Being a mom is all about being vulnerable and putting yourself out there, especially as a Macaroni Kid publisher. Each month, I'd like to share a mom experience to show all parents that parenting ain't easy. This isn't about judgment or showing off or anything like that. Instead, it is about showing everyone that sometimes, even I don't have it together. It is about showing parents that we all go through things, and we are here to uplift and help one another.
When my daughter was 9 months old, we knew it was time to start introducing those high allergy foods such as eggs, peanut butter, tree nuts, soy, etc. We started with eggs, and she loved them. No issues at all. We would give her eggs each morning for a week and there were no allergies or reactions. Phew!
Next came peanut butter. We started with a just a tiny bit on our finger for her to taste. There seemed to be no issues. Each day, for 3 days, we increased the amount that she was having, but still kept it around a teaspoon. On the second and third day, I noticed a small red rash develop on her cheek within 30 minutes of eating the peanut butter. We decided to contact our doctor and ask what they thought. Our doctor advised us to stop introducing peanut butter and see an allergist. Unfortunately, the soonest appointment was 6 weeks later. While we waited, we decided to try tree nuts by introducing almond butter. We did the same thing with introducing her to the almond butter for three days and there were no issues. I even remember texting everyone saying "yay, she isn't allergic to tree nuts."
One Friday night, we decided to make her an almond butter sandwich. This was the most almond butter she had eaten in one sitting. Within 30 minutes, both of her cheeks were bright red with rashes that looked like her eczema rash. Since she wasn't having trouble breathing or anything like that, we decided to put her to bed. When she woke up the next morning, she had developed itchy, watery eyes, and a runny nose. She also still had the rashes on her cheeks. We decided to contact her doctor who advised us to take her to the hospital just in case. Unfortunately, the hospital couldn't do much for us, but did give us a steroid and Benadryl, which cleared her up.
Fast-forward to two weeks later and I was excited to get answers. At the allergist, we had an allergy test done and a blood test. I kid you not we were there for three hours and my little girl didn't make one cry or peep when she was poked. I was so impressed with her. Unfortunately we didn't get ANY ANSWERS AT ALL. All tests came back negative, which you would think is a good thing! Unfortunately, it isn't. It means more testing with a food challenge. In October, we have to go back to the office for 4-8 hours to go through a challenge where our daughter will be introduced to more and more of the food in question to see if she has a reaction or not. Don't worry, it is in a controlled setting with a doctor in the room. We also have to carry around an Epi Pen, just in case.
So, are there any parents out there who have experienced similar events? Any advice for me as we go through this journey of food allergies? Feel free to reach out to me at blairs@macaronikid.com. I'd love to chat and share food allergy stories!
Blair Stamper
Macaroni Kid Publisher Mom
