Autoimmune Disorders and breast feeding

[kev]

Before we get started, I (Kevin) am not a medical professional. What has been posted here is my opinion, and is not medical advice. Do not even consider this article as medical advice, because its not - its jut my non-professional opinion.

There was an interesting article on the British Broadcasting Company website about Autoimmune Disorders.

Here is the link - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7856095.stm

There was one paragraph that really stood out.

"There is compelling evidence that something in our immune systems has changed since our ancestors, in fact has changed since our great grandparents."

One major factor has in fact changed since our grandparents, and that is the number of women that breastfeed their children. When a woman breast feeds, they pass some of the disease resistance that they have developed to the child. If the child is not breastfed, that child has to develop resistance to diseases without the help of their mother.

Starting in the mid 19oos, more and more women started bottle feeding. There were even TV commercials that told people how good formula was for the baby. And how science has improved baby formula so that it is better then breast milk. We now know that those TV commercials were a lie.

Breastfeeding has a life long effect on your child. Give your new baby the best start it can have - breastfeed your baby.

[Highlander]

+10 to breastfeeding. Better nutrition, no colic, tastes better than formula, the sharing of antibodies, closer maternal bonding with mother and child, she cant get pregnant again (usually) while breastfeed and I have even read reports of a woman's nipple and areola having receptors that can detect what pathogens the baby has been exposed to--and then develop the appropriate antibodies in the breast milk.

[PrairieGirl]

Oh Kev, you should warn people the first thing they'll see whent they open that link is this lovely picture:

CLICK HERE TO SEE IT

Freaky!!!!!!!!! *insert quesy smiley here*

Maybe I'm just being squimish since its first thing in the morning but *shudder* gross!! I'm such a girl

Back to the breastfeeding bit - yeah I agree. If the mother is capable of breastfeeding (and some times there are valid reasons why she just cant do it) they ought to give their baby the best head start they can!!

[kev]

Originally Posted by PrairieGirl

Oh Kev, you should warn people the first thing they'll see whent they open that link is this lovely picture:

Its "just" a worm.

But yea, I forgot all about that picture when I posted the link.

[PrairieGirl]

Originally Posted by kev

Its "just" a worm.

But yea, I forgot all about that picture when I posted the link.

An earth worm is fine.....but the close up is freaky looking!!!

I just wasnt expecting it when I went to the article is all

[prettypaisley]

Wow. Just wow.

Who would have thought? It makes so much sense, but as a non-breastfed child born smack in the days of "take this pill to dry up your milk, give your kid this formula and supplement with rice cereal at 3 days old" I had more sense them my mother did when my daughter came along. But a huge concern now; if I didn't get my mom's immunities, will there be enough for my daughter? Luckily I was able to get back on the right path (my mother being the only one to listen to the doctors when they were spewing that BS) and future generations will be properly nourished. I just wonder how long it will take to get our breast milk back up to par.

**Okay-so I just read the article and what the heck does a worm have to do with breastfeeding? I guess if you make the poor choice to feed your kid artificial baby milk you can always offer them a worm chaser!**

[craftygal]

I was breastfed as a baby and now have an autoimmune disorder and get sick if someone coughs a mile away from me (trying to beef up my immunity now). My younger brother was not breastfed, eats nothing but sugary breakfast cereals, pizza, poptarts, and soda, but he's NEVER sick.

Breastfeeding doesn't give a baby antibodies against autoimmune disease, but antibodies against any microbes the mother has been exposed to. Autoimmune disease is caused by autoantibodies a person makes based on genetics, unlike diseases caused by microbes. These autoantibodies "attack" the person's tissues and cause the autoimmune disease.