Peanut allergy & breastmilk?

[mamagrove]

Well, I posted recently about my 10mo ds being diagnosed with eczema... The rash was severe. We took him off all solid foods & put him on nutramigen/breastmilk only, & briefly used the steroid cream prescribed. The rash got a lot better, but of course was not eliminated, & he is still having flareups. We suspected food allergies b/c myself & dd have sensitivities, so I had his blood tested. Well, the results came back today, & the doctor left me a message on my cell phone. Most of it was garbled, so I have to call her back, but I did manage to hear her say he tested allergic to peanuts & cashews.

My first thought is that they did the wrong blood test, as I wanted IgG done, not IgE, & isn't peanut an IgE allergy? Of course, I'm glad it was found as I know it is usually one of the more serious allergies, but maybe I still need to have the IgG test...? Thoughts on this?

My other question is related to my breastmilk. I'm very distressed about this, so please let me know what you think. I have struggled with low supply with both my kids, dd was only able to get breastmilk until 10.5 wks old & it killed me. DS is still partially nursing thanks to the very expensive drug I'm taking - domperidone (aka motilium). I have worked very hard to keep any supply at all, including pumping a lot. But I eat both peanut butter & cashews, & I while I can certainly eliminate those from my diet now that I know he's allergic, I have no way of knowing what I ate at the time I pumped a month ago. The thought that I have to throw out all that breastmilk that I've worked so hard to store up is very upsetting to me, but if using it means putting my son's health at risk then of course I'll dump it all. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

Thanks for any advice. At least we're getting a partial answer to his issues... =)

[mama1803]

Originally Posted by mamagrove 

My other question is related to my breastmilk. I'm very distressed about this, so please let me know what you think. I have struggled with low supply with both my kids, dd was only able to get breastmilk until 10.5 wks old & it killed me. DS is still partially nursing thanks to the very expensive drug I'm taking - domperidone (aka motilium). I have worked very hard to keep any supply at all, including pumping a lot. But I eat both peanut butter & cashews, & I while I can certainly eliminate those from my diet now that I know he's allergic, I have no way of knowing what I ate at the time I pumped a month ago. The thought that I have to throw out all that breastmilk that I've worked so hard to store up is very upsetting to me, but if using it means putting my son's health at risk then of course I'll dump it all. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

Thanks for any advice. At least we're getting a partial answer to his issues... =)

I can easily understand being distressed about the possibility of having to throw out your breastmilk.  My ds had latch problems and I ended up exclusively pumping, so I know the effort you've put into building a stash.  But IMO, I wouldn't give him the breastmilk if there is even the slightest chance that it was pumped with nuts in your system.  My ds was diagnosed with a severe peanut allergy at 14 months of age--the only exposure he'd had was through my milk.  Given that allergies can become more severe with each exposure, I wouldn't risk a more serious reaction with beastmilk that possibly contained the allergens.

 

[scsigrl]

Have you SEEN a reaction to peanuts in your little one?  Those tests are only 50/50 for a positive. I would be torn.  I am all for BFing and you have worked so so hard.  I would hate to see all that effort go to waste. The proteins from peanuts DO pass through breastmilk though.

I would have a serious discussion with your DS's allergist.  That's a hard one. :(  :hug: