping cough?

No single figure applies to every baby, because risk depends on age, maternal vaccination in pregnancy, household exposure and local circulation. The CDC reports that infants under one year have the highest rate of reported pertussis of any age group, with the greatest danger in babies under three months who have not yet started their own vaccine series. Maternal vaccination substantially lowers that risk.

Are breastfed babies less likely to get pertussis?

Not reliably. Breast milk supports general immunity and is associated with fewer infections overall, but the antibodies that protect a newborn against pertussis are mainly those passed across the placenta after vaccination in pregnancy. No major guideline presents breastfeeding as pertussis protection or as a substitute for vaccination. Breastfeeding does remain a useful way to keep a sick baby hydrated in small, frequent feeds.

What does the baby whooping cough sound like if there is no whoop?

Usually a rapid run of short coughs on a single breath, with no inhale between them, often ending in a gag, retch or vomiting. Some babies make a squeak or grunt on breathing in, and some make no sound at all because the fit becomes a breathing pause. Between fits the baby may look completely well, which is why the pattern matters more than the noise.

How contagious is whooping cough, and when can my other children go back to school?

Very contagious; it spreads through droplets from coughing and sneezing, and untreated people remain infectious for about three weeks after the coughing fits begin. According to the NHS, a person stops being contagious 48 hours after starting antibiotics. Your care team will advise on preventive treatment for household members and on when siblings can return to school or child care.

What are the main pertussis symptoms in babies compared with older children?

Older children typically show the classic pattern of coughing fits followed by a whoop and vomiting. Babies more often show apnea, blue or gray color changes, gagging during feeds, and exhaustion after fits, sometimes with little or no cough. Fever is usually mild or absent at any age, and the chest often sounds clear between fits, so the history of episodes is what guides the diagnosis.

Will antibiotics stop my baby's cough?

Usually not directly. Antibiotics clear the bacteria and end contagiousness within about two days, which protects the rest of the household, and they can shorten the illness if started during the early cold-like stage. Once the coughing fits are established, the cough is driven by toxin damage that has already happened, so weeks of coughing after a completed course is expected, not a sign of failure.

Does a baby who has had whooping cough still need the vaccine?

Yes, in standard guidance. Immunity after natural pertussis infection fades over time and is not considered reliable enough to replace the routine series, so babies who have recovered still complete their scheduled vaccinations. Your pediatric team will decide the timing around the illness and recovery. Parents and household contacts are also usually advised to check whether their own pertussis protection is up to date.

References

• CDC: Whooping Cough (Pertussis) Signs and Symptoms
• NHS: Whooping cough
• MedlinePlus: Whooping Cough
• NHS: Whooping cough vaccination in pregnancy

This article is for general information only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult a qualified doctor about your individual situation.