I don't expect my GP to be an expert on breastfeeding, but this is ridiculous!

[naturelover]

Well, I think it is, but I'd appreciate any experts out there giving me their view.

DS was excl bf till 6 months and has eczema since about 3 months. GP claims my diet has no impact on the eczema and that I can eat what I like. Surely this is rubbish?

I've already figured out I can't eat dairy as it upsets his tummy.

I'm doing BLW very gradually. I asked what I should do about weaning ie should I just give wheat, dairy, eggs etc and she said yes, just wait a few days before new foods.

I'm doing an elimination diet to try and figure out if the eczema is triggered by various other foods and she said I was wasting my time doing this. She refused to refer me to a dietitian, an allergy clinic or even a dermatologist.

I left her surgery near tears feeling like there was nothing I could do for my poor boy except wait for him to (hopefully) outgrow it. I would happily give up anything if it was the cause of his distress.

Sorry, rant over.

Don't know, but a friend did an elimination diet and it made not one jot of difference.

A water softener and oats in his bath however turned things around totally...

I'm surprised your doc is so dismissive, naturelover....however, the research on diet, breastfeeding and atopic illness in the baby is very, very thin. I think the consensus is that most eczema is not helped by a change in diet, and this is even more so in infants who are bf.

There is some evidence that some very susceptible breastfed babies may react to cows milk protein (and possibly other foods) in the mum's diet with allergy-type symptoms. If you are really certain that dairy in your diet affects him - and to be sure you'd have to have a proper, monitored exclusion diet with careful attention to symptoms, and then reintroduce it - then maybe your ds is in this group.

I think it's unreasonable for you to be refused a referral though - you could phone up and make your own appointment, and ask if you could bypass the GP.

I hope you get some good help.

Thanks for your replies.

I was sure my diet could affect him because of his upset tummy when I eat dairy. Also anecdotally people I know have to limit certain foods when they are breastfeeding (eg friend's baby v colicky when she ate fish).

I'm going to log his symptoms thoroughly and try to see a pattern, if there is one.