I nursed Isaac for 8 months, and continued to pump breastmilk for him for an additional month after that. So, in all, he received breastmilk for 9 months. At 10 months, Isaac became sick for the very first time. He got his first real fever and cold. I had to suction his nose, run a humidifier, and rub Vicks on his chest for about two weeks.
Josiah, due to his severe reflux and refusal of the breast, nursed for only 2 1/2 months. However, with what I pumped everyday and the supply I had in my freezer, I was able to give him breastmilk until he was 4 months old. Now he is 5 months + 1 week old, and he was just diagnosed yesterday with his first ear infection.
Coincidence? Maybe. Both Isaac and Josiah's firsttime illnesses did occur in Nov/Dec. You might argue that a lot of people get colds/flu or whatever at this time of year. My theory, however, is that about a month after a baby last receives breastmilk, he/she is likely to get sick for the first time. My boys never got sick while they were getting breastmilk, no matter what season it was.
So if there are any breastfeeding moms out there reading this blog, I encourage you to strive for that recommendation to give breastmilk for the first year! Give 'em those antibodies! Even though many of the nutritional benefits of breastmilk diminish after the first 6 months when most babies begin eating more and more solid foods, if it means not having a sick baby, it's well worth it!
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2 comments:
I think that's true! Rachel tended to get sicker than our boys and I nursed her 4 months and the boys were each a year... definitely I feel there was a link there.
We saw the same thing with Madi. She was very healthy, and now that we stopped nursing at 14 months, she has gotten sick around 3 times. I noticed that I didn't get sick much either while nursing, so I would even claim that nursing helped keep me healthier too.
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