Hello mama friend, I’m so glad you stopped in today.
If you’re looking for some encouragement for your food allergy adventure,
you’re in the right place.
At Milk Allergy Mom, we love to help!
I’ve been a food allergy mom for over 17 years.
Still, some days are harder than others, but one thing is true.
It gets easier with time and experience.
And when you’ve got a supportive community behind you, it’s even better!
Here, we’ve been building the positive, encouraging community I wish I had over a decade ago.
And we’d love for you to be part of it.
The first thing to know, friend, is you’re not alone.
I get messages from stressed new allergy moms all the time.
I promise, it’s not just you.
“I found your blog through Google and noticed you had a Facebook page as well. I’m a tad overwhelmed at the moment and I’m so thankful I found you. My one year old son was just diagnosed yesterday with a dairy/milk allergy. I don’t even know where to begin. Is there anyway you can help me? It’s all new to me. I would appreciate it so much.”
“I came across your site when I was doing more research on allergies. My daughter was diagnosed 2 months ago with very severe cases of milk, egg, and dust mite allergies. I have no one to really talk to who knows what I’m going through or the anxiety I feel…I need advice. How do you cope? Milk is in everything!”
You see, my friend, the stress you’re feeling is completely normal.
Sadness and grief over a new diagnosis.
Overwhelm about how to feed your child.
Confusion over how to change your lifestyle.
These feelings are all normal for new food allergy mamas,
but hear this…
it does get better.
So let me encourage you today.
I’m Jamie, a 17-year food allergy mom myself.
I acquired this title when people didn’t know what food allergies were,
when labeling laws were just emerging,
before vegan was popular,
and when the statistic was that most kids would outgrow milk allergies by age 2.
Obviously, that didn’t happen for us, go figure.
It was a rough start for this new mom, no doubt about it.
But online blogging was just becoming a thing,
and I quickly realized I needed an online community for support.
I looked for local support, but I seemed to be the lone ranger.
Hence, this blog called Milk Allergy Mom was born in 2008.
Through this website, it’s always been my goal to provide exactly what I wished my family had right after our diagnosis,
help that makes allergy life less stressful and a whole lot better.
And one of the first things I needed, was a quick list of advice to propel me forward.
Here’s what I wish someone had told me all those years ago to set me up for success.
ENCOURAGING TIPS FOR FOOD ALLERGY FAMILIES
EMOTIONAL TIPS
Feelings of fear and anxiety are perfectly normal.
But the anxiety should get better as you learn, practice, and fall into a new life routine.
It helps to balance fear with looking on the bright side.
So limit your time online to people and organizations that help you best.
And please, don’t hesitate to seek professional therapy if the overwhelm does not get better.
FOOD TIPS
Start with real foods.
Then look into safe, mainstream processed foods.
Next, decide what specialty foods you’re willing to spend money on…like dairy free cheese, yogurt, and pizza.
After you taste some dairy-free foods, decide if your whole family will change their diet.
Then learn how to start cooking allergy-free.
After your head clears, narrow down your shopping system and your budget to save time and money.
ALLERGY LIFE TIPS
Stay inspired and keep learning from legitimate allergy sources.
Find a true support system locally and/or online.
Keep fine-tuning and adapting your food allergy lifestyle.
Find an allergist who will help you meet your life goals safely.
Be encouraged that this may just be a season.
And know that no matter what, this is do-able and you’re going to do a great job.
KNOW YOU HAVE SUPPORT HERE
There are many ways to get plugged in at Milk Allergy Mom.
We can’t wait to be part of your adventure and help!
GET FOOD IDEA – allergy-friendly, simple, kid-approved recipes & food finds right to email
JOIN OUR MAM FAM – our member library and online support group
Teresa | Simply Made Fun
Monday 15th of May 2017
Thank you so much! My favorite quote from you is, "I truly believe God chooses the most diligent and capable people to be food allergy parents". I honestly believe that too.
I have an anaphylaxis peanut and tree nut allergy and my son has an anaphylaxis milk and peanut allergy. The nuts I have covered and feel confident avoiding but the milk allergy threw me through a loop. I've had to use his epi-pen 3 times (my husband says I jump the gun but I'd rather be safe than sorry) and my anxiety every time he eats goes through the roof.
I'm so thankful to have found this community! Thank you so much for all you do and all of your hard work!
Jamie Kaufmann
Wednesday 17th of May 2017
We are so glad you found us, too, Teresa! It's our pleasure to be helping and encouraging and facilitating such a wonderful community. Be sure to find us on FB. :) And be looking for a new big announcement coming soon from Milk Allergy Mom. We would love to include you and your family.
Mommy Knows Chaos
Saturday 8th of April 2017
Hi!
I am so thankful I came across your blog! This post really touched my heart. I am currently nursing my 3rd baby and I recently found out she has a dairy intolerance. She is 3 months old, and while eliminating dairy has improved her symptoms. We are still not in the clear yet. I am learning every day what foods to avoid and what foods contain dairy. I do however think we are dealing with more than a dairy allergy. So I have removed soy from my diet as well. Would you recommend completely eliminating ALL possible allergy foods at once or doing one thing at a time?? It is so overwhelming not knowing where to start! I feel we have a long road ahead but I have faith that we can get through this. Praying God leads me to the foods I need to eliminate.
Jamie Kaufmann
Saturday 8th of April 2017
Hello, Mommy! So glad you found this post helpful. I would talk to a doctor or allergist to see what they recommend. But egg often goes with milk. Have you tried that? I had to cut soy, egg, milk, peanut, and nuts. You can do this and good job for being in tune with your baby's needs. :)
Louise moffatt
Sunday 26th of March 2017
My 5 years old has a milk protein allery, egg allergy and is intolerant to wheat and almond and we didn't find out until earlier this year. Not anaphylaxis but hard all the same. For 5 years she couldn't pooh - 20 times a year, didn't sleep, always complaining of tiredness and a non-conforming child at school and often thought of as being naughty. What a turn around!!! Poohs everyday, sleeps soundly for 11 hours, energized and in school -top of her class! Amazing. A shock to begin with but with the help of milk allergy mom and heaps of other facebook pages - things are looking up. Thank you all😊
Jamie Kaufmann
Sunday 26th of March 2017
Oh Louise, I'm so happy to hear from you! What a great turn-around. I can relate to your daughter because that's been me my whole life. Chronic aches and medical mysteries. You are a good mama to help her figure this out before age 35 like me. :) Things are definitely looking up for you. Food does so much! Hugs! And thanks for being here.
Maree
Saturday 11th of February 2017
Hello, I just want to say a big thank you for your blog. I've just stumbled across it. I have been an allergy mum (Australian) for just over 2 years now. The allergies between my 2 kids are dairy, egg, peanuts, cashews and pistachios. I've had numerous fails with trying to bake for them! So I'm excited to try some tested recipes from here.
It's busy enough caring for allergy kids let alone creating such a wonderful blog so thanks for being so generous! I'm enjoying reading through it all.
Jamie
Saturday 11th of February 2017
Hi Maree! Your allergies sound a lot like ours. We outgrew egg and peanut, I hope that gives you some hope! Welcome! So cool that we can have allergy community from all over the world. Please let us know what you think of the recipes you try! I try only to post if the kids approved the dish, ha ha. Be sure to check out our Facebook page if you haven't already. It's such a great supportive group.
blogging
Tuesday 3rd of March 2015
Aw, thank you, Anonymous. That's always been my goal so I really appreciate your kind words. :) Thanks for being here.