if celiac runs in my boyfriend's family, should i eat wheat while breastfeeding?

[DKPA]

So my boyfriend hasn't been diagnosed with celiac but his mom and aunt definitely have it and they suspect other relatives do as well.  I've read research on how breastfeeding is helpful in preventing it, especially after the baby is introduced to gluten but haven't really seen anything on whether I should avoid gluten as a precaution.  Granted I'll be trying to lose weight after having a baby and probably won't be eating a lot anyway since i know it's not really the best for you, but is it something I should avoid completely?

Also some sites say that gluten should be introduced to the baby in a certain time frame, between 4 and 7 months,however I planned on still exclusively breastfeeding during this time period.  Should i add a little wheat to my diet at this point?

Also i have eaten wheat while pregnant, one because future MIL didn't bring it to my attention until recently and i felt my diet was limited enough with all the aversions I've had.  I hope that won't be an issue.

So anyone with any experience on this i'd love to hear what you think.  It seems like the current research is still somewhat inconclusive.  thanks!

[covertlycrunchy]

I would avoid gluten & grains in general.  Neither you or your baby will be worse off for it.  As you stated, grains, and wheat in particular, aren't really good for you anyway.  I've been going mostly gluten free for about a year now and feel *much* better.  I never though I had symptoms either.  Gluten can cause all sorts of problems beyond typical celiac.  It has been implicated in many auto immune diseases, inflamation and thyroid problems.  I would not introduce gluten to the baby.  There is *no* reason to do so, nutritionally wheat/oats are not that nutritious and would take the place of healthier foods.  The new recommendation is for meat first, then fruit/veg.  But in the interests of full disclosure, I'm a huge fan of the Paleo movement/diet.  Google Mark's Daily Apple for more information on the impact of grains/legumes/dairy in the human diet.

[DKPA]

Originally Posted by covertlycrunchy 

I would avoid gluten & grains in general.  Neither you or your baby will be worse off for it.  As you stated, grains, and wheat in particular, aren't really good for you anyway.  I've been going mostly gluten free for about a year now and feel *much* better.  I never though I had symptoms either.  Gluten can cause all sorts of problems beyond typical celiac.  It has been implicated in many auto immune diseases, inflamation and thyroid problems.  I would not introduce gluten to the baby.  There is *no* reason to do so, nutritionally wheat/oats are not that nutritious and would take the place of healthier foods.  The new recommendation is for meat first, then fruit/veg.  But in the interests of full disclosure, I'm a huge fan of the Paleo movement/diet.  Google Mark's Daily Apple for more information on the impact of grains/legumes/dairy in the human diet.

wow interesting, i had thought grains like oats and quinoa were good for you and definitely better than animal proteins, which i try to just eat in moderation.  Just curious why you think meat's the first thing you should give your child?  But I definitely agree about feeling better without the gluten, i avoided it and definitely lost weight prior to being pregnant.  Hopefully it will have the same effect after! Thanks for replying

[DKPA]

just looked up the paleo diet, it seems to recommend eating whole foods and avoiding processed which is of course good, but what concerns me is that things are obviously different than primal times; in this day in age with pollution like pcb, mercury and fire retardants in the water and other environmental contaminants, antibiotics and growth hormones in meat, i just have a hard time wanting to base my diet and my child's on that...although i really love fish:(  but that's just me, i know no food is perfect anymore and that's why i find it so hard to make decisions about diet, it seems like there's always something bad to say about everything no matter what you eat.

[aumismommy]

FWIW - DH and I both have gluten sensitivities and I have had a few pieces of sourdough with soup (it's been cold here) the last few months and each time DS (6mo) gets irritable and gassy...once when I had gnocchi and before I had realized the connection to it passing to him he had blood streaked poop...eliminated the gluten and voila!  Happy baby again...well for the most part :)

[fruitfulmomma]

With regards to the gluten issue, I would avoid it. My babies didn't develop gluten-intolerance, they were born with it. It took us longer to realize it with some of the girls, but I was figuring it out when I was pregnant with my youngest and the few times I ate it after she was born so would vomit almost immediately. And I discovered I was intolerant to it as well.

As far as nutrition overall, Nina Planck's books are good on those issues, including how to limit or avoid exposure to toxins in the meat products, and she has one specific for mothers and baby's. Lightly cooked eggs were dd3s first food and she did great on them. DD4 doesn't care too much for them but she loves all sorts of meat and dairy. Due to her extensive list of food intolerance (she can't digest salicylic acid properly and is allergic to latex, on top of being gluten-intolerant) her diet is restricted to mostly animal products.

[covertlycrunchy]

Originally Posted by DKPA 

just looked up the paleo diet, it seems to recommend eating whole foods and avoiding processed which is of course good, but what concerns me is that things are obviously different than primal times; in this day in age with pollution like pcb, mercury and fire retardants in the water and other environmental contaminants, antibiotics and growth hormones in meat, i just have a hard time wanting to base my diet and my child's on that...although i really love fish:(  but that's just me, i know no food is perfect anymore and that's why i find it so hard to make decisions about diet, it seems like there's always something bad to say about everything no matter what you eat.

