always ill since starting bf?

[fernie3]

since my baby was born I have had so many different minor bouts of illness, including a bad eye infection, stomach bug, cold, and a finger infection which was a tiny cut that got so badly infected that my whole finger was swollen and I needed antibiotics! I now have an insect bite which has caused a huge swelling in my leg. It is so ridiculous that my doctor is sending me for blood tests etc to see if there is any reason that I am constantly ill or that tiny things seem to go out of control.

I have never had anything like this before, it has only been since my daughter was born 7 weeks ago. My MIL insists it is because of breastfeeding so I wondered if anyone else had had anything like this?

That all sounds miserable - oddly enough I was wondering the same thing yesterday, as I feel I've been more immune-feeble since having DS. (even ignoring mastitis, which is obviously BF related).

Then I thought back to other times I've been very tired and sleep deprived, before baby, and that was when I was prone to colds and coldsores and sore throats etc. Nothing to do with BF-ing then, clearly.

If you are BF-ing your 7 week old DD, I'd imagine you're pretty sleep deprived and tired too! Not much consolation, but I think it might well be a New Mum thing rather than a BF thing.

Hope things clear up a bit for you fernie3.

Your MIL is talking utter rubbish. Tiredness and stress affect the immune system, no doubt about it. She is contributing to your stress with her ignorant ideas, so she ain't helping you!

Blood test sounds like a good idea.

I think it probablt is just being tired - I could probably eat better too. I have 4 children 6 and under so resting to recover from things is fairly hard.

I started off pretty indifferent to breastfeeding, I just wanted to give it a go as it is my fourth and probably last but now I am actually really enjoying it despite the little issues that crop up everynow and then. I had said I would do the first week, then the first month, then 8 weeks - now I am hoping to go to at least 6 months :).