Allergy Information.

Based on my holisitic ideas about food allergies, and my husband's advice to me when my sons had breastfeeding digestion issues...

I would make sure all my milk & beef products are organic (who knows but the hormones given to cows or pestcides used on their grain have not impacted her- especially since beef allergies are not quite so common? I know people who swear they cannot eat certain foods due to allergies but switch to organic and discover it was really a horrible chemical sensitivity that brought on the reaction. Not saying this is so with your daughter, but *might* be a factor in the situation).

Secondly, with your baby, I'd make sure to be taking GOOD probiotics. Foundational thing to do for your baby is start them off with a round of good microbial flora and digest your own food very well so they are not getting poorly digested food-made breastmilk. And when I took digestive aid teas my breastfed baby did so much better in his digestion.

I'd use a "delayed" vaccination schedule. If you are staying home with them, you can wait a little on certain things and buy yourself some time for his system to mature before it has to process all the shots. Why does this help? Researchers are linking vaccination-induced immune stress on conditions such as "leaky gut syndrome" in which poorly or partially digested food particles seep through the walls of "stressed" gut linings and enter the bloodstream, causing hyper, unnatural reactions when the body treats it as "foreign" invaders.

From a recent article I read *Pay special attention to the end part about the inflammation of the gut- I'm not trying to push any autism scares, just noting that digestion/absorption *can* be impacted by the current vaccine schedule*:

"The first research project to examine effects of the total vaccine load received by children in the 1990s has found autism-like signs and symptoms in infant monkeys vaccinated the same way. The study's principal investigator, Laura Hewitson from the University of Pittsburgh, reports developmental delays, behavior problems and brain changes in macaque monkeys that mimic "certain neurological abnormalities of autism."

The findings are being reported Friday and Saturday at a major international autism conference in London.

In addition to Hewitson's oral presentation today, on Saturday in one of two related poster presentations, the researchers also are reporting in their abstract that "vaccinated animals exhibited progressively severe chronic active inflammation [in gastrointestinal tissue] whereas unexposed animals did not. We have found many significant differences in the GI tissue gene expression profiles between vaccinated and unvaccinated animals." Numerous scientific studies, as well as many parents, report severe GI ailments in children with regressive autism..."

Probiotics help a lot here. I'd get some for your 2.5 yr old, the better she digests her food the less likely more allergies will develop. And she sounds very sensitive, so I'd choose organic foods for her. If she's already having such strong responses to natural substances, don't risk the unnatural ones!

Side note, I think the best foods to introduce to babies are apples, pears, & "stone" fruits. Then, some veggies. Then, some grains in the form of homemade porridges. Set the grains to soak overnight in the pot then bring it to a boil in the morning and cook. This improves grain digestability.

Do you notice that all the foods your daughter is allergic to are PROTEINS? Proteins can be hardest to digest, and babies are getting the protein they need from breastmilk. I try to hold off until 1 year old for additional proteins as long as my baby is getting lots of my milk. Then I introduce goat milk yogurt which is a much smaller protein molecule than cow's milk. Fats are more important than protein anyway. Regardless of what is fad nutrition in our country, studies of the healthiest people on earth and indigenous tribal people show their ratio of dietary fat was more than triple ours (around 60% or more), and protein less than half ours (like 15%). For example... before our food and medicine reached the eskimos and they thrived on blubber (read:fat) they had very strong bones and teeth (and didn't drink cow's milk).

i KNOW that there are lots of ways to get enough calcium and vitamin B, A & D, that you can forgo milk without compromising your breastfeeding infant or your allergic daughter. Here's some of what I know, you can google more... Good luck!

Calcium: Spinach, Kale, Swiss Chard, Collard Greens, Radish Greens, Broccoli Rabe (any greens, pretty much)

Vitamin D: FISH! You can look up what fish are not dangerous (b/c of heavy metals like murcury) or just forgo the heavy fish diet and take a daily supplement of cod liver oil or fish oil during the fall, winter and spring (in the summer when our skin is exposed we make all our own vitamin D and more: with only 20 min/day in the sun you manufacture you daily allotment of vitamin D!)

Vitamin A: Anything with organge or yellow pigment: Summer squash, winter squash, yams / sweet potatoes, carrots, arpicots, peaches, nectarines, etc.

