Peanut allergy - question

mysweetpeasWil&Wes wrote: At playgroup today, one of the mothers was talking about how much her 23 month old loves PB, so I asked her when she introduced it to her son out of curiosity. Just a simple question, but she got defensive as if I was trying to tell her it was bad or something, which I wasn't - only curious when she introduced it. Anyhow, she goes on to tell me that she gave it to him pretty early, like before his first birthday and her reasoning was because 1. there is no history of peanut allergy in her family and 2. she ate PB while she was PG and BF, so she had no need to worry.

My question is this: I have never heard that eating/not eating PB (or peanuts alone) while PG could cause/prevent a peanut allergy. Yes, I have heard that you should be careful when BF, but never when PG. I eat PB sandwiches every once in awhile, but never thought I should stop just in case the baby could possibly be allergic. I'm paranoid when they are born and still haven't introduced nuts to Wil, but never thought twice about it when they are in utero. Is this true or not? I'm confused by what she said.

MyLuvBugs replied: Ok she first of all sounds a bit too touchy on the subject, like she's been lectured by others that she's not supposed to give the kid PB at an early age. And I have a HUGE prob with what she said her reasons were.

My family history doesn't have PB allergies in it, or Egg, or Seafood, or penicillin.....HOWEVER, Lorelei has a mild Peanut allergy, I am deathly allergic to seafood, and my cousins oldest son is majorly allergic to eggs and penicillin. So, family history doesn't mean much, b/c genes are always changing.

And for her #2 reason....I ate PB while I was PG with lorelei and still with this pregnancy, b/c I know that if the baby will become allergic after birth my antibodies will protect the kid in utero. (so I've been told by dr.s). However, when I was BFing I CRAVED PB....I had to have it for everymeal, and sure enough.....Lorelei broke out in a horrible rash all over her mouth and face every time I had PB, so no more PB for me. So sad. And when we asked our dr about it, she said she probably has a mild allergy to peanuts, and it would be best not to give her any for a while. I'm prepared NOT to test it until she's three now, just to be on the safe side.

But you never know. Kids can develop allergies over time too.

mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied: Yeah, I thought the same thing about the family history reason. We don't have any peanut allergies in our family or I don't think DH's either, but who's to say Wil couldn't have one just because our family doesn't, right? My eye turns out funny if I'm not wearing my contacts, but no one else in my family has it. I'm probably being way more cautious than I need to be about the peanut thing and I certainly am not trying to tell anyone what they should or shouldn't feed their child, but I just wasn't sure if her reasons were truly accurate or not. But if they are accurate to her, I guess that's all that really matters...but I'm still very curious.

MyLuvBugs replied:
It's better to be safe than sorry. I went to a parenting pool party last summer, and met a lady with two beautiful kids. Her daughter had just turned 1 year, and they'd thrown this HUGE luau for her. But like an hour before the party was to start, the little girl grabbed a peanut off of the table, and ate it.....Face swelled up, started to wheeze and they rushed her to the hospital only to find out that she has a severe peanut allergy. They had NO idea b/c it doesn't run in their families. Now the mom has to carry one of those shots of adrenilin (sp?) around with her at all times. Can you imagine? That's like a total nightmare for me. So, I say it's better to be safe than sorry. Good for that other chic for feeling ok with giving her kid PB, but I personally can't do it for awhile.

redchief replied: While allergies are often (but not always) hereditary, specific sensitivities are not related. Allergies are hereditary due to the genetic make-up of the immune system. Specific allergies are the end result of the develpment of each person's immune system. All immune systems are developed, therefore no one is born with allergies. All allergies are developed over time. Sometimes it's a very short period of time and other people take years to develop allergies. As the immune system changes and matures, the body's reactions to allergens can change.

So, there is no simple answer to whether early introduction of peanuts, or any common allergen, will significantly increase the risk that an allergy will develop. In families where there is a history of severe allergies, I think introducing common allergens would be a risk not worth taking. I certainly don't think anyone has a right or moral obligation to warn anyone of increased allergy risks though.

We were told not to introduce seafood to any of our kids before they were a year old. We did in all cases, and though we all have allergies to some extent, none of our kids have developed a seafood allergy.

MyBrownEyedBoy replied: Logan broke out in hives then a diffuse red full body rash after eating a peanut butter sandwitch at 15 months. However, the ped said it may have been caused by a virus that was going around at the time. Our ped gave me this advice for checking for allergies. He said to rub peanut butter on Logan's skin and observe it for any hives. If no hives, probably no allergy.

My3LilMonkeys replied:
How interesting - I'd never heard of this before. Does it work for other food allergies like shellfish? Also, how long do you leave it on for?

MyBrownEyedBoy replied: He said to leave it on for about a minute or two and to have benadryl handy, just in case. I don't know if it would work for shellfish. I suppose you could make a paste out of shrimp and try that, but since I was really only concerned about PB that is all I asked about.

3_call_me_mama replied: I think the reason they say if there is family history is becaseu there si an increased risk if someone in teh family already has allergies (at least that's what we were told)
We gave Cameron peanut butter shortly after his first birthday. i had no issues when I ate it while I nursed him and was told by the ped that it coudl pass through breast milk so If he was going to have a reaction to it it might be a mild one, but to wait to actually have him ingest it until after he turned 1. With kathleen she was about 8 months old. Cameron shared a peanut butter cookie with her.
She had no reactions to it. We didn't "give" it to her by choice until she was 12 months. Both LOVE PB and eat it daily. I eat it almost daily and never changed that during any pregnancy or breastfeeding.
Sorry not much help here. (oh another reason they say to wait is because it is thick and can pose a choking hazard~ so thin it a bit)

coasterqueen replied: I know Julia Roberts didn't eat PB during her pg because she has a history of the allergy in her family. I've heard many mothers tell me they avoided it during PG because of strong allergies in their family, so I would think that is an accurate assumption.

I gave Kylie peanut butter after a year, but I don't remember when. It was definitely before 2 years.

DansMom replied:
I was going to answer, but Ed said pretty much what I would say. People tend to inherit "being allergic", but what they become allergic to from family member to family member can be quite different.

The allergy testing they do at allergy clinics is really just a fancy, supervised version of what Idahoboo suggested. In the clinic, they prick the skin slightly with a needle and let a drop of saline containing the protein sit on that spot for 20 minutes. If there is a reaction (big hive), they give a dose of benadryl to counteract.

redchief replied:
Makes sense to me... When allergists do a reactivity panel, they basically scratch liquified allergens into the skin and observe the reaction. What you're talking about sounds similar, so long as the allergen can be absorbed through the skin.

MyBrownEyedBoy replied: And since PB is oily, it does absorb through the skin. Thanks for reminding me of allergy testing. I totally forgot.