Questions on My Allergies and Nursing

I had the same problem. I was told Claritin, not claritin D, but just plain claritin (it worked). Also Someone mentioned the Neti pot. I have not tried that, but I hear it works great.

Have you tried the Honey Pot method? It is a flushing method I have heard is VERY effective in reducing allergies.

I don't have too much information on it, but you could look it up online.

Good luck!

I take an organic whole food liquid and I no longer suffer from seasonal allergies. They used to be horrible!!! This time of year I would be miserable. If you are interested let me know.It really works.

Congratulations for your beautiful family and also for your dec1sion to nurse as long as you can... I nursed for two years and have allergies too... I found a couple of things helpful, Local Honey and a Neti pot, maybe you have seen them at Vitamin Cottage. They go by lots of names, Neti may be a brand name, any way the idea is to rinse the sinuses ... a little weird feeling admittedly, however, better than the drugs. There is also an Herbal formula called "Resp 11", that is very helpful once you stop nursing, it has Cayenne pepper in it and a couple of other herbs I was unsure about so I didn't use it while nursing, but afterwards I depended on it. Again way to go, the nutrition and bonding you get with nursing is so far beyond anything I can imagine with a bottle, don't let anyone talk you out of or guilt you into stopping if you don't feel that it is the right time for you and these babies. EJ

Congratulations for nursing twins for 5 months with another child in the house. You have my admiration. I can give you some ideas about the allergies but I would suggest that you might have to re-evaluate your decision to nurse for a year. If the challange becomes too great you might have to wean them for your own mental health

And now for my nursing suggestions. I have 7 children grown and I nursed them all for varying lengths of time. Some I was a stay at home mom and for some I pumped and worked full and part time.

I have found that bee pollen is the best defense against allergies. The problem is that is is expensive if you have to buy it. You need pollen from a local source so that it comes from the things you are allergic to in your own environment and last you should take the pollen 6 weeks before the allergens are in the air. We have bee hives and I collect my own and label and freeze it and then the next

Have you tried Chiropractic? Your body was designed to fight allergens and if it is not, and you are expressing symptoms then there is a communication blockage from your brain to your body. Somewhere along the line of your communication highway (spinal cord) the brain is sending signals of healing to your body but is being cut off by a misalignment (subluxation) of your spine. Once you work on the correction you will notice your body can function as it was meant to: wholly, completely and at its full potential. Your spinal cord houses the nerves that control all function and healing in your body, if there is anything out of line you will have symptoms, sickness and disease growing. I strongly urge you to get checked out by a Maximized Living Chiropractor, they are all over the Denver area! It has changed my quality of life drastically!!

Sorry I don't have any suggestions on allergies, I just suffer through everything and I mean everything. However, I do know you are not supposed to take a decongest. while nursing, it cuts down on your milk supply. I am also nursing my twins. They are 8 1/2 months old and were born on 7/7/07. They arrived 3 weeks early and are girl/boy. I also have a son who will be 4 in May.

Didn't read the others because I'm in a rush---acupuncture works GREAT for seasonal allergies. You can also use homeopathic allergy remedies. Remember, anything that dries up your nose will also dry up your breast milk, so you can't use an anti-histamine.

Hope that helps!
J.

Congratulations on breastfeeding!I nursed all 3 of my sons. My first one for 18 months all natural. He refused the bottle and formula. My second one for 6 months I pumped breastmilk and bottle fed him Sililac Isomil which is formula for preemie babies with extra calories.My third son I nursed him and pumped milk until he was 6 months then I had to swith him to Soy formula because he has food allergys. Anyway I found that when I pumped milk I seemed to produce much more frequently and was able to store it for future feedings.Medela has the best breast pumps availible. If you don't want to buy one you can rent one. Be sure to drink lots of fluids, snack often, and get plenty of rest yourself. That will also help with your production.

My sister took pantothenic acid, (which is a natural supplement found at health food stores) when she was nursing and it hepled her! Good luck.

