nursing baby with allergies

zelda

Tue, Apr 28 2009, 8:55 pm

Hi,

I just found out that my 8 month old baby with excema has allergys to eggs milk and nuts.....aaaahhhh.

I'm wondering if I should stop nursing and give him soy formula (which I heard isn't good for him) or try to stay off all those foods myself.....it seems so hard. But I also love nursing and want to be a good mom.

Any good advice?

Anyone know about the soy issue?

THanks

Mommy3.5

Tue, Apr 28 2009, 11:21 pm

I am currently nursing a baby with all those allergies and a few more. If you would like support you can PM me.

Soy is also very allergic, my son is allergic to it also. Many babies with dairy allergies are also allergic to soy. Ailementum,. is both soy and dairy based, so it is not ideal for a baby with dairy allergies.

In addition soy is very unhealthy for boys, because it is very high in estrogen, a female hormone. It can trigger all kind of ill effects. Even adults should keep their soy down to once or twice a week.

sarahmalka

Sun, May 03 2009, 9:41 am

Keep nursing! Your immune factors in the breast milk can only help the situation. Definitely avoid the allergenic foods in your diet though. Can you see a naturopath to help out? Go to www.naturopathic.org and click Find a Doctor to find someone hear you (if you are in the USA... sorry I didn't notice where you're from) A naturopathic doctor (ND) can help with supplements for the baby that can reduce allergic response and inflammation- very successful natural treatments for eczema.

yOungM0mmy

Sun, May 03 2009, 10:30 am

I guess my answer got deleted...
I have a son who is allergic to eggs, milk, soy and wheat, and I am allergic to nuts and fish. I nursed him till he was 13 months old.
I was seeing a gastroenterologist, and he told me NOT to exclude those foods. Many women who cut out foods when nursing start to feel it is too difficult, and would rather give up. The dr said better the baby should be breastfed and get a bit of the 'toxins' from those foods, than not be breastfed. I found my son reacted much worse to parmesan than say yoghurt or milk, cuz its stronger, and also to wholewheat bread, so I cut those two things out, but not all dairy.
Switching to soy formula may not help - soy and milk are very close to each other, and many children allergic to milk have trouble with soy too. There are hypoallergenic formulas (eg neocate or nutramigen), but most of them taste really bad, and it will be hard to get an older infant to accept them.
See if you can control the exzema independantly of the food intake - daily baths and then slather in cream, and use hydrocortisone for a while to get it under control. Also, slather baby's cheeks and chin before nursing, so any milk that does drip out of his mouth will not irritate his skin, because the cream acts as a barrier.
Also, 8 months is time to get a real start on solid feeding if you havent yet.
BH my son is now 18 months old and doing well, and his skin is mostly clear, so feel free to ask if you need more advice.