Does your breastfed child ever get unwell?

[brilliantdances]

DS is almost 4 and never had sickness bug - He has just never been sick.

He didn't get a cold until well over 18 months?! But what sticks out for me the most is him never catching any vomiting bugs before

He was breastfed until age 3.5.

I'm pregnant again and really don't want to breastfeed again.

I'm wondering, is it far more likely new baby will be ill more often? I heard all types of horror stories about them picking stuff up from nursery but DS never has for some reason and I can only imagine it's breastfeeding

Thank you!

In my antenatal group, 3 were exclusively bf and 4 were formula fed.

All 3 of the bf babies have eczema. One has severe allergies and another one has has more illnesses than you could shake a stick at.

I'm curious why you don't want to BF your next child when you BF your first for 3.5 years?

Didn’t bf either of mine: they’ve never had antibiotics in their life and are rarely, if ever, ill. Plenty of friends who did bf religiously and kids are constantly unwell and suffer from loads of allergies.

Yes.

8yo was BF until 16 months, weaned on to a varied diet and has always eaten plenty fruit/veg - catches everything going.

15yo was FF until 12 months, weaned on pureed food and under dietician care due to poor and limited food intake which continues to this day with no fruit or veg in sight - never catches so much as a sniffle!

My, formula fed child was rarely ill, no tummy bugs, few colds etc.

My breast fed baby on the other hand... constant colds, diagnosed with asthma at 2, had chicken pox at 4 months...

@WeatherToday

I'm curious why you don't want to BF your next child when you BF your first for 3.5 years?

Well we're still going now at age 4, it's just coming to an end really.

I just don't fancy doing it again. Want to try formula this time. Had a lovely time feeding DS but that was our 'thing'

Don't want him to see the baby taking what was so close to his heart. He's got ASD and it might confuse him quite a bit

Just want to bottle feed

Yes, my first had colic then horrendous croup every few weeks. Bf for 9 months.

Ds2 I bf until his 3rd birthday, horrendous croup and then tonsillitis every 3-4 weeks up until he was well over 6 years old.
Never had a day off school sick and has never ever had antibiotics though.
Very robust & resilient kid.

Oh and hand, foot & mouth,
Coughs, colds, vomiting bugs, chicken pox, Yep, everything going really!

I exclusively breastfed ds until age 1ish and my friend bottle fed, both our children caught the same amount of bugs and colds it didn’t seem to make any difference that one was bottle and one was breast!
If I was you go with bottle for my next one I’m definitely doing combined!

My child breast fed until he was two. He has had one cold (over and done with in two days, just one night when he was awake and feeling sorry for himself, then a bit of a runny nose after that) and no other illnesses in his entire life.
I was wondering whether, once he began nursery, he might pick up a load of bugs, but, fingers crossed, that hasn't happened (although we are not in the UK, so here all children wear masks at nursery all day and only mix with the other 5 children in their pid, which might have helped too).

although we are not in the UK, so here all children wear masks at nursery

Wearing masks at nursery age? That is sad.

I had a formula fed baby/toddler who was never ever ill despite even being at nursery

DS was never sick, DD was sick multiple times a day for the first 4 months. Both were breastfeed.

It’s just chance. My nieces are nephews were all breastfed but also went to nursery a lot from early on, much sicklier than my 2.

Mine were just normally unwell. Caught the odd thing from here and there but the benefits to health are at a population level. My reasons for bfing were more at a personal level ie convenience, cost, comfort, bonding etc.

I've breastfed both and one got sick a lot during her first year at nursery, the other one is never sick at all or recovers within a day or two.

All my 3 were breastfed and I second/ third/ whatever that it isn't a magic coating.

I must say all three seem to be ill less often than some children - my dc2 has actually never had a day off school and he's very nearly 14... but he was pretty ill as a baby - bronchitis at 3 months and various chest infections and croup over the following five years. He's had one sickness bug, when he was about 18 months.

DC1 had multiple sickness bugs and chicken pox as a baby, a sickness bug at 3.5, then nothing until she was ten - but then she was very, very ill indeed and hospitalised for twp weeks with a kidney infection. She had shingles a few months later but she's 16 now and hasn't been ill since... DC3 has had a couple of sickness bugs - one as a baby and one a year or so ago but nothing else - he's 10 now.