Hi M.,
I have been nursing my twins for a year. I am also a chronic allergy sufferer with the fun of asthma attached! Anyway, my docs have me on Singulair. It works great and doesn't affect my milk production in any way. Congrats on the twins and good job with the nursing! C.

I would suggest you go to a natural food store, such as Whole Foods, and ask what they might suggest to help relieve your allergies without affecting your babies. I think many products like Sudafed, have an affect on you (not necessarily good), and would also affect your babies. Good luck on this, I'm sure your are a busy lady and allergies can slow you down.

I don't know anything to take for the allergies, but eating graham crackers or anything with whey should help with increasing your milk, at least it did for me. Good luck!

Hi M.,

i have a friend who has had allergies for 30 years. She introduced me to a product called body balance. Call or e-mail me and i will tell you about it.... J. ###-###-####.

Hi M.,
The books I read on allergies suggest that people with allergies tend to be low in vitamin C, manganese and magnesium. You might look into supplementing with these. It's great that you are taking honey. One to three tablespoons a day of raw, local honey is like taking those allergy shots from your doctor (you know, a little bit of the "hair of the dog that bit you.") It gives your body a little of the local allergens you may be allergic to.
Above all else, switch to a low sugar and white flour, healthy diet emphasizing fruits, nuts and vegetables. What you eat affects your overall immune system a bunch.
I wrote a book to help you get started. It takes only four hours to read and has five phases to help you eat healthier. Each phase has it's own tear-out shopping list to help you remember what to buy. It is called Shopper's Guide to Healthy Living and is available on Amazon.com
If you have questions, email me at ____@____.com

I have had great success alleviating my allergies by doing a very basic liver cleanse by drinking lemon water in the morning on an empty stomach (about 1/2 squeezed lemon in a warm or cold glass of distilled or filtered water. If you add a drop of peppermint it is of more benfit. Also rubbing peppermint and eucalytpus oils on your feet help open up airways and breathing. If it is sinus or congestion issues there is a great oils called helchrysum that works fantastic to alleviate congestion and allergies. Avoid taking OTC meds if at all possible while nursing even when they are said to by safe - they have really never been tested becasue no one is willing so it is just a best guess of the doctors. My dad is a doc and admits that no pregnant or nursing mom is willing to test anything out so any and all OTC that are said to be safe is only a doctor's hypothesis.

That is so great that you are nursing your twins! They are lucky to have you! You are wonderful! I know it is difficult just nursing 1 for a year as I have with 3 our of 4 of mine - I watched a good friend struggle to nurse her twins for a year. Keep up the great work! If the allergies are atmospheric - just think - they will end with the spring. Intersting to note that my only child with allergies is the one that did not get nursed.

Hi M.!

Sorry to hear about your allergies, I'm sure that is a challenge with nursing. I work with a wellness company that has all safe, non-toxic products including allergy medication. It costs about half of what Claritin runs. It might be worth a try. If you're interested, just give me a call ###-###-#### or email me at ____@____.com. I think it is wonderful that your goal is to nurse for a year! It's the best thing for them!

Take Care!

J.
MyKiddosCome1st.com

My doctor's office gave me this number when I was pregnant and I also called when I was nursing. They have the latest information on medications and interactions with pregnancy. Maybe they will have a good solution. 1-800-822-2229. It is free and they only ask for your zipcode, I am guessing for tracking purposes.
Good Luck

Please believe me when I tell you that there is an all natural supplement that you can take and be relieved of your symptoms for allergies and asthma and get more energy instead of being knocked out by allergy medication. Great results can be seen in just a few days and with continued use your symptoms will go away! The product is called Xango, I am a distributor located in Thornton, and would be glad to tell you mmore about it, please call A. ###-###-#### and check out the web site at xango.com

Hi M.,
Natra Bio, you can find it at Vitamin Cottage, or health/vitamin stores. It's natural and works :)
Peace, T.

Hi M.,

Congratulations on nursing your twins! I am still nursing my 17 month old, who has severe food allergies. As far as your allergies go, Dr. Thomas Hale and his book Medication and Mother's Milk is recognized as the gold standard of what medications work and their impact on pregnancy and breastmilk. Your OB or family doc might have a copy. If not, you can call your local La Leche leader, whose number you can find at www.llli.org. Most leaders have a copy of this book. Claratin is bfing friendly for most women, but I had a friend whose supply suffered some, so remember that whatever you decide to try, your body could be affected differently than the norm.

