Strange question about expressing for 14 month old and MMR: when to stop?

[Annner]

OK, so this is really one for the pumpers - or is it for the hcps who know the scientific stuff? Who knows...

Anyway, I am -err- addicted to expressing, as it were. DD weaned herself at 10 months, which I was not prepared to accept, after a hellish start (don't even ask) to breastfeeding, one year was always going to be my minimum, and I had always secretly yearned for a breastfeeding toddler.

So, I have been expressing since she was 10 months old, and she has had half ebm, half cows milk since then. She is now 14 months old next week, and down to about 100 mls of EBM a day. It does seem to help, as although she gets loads of cold (I'm a teacher) they never come to more than that.

I have decided to hang up my pump after her MMR, which is on 11 Jan. The point of carrying on until then is to give her immune system a boost until after the jab. I am deffo going to stop this time: I was going to stop at a year, but it didn't feel right, but now it does.

So, if she is going to take a bit of a hit from the jab, how long afterwards would that be? How long should I carry on giving her the EBM for? I am thinking along the lines of five days or so. I know that it is a bit of a daft question, and I would stress that this is more to do with my expressing habit than it is to do with any problems with MMR: it just seemed a good point at which to call it a day when the next "age" milestone is a long way off!!

Thanks, Annner

If it's any consolations I am still bf dd (2and 3 months) and she gets loads of colds and viral infections.

Yep! But they don't turn into throat, ear, chest or otherbits infections. Just hang around as rivers of snot until the next one kicks in. Which is pretty much every week, until my immune system sorts out being back at school after a year away!

Annner

Well in terms of the impact of the jab, my dd was under the weather (not really ill but just a bit hot and with very mild mump like symptoms) about 3 weeks after the MMR. I was still feeding a the time. So maybe keep on as you are until 3 - 4 weeks after?

Arggh! Does the reaction really take that long to kick in? I presume that the time delay is related to the mumps incubation period?

I'm daft. I could stop any day, and I know that she has had the benefits for this long, but... having gone on for this long, it seems equally daft to stop when a few days more could really help to ward of the next virus when her immune system is compromised by the jab.

Anyone else find the bf makes you think tooooo much???????!!!!!!!

Annner

Anner, I would give up on the expressing if I were you and I'm bf a toddler.