New to allergy situation? Some questions...

[ellairiesmom]

Hi there,

DD has had a nasty red itchy patch on her right cheek for many months now. It is the side she sleeps on up against me & we assumed it was from milk dripping down while nursing all night. We tried all kinds of creams & such and the only 2 things that seem to help a little were Burt's Bees Diaper Cream & Avalon Organics A, D, E ointment.

Recently, Ped suggested allergy bloodwork because of the patch. She tested very pos for egg whites and slightly pos for milk. She has never actually eaten eggs or dairy, but I eat tons of organic egg whites & drink skim milk. She nurses often day & night.

I thought she showed no other signs of allergies until noticing that there is lots of talk of sleep issues and allergies on the forum. Can someone explain to me why there would be such a correlation? How would it show itself?

I ask because she also still wakes up every 2 hours & only nursing gets her back to sleep. I am so exhausted I could drop at any moment. I know, poor me! But we are throwing our formal wedding in 29 days and I have so much baby weight to lose and am training with weights 3 days a week and then doing spin and kickboxing classes 6 days a week (yes-that translates to me being at the gym twice a day several days a week!) and need some sleep.

Cutting out eggs completely would be tough for me since I am also eating very disciplined and they are such a great low carb source of protein. I eat them in the morning-would that impact her in the middle of the night?

Thanks-sorry for going on and on...I am posting in BF'ing Forum and Cosleeping threads too...just trying to vent a little (i am getting about 4 hours of sleep a night and am about to lose it) and get some advice...

[mtn.mama]

Yay! You have some answers to work with! Eggs are the number one cause of food related eczema, and eggs destroy my dd's sleep. Maybe you can sort out both problems with your newfound information. You absolutely need to cut all eggs out of your diet, and you would do well to cut milk, its products and all hidden dairy as well. You can do this. Your daughters health is too important not to...

[changingseasons]

I agree- you absolutely need to cut eggs out of your diet asap. Continuing to eat them will worsen any gut damage in your LO, and lengthen the healing time.

Allergies can manifest in all sorts of ways (check out my blog): digestive issues, skin issues, behavior issues, sleep issues, anxiety/depression, etc.

Also- if you are losing a lot of weight quickly, you are potentially releasing a lot of accumulated toxins into your bloodstream which could end up in your BM. That could also have an effect on your LO's symptoms. If possible, weight loss should be limited to no more than 2 pounds a week.

[Chinese Pistache]

Yes, definitely cut them completely. You're lucky to have found this out now, as allergic reactions can escalate if not addressed. This website (scroll down) gives alternate names for egg and milk derivatives: http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/allergy.htm

Other things to know about what happens when a child continues consuming their food allergens. . . gut damage that can lead to becoming allergic to other foods, and eczema/rashes can lead to asthma (google "allergy march" or "allergy triad").

Read the "resources" sticky above about how to heal your and your lo's gut.

[Masel]

My DD had a similar rash. We weren't nursing but cutting out all eggs and dairy cleared up her skin completely within a couple weeks. This mean everything with these products.

[ellairiesmom]

Thanks for the feedback.

Based on a suggestion from a mama on another thread, I am going to cut out eggs/dairy and items containing them for 3 weeks & see if I notice any change in sleeping patterns and/or the patch on her cheek. We eat all organic everything, nothing processed or crappy & I read labels carefully so I think I look out for my gal. I just wasn't sure how accurate the allergy testing was because she isn't complaining, her stools are "normal" for her & other than a patch on the cheek and waking up to nurse often, she shows no signs.

As for losing weight quickly...LOL...if only that was an issue for me! I have PCOS and Insulin Resistance & am losing very slow despite exercise. I am only kicking it up a notch for a month.

Thanks everyone!

[ainh]

My guy didn't show many signs from breastfeeding, but then when ate the foods directly he had anaphylaxis. Some women pass fewer of the proteins in their milk and pass them at different rates (depending on your metabolism, presumably). In any case, when I cut out all his allergens his skin and sleep got better. Sleep is a tough one to call sometimes...habits form and they get used to waking up frequently, even if it's no longer from discomfort, you know? It might take more like six weeks to notice real differences in skin and sleep. The skin and gut barriers take a long time to heal and it can take a long time for traces of allergens to leave your system.