Do you ever wonder if something during your pregnancy led to your LO's allergies?

macaroni1979

I'm sure that science probably says this is wrong, but sometimes I wonder if there was something I did, or a combination of things that caused DS's allergies. Just curious if anyone else feels like that and if you had any issues with your pregnancy?

My story: severe hyperemesis until 28 weeks treated by a combination of daily meds/IV meds, high risk for DS, multiple u/s to check for cysts on the brain, heart issues, amnio, pitocin induction after water broke and labor stalled. Asher also had awful jaundice for 3 weeks after birth requiring hospitalization and bili lights at home. Blechhh.

Also, do you have any theories of your own?

Temp970088312507122

I had severe HG too and one of the few things I could tolerate was peanut butter. My mom says it's because I ate so much pb that DD1 is allergic to peanuts. I'm not convinced (I don't think I ate THAT much pb!) but sometimes I wonder...........

g_belle

all the time.  I had severe polyhydramnios- too much amniotic fluid.  Went into labor at 32 weeks and after an amnio reduction I made it just over 2 more weeks on bedrest.  Delivered at 34 weeks and 5 days.  Doctors have never figured out the cause for so much fluid even though J and I were tested for all of the regular causes.  I didn't have any extra fluid with my second pregnancy.

J had breathng issues and jaundice.  The immune system is one of the last things to develop in uetero. Everything I read about food allergies points to something with the immune system- even though the doctors don't seem to know what exactly the link is- just that they're linked. 

Along with the food alergies he has chronic eczema (mostly controlled by avoiding his trigger foods) and asthma.  I'm pretty convinced that his prematurity/lack of development + something in his DNA caused some immune issues that are showing as food allergies (even though I know there are plenty of preemies without food allergies). 

My DH's theory is that his food allergies/immune system were the cause of the polyhydramnios...but there we agree to disagree. 

westcoaststyle

DS has Celiac Disease, so it's a little different than your traditional food allergy in that it is genetic. That said, something has to trigger the body to develop CD and my theory is a little more conspiracy-theory-esque. I think all the genetically modified foods we're eating are causing the rise in CD. So, not what I ate while pregnant, so much as what I fed DS. Don't beat yourself up about it. Drs don't even understand why there is such a rise in food allergies amongst kids.

RedCherry1109

Sometimes I do but I had 2 prefect pregnancies. DH and I have no allergies but both boys have MSPI. DS1 had tons of test done when he was little and always asked if it was something I did or ate, the answer was always no.

MrsJayOK

I never did until someone I know asked me if I thought DD had some issues because I had such a rough pregnancy.  I had never really thought about it, but it did make me wonder.  No one in our families have food allergies or eczema, but her allergist said that it is not likely.

carlinlp

We actually do know what caused my DS's allergies and sensitivities.  He had a severe vaccine reaction almost a year ago.  Before that, he had a mild sensitivity to milk (untested and unconfirmed).  After his vax reaction he had major problems.  They tore apart his immune system and his brain and entire body started to shut down.  It was horribly scary.  During those long months allergies and sensitivities got really bad.  We were told by his MD that the measles live virus he was given usually takes up residence in the gut and nerve cells.  His gut was a mess for a really long time.  That's what triggered the allergies, the food was escaping his gut and his body was reacting to it leaking out.  As he has healed, his food allergies have somewhat healed.  Not 100% but he is WAY better than he was.  He is on a very strict diet now and we only eat organic, etc.  He can't have gluten or dairy, we avoid soy with him.  All cause reactions.  He has very little toxin exposure now bc he's super chemical sensitive.  But yeah, if you compare how he was before, during and after his vax reaction, it is pretty clear to us.  I'm very thankful for his healing and that we were also able to get rid of his asthma.

