Vaccines & Breastmilk

[hollyvangogh]

I'm having my first in a couple of months. I'm still doing my research so I have a lot of questions. Anyway...I was at a get together with a bunch of other women the other night and someone said they thought breastfeeding only provided immunities for a few months. I said that as long as baby is EXCLUSIVELY breastfeeding they are still getting the benefits. Another mom there (a nurse) got a little confrontational with me and basically said "I have taken care of breastfed babies with pertusssis!"

So here are my questions:

1. Was I just sorely mistaken?
2. Was I right but it's just a matter of BF not being "perfect protection?"
3. Can babies still get pertussis if they get the vaccine?
3. Could it be misdiagnosis of pertussis?
4. How bad *is* pertussis really?
5. Anything else you'd like to say/teach me/etc.?

[Tari Mithrandir]

1. Was I just sorely mistaken?
No. If I remember right, it does provide immunity, but not complete immunity.

2. Was I right but it's just a matter of BF not being "perfect protection?"
Answered above

3. Can babies still get pertussis if they get the vaccine?
Of course All vaccines have a failure rate.

3. Could it be misdiagnosis of pertussis?
Could be, could also not be.

4. How bad *is* pertussis really?
Depends on the age of the child from what I have read here, as well as how healthy they normally are. Normally I don't think it is that bad. (I am not really familiar, just from what I have read here)

5. Anything else you'd like to say/teach me/etc.?
Breastfeeding is wonderful for providing immunity to your baby, no matter what age, but it is not failproof. Neither are vaccines, and they do carry some risk. If someone is set on the idea that vaccines are failproof or near failproof and they are very pro-vax, from my experience you won't change their mind...

[momto l&a]

I was thinking it provides immunity as long as the mom had the diseases and I was thinking around the lines of 3 months. But am not 100% sure.

All 4 of our kids are non vacced and where/are breastfed.

[angelachristin]

I am by no means an expert but I would say that babies can definitely still get pertussis if they get the vaccine. DEFINITELY. And as far as immunities from breastmilk go, it's like I had to explain to DH when DS got sick, "It's breastmilk. It's not a germ proof bubble or a suit of armor. It helps--A LOT--but he's still going to get things."

[hollyvangogh]

Thanks for all the quick replies. It's nice to have a safe place to come ask. This exchange happened in a *large* group and I felt very attacked when this happened. It felt like she was verbally jumping on me and I felt embarrassed because I couldn't give a good reply (nor was I given the chance). I felt like I must have looked very stupid to all the other women there, kwim?

Anyway...thanks. I'm still interested in anything else anybody has to say.

[Gitti]

Originally Posted by hollyvangogh

Thanks for all the quick replies. It's nice to have a safe place to come ask. This exchange happened in a *large* group and I felt very attacked when this happened. It felt like she was verbally jumping on me and I felt embarrassed because I couldn't give a good reply (nor was I given the chance). I felt like I must have looked very stupid to all the other women there, kwim?

Don't let anyone get you into that position again. Next time stop it right away and say, I am just now researching but when I am done I will be making my own decision.

If she continues, just repeat that you have not yet completed your research but certainly will be doing that!

Stop anyone who is not informed and is only talking as though they are. That is the case most of the time.

[kangaroomum25]

One other thing to consider is that the moms diet does effect the quality of the breastmilk and to say otherwise is ridiculous and really ticks me off. I've heard people say if you tell women that their diet affects their breastmilk that they'll use it as an excuse not to breastfeed. I think that's b.s. Someone that's going to use an excuse like that will probably come up with another excuse anyway. I really dont care what a person eats, I still think breastfeeding is best, but that doesnt mean diet doesn't effect it and in turn play a role in the babies health. Of course there's plenty of other factors besides diet such as shots or antibiotics during pregnancy, medications during birth may even play a role in the babys healthy.

And just for fun, I thought this was a cool article http://www.emaxhealth.com/4/689.html

[Gitti]

You were completely correct when you said the benefits last as long as a child is being bf. Even if it is not exclusively.

Sure any child can get pertussis, vaccinated or not. Most outbreaks are in fact in the fully vaccinated.

But what was she trying to say with that statement?

Pertussis is often misdiagnosed and treated as asthma with steroids and what not. So much for the medical profession. They have now brought out a pertussis vaccine for grown ups together with the tetanus vaccine because they realized that after injecting kids for 20 some years, they have not made one bit of a difference.

The main concern of a baby getting pertussis is as long as the child is under 6 mo. No child is fully vaccinated for pertussis under 6 mo. either. So they are all in the same situation.

Certainly a child that is being bf is much better off even if that child does come in contact with pertussis. The reason being is that the mother will immediately start producing antibodies to pertussis and thus protect the child from the worst case.

How bad is pertussis? Well that depends on the child, the living conditions, and nutrition. I know if I had a child with coughing (possible pertussis), the first thing I would do is give Vitamin C and take it myself if the child is still nursing. And the last thing I would do is take it to a doctor.

Those kids who have pertussis are much less likely to have asthma later on, so not all is negative. Pertussis in older kids is more of a nuisance than anything else and in grownups it's often not even considered. I have seen it first hand in my three cousins.