Exclusive Breastfeeding and Immunity

[CandyLandQueen]

Hi! So my boy is almost 6months old and he seems to be showing interest in foods. I have been considering introducing little bits of food, but of course leaving my milk as his main food source. However, everyone seems to be coming down with the flu right now and other sicknesses... I've gotten sick once and so has my husband but the boy has been healthy. I'm wondering if I should hold off on introducing foods till the worst of the flu season is behind us. I am making plenty of milk and have a really high quality, nutrient dense diet so I know my milk is as good as it can be. Does it make any difference? I know the passive immunity from the placenta starts to go away around 6 months, but are the benefits of breastfeeding reduced at all when other food sources are introduced? Any thoughts would be appreciated! 

Also, I'm new to the forum, what does DS, DD, and DH mean? I've just translated it into "Darling Son" "Darling Daughter" and "Darling Husband" lol...

[lovemylab]

First you got the abbreviations right.

Second, introducing solids even during cold/flu season should be fine since you are still nursing for most of the baby's nutrients. At first baby will probably only have a very small amount of solids anyway. A great book to check out is Baby Led Weaning. Good luck! Stay healthy.

[skycheattraffic]

I completely agree. At the start, babies mostly just experiment and food is mostly for fun. Your milk will continue to be the vast majority of his nutrition and will continue to provide the same immune benefits. It's also perfectly fine to wait a few weeks if the added dishes/mess is something you'd rather avoid until after the flu season. An interesting thing about breastmilk is that as kids start the weaning process and cut back on nursing, the immune components actually become more concentrated. There won't be any appreciable change at 6 months but it's nice to know that as my DD nears 2 years and is down to three daily sessions, my breasts are working hard to provide as much immune boost as possible.

[3girls1boy]

Antibodies in milk have been shown to be higher in the second year of life even when other foods have been introduced. I have 4 children, all weaned years ago, and all together they've only had 6 ear infections and none at all until shortly after they had stopped nursing.