Community› The Bump Message Boards› Attachment Parenting
Attachment Parenting
New Discussion

Ever offer sick toddler breast milk?

st.augbridest.augbride member
in Attachment Parenting
I am currently BFing dd and plan to for a while longer. With ds, I could not BF directly due to medical issues on his end, so I EPed for 14 months. During that time, he only got sick twice despite being in daycare from 6 months on, and never had a fever. Since stopping breast milk, he has been bombarded with illnesses. We recently had his adenoids removed which we hoped would help, but we are now on the 3rd virus in 3 weeks. The poor kid has been sick almost nonstop since January with no weight gain during this time at all (he's a bad eater already, so these things hit us hard). I just received a lab result that shows his IgA level is low, which got me thinking that maybe he'd benefit from having some of my BM that I pump as extra for dd added to his pediasure. Anyone see benefits from a toddler getting BM? How much would you think is needed to make a difference?
imageLilypie Premature Baby tickers imageLilypie Premature Baby tickers
Report Reply to Post

Re: Ever offer sick toddler breast milk?

  • Mrs.AmyDylanMrs.AmyDylan member
    I can't imagine that it would hurt. My mom said I nursed on and off until I was 4.5 (two younger brothers meant there was plenty of milk). I was rarely sick.

    Try it?
    TTC Since 3/2010
    Me-36, Unexplained Infertility, DH-35, all clear
    Clomid 50mg 12/2011 = BFN
    Clomid 100mg 1/2012 = BFN, with Cyst
    IVF #1 Lupron/Menopur/Gonal-f/HCG Trigger
    ER 4/19/12 = 11 retrieved, 6 fertilized,
    ET 4/22/12 = 2 transfered (day 3), remaining 3 weren't good enough to freeze
    Beta 5/3 = BFP, 87 Beta #2 5/7 560.9 Beta #3 5/9 1376.5 First u/s One Baby, 125bpm!
    Second u/s, 176bmp! Kicked over to the OB by the RE at 8w. Team Green!! 
    Baby girl J arrived two weeks early! Born into water, med-free. Hooray for Team Pink!

    TTC #2 - back to the RE, treatment started 12/2014. 

    image
    Report Reply
  • Loading the player...
  • Emerald27Emerald27 member
    That's a neat idea! I would think if he likes it and would drink even a little that it could be a good idea. Here's some great info on immunological properties of breastmilk:

    https://kellymom.com/nutrition/milk/immunefactors/

    Also, when a sick baby nurses, the organisms present in the baby's saliva communicate to the breast, and mom's body responds by creating antibodies against the illness. So in theory, if your toddler would nurse even a bit, his saliva would communicate his immunological needs to your breasts, and you would create sickness-fighting milk! But I am sure your toddler probably wouldn't be interested at this point. ;)
    imageimage
    image
    image
    Report Reply
  • st.augbridest.augbride member
    Yeah, I will try! Thanks for that link! Love how it says even one tsp per day could be beneficial. That makes me feel like it really could help. Unfortunately there's no way he'd nurse directly. He wouldn't even as an infant--couldn't and then wasn't interested when he probably had the ability; he truly hates eating in any form!
    imageLilypie Premature Baby tickers imageLilypie Premature Baby tickers
    Report Reply
  • somewhereincalisomewhereincali member
    cant hurt to try.
    i will say that i found the second/third year wayyy worse for illnesses despite no change in nursing/childcare, etc.  I think being more mobile means they can get their hands on way more stuff to get sick from. 
    Report Reply
  • MarseeMarsee member
    This might sound gross (it kinda is), but swipe your finger inside his mouth and then put it in your mouth. Your body will start making antibodies specific to his sickness and they will end up in any BM you give him. I'm sure it wouldn't hurt to have those antibodies already made for when your DD is nursing too. I've done this many times for DS and it seems to work well. DH and I are just getting over some vicious cold that lasted 10+ days and DS only acted sick for about a day. Who knows if what I did helped, but it doesn't hurt to try.
    image
    imageimageimageBaby Birthday Ticker Ticker
    Report Reply
This discussion has been closed.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards
"
"