New mothers need dietary guidance when breastfeeding babies with a food allergy

Many new mothers with babies are very eager to breastfeed as this is the gold standard for early feeding. What do you do when you find out your baby has a food allergy, and you are breastfeeding? A new study in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, the scientific journal of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Psychiatry (ACAAI), found that more than 28% of women did not receive any guidance on which they could eating food their child had an allergy.

We found that guidance from health care practitioners for breastfeeding mothers in this setting was inconsistent, “said Hannah Wangberg, MD, ACAAI member and lead author of the study.” Of the 133 mothers who completed the study, 43% were advised to continue breastfeeding without dietary restriction and 17% were advised not to eat the food (s) their baby was allergic to while and they were breastfeeding. A minority of mothers (12%) reported that their baby was experiencing an allergic reaction to breast milk. “

Hannah Wangberg, MD, ACAAI Member and Lead Author of Research

When mothers in the survey were asked if they had received different advice from their healthcare providers about whether or not to eat while feeding their food allergic baby, more said and 30% had received controversial advice. The authors of the study indicate that the survey did not specifically ask whether an allergist or a primary care provider provided the advice. The study also makes clear that no mothers were encouraged to stop breastfeeding completely.

According to allergist Jay Lieberman, MD, chair of the ACAAI Food Allergy Committee, “There is no clothing guide that I am aware of on this issue, and that may be one reason for the controversy. That is partly because There is not a lot of good data available. That said, there is little evidence that if a mother eats food to which the child is allergic, this will cause a reaction in the baby. “

Dr. Lieberman says he tells breastfeeding mothers to continue breastfeeding and eat what they want. However, if they feel more comfortable avoiding the baby’s allergen, that’s fine too, but for continuing breastfeeding is ideal.

For the 89% of mothers who continued to breastfeed after a diagnosis of their child’s food allergy, 46% continued to eat the food that was allergic to their baby on a regular basis (more than once a week ) and did not change how they would give their baby breathing milk. An additional 25% kept eating their allergic foods frequently (less than once a week) without changing how they breastfed their baby.