A mother who refused to be vaccinated against whooping cough has changed her firm stance after she contracted and passed the serious disease onto her newborn baby.

First-time mother Cormit Avital has explained the agonising experience of watching her new daughter Eva suffer with pertussis in a video posted online.

"If I could turn back time I would protect myself," the young mother said.

"It's been a nightmare."

Ms Avital, who owns a health beverage company, rejected the whooping cough vaccine she was offered in week 28 of her pregnancy believing she "didn't need this crap".

She described herself as a very healthy, organic and fit woman who had no complications during her pregnancy and no deficiencies.

"[But] even me, the bulletproof lady who has never been to a doctor, travelled the world and felt healthy got whooping cough," she said.

After giving birth, Ms Avital who had been coughing for a couple of days was told she had whooping cough which she had passed on to Eva.

Whooping cough symptoms: Usually begins like a cold with a blocked or runny nose, tiredness, mild fever and a cough.

Usually begins like a cold with a blocked or runny nose, tiredness, mild fever and a cough. Cough gets worse and severe bouts of uncontrollable coughing can develop.

Cough gets worse and severe bouts of uncontrollable coughing can develop. Coughing bouts can be followed by vomiting, choking or taking a big gasping breath which causes a "whooping" sound.

Coughing bouts can be followed by vomiting, choking or taking a big gasping breath which causes a "whooping" sound. The cough can last for many weeks and can be worse at night.

The cough can last for many weeks and can be worse at night. Some newborns may not cough at all but they can stop breathing and turn blue.

Some newborns may not cough at all but they can stop breathing and turn blue. Some babies have difficulties feeding and can choke or gag.

Some babies have difficulties feeding and can choke or gag. Older children and adults may just have a cough that lasts for many weeks. They may not have the whoop. Source: WA Department of Health

She said the first few days Eva only had a slight cough and thought "what's everyone on about?" but within two weeks Eva's cough became "pretty scary", similar to "horror movie coughing".

"[She was] coughing to the point of going blue, flopping in my hands, couldn't breathe, rushing [her] to hospital," Ms Avital said.

Eva had to be taken to the hospital several times, once after suffering apnoea which caused her to stop breathing for three minutes.

The newborn is now in intensive care and entering her fourth week of the disease.

"It's just so hard to watch this tiny little thing ... go from red to blue, sometime they go a bit black, and for a moment you think they are dead in your hands, they flop."

"It's a lot of suffering for a tiny little thing you love so much."

Ms Avital said now all she could do was be with her daughter and "watch her go blue, give her oxygen, watch her cry and watch her having a hard time eating".

Spike in whooping cough 'quite disturbing'

A Queensland Health spokeswoman said the message behind Ms Avital's video was incredibly important and the amount of attention it had received online was pleasing.

"Whooping cough is a terrible disease, especially for children," she said.

"Women can get a booster vaccine in their third trimester which offers protection for babies."

From 2014-2015, cases of whooping cough surged to 6,670 after 3,988 presentations the previous year, according to the Commonwealth's Report on Government Services released in February.

Gold Coast Health's public health medical officer Dr Paul Van Buynder told 91.7 ABC Gold Coast in February the resurgence of whooping cough across south-east Queensland was "quite disturbing".

"Every pregnant woman in every pregnancy needs to have another pertussis vaccine," he said.

"That means she will give antibodies across the placenta to her baby when it's being developed so they will be safe in their first six months which is when they [can] die.

"This is a critical part of your pregnancy to make sure you protect the baby."