<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

A warm thank you to all the WONDERFUL moms who took time to respond to my
query!

Since there is no hard science to support a particular course of action for
someone in my circumstances (pregnant, celiac, lactose and soy intolerance),
I sought your input. I believe the best way to learn is to read, research,
exchange ideas and listen to one's innate wisdom.

Because I received almost 40 responses and because there was not an overall
consensus, a short summary is not possible. Most moms tried to breastfeed
for at least the first 6 months and usually much longer. Cereal, soy and
dairy introduction varied greatly as did the health of the children. To read
all the responses, go to
http://www.charlestownsoftware.com/breastfeeding_responses.html.

Your input and my research yielded valuable Web resources:

http://www.lalecheleague.org/NB/NBJulAug98p100.html
This article entitled Allergies and the Breastfeeding Family is excellent--a
must read for anyone interest in the topic.

http://www.lalecheleague.org/FAQ/avoid.html
This article entitled What foods should I avoid eating while breastfeeding?
is a short and easy read. Of note is the suggestion to be careful about your
diet and avoiding known allergens during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

http://www.celiac.com/cgi-bin/webc.cgi/st_prod.html?p_prodid=381&p_catid=&si
d=91hH9H0mS5AN6TU-26103456387.bf
This short article, Breast Feeding and Celiac Disease, is written by Karoly
Horvath, MD of UMD.

http://www.celiac.com/cgi-bin/webc.cgi/st_prod.html?p_prodid=668&p_catid=&si
d=91hH9H0mS5AN6TU-26103456387.bf
This article, Breast Feeding Longer Could Prevent Celiac Disease, provides a
synopsis of an article that appeared in the American Journal of Clinical
Nutrition last year.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ui
ds=14519706&dopt=Abstract
This is an abstract of a 10/1/03 JAMA article entitled Early infant feeding
and risk of developing type 1 diabetes-associated autoantibodies. It
includes information about gluten introduction and celiac disease.

I emailed the following question to Joe Murray, MD of Mayo Clinic: When
should one introduce grains to a child whose mother has celiac?

His response: No good answers and data on this point.  However, most people
recommend avoiding solids before 4 months gluten could be introduced after 6
months of age 9 some say 12 months) overlapping it with breast feeding. A
lower intake of gluten in the first 6 months of life is associated with a
lower risk of CD in young childhood.  It is not clear that it will change
the ultimate risk of CD over lifetime.

Not medical advice, please discuss with pediatrician.

Good luck and good health during pregnancy.  It is important to remain
strictly GF during pregnancy.

Joe Murray

Some people felt it was better to introduce possible offending substances
early so the child could be identified early and become accustomed to the
diet at an early age, while others thought it was better wait as long as
possible so it didn't interfere with development.

Here are a few excerpts regarding the issue:

FWIW, Fasano told me to introduce wheat/gluten on the normal schedule. I
wasn't comfortable with this, however, so held off. My choice of 2 years
minimum is based on the fact that much of the major physical and mental
development takes place in the first two years, and I don't want to risk
messing with that.

Just remember that the older the baby is, the better he can communicate what
is bothering him. It is NOT fun trying to figure out why your little one is
miserable :-)

If there is any way to determine if you child is do it. It was hard for him
to change his diet as a teenager.  If he had never known anything but a
gluten free diet it would have been easier.

My Dr says a parent with celiac should keep child/children wheat/gluten free
from birth till they rebel in their teen yrs and every child does rebel
somewhat, that is soon enough to find out if they have celiac. Also by then
their brains are developed, they have their growth, and a good weight.

Other helpful snippets:

Have the child tested no matter what because breast fed children tend to be
more asymptomatic.

If I could do it again, I would have remained GFCF while I breastfed.

Some information on when to introduce particular foods (the complete list of
your responses can be found at
http://www.charlestownsoftware.com/breastfeeding_responses.html):

I read that not introducing any grain until 1 year old is best and not
adding in glutinous grains until 2.

Raw is best as it provides the enzymes needed to digest the food.  You don't
want to create digestive issues right off the bat.  I wouldn't start your
child on any foods at all until at least 8 months old.  I usually wait until
mine are
11-12 months old.  A good way to determine when to start is when they get
their first teeth.

I waited about a week before introducing a new food, one at a time.  This
way you find out what they like and what they can tolerate.

I had a wonderful pediatrician who did not believe in feeding cereal. Her
first foods at months were boiled chicken with carrots and of course chicken
soup which was a bonus of boiling the chicken with the carrots. This food
was made and frozen in ice cube trays and then defrosted as needed.

Even rice cereal seemed to bother my son because he can't properly digest
carbs/starches due to the atrophy.

To all who responded, thank you for sharing your experiences, insights and
words of kindness. They are much appreciated.

Kindest regards,

Joan in PA

* Please include your location in all posts about products *