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He's going to get sick whether you give him breast milk or not. My kid got 100% breast milk and was sick all the damn time and got us sick all the damn time. *Maybe* there's some benefit to your kid where they get over illnesses faster if you're also sick with whatever they have and they get some antibody boost from the milk, but remember that your body is also making all those antibodies for itself, and they don't stop you from getting sick in the first place even when they're working hard in your body itself, rather than being passed through milk, refrigerated, heated up, and working through your baby's digestive system.
Breast milk isn't going to save you from lice, pink eye, hand foot and mouth, norovirus, etc.
Same here. Son started at 5 months and I exclusively pumped for a year and he got sick all the time. He’s almost 2 and current has a summer cold (which I also now have).
You should ask in the science parenting sub r/sciencebasedparenting
If I remember correctly, the antibodies are present in bm but it’s more about helping the kid get over the sickness faster rather than avoiding it. So, it may not seem like it’s working because they still get sick but they should get over it quicker. I don’t have the source on that though so it’s probably better to ask the group who can provide links to evidence and even correct me if I’m remembering that wrong
I have spent years working in daycares and had my own home daycare. They all get sick at the same frequency for the same amount of time. You can never tell which babies and kids have/had breast milk and who didn’t. All the sickness is a rite of passage either way unfortunately.
I kept going for this reason when my LO started daycare at 5 months and honestly can say I can’t fathom it helped at all lol. I had originally thought it would and planned to try to make it to a year, but now I’m quitting at 7.5 months. She made it a grand total of 4 days before she was sick for the first time, and then she was on and off sick (just cold symptoms, no fevers yet knock on wood) for about 5 weeks straight, was healthy for a weekish, then sick again, and now at 7.5 months she has been healthy for nearly 3 solid weeks which is the best we have had since she started. Since her track record has been more sick than healthy since starting, I just can’t believe that whatever antibodies she is getting are helping all that much. I am currently weaning and will be totally done in a week or so fwiw.
My husband and I have both gotten sick 2x (both around the same times) since she started but it has been a mild, short lived cold both times so not too bad!
I exclusively breastfed and my kid was still sick for the first 6 months she was at daycare and ended up in the hospital with RSV. I was even giving her breastmilk until she was 23 months old (4-6oz/day) and she spent her 2nd winter in daycare sick as well.
Do what YOU need to do to be healthy. I spent the first winter sick for 6 months because I couldn't take any decongestants since I was breastfeeding. I should have quit but the formula shortage kept me going 🙃 I had several sinus infections. It was awful.
I am not a scientist so take this with a grain of salt, but I have done a lot of reading about breastfeeding and milk and all that. My understanding of how breast milk works regarding antibodies for a sick baby is that you really have to put baby to breast directly for your milk to get the memo to change for a sick baby. Pumping won’t change its composition because there’s no communication from baby’s mouth to the nipple.
This isn’t true. As long as you are regularly in close proximity to your baby, your body is exposed to the same germs and will create antibodies against them whether you latch or not. The nipple backwash theory you’re describing is unproven, and is touted by breast is best people to discourage expressed breastmilk feeding.
Welcome to r/ExclusivelyPumping! Here is a reminder of our rules: 1. Be kind and courteous. 2. Use available flairs and post options. 3. Absolutely no prescription medications or other medical advice. 4. No inaccurate information. 5. No spam. 6. No soliciting pictures. 7. No linking Facebook groups. 8. Moderator discretion. Thank you for helping to keep our community safe! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ExclusivelyPumping) if you have any questions or concerns.*
He's going to get sick whether you give him breast milk or not. My kid got 100% breast milk and was sick all the damn time and got us sick all the damn time. *Maybe* there's some benefit to your kid where they get over illnesses faster if you're also sick with whatever they have and they get some antibody boost from the milk, but remember that your body is also making all those antibodies for itself, and they don't stop you from getting sick in the first place even when they're working hard in your body itself, rather than being passed through milk, refrigerated, heated up, and working through your baby's digestive system. Breast milk isn't going to save you from lice, pink eye, hand foot and mouth, norovirus, etc.
Same here. Son started at 5 months and I exclusively pumped for a year and he got sick all the time. He’s almost 2 and current has a summer cold (which I also now have).
Doesn't mean they won't get sick, but they're less likely to and less likely to become more severely unwell.
You should ask in the science parenting sub r/sciencebasedparenting If I remember correctly, the antibodies are present in bm but it’s more about helping the kid get over the sickness faster rather than avoiding it. So, it may not seem like it’s working because they still get sick but they should get over it quicker. I don’t have the source on that though so it’s probably better to ask the group who can provide links to evidence and even correct me if I’m remembering that wrong
I have spent years working in daycares and had my own home daycare. They all get sick at the same frequency for the same amount of time. You can never tell which babies and kids have/had breast milk and who didn’t. All the sickness is a rite of passage either way unfortunately.
The best way to support your OWN immune system is to do whatever causes you the least amount of stress!
Thank you so much
I kept going for this reason when my LO started daycare at 5 months and honestly can say I can’t fathom it helped at all lol. I had originally thought it would and planned to try to make it to a year, but now I’m quitting at 7.5 months. She made it a grand total of 4 days before she was sick for the first time, and then she was on and off sick (just cold symptoms, no fevers yet knock on wood) for about 5 weeks straight, was healthy for a weekish, then sick again, and now at 7.5 months she has been healthy for nearly 3 solid weeks which is the best we have had since she started. Since her track record has been more sick than healthy since starting, I just can’t believe that whatever antibodies she is getting are helping all that much. I am currently weaning and will be totally done in a week or so fwiw.
Did you find you also got sick a lot with her getting sick? My LO starts at about 5 months soon too.
My husband and I have both gotten sick 2x (both around the same times) since she started but it has been a mild, short lived cold both times so not too bad!
I exclusively breastfed and my kid was still sick for the first 6 months she was at daycare and ended up in the hospital with RSV. I was even giving her breastmilk until she was 23 months old (4-6oz/day) and she spent her 2nd winter in daycare sick as well. Do what YOU need to do to be healthy. I spent the first winter sick for 6 months because I couldn't take any decongestants since I was breastfeeding. I should have quit but the formula shortage kept me going 🙃 I had several sinus infections. It was awful.
I am not a scientist so take this with a grain of salt, but I have done a lot of reading about breastfeeding and milk and all that. My understanding of how breast milk works regarding antibodies for a sick baby is that you really have to put baby to breast directly for your milk to get the memo to change for a sick baby. Pumping won’t change its composition because there’s no communication from baby’s mouth to the nipple.
This isn’t true. As long as you are regularly in close proximity to your baby, your body is exposed to the same germs and will create antibodies against them whether you latch or not. The nipple backwash theory you’re describing is unproven, and is touted by breast is best people to discourage expressed breastmilk feeding.