Has it all been in vain?

[Multifacetediguana]

My ds was 1 last weekend. On his bday I was smugly congratulating myself on the fact that I am still bf and he has never had formula, etc. this week I have had my cummuppance. Had a bad night last night, ds coughing and breathing raspily, gp says he has all the signs of asthma. I know bf is not a guarantee against stuff like this and that he was at risk anyway as h and I both have hay fever and eczema, but I still feel so sad for my ds. It makes me wonder if all the work it took to establish bf in the early days was even worth it. Can someone talk me out this please?

Of course it's been worth it, well done.

He is still very young, too young for asthma to be diagnosed I think, he might not go on to develop asthma.

As you say yourself, you and your dh both have hay fever and eczema, add to that all of the pollution and chemicals in modern life, could put him at risk of developing asthma.

Who knows, he may have been a lot more ill if he had never been breastfed. There is simply no way of knowing for sure. All you can do is console yourself with the fact that you have done your best.

My youngest child has eczema since the age of three months, despite being breastfed for three years, but it is still very mild fortunately.

Thank you Belgo I know you are right

But....but.....but.....as you say, bf is no guarentee of not getting asthma. And there are a zillion more reasons to breastfeed than this :)

I would say 'reducing the risk of asthma' is the least likely reason why anyone would breastfeed. The research on asthma and breastfeeding is not all that strong anyway, compared to other aspects, especially in susceptible babies.

Thank you tiktok wise as always. I veer from wishing I had never bothered to vowing not to stop in case it makes him worse.

Oh but think of all those lovely feeding cuddles you've had... all the adorable smiles as he looks up to say thank you... all the sore nipples at the beginning and if he bit you... all the comfort you could give him when he was upset... It hasn't been in vain