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Joby
Joined: 02 Oct 2006
Posts: 2
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 Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2006 10:15 am Post subject: Keeping my baby gluten free... am I wrong? |
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Hello,
I am new here and a second time mom. My baby is 3 months and at his last check-up the doctor and I discussed solid foods. From what I have read, and the doctor confirmed this, with allergies in the family (and not just food allergies), I should wait until my son is 6 months before attempting solids and then starting with rice cereal. Wheat should be introduced last.
I am Celiac Sprue, but my household is not entirely gluten free as my husband and older son do not have a gluten/wheat intolerance (though my older son is lactose intolerant). But, to save us any trouble with our youngest, I would like to raise him gluten free. When I told the doctor this, she was shocked. She told me it is expensive to raise a gluten free child. Yes, I know first hand how expensive eating gluten free can be, but am I being paranoid? Is it not my a personal choice? My only concern is that will I be letting him miss out on some important nutrient by not letting him eat wheat? Or will he just be missing out on a life of Big Macs and soft tacos?
If we do let him have wheat, when it is time, and he is gluten intolerant, how will we know? When should he be tested, just incase?
Any help is appreciated! |
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cruelshoes
Joined: 23 Sep 2005
Posts: 2420
Location: Washington State
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| Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2006 10:29 am Post subject: |
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My daughter is 12 weeks old, so we are going through the same discussions. Check out this link. http://www.swedish.org/111415.cfm
This is a study from the May 18, 2005 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. It indicates that the proper time to introduce gluten into an infant's diet is between 4 - 6 months of age. That is what we plan to do with our baby.
| Quote: | The Findings
Fifty-one children (3.3%) developed evidence of celiac disease. Twenty five of these children had biopsy confirmed cases. Major findings included:
Children exposed to wheat, barley, or rye in the first three months of life had a five-fold increased risk of celiac disease autoimmunity compared to those exposed at 4-6 months. Children not exposed until their seventh month or later were also at increased risk, but only slightly.
Among the 41 children who were at the greatest risk according to their genetic markers, those exposed to wheat, barley, or rye in the first three months of life had nearly an eight-fold increased risk of celiac disease autoimmunity compared to those exposed at four to six months.
No protective effect of breastfeeding was observed.
These findings were consistent even when the researchers limited their analysis to only the 25 cases of biopsy-confirmed celiac disease.
How Does This Affect You?
These findings indicate not only that it may be unsafe for genetically predisposed children to receive gluten-containing foods when they are too young—when plausibly their immune systems are fragile and immature. They also suggest that waiting too long may also pose a risk. This latter finding is more mysterious, indicating that factors other than timing may play a role. One possibility, suggested by the study’s authors, is that parents who introduce gluten-rich food when their child is older may provide it in larger amounts and/or more frequently. This may have a detrimental effect on their infant’s intestinal ability to process the protein.
Because of this study’s limitations—namely, small size, short-term follow up restricted to early childhood, and the fact that the primary outcome measured was autoimmunity for the disease versus full-blown symptoms—other studies are needed to confirm these findings. Moreover, population-wide studies would be necessary to determine how the timing of gluten introduction influences development of the disease in children at average risk.
As they stand, these findings do not alter traditional recommendations for introducing wheat and other gluten-containing foods into the infant diet. However, in an addendum, the study’s authors note that the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recently published a policy statement recommending exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life. They point out, however, that the AAP does acknowledge that “unique needs or feeding behaviors of individual infants [could] indicate a need for introduction of complementary foods as early as four months of age…” Children at high risk for celiac disease or type 1 diabetes may very well have unique nutritional needs even in infancy.
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_________________
-Colleen
Dx 8/05 via bloodwork/biopsy
9-YO son Dx 11/05 via bloodwork/biopsy
Daughters have negative bloodwork - so far!
A woman is like a tea bag-you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water. - Eleanor Roosevelt |
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Joby
Joined: 02 Oct 2006
Posts: 2
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| Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2006 11:41 am Post subject: |
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| Thank you for posting that informationa and link. Sort of a damned if you do and a damned if don't situation, isn't it? |
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cruelshoes
Joined: 23 Sep 2005
Posts: 2420
Location: Washington State
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| Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2006 11:49 am Post subject: |
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Yeah. FWIW, my older kids were both introduced to solids at 6 months. One ended up with celiac, and the other didn't.
_________________
-Colleen
Dx 8/05 via bloodwork/biopsy
9-YO son Dx 11/05 via bloodwork/biopsy
Daughters have negative bloodwork - so far!
A woman is like a tea bag-you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water. - Eleanor Roosevelt |
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Fidissimus
Joined: 17 Mar 2006
Posts: 1463
Location: Portland, OR.
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| Posted: Tue Oct 03, 2006 1:55 pm Post subject: |
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Our daughter is now 11 months old. I went through this a while back. I'm Celiac and my husband is not. We introduced her to solids at about six months - starting with rice cereal. At about seven months we gave her some wheat (with much trepidation). However she did just fine! She's now eating a "normal" diet for a baby her age. In the meantime I've been keeping a close eye on her. At two we'll have her tested for celiac unless she starts to exhibit signs of the disease earlier. I am ready to put her on a gluten free diet at a moments notice. In the meantime I feel like if she doesn't have to be GF why make her?
_________________
Cheers!
Jenn
GF BD: Feb. 2001
Free of wheat, barley, rye, oats, rice, dairy, eggs, almonds, pineapple and brewers yeast.
http://graindamaged.blogspot.com/ |
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