Does BF protect against D&V

[StealthPolarBear]

Or is it hospitalisation because of D&V? Is that because of fluids?

(BTW this is not in relation to the other thread, please do not kick off )

[TinkerBellesMum]

BM stays down better than FM so there's less chance of dehydration. You probably know when you aren't well yourself cows milk doesn't help so when a baby gets a D&V bug it's made worse by cows milk (can't remember what it is in cows milk) and it doesn't stay down so well, whereas BM has the active antibodies in it for that virus (because mum picks up that the bug is there and her antibodies are increased) and it stays down.

Does that help or did I waffle? I'm sure that's probably a very basic understanding of it and someone could explain better.

[StealthPolarBear]

Yes, that's helped thanks. What I suppose I want to know is that BF doesn't protect against D&V itself - just the hospitalisation bit? It's been suggested that I push for further investigation for DS as he seems to have D&V quite often.

[TinkerBellesMum]

It won't stop the virus, but it will act as an antiviral and keep the child hydrated. It won't protect them from hospitalisation, just lower the risk.

If he's getting it on a regular basis it's worth getting it looked at. Tink was getting chest infections, croup and bronchiolitis on a regular basis, the last two they only get once and they kept saying she is too young to be asthmatic, but I pushed for an answer and now they accept she is and is on daily medication which is making a big difference to her.

[StealthPolarBear]

Thanks. So probably not worth asking for more investigation.
Think it might be getting better anyway, last few nappies have been...well you don't want the detail
Last time he had it I'd just gone back to work and he had it on and off (every week) for about 6 weeks. In the last week he had an infection and was really ill for a while. He lost loads of weight and ate nothing, so I get a bit over dramatic about this sort of thing - keep having to remind myself that even if he does have a bug it's unlikely to be as bad as then.
He was ill on his birthday My poor little lad

[StealthPolarBear]

Yes, that's what I meant, Tink, lower the risk of hospitalisation, not p[revent it entirely obviously. Thanks.
Glad Tink is feeling better on her medication ... wow this parenting thing is stressful!

[tiktok]

SPB - there is a mountain of research showing the risk of D&V ('gastroenteritis') is increased with formula feeding, and this is not only hospitalisation. The Dundee studies showed this in a UK sample way back, and the same results have been replicated since then - any D&V, not just hospitalised D&V. The PROBIT study looked at D&V, for instance.

A breastfed baby is less likely to have D&V in the first place, because there is less opportunity for pathogens to enter her system in the first place. If she does get it, then breastfeeding will lessen the effects and hasten recovery.

[belgo]

My dd2 got very bad d&v at the age of 17 months (probably viral - just one of those nasty bugs). She needed to be hospitalised, and the doctors were very pleased she was still being breastfed because it meant that she didn't need such a mix of chemicals in her drip, because most of what she was recieving was through the breast milk.

So even though bfing doesn't necessarily prevent every case of d&v, in my dd2's case, it did seem to help her recovery.

[StealthPolarBear]

thanks
every time i see it it seems to mention hospitalisation only
keepinng my fingers crossed it was a blip, seems a bit better...

[MrsSnorty]

Not sure I understand your question but I had the Noro virus - the one that comes around in winter with full on D and V - when DS was 3 months old. Somehow managed to BF him throughout (it was about all I could do) and he didn't get it.

[belgo]

hope he gets better soon. I don't know the details of your ds's illness, but my dd2 had runny poo for about 6 weeks or so after the initial infection had gone.

[StealthPolarBear]

Was wondering whether bf helped to prevent LOs getting D&V in the first place or whether, once they had it it just decreased the chance of needing to be admitted

Hopefully this will be something and nothing but he had D&V when he was about 12 months that went on for 6 weeks, in the lasst week he got an infection and seemed really ill, so I am paranoid

Thanks for all the help