Breast milk allergies in babies can be caused by the mother's food

Breast milk is the main source of food for babies that can support their growth and development. But sometimes, some babies can experience red rash, spit up, or flatulence after drinking the mother's milk. These symptoms are similar to those of a cow's milk allergy. Then, is it true that babies can be allergic to breast milk?

Can babies be allergic to breast milk?

Quoted from Livestrong, breast milk itself cannot cause allergies. However, what mothers eat everyday can be passed into breast milk so that it can trigger allergy symptoms in children. This may occur when the mother's food intake contains a lot of milk protein, for example from milk or other milk-derived products (cheese, yogurt, butter, etc.).

This milk protein causes cow's milk allergy to breastfed babies. Typically, protein in cow's milk and other milk-based products can account for 2 to 3 percent of allergies in babies. Allergies in breastfed babies are usually characterized by abdominal pain or flatulence, loose stools, and a rash around the mouth or other parts of the skin.

Not only milk can actually cause a baby to be allergic to breast milk. Other foods such as fish, shrimp, nuts can also cause babies to be allergic to breast milk. Symptoms usually appear after 2 to 6 hours of the mother eating these foods and breastfeeding the baby.

However, this will not be a problem if the mother does not have a history of food allergies, so you don't need to avoid consuming them. Still, it is even better if you observe any changes your baby may experience after breastfeeding and pay more attention to what you eat on a daily basis.

What foods should mothers avoid while breastfeeding?

If your baby shows allergic symptoms during breastfeeding, that doesn't mean you have to stop breastfeeding for him. It is also not recommended to immediately replace breast milk with formula milk, because it will reduce the nutritional intake your baby receives.

We recommend that you avoid foods that can trigger allergies in children when you are breastfeeding. The following are some foods that mothers should avoid while breastfeeding:

1. Caffeinated foods, such as coffee, tea, and chocolate. We recommend that you limit drinking drinks that contain caffeine to no more than 2 or 3 glasses a day. The caffeine in breast milk can disturb the sleep of the baby.
2. Alcohol. Alcohol is not good in breast milk because it can have an impact on the development of the nerves and brain of the baby. We recommend that you avoid drinking drinks that contain alcohol. If the mother drinks alcohol, it is best not to give breast milk to her baby until the alcohol content in the body and milk has completely disappeared. Pumping the milk out does not help the alcohol content in the milk disappear quickly.
3. High mercury fish. Fish or seafood is a good source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids for the body. However, some seafood contains mercury which is not good for the body. Seafood high in mercury includes king mackerel, swordfish and tilefish. Tuna also has mercury content but it is not that high and you should limit your consumption of tuna to no more than 2 times per week. The high mercury content in fish can contaminate breast milk and put the baby's brain development at risk.

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