寶寶過敏，是媽媽惹的禍嗎？

    「寶寶自出生以來，吃的食物都很簡單；就算是進食固體食物，也是吃得很簡單，為甚麼寶寶仍會有過敏的問題呢？」

這種情況有機會跟媽媽懷孕時的身體狀況有關。準媽媽身體的過敏問題，很容易會令寶寶產生過敏的體質。所以要避免嬰兒的過敏，媽媽就要在嬰兒出生前做好預防工作。

當準媽媽在懷孕過程出現過敏症狀，意味著身體處於發炎狀態。媽媽自身的免疫系統所發出的G抗體(IgG)，會隨著血液透過臍帶及胎盤進入胎兒體內，影響胎兒的免疫系統。很多孕婦為了補充營養，都特地每天都多喝牛奶；但假若準媽媽本身對牛奶過敏，長期下來，體內就會累積大量對抗牛奶的G抗體。這些抗體經血液傳到胎兒體內，並長期累積。當嬰兒出生後喝牛奶時，就會刺激到其未成熟的免疫系統，引發過敏症狀。

英國修咸頓大學於2004年的醫學研究指出，血液裡的G抗體濃度能反映媽媽進食雞蛋的情況。於懷孕期間戒食雞蛋的孕婦，體內的G抗體濃度會下降。至於患有過敏的母親，所產嬰兒臍帶內的血液，會含有比母體濃度更高的G抗體；而於出生時血液裡有中等濃度抗體的嬰兒，會最有可能於六個月大時患上過敏。

所以不論是預備懷孕的女性，或是已經懷孕的準媽媽，都應特別注意食物過敏，留意自己有沒有持續進食致敏食物，令過敏的體質遺傳到下一代。

Is mom to blame for baby’s allergy?

“My baby has been eating very plain food ever since his birth; even if he had solid food, they were still very plain.  Why does my baby still have the problem of allergies?”

This situation might be relevant to the physical condition of the mother when she was pregnant.  Expectant mothers’ allergies can easily be passed to the baby.  To avoid baby’s allergy, mothers should take preventive measures before the baby was born.

When an expectant mother had allergic symptoms during her pregnancy, her body was infected.  The IgG antibodies from the mother’s immunity system would be passed to the baby’s body through the umbilical cord and the placenta, affecting the baby’s immunity system.  A lot of pregnant women would drink great amount of milk to provide extra nutrients; however, if these women are allergic to milk, her body would accumulate large amount of IgG antibodies to withstand milk.  These antibodies would be passed to the baby through blood and accumulate through time.  When the baby drinks milk after he was born, the milk would stimulate his premature immunity system, leading to allergic symptoms.

Medical research of the University of Southampton, UK (2004) shows that, the blood concentration of the IgG antibodies can reflected by the expectant mothers’ egg intake.  Pregnant women who stopped eating eggs would have lower IgG blood concentration.  Those who had allergic reactions, the blood in their baby’s umbilical cord would have a IgG level even higher than that of the mother’s body.  It is very likely, for babies with medium concentration of IgG antibodies in their blood when born, to have allergic reactions when they are 6 months old.

Women who are preparing for pregnancies or already pregnant should all be alert of food allergies, and be aware of whether they have consistently intaking food that might cause allergies, to prevent passing the allergy to the next generation.