Breastfeeding to Prevent Allergies

You are so right about how breastfeeding can help prevent allergies.  My mother was prevented from breastfeeding me, because of what she thought was a rh incompatibility - which was later shown to be not the case.  Anyway, I was born allergic to cows milk, so was put on a soy formula.  Then, later in life I had a very bad soy allergy.

Because of my allergies, I breastfed both my children for years, but mainly after the first year and a half, just to put them to sleep (part of cuddling).  However, for the first six months or so, I was their sustenance.  Then, once they had a tooth or two, we started them on very bland nonallergenic solids, like apple sauce, potato, etc.  Milk wasn't started till much later ... we actually avoided milk for years, but milk products where the protein was altered by fermentation (yogurt, cheese), we started first.  

Neither of my children have any food allergies.  This was of course possible because I was not working outside the home at the time.  But, with an understanding employer, and hopefully good maternity leave, breastfeeding intensively for the first six months is possible.  It is definitely worth it, if the mother chooses this method of feeding her child.

Wow...I'm so happy to hear about your daughter and the success you had.  When I was breastfeeding my son, he kept getting an eczema rash on his chest that he would scratch until he bled.  We never discovered the source until I tried cow's milk.  When I finally tried weening him at 11 mos., he went into anaphylactic shock upon eating a bite of yogurt.  He is now 11 and still allergic to milk protein, unfortunately.  I'm so happy to hear about your success with your second.  I really believe that if we delay allergen heavy foods early for children, they will have better success with long term allergies.  With my youngest daughter, I went off of all dairy products myself while breastfeeding her, and I found that she was no longer colicky.  She is now 2 and tested negative to a milk allergy (that said, I did notice a rash that she got after eating macaroni and cheese, so we are still cautious).  Because 4 out of 5 of my kids suffer from milk allergy, I have found it best to cook dairy-free and from scratch most of the time.  Thanks for posting this information:)

BTW...I just finished writing a book The Milk Allergy Companion & Cookbook to help those who suffer from milk allergies, or who are trying to go off of all dairy products. You can read more about it on my website:www.milkallergycompanion.com I also have a milk allergy blog. Let me know if you want to swap links:) Thanks for making the world a safer place for us and our children with milk allergies!