I have ubiquitous food allergies. My biggest issue is cane sugar which is in everything and then coffee, alfalfa, and oats. My reaction ranges from nausea and diaphragm cramping to full blown anaphylaxis with the swollen throat. I not only have to be cautious about the food I eat but also my environment. I will develop breathing issues around cotton candy machines, the candy store on Main Street in Disney, people making waffle cones at ice cream carts in the summer, and flaming creme brulee in my vicinity at restaurants. It SUCKS!!!
However pregnancy is awesome!! One of the downsides of pregnancy is a reduced immune system so that mamas don’t attack their babies while the little one is basically a parasite in utero. Pregnant mamas get sick more easily because of our compromised immune systems. For people with allergies like me this compromised immune system also means that our bodies do not react as severely to allergens as they did pre-pregnancy. It doesn’t suck!
For the holidays I was able to go to holiday parties and not be THAT person asking about every single ingredient and then avoiding most foods. I am not THAT person at restaurants asking about every little detail. I was even able to share a cupcake from Whole Foods with my husband the other weekend. Of course I do have some sort of reaction, but nothing as severe as my pre-pregnancy days. I had 10 M&Ms one day in my first trimester testing out my new powers and ended up passing out for two hours. So if I eat too much my tummy does not like it, I have vomited once, and I can get incredibly sleepy if I over do it.
Anyway I have no idea what will happen after baby gets here. The research on the topic of mama’s immunity during pregnancy is still in its infancy. Here are a few scenarios that could occur from most positive to least positive:
- I can be building a tolerance during this time that will carry over after I have the baby
- I may revert back to my normal state after I have the baby
- I could be prepping my child to be prone to allergies while I mess around with my system
The most reported opinion I have seen is that my state will revert back to normal. I speculate building a tolerance like how peanut allergy sufferers take small doses of peanut flour to build their tolerance and make their allergies less deadly. Then for the last scenario… I can just be a worst case scenario type of person. If you know any authors who publish this type of research please let me know.
Anyway for now I can be more normal and not be a freak about every little thing that goes in my mouth when I am out in public. However this does not mean I am strapping on a feedbag of chocolate and desserts.
I suffer from wheat and egg allergies. I am not technically anaphylactic, but I get severe digestive issues along with swollen nasal passages and upper respiratory distress and of course the extreme drowsiness. Never had to go to the hospital, although I probably should have.
Anyway, I have also noticed (at 22 weeks) that I am able to eat "almost" anything without a severe reaction. Yea, I have a few symptoms, but it isn't too bad. Like you, I am concerned about what my new horrible habits are doing to myself and my baby.
According to my allergist, you will see a decline in symptoms while pregnant, but it is highly likely that it will get worse after the baby is born. I am not sure because I wasn't diagnosed before my son was born. Well, then again, I guess it did get worse because my symptoms were bad enough to get diagnosed.
Curious to see what you find out!