When my eldest was nearly seven months old, I took him to his regular weigh-in and the health visitor asked how weaning was going. He was really just on fruit and veg purees then, having started on food just before six months. Get him onto more finger foods, she said, protein and meat. She suggested Marmite or Peanut Butter on toast.
The latter was something I ate often, and always had been a big Peanut butter fiend. I now shudder when my 'Facebook memories' come back to haunt me with statuses about how much I love the KitKat Peanut Butter Chunky Bar, or chocolate peanuts - all products I now wish could be wiped from the shelves!
I decided that lunchtime that he and I would enjoy peanut butter on toast together. I was a bit miffed when he wasn't that appreciative, in fact, he didn't seem to want to eat it. It was one of my favourite things! Sitting with him and encouraging him, at first I thought I was imagining his swollen upper lip, then his swollen under-eye.
My automatic Reaction was wrong: I called the health visitors' clinic, who couldn't help, and then the doctor's. I probably should have called the hospital or at least 111. It scares me to think what could have happened if he'd eaten more of it or if the reaction had been worse, and me not knowing enough, although I remember telling the doctor's receptionist that it wasn't anaphylaxis - I'd heard of that in first aid courses, and I was sure his breathing was OK. I took him to the doctors in my car, and the doctor checked him over and sent us off with a prescription for Piriton - which I waited for for over forty minutes in Asda!
Now, I would be calling 999, in case that reaction worsened. As someone pointed out to me recently, you can't perform CPR when you're driving and your baby is strapped into a car seat in the back. I also now know I could have just bought Piriton over the counter, but it was a more innocent time for me in terms of allergy savvy.
Doc then sent me to the paediatrics ward of the hospital for blood tests for him. Those results came back about a month later with positive IGE for peanut. The doctor's surgery just wrote a letter saying a peanut allergy was likely and to avoid giving him nuts!
It was two months before we got our appointment at the hospital's paediatrics ward to discuss those results. The consultant prescribed Epipens and I was shown how to use one, and advised to avoid all nuts, peanuts and 'may contain' foods.
The gap between finding out about the allergy and receiving advice and Epipens is worrying now that I know more. We just avoided nuts and assumed the reaction was not the type that would cause anaphylaxis, but the fact is that peanuts reactions are unpredictable and that is why Epipens are recommended, because one mild reaction does not mean the next is guaranteed not to be severe. I would advise others to request Epipens as soon as possible for this reason.
The latter was something I ate often, and always had been a big Peanut butter fiend. I now shudder when my 'Facebook memories' come back to haunt me with statuses about how much I love the KitKat Peanut Butter Chunky Bar, or chocolate peanuts - all products I now wish could be wiped from the shelves!
I decided that lunchtime that he and I would enjoy peanut butter on toast together. I was a bit miffed when he wasn't that appreciative, in fact, he didn't seem to want to eat it. It was one of my favourite things! Sitting with him and encouraging him, at first I thought I was imagining his swollen upper lip, then his swollen under-eye.
My automatic Reaction was wrong: I called the health visitors' clinic, who couldn't help, and then the doctor's. I probably should have called the hospital or at least 111. It scares me to think what could have happened if he'd eaten more of it or if the reaction had been worse, and me not knowing enough, although I remember telling the doctor's receptionist that it wasn't anaphylaxis - I'd heard of that in first aid courses, and I was sure his breathing was OK. I took him to the doctors in my car, and the doctor checked him over and sent us off with a prescription for Piriton - which I waited for for over forty minutes in Asda!
Now, I would be calling 999, in case that reaction worsened. As someone pointed out to me recently, you can't perform CPR when you're driving and your baby is strapped into a car seat in the back. I also now know I could have just bought Piriton over the counter, but it was a more innocent time for me in terms of allergy savvy.
Doc then sent me to the paediatrics ward of the hospital for blood tests for him. Those results came back about a month later with positive IGE for peanut. The doctor's surgery just wrote a letter saying a peanut allergy was likely and to avoid giving him nuts!
It was two months before we got our appointment at the hospital's paediatrics ward to discuss those results. The consultant prescribed Epipens and I was shown how to use one, and advised to avoid all nuts, peanuts and 'may contain' foods.
The gap between finding out about the allergy and receiving advice and Epipens is worrying now that I know more. We just avoided nuts and assumed the reaction was not the type that would cause anaphylaxis, but the fact is that peanuts reactions are unpredictable and that is why Epipens are recommended, because one mild reaction does not mean the next is guaranteed not to be severe. I would advise others to request Epipens as soon as possible for this reason.