Things to help with supply are varied. One thing not mentioned yet is Fenugreek. You can find it pretty much anywhere. Good luck and great job again!

H.

With my son, I took Nasonex. It didn't dry my milk up at all. I'm not sure if that's typical, though.

S.

Try using a neti pot; you can find these at Wild Oats. You simply mix a teaspoon of fine salt (also available at Wild Oats) in warm water, then rinse the nasal passage. Tip your head to one side over a basin, insert the spout of the pot in one nostril and allow the solution to flow through into and out of the other nostril. Repeat on other side, gently blow your nose and Voilla! This will clear the pollin and debris out of the sinus, and you can use it as often as needed. Also, try showering a couple times a day and put on clean clothes..change the bedding often as well. Seasonal allergies can be greatly decreased just by cleaning the pollen off yourself and your clothes.

I had this problem too. Try taking Nettles tincture and drinking Nettles tea (you can get both at Vitamin Cottage or Whole Foods).

Nettles is a VERY supportive and nourishing herb. I'd also ask the herbalists at Whole Foods for their input.

Good luck!

M.

M., you might want to go to your local herbal store and see about nursing teas. They have teas that increase your milk supply, abundantly, it worked wonders for me and I had to take allegy meds too. Maybe your supply would increase enought that taking the sudafed shouldn't be much of a difference. Best of luck to you.
L.

You can use claritin while you nurse. I am currently nursing and use claritin as needed. I also used it with my 4 year old daughter when I nursed her. My doctor said it was safe too.

H.

I highly recommend a product called Body Balance. It's an organic whole food product made from Aloe Vera and sea veggies and I actually started a business w/ this company years ago because of the amazing results I had w/ this product and the difference I've seen it make for other people. It's great for allergies (and tons of other ailments) and it's great for nursing mothers because the nutrients are great for the baby's brain development, etc. I'm nursing as well w/ my second (5 weeks old) and took the product through both of my pregnancies and the whole time I was nursing w/ my first (she's 3 and drinks it every day now... it's a liquid and tastes great... and she's never been on antibiotics and RARELY gets sick in any way). In any case, you can check it out here: http://www.lifeforcesuccess.com and feel free to contact me w/ any questions.

Also, if you're interested in an amazing business opportunity, check out my website here: http://www.momsempoweringmoms.com/residualincome.html

Hope this helps!

A.

Obviously, I would check with your gyno first but I am also nursing and was told that Claritan D was safe. I have not noticed any side effects and it certainly helped with my cold/allergies. Good luck!

Wow! I don't have an answer to your question, but I congratulate you on being able to nurse your twins without supplementing. I had twin boys 21 years ago and had to supplement. How wonderful that you are doing so well with the nursing and would like to nurse for a year. The children are so much better off. Hang in there.

Try limiting your dairy, grains and sugar consumptions to 0 if you can for 5 to 11 days. If you cannot, try eating them only 1or 2 times a day. These three groups cause mucous. Be sure to eat lots of green veggies like broccolli and salads to replace the lost vitamins and minerals.

Hi M.,
I have severe allergies myself and normally take Zyrtec D. When I got pregnant, my doctor changed me to plain ol' Zyrtec becauase that is safe to take while pregnant and nursing. And now that it is available over the counter, that might be an option for you (of course I'd still double check with your doctor.) Good luck. Allergies stink!!!

