Advice For Breastfeeding When Glutened

[woodruff]

So i'm 28 weeks pregnant and had an accidental glutening happen 2 weeks ago, it got me thinking what if something like this happened while i was breast feeding. Would I be passing the gluten on to the baby? Should I be pro active and pump and freeze breast milk later on just in case? I understand the baby might or might not be celiac but i'd rather be safe about it...

I'm also really worried about being able to hold the baby if i get glutened because my hands and feet start tingling and I get bad bone pain. I'll do my best to avoid it, but it just seems to sneak in every once in a while...

When I was a baby I couldn't be breast feed because i was too hungry all the time and was put on formula which i think could've been from my mom eating gluten. My mom said i was a much different baby after being put on formula and stopped crying all the time.

[nicolebeth]

The breastfeeding, itself, can protect against the baby getting celiac. Open Original Shared Link

You wouldn't be deliberately exposing your baby to gluten; it sounds like it will be harder for you if you get accidentally glutened! (You can also nurse lying down next to the baby, if you do have a period of extreme discomfort--hopefully, someone else can bring the baby to you on those occasions.) It doesn't sound like exposure, via breast milk, will make it more likely to make your baby ill. The above link also talks about how it's better to continue nursing when the baby begins eating gluten as well as it can delay or prevent the onset of celiac.

You may well have reacted to the gluten in your mom's milk. Often, now, moms eliminate foods from their diets rather than switching to formula. Your situation sounds completely different. You won't be eating it yourself, so if it is something to bother your baby, it will be only rare occurrences when this happens. If you feed the baby stored milk instead of new milk, keep in mind you'd put yourself in the position of needing to pump anyway to keep up your supply. Again, it is most likely that the gluten would affect you badly, and much less so for the baby (and very short-term; the benefits seem to far outweigh any potential negatives).

You're doing a great thing by planning to nurse! Especially given the protection that nursing can give against celiac (among other things). Good luck to you!

[Roda]

I did an extensive elimination diet when I breast fed my youngest. He had reflux so bad that the ped wanted me to try this formula with rice starch in it. I had to pump anyway to store milk up for when I went back to work so I tried it. Well, he screamed the worst he had ever. I'm not sure if it was the formula or the rice. I found out later he was sensitive to oatmeal and rice cereal. I ended up eliminating all dairy, rice, oats, tree nuts and obvious things that would cause him to be gassy and fussy. I ate lots of plainly sesoned meats, fruits and veggies. He did wonderful and I breast fed him until he was 16 months old. As it turns out with him I ended up gluten light (was not aware at the time). When he was around 14 months old, I had started adding things back into my diet for a few months, and that is when I started having my health issues. That eventually lead me to my celiac diagnosis. So literally I am greatful for doing the elimination diet for him (there is nothing I wouldn't have done to keep him healthy) because it helped me so much too. I felt the best I had in a long time physically while I breast fed him. Now I'm getting there again. I don't think the occasional oops will be that bad. There are so many other things that can make baby's tummy upset. Some moms are able to eat whatever and their babies are happy.