sickness while ebf

[mizznicole]

Help me understand why my exclusively breastfed infant keeps getting colds from my toddler.  I don't seem to be getting sick.  They are lasting forever.  He's been sick 6 of 8 weeks!

[CheriK]

When my twins were babies, I always felt very smug about how healthy breastfeeding kept them.  Then our 3rd was born, with 2 7-year olds in the house, and it seemed like she always had a cold.  They were minor, typically just some nasal discharge for a few days, but frequent. For the most part I didn't get sick, although I did end up with a sinuse infection when she was 6 weeks old.  Children, especially little ones, just aren't good about washing hands.  They touch everything, including their runny nose & eyes, then spread their germs around.  Frequent hand-washing for your toddler will help, but probably won't completely eliminate it.

If it seems like your baby is always congested, though, you might want to explore the possibility of an allergy to something in your diet.  Any other signs of concern (rashes/eczema beyond the typical newborn acne & cradle cap, mucosy stools, gassiness)?

[sunnygir1]

My first didn't get sick at all, ever, until she was a year or a little older.  My second got his first cold at 4 months.  They both get sick more frequently than I do.  I think it's largely about exposure to other children.  My immune system is built up from years of fighting off bugs -- my kids' are still working on it.

I agree with the pp, though, if your babe really is congested all the time you might want to consider cutting dairy completely out of your diet for 4-6 weeks to see if it gets better.

[neonalee]

DS got sick the first week of October after we showed him off at our workplaces & he started daycare (EBF at home and only pumped milk at daycare).  Around Thanksgiving we gave up and tried amoxacilan.  And then another stronger round around Xmas.  The whole time he was congested, snotty, some coughing/sneezing, but only had a fever 1 day.  When he got congested 2 days after the 2nd round of meds ended we took him to an ENT just to get him checked.  She stuck a long thin rubber tube up his nose to take a look.  He SCREAMED (hates having his nose even touched).  Said he was fine.  He sneezed what seemed like 2 gallons of snot!  She said it was either a resistant sinus infection or just 1 cold after another and we could keep trying to treat it if we wanted but she recommended we let it run it's course since he's acting fine and not getting fevers.  Finally last week it seems to be clearing up enough that he can breathe easily.  So, I can't answer your direct question, but you aren't the only one.

[Oliver'sMom]

Just wanted to chime in that we're in the same boat as well. Ds1 was never sick as an infant and has maybe been sick 3-4 times his entire life...with a fever only one of those times.  It's crazy because he was mostly formula fed. 

Ds2, however, who is ebf, has already had 3 or 4 colds and a really nasty stomach bug.  Ds1 goes to preschool 3 times a week and seems to bring everything home without actually catching it himself.

I don't know, I guess it just is what it is.  Kids get sick sometimes.  However 6 weeks seems like an awfully long time!  I too would be concerned and would start looking into other possibilities as well.

Hope your sweet babe feels better soon!!