Question:
I am not an allergic person so I am not too familiar with this area. My 5
week old DD has been sort of sick on 2 seperate occasions when I had eaten
eggs for breakfast. I don't know if I had eggs other days where she didn't
react but that's the one food that I know I had both times so I am worried
she may be sensitive to it. Both days she was super fussy and then eventually spit up alot of thick
white spit-up, was very gassy, lots of wet poops and just general
discomfort. She would cry as if in pain - we felt terrible. Does this sound
like an allergy? I BFd my DS for 18 months and never found him to be
particular about what I ate. Can a baby be allergic to something the mother
eats or just sensitive to it?
I knew a woman whos older BFing child would get a rash on his legs if she
ate eggs!! So that's where I got the idea...will my baby have to be tested
or just never give her eggs? (ugh!) I will avoid them for now - but I know i
have had them in baked goodies and everything else.
Answer:
I've just cut out dairy and eggs cause my son is allergic to them, so it
is a tough road. Try keeping a food diary for a week, and cut out eggs. See if the
problem happens. If it doesn't, try one egg, see if there's a problem
there. If there is, it's egg. How did you have the egg? Like fried or
scrambled? Does she react when you have baked goods that you know have
eggs in them?
If you suspect a food allergy in an infant, you MUST keep a food diary.
In it, write down everything you eat (including meds and vitamins) and
the general state of your baby's health. After a week or so, look back
at the diary and see if you find any correlations between what you ate
and your baby's health. Note that it should take a minimum of an hour
for the food you eat to reach your milk, but may take much longer for
your baby to react.
I recommend the book by Dr. Doris Rapp, "Is This Your Child?" for more
infomration on food diaries, infants, allergies. I like it because it
is clearly written and very easy to read, not to mention quite
informative.
I wouldn't yet assume your baby has egg allergy, primarily because
you're eating things with eggs cooked in, and those don't seem to
trigger a reaction.
Another useful source of information might be web sites on egg allergy.
Just do a search for "egg allergy" on google and see what looks
useful. (If you find anything on About.com, it's generally realiable
information. Other places are good, too.)
DS had this reaction every time I had red wine (I never tried white,
don't like it). I stopped drinking it and never had any problems with
him again, it does sound like a sensitivity reaction to me. The best
way to find out is to keep a diary, as Beth suggested, and write down
what you eat at which time and how DD behaves.
