>Hi everyone, > I am trying to find a diagram and an explanation for something that I >know I heard but don't know where or when. > How does the breast itself manufacture antibodies to bacteria >(and viruses?) that the baby has. The loop is supposed to be - >a-exposure of mother's to the baby's germs >b-breast manufactures antibodies more quickly than if the entire immune >system was involved >c-baby receives these specific antibodies in the milk within a very short >time (about 24-72 hours BEFORE they would be available under more >common methods of maternal antibody production) I have heard Peter Howie and Stuart Forsyth from Scotland speak about this, but can't give you a text book ref. The mother breathes in or otherwise ingests bugs, and they reach her lungs and/or her stomach. Her own immune system kicks in immediately, and makes specific antibodies to the bug. Through the lymptahic system, these same antibodies travel to the breasts whereupon the breasts make 'twins' of these antibodies and secrete them in the breast milk. This process does not take a long time, as you say - it's more or less instant, and the antibodies are available to the baby as soon as he needs them. Now, I accept that is a very simplistic explanation of what happens, but it does show that separating mother and babyis pointless, and could be harmful, and delaying feeds ditto. It also shows that giving a baby EBM cannot be as effective as a health protector as 'direct' breastfeeding. It is a wonderfully elegant example of the way mother and baby work together. Heather Welford Neil NCT bfc Newcastle upon Tyne UK *********************************************** The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html