Relactating for immune support

[Somuchgoo]

Ok, this is a weird one, and long

I bf my child for nearly 2.5 years, ending around last Christmas. At the end she probably wasn't taking much and it just naturally ended.

Out of curiousity, i can still just about squeeze a drop or so of milk our, but not much more.

About 3 weeks after ending bf (so mid January) she got a horrendous bug and high temperature. Worse than any previous. I assumed Covid, but it wasn't..48hrs later she bounced back. The first week of February she was diagnosed with a brain tumour (low grade so dangerous but doesn't usually kill them). She had major surgery, and various complications (meningitis, c diff etc) before making it home. Then more c diff x 2.

Since being home, she's caught every bug going. But we catch then in tandem because she is so physically close to me 99% of the time. Some of these bugs which have just caused mild symptoms in me, have put her in hospital. She's catching about a bug a month (during spring and summer), and her immune system is clearly struggling

if I get everything she gets, will giving breast milk help her immune response? And if so, what are the chances of me being able to restart expressing?

It's going to be a lot of work, so only worth doing if it actually is likely to help - I don't want it to be as a placebo or so I feel like I'm doing something.

I would definitely do this especially if you are still leaking. The benefits of breast milk have been proven! I’d also look at a vegan diet- hear me out- it’s proven to reduce inflammation and dairy also. Again don’t know if this would conflict with your daughters age but I’d defo research it- especially if she’s getting all that she needs from your milk.

She needs all the calories she can get - she's having investigations for low weight and had only just come off an NG tube, so I dont think vegan will be helpful for her. She is on chocolate and cheese daily 😂

I'll have a think about the breastfeeding. It would be via expressing if it worked.

I'd really like some scientific evidence of it helping with older kids really, but it's hard to find.

Yes, it would work. I can remember a La Lèche book in which it talked about adoptive mothers being able to breastfeed. They fed via a tube going in to the baby's mouth at the same time as their nipple. The feeding action of thé tongue/jaw increased prolactin which produces breast milk. Apparently.