how long until something is out of my system? (bf/allergy related)

umdbride

hey ladies, this week DS broke out in a ton of hives for no apparent reason.  I took him to the pedi because I had no idea that it was hives, but the pedi isn't really concerned unless they last for 2 weeks or more.  I didn't see the hives until after I nursed him Monday morning (could be I didn't notice them before, or they weren't there, I'm not sure).  They seemed to improve after his nap, but then I nursed him and took him to the pedi, and they were back in full force at the dr's office.  They kind of came and went throughout the rest of the day, and he has them still this morning, but less than yesterday. 

We went to two friends houses on Sunday, but he had no issues there.  The only thing I can think of that's triggering the hives is something in my breastmilk - but the only thing I ate that was new was a half of a pumpkin beer!  So, could half a beer really impact DS?  If so, how long until whatever is affecting him is out of my system??

FWIW, we tried giving him milk from late last week instead of bf but that didn't seem to make much of an impact. 

TIA!

WinesNot Whines

I'm not sure about half a beer, but when M had a dairy allergy, he definitely would've had a reaction if I drank half a glass of milk. He once had a reaction after I drank a caramel apple cider, because of the small amount of milk in the caramel. I wonder if it could be the pumpkin. Is there actual pumpkin in the beer, or just pumpkin spices? Have you used a new laundry detergent or anything like that?

Supposedly it can take up to 2 weeks for a food to be out of your system, but I usually noticed a vast improvement after 2-3 days. I hope your LO is better soon.

umdbride

Thanks - nope all the laundry stuff was the same - that's the first thing I thought of.  Although, I'm wondering if I accidentally used a regular dryer sheet instead of the "free" ones...maybe I'll just re-wash his stuff to be sure.

I can't find the ingredients for the beer online to see if it has actual pumpkin in it It was Blue Moon's Pumpkin Ale.   We also just remembered that DH gave DS a tiny spoonful of greek yogurt, and I had slightly more dairy than usual on Sunday (really just pizza and fro-yo), so maybe it is a dairy thing?  He's just never shown any kind of sensitivity before at all, so it seemed strange to have hives all over from that little bit of extra dairy or even the pumpkin beer.

Hey Jellisy

UMD have you started him on solids yet?  Has he had squash?  (I only ask because we usually make that an early food at our house).  If he's had it, even if there was pumpkin in the beer, he would have had far more from a puree.  DS has had hives twice, both disappearing within a few days.  The first time I took him to the pedi, she said the same thing, not to worry unless it persists.  I couldn't think of any discernible change in my diet or his that would have caused it.     

cecilyandgautam

Hives are generally an allergic reaction so your LO might be allergic to something you're eating. If beer's the only new food item - he might be allergic to that or to wheat more broadly. Common allergies include cow's milk, soy, nuts, etc. If he's getting hives with the formula as well, which kind did you use - milk or soy-based? He might be allergic to that, in which case you'd want to avoid dairy or soy accordingly while nursing. Allergies can develop - so he might have been asymptomatic last week and getting hives this week. If you're pedi isn't familiar with allergies, maybe time for a specialist if the hives don't go away. Good luck! In the meantime, a cornstarch bath is the old fashion way of reducing itchiness.

Sofka

great point on wheat! has he has any gluten products yet?

it can take upto 2 weeks as WnW said but will hopefully not be that long!

 

umdbride

HeyJellisy ? thanks for mentioning solids ? we?ve introduced two types of squash for over a month now, butternut and winter, and he was fine (and loved) both.

Cecily ? I BF so there?s no formula to consider, but I didn?t think about the wheat aspect?.

Sofka/Cecily ? I?ve eaten all kinds of wheat/bread products that I?m sure have had gluten, and he?s had multi-grain cereal for a couple months now ? wouldn?t gluten be in that? Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}

umdbride

sorry - I don't know what's going on with that post...

HeyJellisy ? thanks for mentioning solids ? we?ve introduced two types of squash for over a month now, butternut and winter, and he was fine (and loved) both.

Cecily ? I BF so there?s no formula to consider, but I didn?t think about the wheat aspect?.

Sofka/Cecily ? I?ve eaten all kinds of wheat/bread products that I?m sure have had gluten, and he?s had multi-grain cereal for a couple months now ? wouldn?t gluten be in that?

cecilyandgautam

Oh, sorry, when you said you gave him milk, I thought you meant formula but I get it now

Hm, well glutten issues are generally not quite allergies - you tend to get GI issues rather than hives. Whereas a wheat allergy can induce hives, sneezing, running nose, etc. Sounds like he probably doesn't have a wheat allergy or glutten issues so, could it be the pumpkin? Or maybe just the alcohol? I've heard of alcohol allergies but don't know much about them.

Or maybe he just rolled around in something new (or you might have & he's rubbing up against your clothes while nursing) and it'll go away in a day or two? Sorry, good luck! I hope your baby feels better soon.

WinesNot Whines

Is this the first time you've had alcohol since he was born? Or the first time you've had a beer? You can be allergic to alcohol. My cousin is allergic, poor guy. And he lives in Germany of all places. 

I'd probably wait a couple of weeks and then do a "challenge" by drinking another half glass of beer and see what happens. If he breaks out in hives again, then you probably have your answer. If he's fine, then maybe it was a fluke.

umdbride

I've had a beer here and there before, and wine maybe a few times a month...so I'm thinking it's not alcohol. 

Reading a little more stuff online, he's also had cold symptoms (congestion and a little cough) for almost two weeks now  - it sounds like some of those could be allergies too?!  I thought it was a cold because it was going away, but then seemed to come back more again this week, just before the hives.

ugh.  I guess I'll just keep an eye out and maybe try eliminating some of the more common allergy triggers to see if that helps.

it could also be seasonal though too i guess - i tend to get congested in the fall rather than spring, maybe he's even worse than me?