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!

Yes, of course, is he in childcare? That’s usually the determining factor for illness at this age.

That said, my first was ff after 10 weeks and hardly ever ill other than really normal stuff and in nursery full time. My friend was an absolute nutjob when it came to bf. I don’t use that expression lightly either! She believed that mums who didn’t bf should lose their babies to care because it was neglect. Her dd was bf to nearly 4 and used very little childcare (she didn’t believe in childcare either). Her dd was constantly ill, like admitted to hospital several times a year with either a vomiting bug or pneumonia.

Very very rarely. We joke that a 24hr bug is a 24 minute bug on our house. I have a 14, 11 and 9 year old and we've cleaned vomit up maybe a dozen times total.

Happy to report that none picked up daddy's side of the family's asthma either.

However, I can't say that it's down to breastfeeding (or mixed feeding with DD1) though. Could be luck.

I breastfed both of mine (still breastfeeding my one year old now) and they have had LOADS of colds and viruses etc.

Complete opposite in my experience!

Eldest was breastfed until about 9 months - rarely anything more than a sniffle.

Youngest fed until she was almost 3 - forever got coughs, colds and any other weird things going.

My eldest DC was mixed fed until about 4 months then just formula. They are very rarely ill. They do have a good diet though.

Youngest was breastfed until about 2.5 and caught/catches everything that's going. They're diet is pretty shit though. Don't know if that makes a difference either or not.

DD is still BF at 22 months.
She has had loads of colds and viruses (7 Covid tests so far) but no sickness bugs of any sort yet. She’s in nursery which is germfest.

It's definitely not anecdotal. There is a wealth of evidence to show that breastfed babies are less sick - in particular with gastroenteritis and ear infections in the early years. There is also a lot of evidence to show that premature babies are less likely to develop NEC (a gastro problem that can be fatal) which is why donor milk is used for many premature babies whose mums can't breastfeed. There's also a lot of evidence to show breastfed babies maintain this protection and are less likely to be ill as children or develop chronic conditions as adults.

If you don't want to breastfeed your second then of course that is absolutely fine, and it doesn't mean they will get sick. But if you want to make an informed decision then look at the research, not anecdotes. You can then decide what's right for you as a family.

Yes, as above. However, that doesn't mean a breastfed baby might not get lots of colds / viruses anyway.

In my family it's true. Me and my three DC were all breastfed and never get sick. DH was bottle fed and he's the one who gets ill.

Just coming on to agree with what ThreeLittleBirds1 said. Anecdotes can show a vastly different picture to the actual research.

No 1 and 2 have never been sick. Both BF
No 3 BF for 2 yrs +, always sick.

It helps but there are lots of other factors too.

My 4yo DS was formula fed and in the early days of nursery he got the usual colds etc. (he started full time nursery, 7am - 4pm, at 5mo). He’s had a chest infection twice but those were no big deal - just a few days of antibiotics.

However, I was quite surprised when illnesses like RSV and hand foot & mouth went round his room at nursery and he was the only one not to catch them.

Statistically, on a population level, bf provides protection against gastrointestinal illness but very little else has been definitively proven. And if I remember correctly it would take something like 24 women breastfeeding exclusively to prevent one single gastro infection.

Also, in response to a poster above, the research on ear infections (otitis media specifically) is very far from conclusive, and the risk of NEC is not removed by bf, though it does help very premature babies. It has diminishing returns though, and the less premature the baby, the less benefit bf provides- I think at around 34 weeks it make pretty much no difference at all.

Bf research is labyrinthine and generally very poorly interpreted.

My ds was formula fed, he's 4 now, never had a sickness bug and rarely ill.

My 9 month old is EBF, literally has never had a drop of formula. I think she's currently on her 4th cold and has had a viral infection that landed us in A&E before too. She doesn't even go to nursery yet 😂 pretty sure it's just luck, breast milk just adapts to help them fight whatever virus they have.

My BF child caught RSV which led to bronchiolitis age 2.. she was put on a drip with possible sepsis but fortunately it was not sepsis. I continued to breastfeed her until she was 2.5. It definitely helped her feel better while she was in hospital but didn’t ward off the virus in the first place

And my first born had a few ear infections despite being BF. Think it’s pot luck really. Neither of them went to nursery at that age either so not with lots of children - just bad luck

@Wearywithteens so true! So why is there still sooooo much ludicrous pressure on us to bf!

I felt I really didn’t want to be my second when I was pregnant with her but when she arrived I did and it felt absolutely fine. I had discussed bottle feeding with dp and he said whatever you want to do and bought some new bottles!
DC1 never had a stomach bug, diarrhoea or vomiting I fed him until he was nearly 3. When the bugs go round nursery he will complain of stomach ache on and off for a day or so and that’s all he suffers. Gets colds but not badly.
DC2 still bfing, hasn’t had a stomach bug, but gets colds really badly. I think it’s because she wasn’t exposed to much in her first 6 months due to lockdown.

Purely anecdata, but all of the babies/toddlers who were constantly ill were breastfed. My bottle fed from 2 weeks kids never are hardly ever ill, ever. Obviously that means nothing but thought I would put it out there!

Yes you definitely lucked out. Not many illnesses with my first at until he went to nursery at 3 and then brought every illness home possible. The rest of us Inc my one year old have been ill since...4 months.

DS - nursery 3 days a week from 1 year old. Breastfed for until 2.5. Very prone to ear infections, nappy rash, the occasional tummy bug. Sensitive skin and at almost 7, he’s allergic to cats and pollen.

DD - nursery 3 days, then 5 days from 18 months old. Also breastfed until 2.5. Rarely ill, no allergies or skin sensitivities.

@ItWorriesMeThisKindofThing

You can’t predict this for an individual. It might be more likely they get ill earlier simply due to having an older sibling. There’ll be plenty of anecdotal evidence either way if you look for it but will it be helpful?

There’s a bit more chance of certain illnesses when you look at the population as a whole but I think you are better basing your decision on how you personally feel about breastfeeding.

Exactly this. I extended BF both my children (to 2+yes) and my sister couldn't BF both hers. My eldest and her youngest had very similarly slightly higher than average levels of illness - chest infections, sickness bugs etc. Other 2 were both averagely I'll with usual range of childhood illnesses

Our daughter, exclusively breast fed for first year, vomit central. Our son, breast fed for just two months for various reasons, concrete constitution.
It’s luck and genes.