My allergies and bfing

Hi Everyone,

Does anyone know if allergies in the mother can get worse when bfing?

I have very bad dust mite and mold allergies and atm they are so severe that my quality of life is very compromised. Over the last few months I've developed eczema, asthma, itchy ears and eyes, joint pain and insomnia, not to mention yeast infections. I've had these allergies before having children but after each child they've become worse.

I am going to a doctor on Sunday and I know that he is going to put me on a very strict dairy and grain free diet (yipee), plus 18 months worth of vaccines to help eliminate the issues. I can't take any antihistamines which makes my attacks very full on and it takes me hours to recover.

I'd like to hear from anyone who has dealt with allergies whilst bfing. I by now means want to give up because I have a feeling my DD will have some allergies too:(

It makes sense that they could - BF-ing ramps up your immune system (which works really well usually - so Mums get less bugs). But if your immune system is out of whack to begin with then ramping it up won't be helpful.
I don't have any suggestions though - sorry!

hello

Firstly hugs for your allergies I have dealt with this too mostly for the last 15 years.

Docs and MCHN's and lactation consultants say it is best to BF your baby if you do have allergies as it will help your babies immunity with theme. Of course this is only good if you dont take antihistamines.

What kind of doc are you seeing? Do you know what brings on the asthma? is it food related, stress related as well as the mould dustmite?

I have dustmite allergies and saw a allergy specialist clinic in sydney they recommended
- cut out all soap as it will irritate your skin and excema, shampoo's and use a very gentle wash on your clothes such as amolin go health food stores have good shampoo's/conditioners, detergent etc for allergies. There is a hand soap wash you can buy in coles/woolies which is called Redwin its sorbelene based and you can also get a body wash of theirs too, also QV range is awesome too. You also should put a - barrier cream on your excema after a shower I use Silica 15 which is next to the QV range. It helps the skin not get dry.

Have you had food allergy tests done ? definately worth it, also cut out all preservatives in food if you can, they can bring on asthma and excema also, eg sweet chilli sauce gives me really bad asthma and itchy.

What are the vaccines? are they safe for you to still BF your baby?

Goodluck on sunday hope it goes well. :hug:

How awful for you :hug:

I have not heard of allergies worsening while bfing, but allergies are a very specialised and often mis-understood area. Most doctors don't know much about either allergies or breastfeeding so I would be surprised if you get good information from a GP, especially one who works on a weekend. However, a good outcome would be a referral to a good allergist.

As others have pointed out, bfing is very important for babies with allergies as it boosts their immune system. Often allergists recommend that mums with allergic bubs switch to formula because it's easier to do than go on an elimination diet, however this is not the best option for the baby. For some mums an elimination diet isn't an option and that's fine, but many other mums are quite prepared to do it and should be given the chance. It's possible that you might find the same thing - a doctor recommending you give up bfing because he thinks you will find that easier. This is why it's important to see a really good specialist and to let them know that bfing is important to you (if it is!).

Best of luck hun. I really hope you find something that works for you.

Thanks everyone. I've been to this doctor a few years ago. He sent me off for allergy testing and it came back that I was highly allergic to dustmite and mould. The allergist did a simple food test and I came back ok on that side of things. My normal GP has told me to give up bfing so that I can take antihistamines, but i'd rather get to the source of the issue instead of mask it. Therefore I am going back to this other gp who is a little left of centre in his practices. In any case if they do recommend I give up bfing to treat the allergies I will persist until DD is 12 months and then start treatment.

Bek, you might also like to call Dr Rodney Whyte at the Monash Medical Centre drug information line. He is the guru on drugs and bfing - his number during office hours is (03) 9594 2361. There are actually very few drugs which can't be taken while bfing but the database used by doctors and pharmacists is overly conservative. There is a very good chance that you could take the treatment while bfing and Dr Whyte will be able to tell you if this is indeed the case for you.

Some antihistamines are OK with BF.

Breastfeeding and medications

quote "Allergies and hayfever

While breastfeeding, it is best to treat the individual symptoms of hayfever and allergy separately.

For eye symptoms, use eye drops (those containing antazoline or naphazoline). For nasal symptoms, use nasal sprays (such as beclomethasone, budesonide or fluticasone).

If needed, you may use ‘sedating’ antihistamines like chlorpheniramine, cyprohetadine, dexchlorpheniramine, doxylamine or pheniramine. If you are using them for a long period, you will need to monitor your baby for symptoms such as drowsiness and prolonged sleep.

Less-sedating antihistamines such as cetirizine or fexofenadine are not recommended due to the lack of safety information. If you need a less-sedating antihistamine, consider loratadine or desloratadine, as there is more experience with their use. "

Call the number at the bottom of that sheet tomorrow and have a detailed chat about your options.

Manta - Thanks for the number

Knm - Thanks for the fact sheet.

The doc has given me a asthma preventer (sp?) and eye drops. I will be going to an allergist next to arrange for the vaccines which are ok to have whilst feeding.

I will have to do other things like prepare my house especially my bedroom to be dustmite free. So up come the carpets!!! He also wants me to go on a dairy and wheat free diet.

I asked him about Eva's skin and he seems to the think that the dairy in my diet may be causing her excema and her constant coughing. He did recommend that I change her to ffing using a soy formula. I told him that I am prepared to go off dairy so effectively she won't be getting from me after I give it up anyway, so what is the point of putting her on formula???

Bekz

Good to hear from you about how you went at the doc. Hope the preventative goes well. I used to be on pulmicort but there are newer ones now.

What do you wash your clothes in? theres a new washing liquid by Boscitos that made the original dust mite wash that is great. I definitely recommend that. Otherwise they say to use the original dust mite wash every 6 weeks to eliminate all dustmites. Its made from eucalyptus. There is also a spray too, but make sure its safe around kids im not sure I only use the new washing liquid.

He may have wanted your bubs to try soy to see if she is lactose intolerant? we did this by putting Julia on S26 Lactose Free formula. But if you are BF is may caus we issues to start on formula (it did with us, Julia ended up prefering the formula but we had suppy issues too).

I did about 7 years dairy free, and it worked well to help allergies.

Good idea re carpets! just make sure you are not around when its done and at least until all the dust settles hon.

Bel
xxx

Bek, good on for standing your ground with the doctor. Bfing is a better option for your little one - it boosts her immune system which will minimise the impact of any allergies, as well as giving her a better chance of growing out of them soon. Also, it is common for babies with food allergies to also react to environmental allergens such as dust or pollen, so bfing can provide protection against this as well. In contrast, switching to formula (and soy formula is not recommended for babies with possible allergies anymore, neocate or hydrolysed formulas have been shown to be a better option) removes the dairy, but doesn't offer any protection against other allergies.

Bek, an elimination diet is hard work though. It is worth knowing that going in so that you can make an informed decision. With dairy, it's not just milk, cheese, yoghurt etc that you need to eliminate. There are heaps of foods that have milk solids in them and you will need to exclude these from your diet too. It is always recommended that elimination diets be undertaken with a plan from a dietician to make sure you eliminate everything you need to and also maintain a balanced diet. Good on you if you take this difficult path. It is a great thing you can do for your DD. If you find it too hard though, no-one will think any less of you. Elimination diets won't work for every family.

All the best with it all Bek.