It’s an experience no mother wants to go through: your child eats one of the most common foods found in sandwiches and cookies all over the country and suddenly their little body reacts violently with hives, runny nose, or in the worst case, a swollen tongue and airway, which can lead to choking and ultimately, death. A combination of these symptoms in the severest form along with a sudden drop in blood pressure is called anaphylactic shock. How something as common and seemingly mild as peanuts can cause a life threatening allergic reaction in a child is shocking and a little unsettling, especially when you’re suddenly confronted with the reality that you may have played a part in causing it. Is it really true that eating too much of a common allergen like peanuts during pregnancy can actually lead to a peanut allergy in the child? That was the topic for discussion at my son’s latest checkup, just a week after his first contact with peanut butter, and his first major allergic reaction which landed him with hives covering his whole body, a runny nose, sneezing and about 24 hours of itching and irritation.
Craving Peanut Butter
When I was pregnant, one of my biggest cravings was a triple-decker, overstuffed peanut butter and jelly sandwich. When the pediatrician mentioned the possibility of triggering an allergy during my pregnancy, I instantly thought of all those times at work when I would sit at my desk with a jar of peanut butter and a spoon.
Can You Reduce Your Chances?
What causes the allergy is unknown, though we do know these allergies tend to be passed down in families. According to the March of Dimes, recent studies have not found a link between a pregnant woman’s consumption of peanut products and peanut allergies in her children. It is not understood why the number of peanut allergy cases has increased so much in recent decades. I think it’s safe to say that eating peanut butter during pregnancy will not give your child a peanut allergy, but if you already have children with a peanut allergy, it might be a good idea to avoid peanut products.
You may have also heard the recommendation that you should delay introduction of peanut products to children until age 3 or 4, but again, recent studies have not found a reduction in allergies in correlation with this delay. In fact, a higher incidence of allergies is found among children who did not consume any peanut products during infancy or early childhood. More research is needed to confirm and explain these findings.
In Conclusion
Whether or not eating peanut butter or other peanut products during pregnancy is safe for the child is still up for debate. Most experts agree that you should avoid peanut products if there is a peanut allergy in the family, because the child may already be predisposed to an allergy. On the same token, there is no proof that eating too much peanut butter will lead to an allergy where none already exists. Strike a balance by enjoying peanut products in moderation.