Our dd on the other hand, she's had allergies since she was a baby and we never really knew what was going on with her until her little brother got hurt and we dove in to figuring out how to heal him.  I think she was born with allergies rather than developing them as a baby/child.  Her list of allergies is long and we're working on gut healing now.  We just had her retested and I'm so anxious to get the results back....we've been working hard!

macchiatto

After I heard that there's some kind of link between eating PB during pregnancy and LOs with peanut allergies, I did wonder. There is family history on both sides of allergies, asthma and eczema though so I know there was some genetic predisposition.

carlinlp

I read somewhere that the immune response usually triggers either asthma or eczema.  I often wondered if that was true because for a long time, we had one of each.

terri_doula2010

If it helps, I seriously doubt there is anything you COULD do to make them have allergies. It is genetic. If you and your spouse don't/didn't have allergies as a kid (and it is possible you had baby allergies and don't even remember...I barely remember the shots and I had them weekly til I was six), it may be from grandparents. It doesn't matter WHAT allergy, either...if you have one allergy, you are prone to more, which means you pass on genes that are prone to allergies.

The only thing you could have "done" (and I still don't think this makes it your FAULT at all), is eating the standard American diet that almost everyone in this country eats. This is sorta a soapbox for me, so feel free to disregard, but if you have a mild allergy to anything (and I have a LOT of mild allergies that I didn't know about until I got tested for dairy and eggs and found out I have a low-level allergy to tons of stuff, including tomatoes, corn, gluten, peanuts, etc etc etc) and are thus prone to allergies and eat the same things all the time, you are likely to become allergic to that thing.

Gluten is in almost EVERYTHING processed...dairy is in most things. It is ridiculously hard to avoid corn in all its disguises. Soy is just as prevalent. Unless you are specifically avoiding these things, you are eating them. Everyone does. It is normal....but can lead to problems for us allergic people. And we just have to deal with it when it happens.

magdusia

LIKE ALL THE TIME!!!!!! i question it every single day. what did i eat or do when i was pregnant that could have caused it.

My pediatrician told me it's because i am a vegetarian so for a long time i blamed myself for not eating meat and giving my son allergies.  Thankfully my allergist told me that she only has a handful of moms that were vegans and all the others (in the 100's) ate meat.  

I also had Gestational diabetes during the pregnancy so i was on a strict diet. Being a vegetarian and  avoiding pasta was hard. I ate bocca burgers every single day. anywhere between 2 to 4 bocca burgers a day.  Yesterday i read that those same bocca burgers have GMO (genetically modified organism).. which 20 years ago -most foods began having GMO in them (20 years ago there was a spike in food allergies...just sayin').  I'm not sure if that's the reason but this time around (as of yesterday) i am not eating anything with GMO (or at least i'll try since it's mainly hidden).  I'm trying a 80% raw vegan diet right now which is also 100% organic. I hope it will make a difference -hopefully this will also limit my chances of gestational diabetes with this pregnancy.

Anyways -sorry for the long replies as always.  But that is my theories. I once watched a great video about food allergies on FB so i'm going to try to find it an post it and it will make everyone think twice about not going organic.  I just wish organic was cheaper!  

sunny311

I did wonder this all the time after my first son was diagnosed.  I still think about it but not so much anymore, especially after being repeatedly told nothing I did caused these allergies.  However, I too have theories.  I do agree with the genetically modified food theory.  An allergist at Children's Hospital told us it was one of her personal theories that since most food that enters our bodies now is so far removed from it's natural state that body can't recognize it as safe.  

I do buy into the Hygiene Hypothesis, completely.  Our society has become super clean and fearful of any kind of germ.  Our immune systems are programmed to protect us and fight germs but we take that ability away with all of the antibacterial, antibiotics, vaccines, etc (not trying to start a sh!t storm with the vaccine debate....).  I often wonder if I caused these problems by nursing my boys.  I very rarely get sick (super good immune system) and when I was pg and got my titers checked for MMR/Chicken pox I asked what the levels were and my dr said that I was more than immune to all of those since my levels were sky high!  So through nursing, I passed those antibodies onto my boys-maybe it was too much for their little bodies, who knows!

I can't wait until the day they find out why this is happening.  There's obviously something behind it since when we were growing up it was not really heard of and now it's everywhere!!!!  

aniceucchik

My diet is high is dairy, since I dont eat much meat so that is always in the back of my mind. The allergist assured me that it was nothing that I did, however. If Js Masto is the cause of his allergies, then its probably from me anyways. I have never been diagnosed, but I have had many of the symptoms throughout my life. The only way Jacob was diagnosed was by his dots on his skin.

