Questions -

[EmilyG]

My DD was a very fussy high needs baby and I always felt like there was something that just wasn't right, that she was just too unhappy, but my pedi never agreed.  She was exclusivly breastfed and I brought up allergies several times only to be told that the chances of her being allergic to something I was eating were slim.

Now she is 18 months old and pretty much still refusing to eat solid foods.  She'll take a couple bites here and there, mostly just fruits or veggies but isn't real interested in table food, still nursing a lot.  My mom was telling me that sometimes kids with allergies just know that they shouldn't be eating certain foods and avoid them and maybe thats why she won't eat?  Does that make sense?

Also she just in the last 6 weeks has developed a full body rash.  At first her pedi thought it was a virus but is now calling it allergies.  She's miserable with itching so we did 5 days of prednisone and it took the rash away only for it to come back jsut as bad a new days after stopping the steroids.  The Dr. now wants her taking Claritin every day in addition to lotions several times a day.  I'm still wondering if something I'm eating is causing this.  Have any of you had experience with babies reacting to/having a reaction to something you ate and they got through the breastmilk?

[kjbrown92]

uh yes. For my son it was milk that I was drinking and he would projectile vomit.

Allergy tests under age 2 (IgE, "normal" allergies) are not very accurate. What you're talking about can be either food intolerances or food allergies (also could throw some environmental allergies as well). As in, could the rash be from a change in detergents, and the other things be from food?

The top 8 allergens are pretty well known. The top 4 intolerances are dairy, gluten, soy, and corn (in that order). If symptoms are all the time, it's most likely one (or more) of those since they're in 80-90% of the food most Americans eat. If symptoms come and go, a food journal might be helpful to determine what is causing things. Probiotics and gut healing also help.

Most doctors don't know anything about food intolerances, and most allergies don't "believe" in them. Some gastroenterologists understand them, but not many.

[mama1803]

Allergy testing for my 14 month old ds turned out to be extremely accurate.  He was found to be allergic to eggs, milk, and peanuts--all things that I ate while breastfeeding.  He started with eczema at 3 months of age, that was our first clue. Our pedi suggested eliminating dairy from my diet which didn't help.   After a trial of cow's milk by ds at 12 months resulted in swollen lips and a red, blotchy rash on his chin and neck we had him tested at the recommendation of our pedi.

Lotion never helped my ds with the eczema and we didn't feel comfortable using steroid creams.  I personally wouldn't do the Claritin--it will only cover up the symptoms, not eliminate the allergy or intolerance. Same with the prednisone.   I would suggest eliminating the top allergens from your diet for a few weeks and keeping a food journal.