On 3/11/07, Susie Boniol <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> My name is Susie Boniol and I am in desperate need of any information anyone may have on the prevention of MPA in newborns.

I think the answer is "nobody knows." :(

The advice I read when I was pregnant 6 years ago with my #3 was that
strictly avoiding milk protein in the last trimester of pregnancy and
the first year (?) of breastfeeding was the best bet.  I believe the
ideal is 100% strict avoidance, but I don't think anyone knows if it
really makes any difference, if 98% is just as good, etc.  The basic
idea is to avoid the baby getting a first experience with milk protein
before his immune system is more mature.  In theory even a tiny bit
could "ruin" the experiment.  That said, I did mess up and have a
muffin with milk in it at the hospital when my son was born (and I was
bf'ing) and he is not allergic to milk, so that one exposure at least
did not seem to hurt.

Since you will not be breastfeeding, your diet doesn't matter after
the baby is born, of course.  I would lean toward delaying the
introduction of a milk-protein-based formula, though of course the
alternatives are expensive, and it is nice to have your doctor agree
with what you are feeding your baby.

Here's an article you can show your child's doctor to back up your
decision to feed a non-cow-milk formula, if that is what you want to
do:

http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/reprint/pediatrics;106/2/346.pdf

states in part:

"More definitive prospective studies of the use of
alternative formulas for allergy prophylaxis in highrisk
infants are needed. However, the prospective
studies available that utilized blinded food challenges
to confirm allergic symptoms suggest that
asymptomatic formula-fed infants at high risk for
allergy given alternatives to cow's milk formulas
may have a lower future risk of allergic disease or
delayed onset of allergic symptoms. In one recently
reported study, infants at high risk for allergy fed an
extensively hydrolyzed formula or breastfed infants
whose mothers avoided cow's milk, egg, and peanuts
and did not introduce these foods into their
infants' diets had a reduced prevalence of all allergic
disorders at 1 year compared with the control group
fed a standard cow's milk formula."

Hope that helps!  Good luck with your new baby, and try not to stress
too much over this.  You may not be able to control it, and you know
from experience that you can help your child deal with it, if it is an
issue.  Everything will work out fine, one way or another. :)

--Robyn