CareBear0607

Since there is no real reason why all of the allergies are coming about, I think it is normal to blame ourselves.  All we really want are answers.

I had a pretty health pregancy (though couldn't ear any chicken or turkey) up until 29 weeks when I went on bed rest for pre-e.  I was induced at exactly 38 weeks and had a "normal" delivery.  While pregnant and nursing I ate peanuts/peanut butter only once in awhile.  I am actually not a huge fan of it. 

I gave DD peanut butter for the 1st time at 18 months.  I sometimes blame myself for that and wish I would have waited until after 2. 

SallyJean95

I wonder about this all the time. 

I ate peanut butter sandwiches (I love pb) almost every day because I couldn't stomach meat during my pregnancy.  I know there's a few schools of thought on how this allergy develops but without a family history of it I feel like this may have helped things along.  I also was on a ton of meds during my pregnancy for anemia, blood clots, and insulin from gestational diabetes.  It wasn't an easy pregnancy and it seemed like I develped every kind of complication. 

MelodyMoonstone

I thought about it.  I could't handle meat at the beginning and ate lots of pb&j's but peanuts never seemed to be one of DS's allergies.  I think his issue was his prematurity and his gut wasn't fully developed.  

LadyExtravaganza

CareBear0607:

Since there is no real reason why all of the allergies are coming about, I think it is normal to blame ourselves.  All we really want are answers.

Exactly.

But yes, I do think sometimes that I could've done something differently during my pregnancy. I blame myself for supplementing with formula, which I know would not cause a milk/soy allergy, but I think it anyway. And the supplementing led to the more severe reactions, so I ended up stopping bfing entirely to get him on something milk-free (Nutramigen then EleCare). I basically blame myself all of the time, irrational as it may be.

puterbaby

I blame myself for not being able to control what she's going through now more than what I did during my pregnancy.  I had early GD and was on a strict diet, so I have a hard time blaming what I ate during pregnancy.  Plus, she's also allergic to dogs and cats, neither of which I ate during pregnancy.  Ha, sorry, I'm a dork.  Anyway, I blame her allergies on genetics.  My husband had severe allergies and athsma as a child.  He has no idea what he was allergic to, he just remembers getting shots every week.  His mom passed away several years ago, so we can't ask her.

macaroni1979

It makes me feel better to hear that most of us have our own theories. My brain knows that it wasn't something I did, ate or meds I had to take, my heart just feels responsible for it all. I guess that is something we are all dealing with. I really am so grateful for this board and all the support we are offering each other!

Carol*Brady2

I don't blame myself for their allergies--My Uncle was allergic to every.freaking.thing as a baby/kid.  My older brothers & I have/had a variety of allergies.  I am fairly sure it's genetic & I guess feel comfort in that.  My DD#1 has Dyslexia & before we knew what her issue was, I blamed myself for her problems learning to read (I let her watch too much TV, I didn't read to her enough, etc)-but Dyslexia is genetic too.  DD3 also has issues (hypotonia, Sensory) & I don't know what led to that.  Sometimes I wonder if we are just unlucky or if everyone's kids has at least one issue (medical, learning, behavior, etc) of some kind or another. 

MarMat

not really...

I blame DH's family ha.. now I know that one allergy can trigger a lot more in children, even if it's non food related.

MIL doesn't remember allergies in DH when he was a child, except for chocolate at 5 yo and pollen every spring. She was in total denial when found out about DD's allergies, although she later remembered that she couldn't use regular soap to wash DH's clothes and that she and a lot of her family have skin issues.

/end mini vent

and also that DD was sick when she was a newborn, so I guess her immuno system was also affected. She has food induced asthma

JoannaJes

Nah, I just blame my husband.

I've had pretty similar pregnancies...one produced a completely healthy child, and another one with MSPI. DH's sister was also MPI as a baby, so I'm guessing it just came from his side of the family. Along with her blue eyes, which were another genetic surprise.

firefightersgal

I ate a lot of peanut butter while pregnant with my dd, but i do not believe that it contributed to her allergy. My fil is also allergic to peanuts, so I'm sure it is a genetic link. However, my pregnancy with dd was probably the trigger for my adult-onset celiac disease.