We are so excited to present our interview from Free to Feed.
Free to Feed was created by a mom, whose daughters presented with serious food intolerances/allergies. She works hard through her med-tech company to find solutions for mothers, especially nursing mothers, of food intolerant infants and offer support through her website and Instagram account. Each week she interviews a different allergy mom, and I was grateful for the chance to share our story, motivation, and more with her.
Read on below for our interview with Dr. Trill, and check out her Instagram sometime. She’s another allergy mom on a mission.
Sharing our stories is not oversharing when it provides opportunities for learning, empathy, and support.
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๐ Tell us about your allergy story.
My oldest child was a beautiful and bright-eyed baby. My plan was to manage the newborn days as best as any new mom could.
Soon after birth he developed colic, eczema, and reflux, which sometimes caused choking. We were told there wasnโt much we could do other than cutting out milk from our diets (he was nursing at the time). Something was still off, but I think our ongoing concerns were often dismissed as first-time parent nerves. His condition worsened even though we were careful when starting solids. It was stressful.
At about 18 months old, he had a severe allergic reaction. He was diagnosed with multiple food allergies. We discovered that his severe reaction was due to ingesting a food that had simply touched one of his allergenic foods. At least we finally knew how to help! Within a couple months, his condition improved dramatically.
When our second child arrived, we trusted our instincts, and recognized his food intolerances quickly. We are wiser because of our experiences.
How did it take us so long to get the hang of food allergies? More than 1 in 10 Americans have food allergies and yet there is minimal support and an abundance of misinformation. This made it clear to me that we were not the only ones that could benefit from more support and knowledge of food allergies.
A couple years ago I started advocating for the Teal Pumpkin project, a campaign designed to make Halloween safer and more accessible to all kids. Last year I developed and created a tiny non-food Trunk-or-Treat, which I am hoping to expand once large gatherings are okay again. These kinds of events are great even for non-allergy kiddos, and I hope they catch on.
I knew I needed to reach out and support more people. I started MultipleAllergyFamily.com this year. On this website my family shares our biggest tips, information, food ideas, and our adventures with the kids. I hope that families with and without allergies enjoy the posts and learn some new things along the way.
๐ What piece of advice would you give to parents who just discovered their child has allergies?
Take a deep, cleansing breath. There are tough moments. There are emotional moments. But it will get better, and the harder moments become fewer. It can be scary, but allergies are manageable. The biggest thing is to have an allergy action plan, know how to follow it, and know how to use an epi-pen and not hesitate to use it. It helped us to keep our home free from allergens at the start just so we could have that mental and physical space to relax. After that, read labels, and take it step-by-step. I wrote an article with the Top 25 Tips for Food Allergies just for the purpose of helping people with and without food allergies learn more. Try to stay positive.
๐ What keeps you motivated in this journey?
I have always been determined and analytical, and if I determine something is worth it, I achieve it. Although allergies have thrown a few roadblocks my way, they have not stopped me from eating good food, nursing my babies, or enjoying life. Our challenges may not make us stronger, but they certainly make us wiser. I love my family and would literally move mountains for them. We owe it to our kids to try to make this world better than when we came into it.
๐ What do you wish others understood about food allergies?
It is exhausting to be so โon alertโ whenever outside the home.
I know it can be hard to believe that something nourishing like food could be lethal. Or that invisible proteins on a surface could touch my childโs food and cause him to have trouble breathing. But it is true. It happened to my baby.
My preschooler understands that food can kill him. How scary is that for anyone, let alone a young child?
So please be compassionate. If you see someone with allergies, please believe them, no matter if you think they are exaggerating or jumping on the latest health fad. Words can be forgiven but not unsaid.
Some people are eligible for treatment, but there are no cures at this time. And the severity of reactions vary from one reaction to the next. There needs to be more attention and research to our cause.