To ask if having a baby affected your immune system

[ByGreenBiscuit]

I’ve had cold after cold for the past six weeks or so, my little one is 5.5 months. Still not sleeping through the night and I’m exhausted. She has also had a couple of colds. I’m taking breastfeeding vitamins most nights but do forget. I’m not getting enough exercise. I also have a tendency to stay inside when we are sick which I’m starting to think isn’t helping because of central heating and cabin fever. I just feel bad potentially spreading so tend to cancel plans. But we’ve cancelled loads now!

is this normal?? And should I get out more? Any solutions?

I had this but it was because I lost so much blood during the birth that I was really anemic, even after a blood transfusion. Have you had your iron levels checked?

Your immune system is prioritizing baby right now, very common in BFing mums. It does get better but usually with sleep! Is there any way your DP could do a night shift? If you didn't want to give a bottle, even if baby could sleep on them for a few hours to give you a longer chunk of rest?

Other than that, back to basics. Multivitamins, omegas, minimum 3L of water a day, 10k steps if you can & healthy eating.

It does get better, promise! Cold & flu season is just particularly rough postpartum.

Yes my immune system was severely impacted. I also got vitiligo immediately after my first pregnancy and I’m certain that was a response to the pregnancy and a bereavement I had close together- I think my body suffered so much stress I just broke.

It is a fact that some illnesses like auto inflamnatory or auto immune can start after pregnancy and birth.

Yes, after both my children were born. I was anaemic and incredibly run down for about 18 months after DC1, and had recurrent tonsillitis in the year after DC2 was born.

Not something i noticed. I breast fed all my kids

Totally normal. My second was waking hourly at that stage, and went on to do that until 18 months. I felt ill a lot of the time, though often I didn't know whether I was truly ill or just run down. It took my body a long time to get over bugs because I just wasn't getting rest. Since then she's gone through periods of sleeping better and periods of worse sleep again (though not hourly thankfully 😂), and my immune system tracks these up and downs.

Also you catch things from them. They give things to you, you give bugs to them, which wrecks their sleep, which lowers your immune system, which means you get susceptible to more bugs. When they start childcare, it's just like one stream of snot for a while!

Lovely. I look forward to that 😂

I have noticed some people will bring their kids to groups etc even if they are snotty, is that because all kids are basically snottty all the time??

I developed an autoimmune thyroid problem after having our 2nd. In retrospect I think it had gone pretty haywire in the opposite direction after having our first.

i bf them both

I think the issue is just being already run down and tired - meaning a bug hits you harder

I usually have a very strong immune system (1 or 2 mild colds a year). But after my second I developed bacterial meningitis when he was 2 months old. Took me half a year to recover from that, but haven't been ill since, touch wood!!

You poor thing!! Glad you are better.

Yes kids are snotty all the time, you have to just carry on.

I dont think that is how colds work