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  • Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners

    Can you recommend a low allergen multi-vitamin to take while breastfeeding on a total elimination diet?

    My 11 mth old son has allergic proctocolitis and is essentially still exclusively breastfed.

    Solids have not been successful until recently, he seems to be tolerating swede and pumpkin now.

    I had been on elevit with iodine, they contain lactose though.

    I have been off them for 2 months now.

    I am taking Ostelin vit D with Calcium. My main concerns are iron and iodine.
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    Joy is an Accredited Practising Dietitian and Accredited Nutritionist, as well as an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). She has a special interest in … View Profile

    Elevit is usually fine for the elimination diet and will provide plenty of iodine and iron. Do not be concerned about lactose. Your breastmilk is full of lactose and you cannot change that - it is made by the breast. Any lactose you consume does not reach your breastmilk anyway. (See my article at https://www.breastfeeding.asn.au/bfinfo/lactose.html)

    The only risk with food/supplement/medicinal products containing lactose would be in someone consuming it directly and only if they have a severe cows'-milk-protein allergy where the slight traces of protein being carried along with the lactose may present a risk. No commercial purification process is 100% perfect, so there will always be slight ‘contamination’ of other substances from the source. Even for someone with lactose intolerance, the amount of lactose is too small to have any effect on them.

    You might like to see an Accredited Practising Dietitian with an interest in food allergy and breastfed babies to assist you with expanding your and your baby's diet.

  • 1

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    Anna47

    HealthShare Member

    Thanks Joy. I have read your article previously. I have seen an accredited dietician, recommended by the paed, they told me to stop elevit. I found them overall unhelpful. To clarify the concern with vitamins is not just dairy products but other allergens used as fillers, soy or corn etc. A tricky situation as we are yet to narrow down his triggers, he seems to react to everything!

    Thanks again for your answer.

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    I have been a paediatric registered nurse for over twenty years. I am trained asthma educator, early childhood nurse and currently work in the area … View Profile

    Hi There, 
    It sounds like you need to see a paediatric immunologist/allergist and also maybe a gastroenterologist. Partiularly if you are finding it difficult to exactly identify what is making his sympoms worse. I agree with Joy, if you can seek further advice from a different dietitian specialising in childrens allergy. I know you havent mentioned it but how is his growth and development?
    I hope you can get some answers. 

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    Anna47

    HealthShare Member

    Thanks for the response Jennie. We did see a paed GI who referred us back to a general paed. The GI said food allergy keep eliminating foods from my diet, he did an ultrasound as well to rule other causes out. I also thought an paed allergist would be able to help us considering colitis is immune mediated, albiet not igE. However, when I asked our paed he said if we are still having troubles at 15mths he would refer us as tests would be inconclusive prior to that age.

    We have seen a more knowledgeable dietician, which seems to be coinciding with him accepting more foods. Fingers crossed his system is maturing.

    He is a very healthy boy, never had a cold or ear infection. Weight at birth 3.6kg, 9.8kg at 5 months, he slowed right down as most breastfeed babies do and is now 11.6kg at 12mths. He is meeting all his developmental milestones as well.

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