Peanut Butter & Nuts During Pregnancy

[~Kim~]

Jan while I was pregnant, call me dumb but it never occurred to me to stop eating PB. It was only after I had been BF a couple of months that I read something about it. I haven't stopped but have slowed down a lot. I worry about it sometimes, but I can't undo what is already done.

[Mumma2three]

Interestingly I am just doing a first aid course and we were talking about the rise in allergies. THey are not sure why this has happened, but a theory in the health feild is that its' when pregnant women start eating things in the third trimester that they don't usually eat. So if you've always eaten peanuts, it is less likely your bub willhave intolerance, but if you've never eaten them and now crave them, that's where there could be a prob. She also said that peanuts used to be a christmas treat, now they're eaten alot more, and thirdly she said about 10-15 years ago preg women were told to replace red meat with peanuts..one of those theories. Also I believe there's been a huge increase in thai foods in oz, which uses peanut oils, peanuts etc so maybe that's contributed.
xo

[clare076]

Gosh, it never even crossed my mind that it could have an effect on the baby. I craved PB for most of my pregnancy with Shelby, and I mean seriously craved it. I had it smothered on everything! And my cousin has a serious allergy to peanuts and it still didn't occur to me to not eat it. My body told me I needed it, so I did!

Luckily Shelby seems OK, but then I haven't given her PB yet.

[Kristylin]

I definately think it depends on the person and their situation and is obviously a personal choice, like most of the 'avoid while pregnant' list. I know I had peanuts with whilst pregnant with both my boys (I am not a huge consumer, but love cashews and thai curries and satay etc), and thankfully neither have a peanut allergy. Its a tough one, I however ate cashews yesterday (mind you, I hadn't actually heard about avoiding them until after I ate some yesterday - lol. I will still eat them though.)

[Netty]

Oh dear I hope it's a wives tale, I have been pigging out on peanut butter.. my first trimester it was vegimite (and cheese), now it's peanute butter! :eek:
My hubby is allergic to seafood but can eat peanut stuff... better slow down on the pb from now to be on the safe side

[DGirl]

I eat about 1/2 a jar of peanut butter a week. I was the same before I was pregnant. I just love the stuff.

No history of allegry in the families either. I would have though that exposure to it in the womb would make them desensitised when born.

[LoveKnowsNoBounds]

I am staying away from peanut butter. I was never a big eater to begin with so I think its safer to minimise the intake. I will still have the occasional handful of pistachio and almonds though. Does nut allergies include those as well, or is it usually just peanuts?

[KoB]

I have worked with ladies who had nuts and dried fruit combinations throughout their pregnancies, but a girlfriend of mine who is currently pg told me that eating nuts can lead to allergies within the child. My doctor gave me an overview of what quantities of things i should be eating and nuts was on the list. I then bought little mini packs of nuts (almonds, pepitas, dried prunes, etc). Which one is it?

Can any one shed some light on this?

[Inanna]

YOu may have noticed that there seems to be a large increase in the number of children that suffer from peanut allergy. These reactions can be extremely dangerous.

It is also believed that the mother eating peanuts can trigger an unborn child to build up an allergy in utero. Therefore it is now recommended that peanuts be avoided during pregnancy for this reason.

[Karina]

I have also heard that too. I was told its especially important to avoid eating lots of nuts if you or your partner also suffer from allergies, and things like eczema, asthma, hayfever.
I want satay though, but I'm worried because the satay we have at home says "extra peanuty" on the jar, lol.

[Snacks]

I've heard similar things - there's another thread from not too long ago about peanut butter around here somewhere.
It's a personal choice, I think. I've eaten nuts here and there throughout my pregnancy, it was important to me to still enjoy them from time to time. I know there are some people though who don't think it's worth the risk, so they avoid them altogether. It's really your decision

[Inanna]

Karina,
You are spot on about the asthma/eczema link. There is quite a strong one. However, I believe that it is one of those things that there have not been large enough studies done on it to be an absolute. However, I happen to believe that there are enough reports to feel quite comfy that there is a link.

In our own family my husband is an asthmatic and so are his sisters. Like many asthmatics his sisters also suffer exzema. I made the decision to abstain from peanuts (these are widely believed to be the main culprits) and some other common allergens whilst I was pregnant. I also abstained from these while I breastfed and I breastfed until my babies naturally weaned. All of these things are reported to reduce the allergic risk.

My husband's sister has four children and she didn't breastfeed and ate peanuts until the cows came home and every one of her children is asthmatic and has eczema. Of course this is only one case... I must say the asthma thing is something I am ALWAYS on the watch for due to our family history...

One of my close girlfriends has a little one with diabetes. She of course has researched this a great deal - she has found a link between the above allergens and breastfeeding length and diabetes as well.

So, I guess for families that have a history and if you feel comfortable it may be worth abstaining...

I guess it's another one of those things that you need to independently investigate and then form a decision...

[Karina]

Deb thats really interesting...
I get eczema terribly (though its cleared up really well since I've been pregnant ) and DH has asthma and gets hayfever, so I am trying not to eat too many peanuts because of what I was told. I had no idea that diabetes was also associated with these allergens.

[Netty]

I have asthma but believe it is becasue my mum smoked when pregnant with me. No one else in my family has it (I am the yongest of 9!) My husband is allergic to seaood but then he is the only one with an alergy in his family so it can be pot luck too I reckon. I only heard about this peanut thing recently and must say I have hoed into the peanut butter at times (a medium jar in one week!) and have eaten small nut and fruit mixes here and there too... I reckon all in moderation is good but then that is just my opinion. I will come back and report on this when bub is here and twe've tried and tested..

[Inanna]

Emma, I believe it is primarily peanuts that is the problem. Nuts are a healthy snacking choice but peanuts have come under the spotlight due to the larger number of children that are reacting. As a result peanuts and peanut paste etc are banned from some schools and childcare centres.

I must say the link with diabetes and diet is another that hasn't had any large studies done on it. My friend has researched this at length due to her son's condition. He is the only diabetic on both sides of their family...

[Ambah]

I was told that it's okay to eat some nut's during pregnancy if neither the mother or father have an allergy... but it seems that info may have been outdated!

Neither DP or I have any allergies, however Aidyn does have a peanut allergy. And yes I did eat my fair share of peanuts during pregnancy... this may not be the only factor though in Aidyns case, but its certainly something to think about.

[mrsmac]

My cousin ate loads of peanut butter during her pregnancy and had a child with a peanut allergy BUT there is peanut allergy in the family and the child is a twin and the other twin has no allergies so go figure!

[Inanna]

Yes, sometimes it's hard to know. However the dice is pretty loaded that peanuts can trigger allergy in susceptible people. Because we don't know if our babies are susceptible or not it is probably best to steer clear...