I was basing the meat first recommendation on something that I heard from the AAP a year or two ago, sorry I don't have the link.  I know pollution is an issue, certainly, but it really isn't too hard to get around.  There is usually somebody in your local area that is raising meat/eggs in a healthy way, you just have to look around a little bit, some areas are better than others.  You can also check out the Weston A Price Foundation for more information on infant nutrition.  Think about it as nutrient density per calorie.  More bang for you buck, if you will. As for mercury in fish, I have come to LOVE tinned sardines and kippers.  Both are small fish, high in omega 3s (DHA/EPA) which are critical to brain development, and low in contaminates because they are short-lived fish.  There are certainly ways to feed yourself and your family well without any downsides!  Not EVERYTHING is bad for you!  You just have to source the food well.  I think too much is made of environmental contamination anyways, not to say it doesn't play a role but I think it is really overstated.  But I *do* think that gluten/wheat are not appropriate for people in any significant quantity as it seems to cause a lot of gut issues and inflamation.  I will admit to the occasional chocolate-filled croissant however.  You only live once, after all! ;-)

[DKPA]

lol yeah i guess not everything is bad, it's just frustrating whenever i think i'm eating something good and then i hear something potentially scary about it.  There's just so much conflicting information out there.  I do buy organic meat and eggs but still feel guilty after eating them and i'm the type that would be freaked out to buy canned sardines because of the BPA in the can.  So I think you're right in saying don't let the threat of environmental contamination stop you completely from eating something healthy.  Thanks for the replies.

[GoGoGirl]

In my case, it's my dad and brother who have celiac disease.  I asked around about this when I was pregnant, and heard (from many people on a celiac yahoo group, and a nutritionist) that you don't have to avoid gluten yourself when you're breastfeeding.  Of course, the recommendations may have changed in the last two years, and you may decide to be more cautious than I was.  So I didn't avoid gluten, but if DD had shown some kind of symptoms, I would have tried removing it from my diet of course to see if that was her problem.  We were very cautious about introducing gluten to DD--we waited until she was 12 months, and then did it very specifically so we could watch for a reaction.  We have a lot of other allergies in our families too (nuts, pepper, shellfish) so when we tried to delay solids in general (didn't start until 8 months) and then introduce things one at a time so we could watch for a reaction.

And FWIW, I'm vegan and think it's healthiest to build your diet around vegetables, fruits, nuts, and legumes.  So the Paleo diet is by no means the only philosophy out there.

[babygirlie]

well.. it IS herditary. I don't eat gluten and neither does my baby. I have not decided when to test her for gluten allergies. I am going to assume she inherited it until I feel she is old enough to tell me she is in pain which I haven't decided when that is. I'm hesitant only because gluten free does suck and any contamination is contamination and I don't know if you could do it knowing you are ok with it and not knowing the severe pain and messed up intestines it can give you :/

[DKPA]

Originally Posted by GoGoGirl 

In my case, it's my dad and brother who have celiac disease.  I asked around about this when I was pregnant, and heard (from many people on a celiac yahoo group, and a nutritionist) that you don't have to avoid gluten yourself when you're breastfeeding.  Of course, the recommendations may have changed in the last two years, and you may decide to be more cautious than I was.  So I didn't avoid gluten, but if DD had shown some kind of symptoms, I would have tried removing it from my diet of course to see if that was her problem.  We were very cautious about introducing gluten to DD--we waited until she was 12 months, and then did it very specifically so we could watch for a reaction.  We have a lot of other allergies in our families too (nuts, pepper, shellfish) so when we tried to delay solids in general (didn't start until 8 months) and then introduce things one at a time so we could watch for a reaction.

And FWIW, I'm vegan and think it's healthiest to build your diet around vegetables, fruits, nuts, and legumes.  So the Paleo diet is by no means the only philosophy out there.

Thanks so much for sharing. Although I think I'll try to avoid gluten in general, it's reassuring to know even nutritionists say if i get a little here and there while breastfeeding it's not going to affect my baby getting the disease unless he or she does have a sensitivity.  And I'm glad to hear from a vegan! Even though the other posters made good points, i was really surprised honestly by all the posts about the benefits of animal products and introducing that to your baby first.  I've tried to have more of your approach to eating, so it just wasn't what i'm used to hearing.

[KoalaMommy]

I suspect DS has celiac disease.  This child has not had gluten himself, but has been throwing up blood since 4 months of age.  So that means all his gluten has come from me.  I've spent the last 6 months narrowing down the possibilities with the help of my pediatrician, an allergist and an LC who specializes in allergies, so when I say it's gluten, I'm fairly certain.  So, while the recommendations aren't for mom to avoid gluten, I personally think it must pass through the milk.  He'll be fine as long as I'm gluten and dairy free and within a few days of me adding gluten he'll be vomiting.

[DKPA]

Originally Posted by KoalaMommy 

I suspect DS has celiac disease.  This child has not had gluten himself, but has been throwing up blood since 4 months of age.  So that means all his gluten has come from me.  I've spent the last 6 months narrowing down the possibilities with the help of my pediatrician, an allergist and an LC who specializes in allergies, so when I say it's gluten, I'm fairly certain.  So, while the recommendations aren't for mom to avoid gluten, I personally think it must pass through the milk.  He'll be fine as long as I'm gluten and dairy free and within a few days of me adding gluten he'll be vomiting.

im sorry, that really sounds awful.  just curious, does celiac run in your family?

[KoalaMommy]

I have a niece who has been diagnosed, and my other 2 children have mild symptoms, but no one else has tested positive for the genetic markers.  I'm going to see if they will go ahead and do the biopsy on DS since his symptoms are so severe, but we don't even have the appointment till March, so I won't know anything till then. 

[babygirlie]

why not do a blood or stool test instead?