Is it my fault? should have breastfed more

[Lindseyw4]

Since my son's diagnosis this summer, i have been blaming myself in the back of my head for my son's disease, since i didn't exclusively breastfeed him and introduced him to solids at 4 months old (which back then was normal). I currently have a 6 month old whom I'm exclusively breastfeeding, aside from a little table food since he reached 6 months 2 weeks ago. This is my second breastfed baby, and I've always reminded myself that it's important not to interfere with the microbiome of a baby's gut to protect from health issues later. However since my son's diagnosis, i feel deliberately responsible for not having done the same with him, and think as though I'm deliberately preventing the disease in my youngest child by doing so. I keep thinking of all the crap i fed my Crohn's kid--although it was just as healthy or more than what i had as a kid.

Anyhow, i read this article tonight which confirmed why i should blame myself:

http://m.medicalxpress.com/news/2015-02-breastfeeding-benefit-baby-belly-solid.html

Just wish they'd point out at which age the kids began solids, since this usually makes a difference.

 

[DustyKat]

:ghug::ghug::ghug:

Oh hun, there is no doubt in this world that one of the things we mum’s do fabulously well is guilt! Add to that a disease that has no concrete answers in its cause and that just increases the guilt no end as we search endlessly for answers. There are numerous hypotheses circulating as to what the cause of Crohn’s may be and aside from genetics my two fit none of them…

1. Caesarian birth: Nope, my two were normal vaginal.

2. Formula fed: Nope, my two were breast fed and exclusively so for 6 months.

3. Antibiotics: Nope, neither had antibiotics until they were diagnosed with Crohn’s at 14 and 17 years respectively.

4. Diet: Nope, we live in a rural area, very little take away with loads of home grown fruit veg and home cooking. Neither like soft drink and aren’t huge fans of lollies and the like.

I have wracked my brain over the years looking for answers and I keep coming up empty handed aside from genetics. I so understand your need and desire for answers but I reached a point where I had to step away and accept that at this point in time there are no solid answers. I had to do this lest it consume me.

Please don’t blame yourself hun. I honestly don’t believe that the your past decisions made a difference and I hope with all my heart in saying it that you don’t lose hope that your little one will be fine and free of this disease.

:hang:

Dusty. xxx

 

[lenny]

I breast fed my youngest exclusively for more than 6 months and continued breastfeeding him until he was 19 months old, I think (I'd have to check his baby book).

 

[Farmwife]

My child was natural birth but formula feed ( soy formula) since two weeks old (I couldn't produce enough).
Grace getting this had nothing to do with not breast feeding but I believe had everything thing to do with the flu at 3 months old and cdiff at 2 yrs old.

This is just one choice that was out of my hands.
It's been a long road for her and I've seen her overcome and prove to everyone that she's a fighter and has a heart for the hurting. I believe she has a bright future ahead because this disease(s) has taught her so much................ it's taught us all so much.

Don't get me wrong, if theirs a cure one day she'll get it.:wink:

 

[Axelfl3333]

It's a dumb disease you didn't,t do anything wrong.i,m 52 diagnosed 3years ago approx,when growing up ate healthy never smoked,barely drank alcohol so should have been low risk I suppose,it's just bad luck and there's one thing for sure for your son he won,t have crohns all his life there will be an answer.good luck all the best

 

[my little penguin]

Sorry it's not as simple as something you did
Natural birth for my kiddo
Breastfed till 19 months
No solids till almost 8 months
I made his baby food as well from scratch
No antibiotics till he was almost 5.
So no its it you

 

[Catherine]

My oldest with crohn's was breast feed for 9 months

My middle daughter who was on antibotics for 12 months straight to prevent further kidney damage as she already a kidney scarring at 2 years. No issues.

 

[CrohnsKidMom]

Moms are great at blaming themselves, so it's nice when outside forces, even medical documentation, adds fuel to that fire. I craved lemons when I was pregnant with my son who has Crohn's. My own mother suggested I caused his Crohn's by eating too many lemons. There is lots of speculation as to what causes Crohn's, but outside of the genetic factor, I don't know if much has been proven. You do the best you can to keep your kids healthy, and to instil a healthy lifestyle that they will hopefully adopt when they're older. That's all you can do.

 

[crohnsinct]

My daughters' GI is great at letting me know it isn't anything I did. Probably because I burst into tears in the hospital at dx that it was all my fault. We want to believe that so we have some sort of control over something that has no rhyme or reason.

I didn't know I was pregnant with my oldest until I was 5 months pregnant. Got my period every month. Ate horribly and kept drinking. Was very, very sick. Only gained a total of 7 pounds. I travelled for work and had no interest in breastfeeding. Cereal introduced at 5 months. She is my healthiest child.

My middle daughter with Crohn's was half breast fed half formula. Ate a much better diet, no drinking, natural birth.

My youngest was exclusively breast fed for 18 months, healthy diet, no drinking. She was my last chance at doing everything "right" She is my child with the most issues... Crohn's, precoscious puberty, Vitaligo, severe dyslexia...

There is no rhyme or reason. Put your energy in the here and now. It is much more productive. :rosette2:

 

[Jenn]

I feel guilty about everything I'm doing "wrong" raising my children. IBD is not your fault.

 

[Momtotwo]

We don't know what triggers Crohn's and it's easy to place blame on ourselves. I breastfed my son until about 17 months of age, started solids at 6 months of age, never used formula. He has Crohn's and was diagnosed at a young age. Your son doesn't have Crohn's because you didn't breastfeed X number of months.

 

[lenny]

I was only breastfed for 6 weeks and none of my siblings were breastfed at all and none of us have Crohn's. Also, our mother smoked during all of her pregnancies.

 

[Mehita]

Breastfed both of my boys for two years each. One has Crohn's and Celiac, one doesn't. There is no rhyme or reason. Try not to beat yourself up about it.

My son did the free 23andme IBD testing and it came back showing Crohn's. I think seeing the results is when, finally, six years later, I let go of the mom guilt.

 

[my little penguin]

Yep did the same test here
Tons of crohns related genes

 

[Lindseyw4]

What is the 23andme?? Doing some reading tonight i began to conclude he was pretty much born with the gene seeing as he was treated with antibiotics for Otis media often as an infant/toddler, had eczema, low fiber diet, on top of not being breastfed long enough which (as the article in the OP states) threw off the mircrobial balance in his gut. No one in the family has had IBD before, but we're starting to see a pattern with autoimmune diseases. My grandma had RA and my mom has overactive thyroid. However not sure if those are just coincidental.

 

[kiny]

Don't think blaming crohn's disease on something that you had no knowledge of at the time is fair to yourself. When I was diagnosed with crohn's disease, I did this too and it's not good.

Maltodextrin is linked to crohn's, maybe I shouldn't have drank so much diet coke, dirty showerheads are linked to MAP, maybe it was those showers on holiday, antibiotics use is linked to crohn's, maybe it was that.

That is a bad road to walk on, it leads nowhere, none of the parents or us with crohn's knew how to prevent it or could have anticipated it. There are way too many factors to come to any conclusion that is fair to yourself. Look straight ahead instead of at the past and try not to get the disease get the better of you. None of us have any blame in this.

 

[Mehita]

https://www.23andme.com/ibd/

Need to run, but will check back in a bit...