Baby reacting to peas?

[Lemoncello]

Okay, so my EBF 6 month old DS has had eczema for a couple months now. I have taken dairy, peanuts, citrus and strawberries out of my diet because he has seemed to have flare-ups after I ate those things. I am just beginning to give him some solids, and we are doing a combination of BLW and homemade purees. Yesterday, he had a couple baby spoonfuls of pureed green peas, and a few more this morning. This afternoon he started to get sort of fussy (which could very well be teething), had alot of stinky gas, then he had a BIG bm, some of which appeared a little mucousy and green. And this evening his face started breaking out around his mouth, and it was obviously itchy because he was rubbing it really hard with his little hands. I noticed when I changed his diaper for bedtime that the skin around his anus was really red, too. So, this all sounds like a reaction to the peas, right? He has only had pears and bananas before yesterday, and they didn't seem to bother him at all, except making his stools a little firmer. Do you think I should wait to introduce any other new foods until the bad patches clear up? Ugh...I'm so new to all this, and it's so frustrating because every time I think I have it under control, his skin breaks out all over again! 

[Lemoncello]

Oh, and does this mean that I need to eliminate all legumes from my diet, too? Ack! I love my beans! :p

[elanorh]

Wait 'til it's cleared up to introduce any other new foods to his diet. 

Cut peas from your diet as well.

Are you avoiding soy already?  It's a legume. 

My dd1 was allergic to soy, and also to other legumes (peas, green beans, dry beans).  I avoided all of them.  She outgrew that allergy during the second year of her life. 

For your own peace of mind, maybe wait a bit and see whether babe is teething (which can also cause mucousy stools, rashy/irritation around the mouth).  Then, if you want to try green beans directly and see what happens, that will give you a better idea whether it's all legumes that you need to cut out. 

[Lemoncello]

Thanks, elanor! I guess I will try cutting legumes from my diet, even though that's going to be tricky. Soy is one of the more common allergens that I had not yet tried eliminating, partly because I was drinking soy milk instead of cow's milk. But I have switched to rice milk because I was having trouble digesting the soy myself. It's possible that legumes may be more of a problem than dairy...hmmm... This is so hard to figure out! And of course, I know that it may not be just foods that are bothering him. Most likely he's got some pollen allergies, and we have pets, too...so I keep hoping that they are not what he is allergic to! 

[mbbinsc]

He is a cute baby.  My 5 yo DD has multiple food allergies.  It does sound like he had a reaction to the peas.  We saw signs of her allergies early on (hives from kisses after DH had almonds or cashews) or a face rash when she had the tiniest amount of yogurt.  For me the easiest thing to do was delay solids and focus on keeping my milk supply as allergy free as possible.  She did not have bad reactions to my milk even if I ate her allergens, but she did have eczema spots. 

Is there a history of allergies in your family?  We have allergies, but my DD is the only immediate family member with food allergies. 

[Lemoncello]

nak...

Yeah, I am really not in a hurry to get him eating alot of solid food right now. It just seems like more hassle than it's worth at the moment. 

We don't have actual food allergies in our family, although DH and I both have pollen allergies. DH also is sensitive to some preservatives, so we try to stay away from those as much as our limited budget will allow. DH has had some oral allergy symptoms from eating kiwi and strawberries in the last couple of years, although I suspect that may be related to his pollen allergies. However, I'm stearing clear of them for Josiah's sake, just to be safe. 

[mbbinsc]

Stick with nursing as long as you can.  It was hard on me at times but we managed for over 3 years.  I wished that I had kept some sort of record of my daughters signs of allergies when she was young.  As she got older it was harder to remember what her reactions were early on.  She is 5 now and we pretty much know her allergies and have to avoid them.  I am hoping that your son just needs a little more time for his system and that this will only be a memory by the time he is 5!

[scrandall1173]

Not sure if that's an allergic reaction. Personally I would just hold off on peas for a month or so. I would not assume other legumes are a problem unless you see a reaction.

My BF daughter had incredible gas after I had homemade pea soup and then one day plain peas. She doesn't react the same way to other legumes.