The last post dealt with Asthma Medication and covered some of the modern medications available for the treatment of allergy asthma. This post, Asthma in Child, will take an often asked question by pregnant women. I have asthma will my baby have allergy asthma too?
This is, quite justifiably one of the main concerns of many women with allergy asthma. Like many other allergic conditions such as hay fever or eczema, allergy asthma often runs in the family. Unfortunately, allergy asthma is a complex condition which other genetic and environmental factors will determine whether a child will go on to develop asthma.
Research funded by Asthma UK suggests that reducing exposure to certain allergens such as the house dust mite and furry pets (usually cats and dogs) during pregnancy and the baby’s first year of life may reduce the risk of your baby developing allergy asthma.
Some studies have shown that, significantly, breast-feeding in the first few months of life may also reduce the chance of your baby developing allergy asthma as well as other allergic diseases.
Mothers who do not smoke during pregnancy are also much less likely to have children that develop allergy asthma and wheezing in infancy.
Your own asthma treatments will not harm your baby. In fact, your baby will do better as long as you are breathing well and easily. So it’s important for your baby’s development that your asthma is well controlled.
The bottom line is that if you are concerned in any way about your own allergy asthma, you should speak to your doctor, nurse or midwife.