Hi -

The jury is still out regarding pregnancy and food allergies.  The most
conservative approach would be to avoid consuming all possible food
allergens during the third trimester of pregnancy.

There are, however, studies that are very specific regarding allergy
prevention once the child is born.  These include:

-- exposure to animals in the first six months of life.  Ie, if you don't
have a pair of cats in the house already or a goat in the backyard, now's
a good time to bring them in.  In all seriousness, moderate exposure to
animal exotoxins seems to help "train" the immune system to react correctly
to challenges, rather than to go off the wall and create an allergic response.

-- breastfeed **exclusively** with no supplementation for at least six
months.  Continue to breastfeed for at least 12 months, and longer if
possible.  The lactating mother should avoid eating likely allergens and
milk protein until the child has eaten them, too.

-- follow one of the seqeunces for introducing solids that's designed for the
allergic child.  (My web site links to a couple of such lists.)

-- have good genes!  A family history of allergy, ANY allergy, even
hayfever, increases the risk of allergy, including severe food allergy, in
the offspring.

All these things, of course, simply improve the baby's odds.  Some parents
offer their kids peanuts and shrimp at one week of age and have perfectly
healthy kids.  (OK, so I'm exaggerating a teeny bit.)  Other parents follow
ALL the recommendations and have kids who are hair-trigger, anaphylactically
allergic to everything under the sun.  Which really means that genes seem
to be the factor that overwhelms all others.

Have your friend visit (regularly) the newsgroup misc.kids.breastfeeding for
more information on how to succeed, how to not supplement, and so forth.  Now,
while she's pregnant, is the best time to get started.

I hope she has an easy labor and a supremely healthy baby!
--Beth Kevles
  [log in to unmask]
  http://web.mit.edu/kevles/www/nomilk.html -- a page for the milk-allergic
  Disclaimer:  Nothing in this message should be construed as medical
  advice.  Please consult with your own medical practicioner.