Vitamin B: I know that adding nutritional yeast (available in any healthfood store, often in bulk) will supplement some B vitamins that are found only in dairy. You can add it to ANYTHING: sweet smoothies, or sprinkle on salads, pasta, veggies dishes, etc.

.... We have eldery friends who are vegan and they use lots of these tricks to ensure strong bones and health, with no dairy at all! As afar as doctors, I had a pretty bad case of chron's disease (inflamatory bowel disorder) and my doc who i saw for this for 15 years, when i asked him if i should change my diet to help alleviate symptoms, blew it off because "there have been no conclusive studies that prove diet has any effect". Meanwhile, three years later I have no symptoms because i went against this doc's advise.... some of them are very stuck in their old ways on things, others are just on the payroll of the large pharmaceutical companies and don't want you to realize you can heal yourself! Try googling Dr. Whitherspoon.... she's a great holistic allergist who works with kids and adults.

Good Luck!!!

Hey M.,
My understanding with an allergy that pervasive is that the allergen not enter the house.

My SIL keeps all peanuts/butter from entering the house. They are vigilant about not buying items processed with peanuts/tree nuts (the allergy expanded).

If milk is THAT toxic, why chance it?

Do all those items have the same reaction?

For your baby: I read (halfway through my pregnancy) that avoiding nuts, especially almonds and peanuts, during pregnancy, may help avoid those allergies. Milk, given his sister's allergy, I would skip also. There are other places to pick up calcium, even if you have to go with a supplement - just be careful you don't get too much vitamin D. (RDA is fine, but you don't want to double it if you are taking a prenatal/nursing vitamin, too).

Good Luck,
M.

Hi M.-
I have two children my son is 3 1/2 and my daughter is 15 months. My son has a severe dairy allergy. When i was nursing my daughter my son's allergist said that i should stay away from all dairy because she could get dairy through the breast milk. I nursed her for 7 months and i had no dairy i did take a calcium supplement. I'm happy to say that my daughter does not have a dairy allergy. If you have any other questions feel free to contact me @ ____@____.com
Good Luck
-J.

Just personal experience here, but I have a husband allergic to peanuts and certain tree nuts. We were told with my daughter did not have to avoid nuts while breast feeding just not have her tested at age 3. I love peanut butter so I ate it a lot. She was tested turned out allergic to a few tree nuts, but not peanut butter.

Our pediatric allergist told us to avoid peanut butter while nursing after our son and he is the one with the inherited peanut allergy. I still wonder if I ate peanuts while nursing if he would be.

As you know we are passing on immunities while breast feeding. I have no idea if eating peanut butter while breast feeding would have changed things

I personally would avoid those that caused a reaction in my first child. You can get other sources of calcium than from milk. Leafy greens, broccoli etc. Go green in your eating too! I recently read "The PH Miracle " by the Youngs. They do have some videos on youtube you could check out. It's all about eating according to the ph of foods. The more alkaline the better. If you go to the FDA's website and search 'ph of foods' you be given a list anything above 7 is alkaline!
Also you might consider beginning to give your older daughter an enzyme with food. My daughter loves them and the company i get my vitamins from has one for allergies but i've also heard carbozyme works well for those with allergies. Not that I think you should allow her or try to get her to eat those foods but it may help with the 2nd hand contact.
I hope this helps.
J.

My 6-month old son has a milk protein allergy which I figured out sort of through trial and error. At first we thought it was colic- he was very gassy and irritable. But he also had this green poop and diarrhea along with bad diaper rash. I ended up cutting out milk and other milk products when he was about 3 or 4 months old and he because a much happier baby. I get my calcium from soy milk and soy yogurt, as well as by trying to eat veggies that contain calcium, and taking extra calcium supplements. He was exclusively breastfed until recently when we started solids, but he still does not get formula. The doctor said that he would probably grow out of it between 6 months and a year old. So occasionally I still try some cheese or something to see if he has grown out of it. He can tolerate it when I eat a few small pieces of hard cheese or a slice of cheese on my sandwich but I tried a small bowl of ice cream a few weeks ago and he had the same terrible symptoms again. If you don't want to eat dairy, I say go for it. Babies will still get the calcium they need from your body no matter what you eat. The concern is if you don't consume enough calcium, your body will start to take it from your bones and teeth and you will start to lose bone mass and your teeth will not be as strong. The baby will still be healthy. There are plenty of vegans and other people who don't eat dairy who breastfeed and raise perfectly healthy babies. Here is a link to non-dairy foods with calcium in them from the USDA.
http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/document/...

