Definition
In the womb the babies are protected and provided with everything they need for life and development. To prevent the babies from being exposed to germs and pathogens immediately after birth, they are given something in the womb to help them fight the pathogens. This so-called nest protection offers the babies sufficient protection against many diseases in the first months of their lives and gives them time to develop and expand their body’s own immune system.
While the baby is in the womb, a barrier in the placenta initially provides protection. During an infection, the immune system begins to form specific antibodies against the triggering pathogen. Over time, antibodies of the mother enter the blood of the child via the umbilical cord.
Antibodies are protein molecules that are able to recognize and fight viruses and bacteria. If a child is re-infected with the same pathogen, it can be quickly and reliably detected and eliminated. In a sense, the child borrows from the mother’s immune system.
The transmission of antibodies intensifies from the 34th week of pregnancy onwards, so that the child contains most of the nest protection only shortly before birth. The transfer of the antibodies breaks off with the birth after the umbilical cord has been cut. In the first few months after birth, the baby is nevertheless well protected against germs in the mother’s environment.
In the first two to three months the nest protection is strongest. During further growth, the body’s own immune system continues to develop and begins to produce antibodies against pathogens on its own. From the second month of life onwards, the first vaccinations also contribute to this maturation process.
However, it takes several more years until the child’s immune system is fully developed. Children who are breastfed continue to receive antibodies from the mother through their breast milk. However, in contrast to nest protection, these antibodies are relatively unspecific and serve to strengthen and support the immature immune system of the child. After the ninth month of life, the maternal nest protection slowly deteriorates.