I too am an allergy sufferer and am currently nursing a baby. If your allergies are like mine (seasonal) then my tip might work, if not then I am sorry. I have found that if I get honey that has been made in the area (in order for it to work it has to be made in your area) and start taking it then I don't have my allergies. I have found that for me I have to take a tablespoon 3 times a day until the symptoms stop and then just once a day from there on...but it works. You can have it any way that you want it, on bread, toast, in tea whatever works as long as you are getting the honey. For me it is easiest to just take a spoon and take it like medicine until the allergies are under control and then I can start just having it on my toast or something. The reason that it works is because the bees are making the honey from things that you are reacting to in the air and you are slowly building a temporary immunity to it. Good luck, and congrats on the babies.
J. (SAHM w/6 kids and terrible seasonal alleriges since having tonsils removed 17 yrs ago)

Hi M.,

My OB/GYN told me that the Sudafed can sometimes reduce milk supply (temporarily) because of how it works to stop you from having the runny nose. Try everything people have mentioned here here, but also Claritin might help too. Make sure you don't get Claritin D because that is the stuff with Sudafed in it. But Claritin is an antihistamine (stops your body from reacting against the allergan) rather than a decongestant (stops you from producing mucus like Sudafed does) that might help keep the allergies under control.

Also, if you can't keep the runny nose under control, keep vasaline or something on your upper lip and nose so they don't get chapped.

A link to cold and allergy remedies compatible with nursing:

http://www.kellymom.com/health/meds/cold-remedy.html

Hope this helps.

I have horrible allergies...I got this advice from a teacher. Take a little saline solution and flush your sinus' every night and every morning. The stuff that you can buy for your baby will work fine. It works. The salt kills everything living (pollen, bacteria, virus) in your nose giving relief and drying out your sinus' too. It helps avoid those nasty sinus infections that can come due to the congestion related to allergies. There is an apparatus that can be purchased in a medical supply store for this purpose. For those frugal allergy suffers: you can make your own saline with 1/4 tsp. salt (I really like sea salt) and 1 cup warm water. The warm water helps the salt dissolve. You can pour that into an empty saline mist (nasal mist) or just pour a little in to your hand and "snuff" it up into your nose. Make sure to lean forward a little so it hits your sinus'. I hope this is helpful. Raising kids is quite a sacrifice.

Sorry for the late response, but I had year-round allergies and started seeing an accupuncturist. It worked wonders. She also had me do a nasal rinse with home made saline when I was at my worst, but I don't have to do that any longer.

I used to have to take Flonase at night just to make it through the night (this was prior to having my son) and Allegra during grass pollen season. Now I don't take anything, I just go in every three months or so for maintenance.

Kim

Have you tried the neti pot? I know it sounds weird but it's supposed to work really well!!!

Here's a link to check out:

http://www.oprah.com/health/oz/oz_20070426_350_106.jhtml

It was featured on Oprah with Dr. Oz.

You could call your local health food store and ask them about taking their remedy and breast feeding. I can't remember what it is called, but I took it for a my allergies and it worked wonders! I wasn't breast feeding at the time, but I did have a young toddler to take care of, and any over the counter med's tend to make me drowsy or feel weird. The health food store's remedy was fairly cheap, and worked well, without any drowsiness or other side effects.

Call the one nearest you and they will honestly tell you if you should take it while breast feeding.
Good luck to you, and your family! A 3 year-old daughter and a boy & girl twins, what a blessing from above!

I would definately look into what Julie C. recommended. Raw honey is wonderful for your allergies for alot of people (and it must be raw and unfiltered ie not pasturized). I didnt notice a significant decrease in my allergies but I did when I actually took Bee Pollen. The Pollen is basically the stuff that we are allergic too. Again, it has to be local. You can find bee pollen in the refridgerated section of your local natural foods store. Dont chew the bee pollen though. That was my mistake. It has a rather chalky texture not an unpleasant taste though. Just really chalky. Just start slowly about a 1/2 tsp and slowly increase to a full tbsp. I would do this over a several week time span. Just take the spoon and swallow. Its easy and should be fairly inexpensive.

Also I hear that neti pots (nasal irrigation) are really good for helping with your allergies.

Here is a link for you on Wikipedia about neti pots http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasal_irrigation

Several of the moms in my moms group sware by it.

HTHs

Acupuncture. My husband has had horrible allergies and sinus infections his entire life. A friend recommended a good acupuncturist in Greeley and he has barely had allergy problems since. A sinus cleanse is also very beneficial.
J.