HYPOTHETICAL QUESTION

[colditzcolditzcold]

If a women did not feed her first child breastmilk, but decided to feed her second child breastmilk, would givig the first child expressed breastmilk have any advanages at all?

presumably he first child would be at least 9 months old and so I would say that there would not be any/enough gain t make it worthwhile.

I mean, all those good things that you don't get in formula, bio-wotsits.

not sure exactly what you mean, but I think most of the major benifits in terms of immunity to allergies etc are passed over in the early days (up to 6 months) after that I believe it's major advantage is the fct that it adapt so well to babies needs.

I think some of the immunity benefit still comes through late. I know there was a link (from tiktok?) that pointed to a study saying that as long as you're feeding, the child is getting immunity benefit that lasts (I think) even after you stop.

yes, breastmilk is always a nutritious food/drink. and antibodies are always present. These would be less important to an older baby whose immune system had had time to mature, but they would still be there!

I read of some experimental work being done with cancer patients and expressed breastmilk, and all over the internet there are case histories of people who have (as adults) drunk expressed breastmilk as part of their treatment for serious disease.

I have no idea if it will prove to be beneficial in these circumstances, and to be honest, I'd be surprised if it did.

But yes, it would still promote immunity in an older baby.

Would they drink it?

Breast milk tastes like cow's milk, only sweeter. I can't see an older child rejecting it on the grounds of taste. (Squeamishness in a much older child would be another thing.)

Interesting question and one I have thought about as I am currently b/f ds but did not b/f dd now aged 3. She is ill at the moment, makes me wonder!!!

Don't all say yuck, but when I had chronic post antibiotic stomach problems I considered drinking it myself. In the end I used probiotics and natural yoghurt - but if the shops had been shut or dh hadn't been able to find something (whole not asking because a man thing going on) I probably would have.

certainly wouldn't do any harm and may give some added antibodies ? They won't necessarily drink it though.

there are intersting case studies of breast milk being given to the sick and the old-quite common in th past apparently.
a book was recently published which referred to various examples of this ane i though it sounded v interesting. cant remember its name though-post partum jelly brain!

Please dont think yuck either, but when ds had sticky eye i used to put a little of breast milk on it and it cleared it up a treat.

Dont know if this scientifically proven, but my sister who bf her 3 dd's advised me to do this and it worked.

You wouldn't get the benefits in terms of allergy as first born has already been exposed early in life.

My MW said it helps with sticky eye too.

I used it to clear up sticky eye will my 3

Yup I did the sticky eye thing too.

In Papua New Guinea where we used to live, pigs were such a precious commodity, you would sometimes see a woman b/feeding a piglet!
(They also banned bottles there too-only available on prescription as the government was so alarmed at the high rate of infant mortality amongst artificially fed babies. The mortality rate dropped drastically!!)

dito another breastmilk - sticky eye treater and would do it again!