Hi Pat

I've known one or two babies, and adults, to really dislike 
banana.  I assume that's a sign of sensitivity to it.  It would stand 
to reason that a mother whose baby reacts badly to even one teaspoon 
of banana would do better to completely eliminate it from her own 
diet while she's breastfeeding.  After all, this wouldn't be too hard 
.... For banana bread, substitute gingerbread or date loaf, and for 
bananas - well, just about anything else will do, won't it? :-)    If 
mom craves bananas enough to even ask this question, and has perhaps 
eaten a lot of them, maybe that's the problem?

Pamela Morrison IBCLC
Rustington, England
---------------------------
Date:    Wed, 6 Aug 2008 22:12:23 -0400
From:    Pat Bucknell <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: banana allergy

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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