To think being prem has made my daughter have a rubbish immune system?

[Skatingonthinice16]

She's 15 months and basically we only have to leave the house for her to catch something. Usually a cold. It then takes her weeks to get rid of it.
Ds was never like this, he used to get the odd cold but it would be gone after a few days. Dd is blocked up for ages and ages and sometimes it then goes on to her chest and we have to get antibiotics for her. Ds has never had antibiotics.

Aibu to think being prem has meant that even now her immune system isn't very good? She was born just over six weeks early. They told me that it shouldn't make any difference to her long term development. I'm not so convinced...

[desperatehousewife2]

I guess everyone is different but my daughter is now just over 2 and was born by CS 6 weeks prematurely and was formula fed (combination fed for first 2 weeks. She is rarely sick. Has not been sick at all this winter, maybe a bit sniffly once or twice but the last time she was actually sick was in November 2015. Are you giving your DD a multivitamin or anything? (I do when I remember but only started recently)

[TeenAndTween]

I don't think you can deduce her catching more illnesses is related to being prem on a sample size of just your DS and your DD! Perhaps it is because she is a girl, or was born in January rather than June or whatever.

My DD was 7 weeks prem. I have found it hard to find info on the effects of it. She used to get quite bad asthma (needing hospitalisation a couple of times), and now if she gets a cold it hangs on her chest quite a bit, but otherwise now at 12 she is fit and healthy.

[Headofthehive55]

My DD was 17 weeks prem. She never gets I'll.

[Wishiwasmoiradingle2017]

My ds was 5 weeks early and took ages to gain weight.
He is 2.6, never had a cold or cough or bug of any sort.

[Notso]

My older two hardly got ill. My younger two both had permanent coughs and colds from October to April, nearly every picture of them has a snotty nose! I saw a big improvement in both of them at 4.

[Iwasjustabouttosaythat]

It maybe she's just come into contact with nastier colds than your DS did at her age?

I'd imagine her pediatrician knows more about this stuff than you, unless you too have a lot of experience in this field? It sounds like you don't.

[Blerg]

It could be related to gut health - so the antibiotics have knocked out good bacteria that form an important part of the immune system.

I'm not an expert but it might be worth looking into probiotics options suitable for her age.

[Dulra]

My niece was very prem (11 weeks) and when she was a child she was very susceptible to colds and chest infections my sil always said it was because she was premature and there was a weakness there. She is 16 now and very healthy, never sick seems to have grown out of it

[BarbarianMum]

Your dd is a second child. IME second children catch more, more often when young as your ds and his friends will be bringing all sorts home. The upside is, by school age, she'll have lovely immunity.

[Skatingonthinice16]

I give her a vitamin when I remember

I'm still feeding her whereas ds was only fed for 5 months. Doesn't seem to have helped her though...unless she'd be even worse otherwise.
Ds hasn't been ill so she hasn't caught the colds etc from him.
It's just frustrating as once she gets one I know it'll be weeks of broken sleep as she's so blocked up. She caught a cold in November and it didn't go until nearly Christmas. It isn't just a runny nose, it's a full on can't breathe, eyes all red and swollen, coughing and gagging type cold.

[NoMudNoLotus]

Your not being unreasonable at all.

I had 2 prem babies - my daughter is still under a paediatrician but he is very experienced and told us that for prem babies who also were small for their gestation ( due to pre-eclampsia , PIH etc ) take up until the age of 7/8 for their immune systems to fully develop.

[RB68]

DD was born at 31 plus 5 and we had a vitamin regime for around 18mths and we stuck to it. She wasn't a sickly baby and I rarely remember her having a cold etc - even now is the same. When she started nursery we had a few months of it but after that she toughened up - you need to start mixing more and keeping the vits up.

[Babyroobs]

My ds2 was 6 weeks prem and was fed a glucose solution for the first week or so as he had a blocked bowel. he has definately been more sickly than my other kids and i often wonder whether it was becaue he missed out on the colostrum for those first few days that HCP say is so importnant although I guess bottle fed babies don't get that either.
Even now he is 14 he gets a lot of chesty coughs/ colds and skin problems. Hard to know if there is a link really.

[Lingotria]

try a probiotic like yakult or actimel or increase live yoghurt in her diet. Should help with her immune system. I think personally the susceptibility to illness probably has more to do with parents overprotecting their premature kids after they get out of hospital.

[Naty1]

My dc arent prem, but we've had an awful 2 years of illness. Now 18m and 4.6yo. It started with nursery for dd1. She caught HFM and then croup a couple of times. So theres been some bad bugs this year or two.
How much older is dc1?
Also they can bring stuff in that they arent really ill with.
Do you go to soft play a lot more with dc2?
It amazes me thouse with kids not ill. However dd1 only got her first cold around 9m (bf).
Dd1 had AB at birth and had about 6-8 lots in the last 18m due to ear infections. So the posters saying about that could be right.
What probiotics are good but ok for kids so less sugar?
I think as well some bugs (like measles) can wipe out your immune system for years after. Certainly i had that with glandular fever