When a baby has seen the light of day and has reached its first breath everything changes for the little person. This includes being born from the protected, cosy amniotic cavity in mum's womb into a world full of pathogens. At first glance, this seems dangerous for the child. But don't worry: nature has made clever provisions for your baby, because the newborn is "innately" equipped with its first defences - the so-called Nest protection.
Mum's defences
During pregnancy, the baby is supplied with everything it needs via the umbilical cord. In this way, the unborn child already receives antibodies from the mother's blood, which pass directly into its blood. Most of these "guardians" are transferred in the third trimester of pregnancy.
What are antibodies? They consist of protein molecules and are produced by white blood cells. Antibodies are able to recognise viruses and bacteria and fight or neutralise them accordingly. In other words, the baby borrows its mother's immunity to certain germs until its own immune system is built up. This is why nest protection is also known in medical jargon as borrowed immunity.
The basic equipment: By the time a mature baby is born, it has already received a whole range of defences from its mother. Exactly how good these basic defences are depends on which antibodies the mother has and can pass on to her child. In principle, antibodies must match the invading viruses or bacteria exactly so that they can be recognised and combated. This means that the mother can only pass on the antibodies that she herself has from a vaccination or an infection she has had. If, on the other hand, she has not been infected with a particular pathogen or has not been vaccinated against it, she cannot pass on the corresponding antibodies to her child.
The automatic system: Nest protection is a form of passive Immunisation. Put simply, the baby receives the antibodies from the mother as a kind of "gift" for the first period of its life. This automatically provides immediate protection without the child's body having to do anything in return. In contrast to this active Immunisation through which the human body must first produce its own antibodies against certain pathogens.
To give you an idea of the dimensions we are dealing with when it comes to antibodies, I have another figure for you: our body is capable of producing around 100 million different antibody combinations. That's fantastic, isn't it!
How much nest protection do premature babies have? As already mentioned, most of the mother's antibodies are mainly transferred to the unborn child in the third trimester. Now it depends on the week of pregnancy in which the baby is born. The earlier it is born, the fewer antibodies it can receive from the mother. Nest protection is correspondingly lower. This is why little "early starters" can be particularly susceptible to infections.
Defence forces after birth
The nest protection with which a mature child is born protects the baby for around three months. Then it gradually begins to wear off. At this age, children also become increasingly active and begin to explore their environment more. This inevitably brings them into contact with more germs. This in turn causes the child's body to slowly build up its own immune defence. This process happens in parallel with the dwindling protection of the nest. By the time the baby is around six months old, or by its 9th month at the latest, the maternal antibodies from the umbilical cord are completely depleted.
What role does breastfeeding play? Even after birth, a baby can still receive further antibodies from its mother - but only if it is breastfed! However, these "guardians" transferred through breastfeeding do not have the same comprehensive effect as those that have passed into the baby's blood via the umbilical cord. Rather, the antibodies absorbed through breast milk only develop their power in the baby's intestines, they do not pass into the blood. Accordingly, they can only fight pathogens that are ingested via the mouth and enter the gastrointestinal tract. The antibodies from breast milk can therefore do nothing against pathogens that spread via the bloodstream.
Vaccinations: Vaccinations are another building block in the development of a baby's immune system. A child's immunisation begins at the age of six weeks (vaccination against rotavirus) or eight weeks (six-way vaccination). It is therefore important that you discuss your baby's immunisation with your paediatrician!
It's the quantity that counts! Effective immune protection generally depends not only on the type of antibodies a person has, but also on their number. This means that in order to successfully neutralise a certain pathogen, it is not only necessary to have the right antibodies against it, but they must also be present in sufficient numbers. This sufficient number is provided either by a vaccination or by a past infection. For example, a Cold the body's defences. The immune protection achieved lasts for different lengths of time, depending on the type of pathogen involved.
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