Abstract. Pertussis, or whooping cough, is a severe infection when affecting young children. Infants in the neonatal period are especially vulnerable, since they have not received vaccination, and have an immature immune system. We report a case of a neonate who was diagnosed with pertussis complicated by multiple episodes of apneas, bradycardia and desaturation events. The infant was critically ill and was admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, but subsequently improved while receiving only conventional respiratory support and was discharged home with an overall good outcome.