M.,

You have to make the choice that you are comfortable with. There is not a lot of research out there yet on this topic. Some research suggests it has something to do with what the mom ate during pregnancy/nursing and other research does not.

Bottom line, they don't know. Do you belong to www.fan.org? I would recommend it if you don't already.

Personally I made the choice to eat the things my daughter (5 years old) is allergic to that I felt were important in my diet and so far, neither of my other kids (8 months and 3 1/2 years) have developed ANY allergies (whereas her list seems to be pages long).

Good luck. K.

M.,

I have a 10-year-old daughter who is allergic to milk, soy (which includes peas and lentils) and all nuts. I nursed her for 3 years. Within two weeks of life, exclusive breastfeeding, she had eczema, which was what made us aware of her allergies early. My pediatrician recommended removing milk and all milk products from my diet. Within another week, the eczema was going away and she finally stopped crying so much. At 3 months old, upon the pediatrician's recommendation, we tried soy formula, since I was planning on returning to work, and we ended up in the hospital her reaction was so bad. So, I got a breastpump, and my daughter never tried formula again. I eliminated soy and soy products from my diet as well. Allergies are tricky, especially with babies. My daughter, unfortunately, has not outgrown any of her allergies.

My son, now 4 years old, was born without food allergies. We were cautious and watched him carefully, but I did not change my diet when nursing him. I ate milk products and he had no eczema and rarely cried as a newborn. We waited until he was three to let him try nuts, and he is fine with them.

Two different kids, two completely different outcomes. Be cautious, but not overboard, in my opinion. The worst part of the situation is that my daughter is terribly jealous of her brother, who can eat anything, without restriction.

Also, life without milk is no big deal. In fact, I think our diets are much healthier in our home, since I replace milk with rice milk in most of my cooking. I do a lot of cooking, though, to accommodate our food allergies. Hey, less processed foods, as a result, in our diets as well.

Good luck and enjoy your lovely kids!

I don't know much about allergies but read your question and wanted to let you know that I have a friend that is going thru the same type deal and her son is even allergic to chicken. He is allergic to eggs too and before he got his flu shot he had to be tested to see which strain he could get because the flu shot is egg based. Just thought I would let you know that for future reference.

I was allergic to milk, peanuts, tree nuts, soy and all other leagumes and strawberries when I was young, thankfully I have outgrown all but my serious allergies which are to peanuts, tree nuts and leagumes. So I feel for you, more importantly my mother could feel for you more. I know from what she has told me that she was advised to refrain from all the stuff I was allergic to when breastfeeding my younger brother (who by the way has never had any food allergies). However, milk is a tough one, one suggestion is to try soy milk since your daughter is not allergic to soy, or my mother had to do goats milk, which is becoming increasingly available in grocery stores, but you can also find it sometimes in powdered form. I know powdered milk, yuck but if it is your only option... Another suggestion is to make sure that you are taking a calcium suppliment. Hope this helps, let me know.

Hi M.,
Sorry you are having so much trouble feeding your daughter. Glad you are nursing, I think. When our son had so many food allergies, the allergist said he was glad I was not nursing because I would have felt like I was killing him. Now that you know that our situation was serious with SIDS spells from soy formula etc.

I empathize but I also can tell you that assuming that milk allergy is Lactose there are good lactose free subsitutes for milk. Also Vitamin B builds that cell walls so that allergens cannot get through them. Can you take those? Do they go through to your milk? Well, talking to an alternative med doctor, or the informed people at your local good health food store may get you some good advice, or at least information. There are good products out there to help with the lactose allergy. Peanuts, eggs, and beef you avoid. I guess all babies at 2 weeks would blood test allergic to them, but you don't want to build those allergies in his body. (Our son was not allergic to peanuts, but was a yes for corn and wheat as well at 18 months --- blood test) At this point did they say that they were possible allergies, or has that test come so far that they can tell now that he will develop them.
Well, as I always say I am old enough to be your mom, talk to her you may be surprised at the stories she has to tell you and perhaps about you.
God bless you and may you get some wise counsel
K. SAHM -- 37 years, married 38 and 4 kids including twins. Kids are 37,32, and twins 18years. Our very "allergic"(really we found out he was missing an enzyme useful in digesting sugar) son just blessed us with our first grandson last Tuesday -- 9'5".

