Pertussis... What are people's experience? How can it be diagnosed early?! My daughter just started to cough and I'm terrified its pertussis. I have a cough and so does our nephew. He doesn't cough a lot but when he does it's a major cough. And when I cough sometimes I have to catch my breath to cough more. I have had two Tdap shots in the past 6 months- a mixed up in my immunization records made me have to get it twice. Once when I was pregnant and then again a couple months ago. Today my daughter woke up with a couch she only coughs a small on me and only a couple times today