In 2000, the American Academy of Pediatrics advised mothers with a family history of food allergies to avoid cow's milk, peanuts and tree nuts, eggs and fish during pregnancy and breastfeeding in the belief that doing so afforded some protection against their children developing an allergy to one or more of these foods. Seven years later the AAP has changed its mind.
In a new report released this month, the AAP says there is not enough evidence to support their earlier belief and they are now touting breastfeeding in general as a tool for guarding against rashes, wheezing and other allergic reactions to some foods. They are also no longer recommending delaying introducing foods like peanut butter, eggs and fish to children (though they note that babies should not get solid food until 4-6 months).
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Well, I had huge dairy cravings when I was pregnant with my first daughter. I drank about a gallon of milk every two days, and ate large amounts of cheese. My daughter ended up having intolerance to dairy and still does at nearly 12 months old. Maybe the research doesn't support it but I am very careful now with my dairy intake now that I'm pregnant again. I say better safe then sorry!
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Well, I didn't buy into the theory of avoiding allergens while pregnant & breastfeeding, and felt fairly safe since we have no food allergies in the family. I ate lots of nuts while pregnant, as they didn't make me sick. Our daughter had an allergic reaction to nuts the first time she was exposed at 14 months, so we now travel everywhere with benadryl and epi pens. I doubt there is a connection with our daughter's nut allergy, but the mere whiff of possibility (and our nut-free home life) made me avoid them while pregnant with and breastfeeding our son.
Our allergist says that they simply don't have enough answers, and that each allergist believes something different. At the time of our daughter's original diagnosis, he said she may have been sensitized by the diaper cream I used, which contains nut oil; now he is not so sure.
He said that her nut allergy was a variation of the family cat allergy (her paternal grandmother and my husband are both allergic, but my husband's is so mild that we actually have cats). If there is a family history of allergies, asthma, or eczema, your child is at risk of a food allergy.
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