just wanted to respond to the milk thing...i don't know if you (or your daughter are fans) but soy milk is a dream in my house. My son gets horribly constipated from dairy. Our doc suggested soy milk and he drinks it with NO problem and now has NO problem with pooping...hope that helps! it does have a lot of nutrients and vitamins and is not dairy!

The dairy industry has doctors living behind a curtain. There are plenty of people who never have milk and are healthy as can be. Jack LaLane is a perfect example. He believes cow's milk is poison to the body. My daughter has a sensitivity and I do too. I have read a lot about this, unfortunately after those early breastfeeding times.

It is best to clear your gut of all possible allergens. You likely have some sort of sensitivity yourself and the response in your body can be transferred to your baby as well as the actual substance in the milk that causes the allergy. Since your daughter is also allergic to beef, it makes sense that it's something to do with cows that is causing her problem.

They say the first six months to a year is most important regarding breastmilk, so I'd say if you can avoid dairy completely for the first six months, do it. You can get all of your nutrients from other sources, namely dark, green leafy vegetables and citrus fruits. You can get your fats from avocados and protein from nuts, beans or meat if you eat it.

You might also want to take some probiotics, preferably dairy-free ones to help clear your gut. You also might want to put your daughter on the probiotics too. Usually food allergies cause a buildup of bacteria in the gut and it will help her immune system if you can clear it out.

Best of luck.

M.

I also have a daughter with a dairy allergy, although not as severe and with different symptoms (rash, behavioral changes). I see many people here are confusing lactose intolerance with a true milk protein allergy which is what it sounds like your daughter has. We use exclusively soy products at our house. I have a 15 mo old son now who still nurses. He doesn't have a dairy allergy but we still avoid it because it causes constipation. I haven't had any issues substituting soy products for dairy in my diet while nursing. I'm surprised that you would even consider bringing dairy products into your house if your daughter's reaction is so severe. I wouldn't take your allergist's word for it. Ask to see a nutritionist or dietician if you have quetions.

At the reccomendation of my daughters pediatrician, I have not had any dairy (or anything with any dairy derivatives) for 2 months now. When I have dairy my daughter has screaming painful gas. I need to carefully watch my diet and make sure I have calcium supplements, but we are both doing fine.

I wish you luck!

I would definitely recommend you checking out the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN). They are a great resource!

My 2 year old daughter is also allergic to milk, eggs and peanuts (not beef). I got pg again when my daughter was 9 months old. Her allergist told me to avoid peanuts while I'm pg and nursing. She said after he's born to watch him closely. If I eat dairy products and I see hives or he gets very bad eczema, cut the milk/eggs out of my diet. He didn't have the eczema or hives but he did have blood in his stool so I had to stop the dairy. Now instead of having milk, I take calcium supplements, 600mg + Vitamin D 3 times a day. I haven't had dairy in 4 months now but me and my baby are fine since we take the supplements. If you're really concerned you might want to talk to you dr about the supplements. Good luck!

Also try speaking to a lactation specialist (your hospital probably has one - if not, try another local hospital). They know quite a bit more than you'd think and also approach things from a holistic point of view.

Great taht you nursed as longa s you could! in fact I nursed a while too with my oldest (whose now 2) and when i stopped i found out she was allergic to lactose....just massive diarrhae for days on end if she even had a sip of whole milk. so now we offer lactaid milk with her cereal...etc.

so Lactaid milk is an option you can drink while nursing! and perhaps a health food store can advise certain foods that have no peanuts...etc.

since this is such a serious health concern, would you consider contacting a nutritionist for meal ideas for your daughter and for yourself while you nurse?

good luck! and congratulations on 2 kids!!

