Anyone elses BF baby always ill???

[NoFoodwithaFace]

Seriously after 7 months of hard work by my boobs, my DS is always sick! He's had every bug going, and has a lot more colds and coughs then any of my friends ff babies :(

I thought breastmilk was the best anti-illness protection!

It is good as it has live antibodies, he may have been worse if you had chosen to ff, but its also good that he has had childhood illnesses as being exposed to virus and germs can reduce the risk of more serious childhood illnesses. There is some good info on bfing and how it protects babies here.

Have you read, Reasons to be Proud too? Your baby may be ill more often than you ad hoped but you've achieved so much already .

Yes! Both of mine have been fairly sickly (in a picking up everything going way, nothing hugely serious) despite being BF. DS2 managed 2 week-long hospital admissions in his first year with viruses. At least breastfeeding is easy when they are sick, and a way to get some fluids into them. Just unfortunate that it's not the magic medicine to avoid all baby illnesses that I was promised at antenatal classes!

Yep he spent about the first three months with a cold! Ended up in hospital too. Just had another one a couple of weeks ago (he is 5mo) I'm blaming his big brother for bringing all those nasty germs home from nursery . Problem is that the whole bloody family gets them too!

Mine was too! Always had a runny nose for the first 18 months of her life and many chest/ear infections after having bronchiolitis aged 3 months.

Often felt that a couple of family members were quite sneery about it as they ff and their babies caught fewer bugs. But, as someone just said, I have no idea how much worse she would have been had she not been bf.

It was also fantastic to be able to comfort her with bf when she was ill and know that she was getting some nutrition when she was off her food.

I feel your frustration OP, but hang in there. If it's any consolation, my dd is nearly 4 (no longer bf) and doesn't get struck down by every bug going anymore!

This is a bit of a myth, in that it lowers the risk of some more serious disorders like eczema and asthma, but I think not everyday coughs and colds. Mine seemed to have a cold for the first three months or so, but hasn't had one for ages (he's 1 now).

I don't think there is any research that shows fewer coughs and colds in bf babies - bf reduces the number and the severity of bouts of gastro enteritis, chest infections and ear infections, without actually reducing the risk to zero, and I don't think anyone sensible would suggest it stops all illnesses.

My bf baby got chest infections repeatedly for 12 months after bronchiolitis at 4 months. Yep, felt cheated! However, I knew others with same got hospitalised when we didn't so I tried to tell myself that the bf might have helped him shrug it off. No way to prove either way I guess!

I'm glad i'm not the only one, he's so phlemmy at the mo it's making him sick when he coughs! When he's had a sickness bug, breast milk is the only thing he's been able to keep down which has been such a bonus though!:)

They will still catch stuff as BF does stop trasismison of germes (imagine if it did what a money spinner that would be), but they are less likley to end up in hospital with a seriouse illness. Espicaily as BM is so much easier to digest they are less likley to end up dyhydrated even with stomach bugs.

Well exactly. Bfing can't protect from those things like everyday viruses that you don't yet have antibodies for. It will protect from things like chicken pox, measles etc if the mother has had them or been innoculated against them.

Sorry, my baby was bf to 15 months and didn't go to the doctor for anything until she was 2 years old, when she had antibiotics for a slight chest infection. The GP remarked how rare it was for him not to see a baby before the age of 2, so I think you've just got a normal baby.