passing allergy (?) to baby?

[berolina]

dh and I have gone with 7 week old ds to stay with sil and her family. They have 3 cats. Since getting here I've recalled that in the past, when staying here, I've quite often had something like a heavy cold, with occasional breathing problems (I do have asthma). I've never really thought much of it, as it's always passed, but now I'm wondering whether I might have a cat allergy of some sort, and if so, would ds automatically have one too? In other words, is it safe for him to be here? I've lived with cats before and not had allergic reactions, and am the kind of person who always makes a beeline for cats when I'm visiting people with them and can't recall any kind of reaction anywhere else. Any ideas?

[hunkermunker]

He wouldn't automatically have an allergy, no. Are you allergic to your SIL perhaps?

[berolina]

hm
but good grief, no, the whole family (4 generations aged 7 to 94 in one huge house) is genuinely lovely and we love being here

[hunkermunker]

If you've not had probs with cats before, not sure it would be that, unless they're particularly furry or dandruffy?

Glad to her ILs are nice Bet they dote on your gorgeous baby!

[hunkermunker]

hear, not her...

[Chandra]

You never know with allergies, DH and I don't have any and DS has the full catalogue.

Regarding cats, DSister has allergy to some cats (the more expensive the cat the more terrrible the reaction ). She react badly to siamese and other purebred cats, if you touch a cat and sit next to her she immediatly knows you have been near to one as she gets covered in a rash, and get the heavy cold symptoms.

[berolina]

Chandra
I've never reacted immediately like that - which is what makes it hard for me to know whether the 'cold' thing is just coincidence, a cat allergy or an allergy to something else (believe it or not, I am apparently very allergic to dust mites - so maybe sil's house has a different kind?)

[tamum]

Ds has asthma and is fine with most cats but reacts really badly to specific ones. There's a tendency for allergy to run in families but it's multifactorial, and there's no reason to think that your ds will definitely be the same. I would just keep an eye on him when you're there.

[berolina]

That's interesting tamum.
Do my 'symptoms' sound like allergy?

[tamum]

Oh yes, very much! Maybe you could try taking some antihistamines next time you're there and see if they help?

[hercules]

I have a cat allergy and so does ds. I dont know about dd yet as we havent been near cats yet with her.

I didnt develop my allergy until I was an adult. We always had lots of cats when I was growing up with no problems. Ds has always been allergic and needs piriton if he goes somewhere which has cats.

[hunkermunker]

Berolina, you can take a nasal antihistamine spray like Beconase (I think - check though, and with someone who knows about feeding, not just a random pharmacist ) while breastfeeding.

[berolina]

thank you.
day 2 - i'm fine so far, and ds is whingy and cry-ey today but that's fairly normal atm. sil's mum reckons it's trapped wind.
i rang my dr to check the results of an allergy test i had 4 years ago after a - for me - unusually dramatic asthma attack (usually i nwever have attacks, just slight wheezing/shortness of breath at most). mites and grasses positive (but i don't have hayfever!), nothing else - and i'm pretty sure animals were tested for too.