Hi M.- I disagree with the allergist- Milk is not too important for you to skip if you want to. We do not need to drink cow's milk to make our own breast milk. There are many moms that can't drink milk, as dairy is a common allergen. Just make sure you drink enough water, and get some calcium and vit D elsewhere. (The sun helps with your vit D and you only need 10-15 min of exposure/ day!) I would also suggest another opinion, like a lactation consultant. I don't think the allergist is qualified to make this assumption!
Best of luck to you, and enjoy your little ones. =)
U.

Each baby is different! Your daughter may be sensitive but your newborn may not be. My friend went through the same with her kids. Check and see how your newborn does...you may have nothing to worry about.
I am allergic to tree nuts - so I did not feed them to my 3 year old daughter at all. She's had peanuts, so far, she's fine...

Hi M., Do you have these allergies? I only ask because I have allergies and some of my children have them too. Mine are not food related except recently lactose intolerance. I agree with staying away from peanuts/ butter. If you try the milk product you will know right away (from your experience) to stop and use something else. My best to you, Grandma Mary

I would eat those things minimally. Milk is important because of the calcium for you and the baby. But maybe keep a food journal. Of what foods you've consumed and how much and then watch the baby for any reactions. Some foods like milk produces don't agree with breastfed babies when the mother eats them. Watch for excessive gassiness, spitting up or anything that seems out of the normal. Diahrea type diapers that aren't normal breastfed baby poops. Mark all that down. Then you can go back and see what you ate and look for patterns. I would avoid peanut/nut products if possible because of the history, maybe cut back on the red meat. But in the same right, because those foods aren't "introduced" through your breast milk can't they inturn cause allergies. So, like I said I would introduce them one at a time to your diet and keep the food journal. I have never had this problem. Both my kids were breastfed for at least 6 mos, I ate whatever I wanted, including peanuts, and their both fine. But this may give you some place to start.

Hi M., my niece has the same bad allergies. My sister did not breast feed. I breast fed and ate everything my daughter has no allergies. From what I've read its a problem children have in their intestines. I would look into having your daughter adjusted by a chiropractor and look into pro-biotics. I cant hurt. Its all natural. Good Luck!

Hi M.,

I think you may want to check out what she is NOT getting in the diet.It has been acknowledged that the lack of TRACE MINERALS in our diets has imbalanced us to have allergies and asthma. I know of natural alternatives in dietary supplements that have Plant trace minerals and I, myself got rid of "Hay fever" in the spring of the year that followed a trace mineral supplement in my diet for about 6 months taking. If you are interested in a tasty juice that is very easy to give to children (raspberry extract)you can email me or call me and I can tell you about it or send you to some on-line info about it.
Also if we are deficient, as nursing Moms, in all the nutrients we need-our children will not get the right stuff either! Trace minerals are NOT in our foods anymore unless you eat a lot of "sea weeds" daily. I do many years-dulse in a shaker on my food bought in a health food store.
Feel free to call me, I am happy to point you in the right direction if you do want to do something about it through foods! Good Luck, M. G ###-###-####; ____@____.com

My 7 year old son has a peanut allergy (severe). We took him to an allergist when he was 4 and had him tested for everything. Of course other allergies came up. My daughter was 2 at the time and I asnked him if I should have her tested. He told me that most food allergies are not hereditary. He said that my son's siblings are at no more of a risk for a peanut allergy that a kid in his class. this makes sense, as I have two other children, both of whom are not allergic to peanuts nor my husband and myself. My husband is one of 10 children and from those 1o there are 22 children. 2 of which have a peanut allergy.

My 2 1/2 daughter is allergic to milk and peanuts also. When I was pregnant for my 3rd child (now 14months) I also asked the allergist about what I should do while pregnant and after for nursing and she said the same thing...stay away from peanuts and peanut oil ingredients and dont worry about the milk. She also said that milk is too important to you when pregnant and nursing and a milk allergy is less common than a peanut allergy. And I love milk so I was glad to hear that. My 14 month is fine -not allergic to milk. And my older son who is 6 never had any issues either. Just the middle child. So every child could be different on this.

According to the lactation consultant I used, nursing does not help a child avoid allergies altogether. Rather, it helps to delay the onset of them. Meaning, if your child was born with an allergy, they will have it no matter what. It's just a matter of when. When I asked if I should stay away from peanuts while nursing, my dr said only if there was a family history of such an allergy which in your case there obviously is.

Good luck!