A mother is urging other parents to vaccinate their children against whooping cough to protect other kids, like her 10-week-old daughter.
Annie Mae Braiden, from Canada, shared ten photos of her daughter Isabelle, who has spent the past four weeks in hospital with whooping cough.
The mum said she wants parents to understand that by vaccinating your children, you're protecting other kids too.
"I think people need to see what not vaccinating their kids do to the other kids, like my 10-week-old daughter," Braiden wrote on the Facebook alongside the heartbreaking images.
"Isabelle has been in the ICU since she was six weeks old (now 10 weeks) with whooping cough," Braiden explained.
"She was on a ventilator for three weeks and CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) for three days and we're still facing another two months in the hospital."
The mum explained her daughter will have to learn how to eat all over again because she's going through withdrawal from the morphine she was on.
"Do you know how hard it is to watch your 10-week-old go through withdrawals?" Braiden wrote.
"We were hours away from losing her, the nurse picked her up and ran her down the hall to the ICU to get her ventilated because we were losing her.
"What you do with your kids is your choice but do not tell me that not vaccinating your kids isn't hurting anyone but your own kids, Isabelle is proof that it harms the other little babies who aren't old enough to get their vaccines yet.
"My son is vaccinated to protect himself and the other kids he's around. It never crossed my mind to not vaccinate, I want to protect my children and other children.
"Please vaccinate your kids, it's not fair that my little girl is in the PICU coughing and not being able to breathe from a disease that shouldn't be around in this day an age."
The mother asked people to share the post so others can see what happens when their child isn't vaccinated.
In England, there are three routine vaccinations that can protect babies and children from whooping cough, as stated by the NHS:
- The whooping cough vaccine in pregnancy – this protects babies during the first few weeks of life.
- The 5-in-1 vaccine – offered to babies at eight, 12 and 16 weeks of age.
- The 4-in-1 pre-school booster – offered to children by the time they reach three years and four months.
The Facebook post, uploaded on 17 June, was shared nearly 29,000 times in six days.
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