I was wondering if some of you could give me some input about the following:

A woman has two children, both very allergic. First was formulafed, was put
on hypoallergenic formula once they discovered it's allergy. He is 2 or 3
years old now, and still on HA formula.

Second child is breastfed. Mother did an elimination diet from birth on
(actually she started a few weeks before the delivery). She is sure the
baby didn't recieve any cow's milk products. After 7 weeks he developed
severe eczema. Mother is *very* disappointed. After 4,5 months the mother
had a nervous breakdown, due to the difficulty she has with coping with a
high need baby, a high need child, and being on a very strict diet. She
decided to introduce 1 or 2 bottles of HA formula a day, so that she can
have a break once in a while.

Her son got a blood test and is found to be severe allergic to cow's milk.

Child refused the bottle, and then became ill (chickenpox), but now he is
recovered and takes the bottles, so she has decided to wean. The mother is
very tired of the diet.

I suggested to adjust to a less strict diet (eg introducing the other food
than cow's milk), saying "beter breastfeeding without a diet, than
formula". She don't dare to try out a less severe diet, since she thinks
her son could be sensitivized by her milk, when she introduces more
allergenic food. So, she prefers the HA formula, since she thinks her son
will not get sensitivized by it. Her son is allergic to the 'normal' HA
formula, but reacts well on the more HA formula (I beleive it is
nutrigamin).

I told her I don't think a baby can be sensitivized by the small amounts
that are found in breastmilk, especially now the baby is 6 months old. But
I'm not sure about this. That's why I want to ask you...

What do you think, is it possible to sensitivize a 6 months baby via
breastmilk? Any ideas how I can encourage this mom?

(ps I told her that breastfeeding is more than a protection against
allergy, and also that though breastfeedig can reduce allergic reactions
and illnesses, this is hardly true for eczema, since eczema is more like a
bodily expressions of an allergic constitution, acts as kind of 'red flag',
but most of the times cannot be prevented.)

---
Annelies Bon
Breastfeeding Resources http://utopia.knoware.nl/users/abon/bfbronnen.htm
breastfeeding counsellor of the Dutch bf org "Borstvoeding Natuurlijk"
mailto:[log in to unmask]
living in a small city, Almere, near Amsterdam, The Netherlands