Kitchen

[house cat]

… that women who eat nuts daily, while pregnant, may prevent allergies in their babies.

Read it here.

[wendydarling]

Mom of Twins, I am in complete agreement w/ you. I grew up eating peanut butter voraciously. My husband & i both love it. I ate A LOT of it through both my pregnancies. Now both of my boys, 3 years apart, are both extremely allergic to peanuts. The oldest one is allergic to all tree nuts as well. I do believe it was because i ate peanut butter while pregnant. I have to have epi pens, the oldest can go into anaphylactic shock & has had several close calls. A peanut allergy is not like other allergies where your stomach hurts; it can kill a person & quickly. It's frightening. He did a study abroad in Europe in college. I had to get cards printed in several languages for him to take when eating out. He took syringes & epinephrine too. If i could do over again, I would avoid eating any nuts while pregnant & introduced them to nuts when they were older. Yes allergies run in our families but none life-threatening like this.

[Vamp]

On 12/31/2013 lolakimono said:

This is the theory my allergist shared with me when I saw her a few weeks ago:

How do children develop peanut allergies?

Allergies, tend to run in families. If your child has a sibling or parent with an allergic condition such as asthma, hayfever or eczema, she is more likely to develop an allergy to foods such as peanuts. Children who have a peanut allergy often have eczema or asthma (or both) as well.

For your child to become allergic to peanuts, she must first come into contact with small traces of them. This process is called sensitization.

If she has a tendency to allergies (atopic or atopy), this initial contact may alert her immune system so that she reacts the next time she comes into contact with peanuts. However, most peanut-allergic children have their first reaction the first time they eat peanuts.

Some experts think that children become sensitized to peanuts if peanuts come into contact with their skin. If she has eczema, your child has an increased risk of developing a peanut allergy. The more severe the eczema is, and the earlier it starts, the higher her risk of a peanut allergy .

Some eczema creams used to contain peanut oil, also called arachis oil. In one study, when children with eczema had these creams rubbed on to inflamed skin, it increased their likelihood of developing a peanut allergy. Zinc and castor oil ointment also contains arachis oil, though these tend to no longer be used. Check the ingredients list of any creams that you apply to your child's skin if you are worried.

Another theory is that babies with eczema living in a family where lots of peanut products are eaten are more likely to develop an allergy. Peanut butter sticks to fingers, and is easily transferred to your baby's skin by an affectionate sibling or friend.

That's very interesting, Lola. I didn't know about the connection between peanut allergy and eczema. My DD who has the peanut allergy also has eczema...Hmmm...Good to know about the creams, etc. that contain peanut oil.

Her first (and only) exposure to peanuts was in daycare when the kid in the high chair next to hers was eating a PB sandwich. There were also strawberries, so we suspected one of the two. The reaction was very scary--she was able to breath, but her face became extremely swollen and red.

After taking her to the allergist, it was determined the cause was peanuts. We have been told on numerous occasions that this is not an allergy that you fool around with. Even though one reaction may not be life threatening, that can change at a moment's notice without any warning.
Hopefully, with medical advances, they will be able to better control this allergy, but it the mean time, one must be very careful.

[turtle52]

My son, who is now 27 had SEVERE eczema almost from the time that he was born. He has SEVERE legume and tree nut allergies as well as allergies to MANY other foods. He also had SEVERE asthma beginning at 18 months. It is all related to allergies. I had him food allergy tested, he was hospitalized for asthma a few times and we also visited the emergency room many times from his eating foods that had peanuts or tree nuts hidden in them. I always had an Epi Pen at home. I nursed him until he was two since he couldn't hold down dairy or soy milk. It was very difficult when he was a child.