In a message dated 9/10/2001 8:38:12 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:

> I would vote to add the bit I speculate will not happen if the baby does not
>  go to the breast -- when the baby is exposed to something and passes it to
>  the mum, who makes an antibody targetted to this microbe and feeds it back
>  to the baby at the next feed (is there a short name for this process?).
>  Maybe cuddling would do it, but I would say it is probably that the baby
>  would need to be *at least* nuzzling at the naked breast.
>

My understanding has been that mom usually picks up baby's microbes by mouth
or lung, makes antibodies in the gut, then passes the antibodies to baby by
breast.   So mothers who kiss and snuggle their babies in any ordinary way,
and then pump, ought to be protecting their babies just fine, as far as I can
tell.

(This is assuming that the baby is drinking today's pumped milk, or at least
pretty current pumped milk, rather than milk from two weeks ago or two months
ago in the freezer; in that case the milk might still have all the antibodies
baby needs, but she doesn't get them until time has gone by and the bug is
already dealt with.)

Elisheva Urbas
extremely amateur immunologist

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