22/03/2020
Confused by the news? Keep on breastfeeding!
There have been some very sad reports of breastfed babies being separated from mothers and weaned because their mothers are infected with Covid19/Corona virus. There has also been advice to pump breastmilk and feed expressed milk to your baby instead of breastfeeding.
The thing is, if you are infected with any illness your baby has already been exposed and as you produce antibodies to viruses and bugs your baby will receive these germ fighting substances through your milk. This is protective to your baby.
Breastfeeding not only helps protect your baby against illnesses from you but to illnesses from other people, for instance, at child care. If your baby is exposed to a bug (even if you aren't exposed), the transfer of his saliva to your breast will trigger your own lymphatic system to produce antibodies to those bugs and help protect your child.
This is why you would keep on breastfeeding (although you can wear a mask if you are coughing or sneezing) and not wean or express instead: your baby receives the best protection from direct breastfeeding. Besides, there is extra work and worry to make sure all pump parts, bottles and teats are scrupulously clean, especially if you are infected.
If you are an exclusively pumping Mama, your baby will still receive immune factors from your milk and by kissing your baby (how can you resist?), you will ingest bacteria from her skin so you will make antibodies against these bugs too.
If you are mixed feeding, even small amounts of breastmilk/breastfeeding are helpful in boosting your baby's immunity - studies show that just a teaspoon of breastmilk contains over 3 million germ killing cells!
More good news is that if you are breastfeeding a toddler, there is no 'use-by' date on the immune factors in your milk. In fact, during the second year, the immune factors in your milk will be more concentrated, just as your little one ie becoming mobile and mixing with more people (and germs).
Every bit of breast milk is protecting your baby so if you are breastfeeding but considering weaning, please reconsider continuing to breastfeed, at least through the next few months to boost your baby's immune system from these extra bugs in our environment right now.