Kids Food Allergies Blog

If anyone told me this story, I would think they were a little loopy. But since it’s happening to me right now, how can I question it. Right?

I was a milk-allergic baby. Outgrew it by age 1. Diagnosed with a penicillin allergy as a baby. Not sure whether that’s still true or not. Other than that — no signs of allergies (seasonal or food) until my late 20s, when I would have mild discomfort from time to time during the fall.

Fast forward to pregnancy one. Out of nowhere — spring allergy season was just terrible. I was completely non-functional. Ringing ears, scratchy throat, sinus headaches, and sinus infections. Since I had never experienced this before, I was completely unprepared. In retrospect, I feel I should have known that I was carrying a highly allergic child.

In the five years between pregnancies one and two, seasonal allergies have continued (both fall and spring) — but in a much milder form.

Fast forward to pregnancy two. Spring allergy season has not been particularly kind. But I have had less trouble. (And more Zyrtec.) But allergies have manifested themselves in a new way: eczema. I have never had eczema before — but I have had two severe bouts of eczema since this pregnancy began, both of which seem to be triggered by eating dairy. This seems very strange to me — since I have only been dairy-free for 3 1/2 years. Before that, I was a total dairy-junkie/addict.

I was concerned when my daughter had eczema as a baby. Now that I have lived through it (and have been trying to crawl out of my skin for about a week) and know how horrible it feels — I desperately want to shield baby 2 from this discomfort. So, I’m eliminating dairy from my diet. Even outside the house when my daughter is in school. I must admit, I feel a little sad. And worried, that it won’t be enough.

If any of you have had experiences with eczema during pregnancy, please drop a comment. Did your babies turn out to have seasonal or food allergies? Would love to know whether I’m alone in this.

Either I’ve gotten away with something pretty big … or the joke is about to be on me.

March has come and gone. Most families across the Washington region are celebrating the coming of spring. Trees are blooming across my neighborhood. The Cherry Blossoms are here, and boy are they beautiful. The weather getting is nicer, and it’s great to get outside again.

Did I miss something? What happened to spring allergy season? Last March was one of the roughest months I have ever had. Like many other food allergic children, my daughter also has seasonal allergies. What we learned last year is that, left untreated, those allergies can trigger breathing difficulties and even asthma. Last March, we missed the entire month of school with a seemingly endless cycle — swollen eyes, cough, croup, stridor, wheezing, lung infection, repeat. The pollen counts were so bad last year, that I was told she couldn’t play outside for pretty much all of March. I developed an obsession with checking pollen counts online, and dreaming of places we could move where we could play outside again. So this year, we armed ourselves with preventative medicine prescribed by our allergist (we love Zyrtec and Singulair) and by Dr. Mom (who prepared herself for the equivalent of a nuclear winter with toys and indoor activities/games to last all of March). But allergy season has been kind to us this year. We haven’t reached for her rescue inhaler once. Nor has she missed a day of school. But, I’m not getting rid of my secret stash just yet. Who knows what April will bring.