The younger two didn't go to childcare until they were 3 where dc1 went to a nursery from 5-9 months while I worked out my notice as a teacher, then I childminded with her til dc2 was born. I actually think that contrary to popular folk wisdom that knocked her immune system as she was exposed to too much while her immune system was too immature - she's certainly been ill more times in total than the other two put together, especially with contagious things rather than croup... But other things in their early years were different too as we moved to a completely and utterly different environment just before DC2 was born. DC1 was indoors more as a baby and toddler at things like soft play and baby this and that classes and groups as well as nursery - those things didn't really exist where we moved to and dc2 and 3 were mostly outside.

Breastfeeding probably helps improve a child's odds of being ill less (population wise it certainly does) but there are so many other factors.

I think it’s largely luck. Didn’t breastfeed here and DD has had no illnesses in 8yrs except minor colds/coughs. Has never even had a sickness bug. Hasn’t missed any days of nursery or school days in 8 years except recently due whole school class needing to self isolate.

It’ll happen this week now I’ve said that 😆

Breastfeeding doesn't protect you against allergies. Allergies are genetic. We have atopic genes, I have hayfever and had eczema as a child, DH family have asthma and allergies (we were unaware of) in their family.

My first was given 10 mls of formula in a syringe on day 3 in hospital due to excessive weight loss. He was breastfed until 2 yrs 4 months. He was diagnosed with allergies at 6 months (already head eczema from 4 weeks). I had to stop eating dairy and eggs for two years. Very strong immune system and eczema gone now at age 8, can eat dairy and currently on the egg ladder. Has a great diet and will try new foods.
Turns out that my first should never have been given formula due to genetic history as the thought is the formula may have triggered the allergies according to our consultant but cannot be proven.

Second no formula and breastfed for 2 yes 4 months. No allergies, eats well not as great as first.
Due to first child's allergies, my obstetrician instructed no formula for baby during the birth of second and to give prescription formula if I was unable to breastfeed.
Both kids now aged 8 and 5 are rarely sick.

Currently breastfeeding a 7 week old and as again at birth no formula included in notes.

Breastfeeding is tough and I probably will feel guilty if I didn't breastfeed this one. I already felt guilty that this baby was born at 38 weeks whilst the others were born at 40 and 41 weeks. Motherhood makes you feel guilty for any reason. Ahhh... I digress, apologies 😁

@brilliantdances my milk dried around 7 months as my first told me one morning that the milk was finished. That was how breastfeeding stopped with my first. I was nervous about tandem feeding but it never happened.

My younger DD exclusively breastfed until weaning, got a severe lung infection at 8 months old and didn't fully recover until school age (night wheezing, slow growth etc). Picks up all sorts of infections still, she's eight now. She's had chicken pix, scarlet fever, impetigo, stomach bugs, cold, a virus inc cough that didn't go for months Christmas 19...

Breastfed for 2.5 years in the end.

@brilliantdances

DS is almost 4 and never had sickness bug - He has just never been sick.

He didn't get a cold until well over 18 months?! But what sticks out for me the most is him never catching any vomiting bugs before

He was breastfed until age 3.5.

I'm pregnant again and really don't want to breastfeed again.

I'm wondering, is it far more likely new baby will be ill more often? I heard all types of horror stories about them picking stuff up from nursery but DS never has for some reason and I can only imagine it's breastfeeding

Thank you!

Both of mine were breastfed until age two. Never had a vomiting bug either. Never ill, really touch wood

Both DH and I were FF, both our kids are FF, we're all as fit as a fiddle. I'm surprised given DC1 only eats chips and I'm 80% tea. I think we have excellent healthy genes.

My DD aged 6 was FF, she is never been to Hospital or the GP. She is perfectly healthy and has only had the odd cold and perhaps 2 short sickness bugs but nothing else. Could be mixture of genetics and environment more than what they were fed for the first 6 months of life.

Dd1. Only bfed for 12 weeks. She caught her first cold at 5 months.
Dd2. I bfed her until she was well into her toddler years. I remember one year she caught some sort of infection eg. Cold every month except August. Nightmare. I believe this was because I used to take dd2 to sort play and I think she was catching stuff there. I think dd1 who was bfed for a much shorter time was exposed to less germs