"Dear Dr. Rob,

Please also consider mentioning that artificially fed babies do not have as
good an immune response to vaccines and therefore are not as well protected
as
breastfed babies.

And isn't there an issue about how if an adult woman was vaccinated against
a
disease, as opposed to contracting it while a child, then the antibodies in
her milk will be at a lower level?  It seems to me that this is a good
reason
to hope my daughter contracts chicken pox  - then she'll be better able to
protect my (please God, breastfed) grandchildren.  Of course if she doesn't
contract it by puberty then I guess the benefits of the vaccine outweigh the
risks and disadvantages...."

Elaine Ziska, LLLL
Jackson, MS

Elaine,
I'm hoping I can get in the fact that breastfed babies
respond better to vaccines. Maybe even that babies fed
ABM with nucleotides respond better than ABM fed
without nucleotides but breastfeeders are still best. That is ABM
is still second rate.
Also when it come to decreasing the discomfort of injections
what better than breastfeeding?
As to the issue of vaccine induced antibodies resulting in
lower levels in the milk than those from natural disease, I've
never heard of this idea. I cant see why that would be true.
Also remember there is more to breast milk immunity than antibodies.
As to the chicken pox I cant see any reason to get the
disease. Along with approx 900 children hospitalized a year in
the US there are 50 deaths, thats one a week from chicken
pox.
Food for thought, Does having chicken pox give one life
long immunity or does having the disease give immunity which
is re-enforced by re-exposure to the virus?
-Rob