Pat,
Banana is actually not such an uncommon allergen, although lots of babies don't exhibit signs moms
recognize until they are eating solids. Yes, any allergen will "pass into breastmilk". I certainly
would not encourage taking such a risk when the baby has already had such a serious reaction. Banana
allergy can indicate a latex allergy as well as allergy to other fruits such as kiwi, avocado and mango.
Banana allergy tends to get worse with more exposure. Oddly, he seems to be having some symptoms
of both forms of banana allergy. With oral allergy syndrome, he would have local symptoms such as
facial hives, but with the latex-related allergy one would expect vomiting and stomach pain. In this case,
it would not be a benefit to the baby to cook it. Banana is also a high sugar food, so it is probably
not a good choice for him anyway.
Jennifer Tow, IBCLC, CT, USA
Intuitive Parenting Network LLC
Pat wrote:
I facilitate a weekly BF moms' support group for a suburban hospital. A
mom who attends the group has a little guy who's 7 months and just
starting on solids. I should also add that he has infantile diabetes
(diagnosed at 5 days, dad also the same). Mom does a great job of
keeping him controlled, testing him several times during the day to check
his insulin levels. Little Owen had about a teaspoon of banana last
week. Here is his mom's description of what happened.
"Owen's reactions to eating bananas (about a tablespoon is what he eats)
are hives on the face within minutes of eating and projectile vomiting 3
hours after eating. If there are other symptoms, he's too young to tell
me... But he did not have any swelling of the tongue or any respiratory
problems. The vomiting causes big problems since he is diabetic and on
insulin. Because he cannot keep anything down (even breastmilk) for
several hours after vomiting, his blood sugar drops quite rapidly. I did
find out that cooking them breaks down the reaction-causing protein, so I
can at least have banana bread! Anything you can find out would be
great."
Mom's question is "does the allergen in banana pass through into the
breastmilk like dairy and soy?" In other words, can mom eat a banana?
I had never heard of anyone reacting to banana. Do any of you know
anything to tell this mom?
Thanks so much. I have been on Lactnet since almost the beginning and my
LC friends think I am so smart with breastfeeding stuff, but it's all
info I've learned from this fantastic world-wide community!
Pat Bucknell IBCLC
Mother's Helper/private practice
Avon Lake OH (a far western suburb of Cleveland along Lake Erie)
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