Breastfeeding and Immunity to Illness - Info Not Diatribes Wanted

I'm curious about something so rather than google it and wade through heaps of research, I imagine that the BB crew already know the 'answer' or 'answers' to this one.

We all know that BF is good for babies and one of the reasons is that it's meant to boost their immune system and help them ward off nasties.

Now, I've heard from one person that all this good stuff mainly comes from the colostrum and not so much from the breast milk.

I'm partly asking because my DD was given EBM and FF for the first two months of her life and one of the reasons I continued pumping for so long was because I wanted to help her to be able to fight illnesses.

The second reason I'm asking is that four babies (out of ten) who attend my Mothers Group who are exclusively BF have had or are having colds - they are between five and six months of age. That seems like quite a high proportion to me.

PLEASE do not turn this into a BF vs FF thread or I will ask the mods to remove it. That is not my intention at all, I am just interested in the facts about BF and immunity but am a bit too lazy this morning to go hunting around for info.

I too was of the impression that bm was to help boost immunity but, and maybe Barb can confirm or deny this?, but I also thought that there was something regarding iron intake?? I could be wrong. I also have read that from 6months on, the bm needs to be supplemented now, ie solids as it doesn't maintain the level of nutrition a more active bubby needs?? Again, Barb can confirm or deny ;)

Regarding the bf bubs who have colds, I guess one thing to also consider is what their sleeping patterns are. If they aren't getting all the restful sleep they need coupled with the bm intake, then I guess like adults, we can be as healthy as anything but if we aren't getting the rest we need then we will be more likely to get run down. Could this be a factor?

Probably not massively helpful but just a thought :)

The immune boosting properties of breastmilk continue to be provided to the baby for as long as the mother breastfeeds :)
The mother will also create antibodies to viruses etc that she is coming into contact with which are then passed onto baby through her milk. This will either protect the baby so they don't get sick, or if they do get sick it will be a much milder and shorter illness.
Don't have the facts and figures off the top of my head but I'm sure Barb will be able to fill us in.

Anecdotally, DS has had one runny nose in his whole 16 months and he's never had a fever. He's been in childcare 2 days a week since 7 months old. I didn't breastfeed my daughter past 2 months and she'd had a dose of everything under the sun by his age, and numerous colds. So just from what I've observed in my own house I would agree that it continues to be protective. But I also know that there are plenty of breastfed babies who do get sick frequently so it's certainly not always the case.

well my 18 month DD was breast fed til 17 months. ever since going to day care from about 10 months she has had temps VERY frequently like fortnightly, she has gastro, been on antibiotics for respirotry tract infections and had many many runny noses and colds. so to tell you the truth breastfeeding hasnt helped here.

My lad's been sick alot since starting child care, but I keep thinking how much sicker would he have gotten without BM immunity.

There are a lot of studies that have proven/shown links between exclusively BF and immunity. The colostrum is very important, but so is the BM. But BF isn't the be all and end all of immunity either - you can have a great immune system without being BF kwim? And we all know from anecdotal stories that 'my child was BF or FF and has never been sick' or visa versa - some people just have crappy immune systems. I'm not sure of how long the effect of BF has though, whether once they are a certain age the strength of their immunity isn't the same as someone who wasn't BF as long or at all.

A follow-up question - does anyone know if any bugs mum has while she is breastfeeding will automatically heighten the baby's ability to fight that particular bug? I had a very minor cold when I first had DD and wonder if this will provide her with protection against colds while she is so little? Obviously that won't last a lifetime - just wondering if there's a link there?

I think that our antibodies get passed through the milk, which gives the bub a headstart if a bug attacks? ETA: Well, yeah, according to that info, you should pass on the ability to fight that particular bug.
As Sherie said though, there are other variables that come into play too.
Our story (so far) is that Riv was breastfed, had a bad cold pretty early on, but now, he never gets sick. Who knows why, I guess that b/fing helped, perhaps keeping him away from sick kids helped, perhaps him eating/licking anything he could and building immunity that way helped, perhaps him not being immunised made a difference...who knows?

I'm not sure what the studies are, and I know my experience is only anecdotal and just one baby, but my DD (who is still bf) seems to suffer from the same colds that her little friends get, but with a lot less intensity, they last for much shorter periods and have never gotten beyond the cold stage (where her little non-bf friends end up on antibiotics). So in our case, she still gets sick and catches the bugs off her friends, but not as bad.

I'm hoping she bfs through this winter since she's going to start preschool soon!

Not sure Fiona. At the end of the day though, if they are going to get sick, they are going to get sick regardless of how they are fed, but if you know that you're healthy and she's healthy that maybe the severity of any illness will be lessened by her BF

Fiona, as others have said (I only skimmed though so I may repeat) BM contains the anitbodies that the mother has. So If I have a cold, my body is making antibodies to help make me better. these are passed through my BM to Isla. However, Isla may still get the cold, afterall she is in close contact with me alot of the day. So of course my germs ar elikely to spread to her. BUT because I am already passing on my antibodies to the bug that is making us sick. Isla has a head start on getting better. So she still may get sick but maybe not as bad as she may have had i not been BFing. Its the same with immunisations, they don't mean your child WONT get sick from what they have been jabbed against. Just that they may have a mild case compared to a child that was not jabbed.

The one thing to remember about colds & anythign that makes you unwell is there are lots of different bugs out there that will show them selves the same way. So the cold you had when you gave birth may not (likely that it isn't) the same bug that is currently going around, so no you wont have any antibodies to pass on to that. Its the same with chicken pox, if you have never had it or been jabbed against it, how can you pass on antibodies to your baby for it? KWIM?