A whooping cough is one of the most contagious conditions known to man. It is caused by a bacterium known as bordatella pertussis B. The condition causes extremely severe symptoms by attaching itself to the cells in the respiratory tract that have small, hair like projections called cilia that beat continuously and serve to regularly sweep the respiratory tract clean of such debris as mucous, viruses, bacteria and dad cells. However, since the introduction of a very successful and effective immunization program that most infants undergo nowadays, the condition is rather rare. However, an early vaccination is recommended for every new born as, although breastfeeding will provide the child with protection against the most common of childhood infections, whooping cough is not one of them. The infection is largely transferred through airborne droplets when a person with the infection coughs. Anybody who has not been vaccinated has a high likelihood of contracting the disease. Even simply spending a little time in the same room as some one with the condition puts a person at sever risk of contracting the disease if not properly vaccinated.
While a person who has previously had the condition or has been vaccinated for the condition may contract a mild case of the condition in the future, the immunity will prevent the condition from spiraling into a full blown attack. If a person contracts the condition, there is normally an incubation period of about 5 to 1 days or even longer before the first symptoms will actually start to show. By that time the condition has already created a foothold in the respiratory tracts making it rather hard to get rid of. When the symptoms finally begin to show, they will usually start out with the same symptoms as a mild cough or a cold. About two weeks later the bouts of aggressive coughing will start to set in and the coughing can continue until there is no air left in the lungs. The condition gets its name from the heaving sound that comes when a person takes in a huge amount of air to compensate for the entire amount that was dispelled just a little while previously. Since you mentioned that you were pregnant and were worried that the condition might affect the child, while there is little chance of your child suffering from it if you have been vaccinated, you might want to consult your family doctor for his or her opinion. As a precautionary measure, some doctors feel more secure of they put the patient onto a course of antibiotics.