Food Allergy Parenting: From Panic to Peace

When you're in the thick of keeping loved ones with food allergies safe, it can feel a bit like a dark and lonely tunnel with no end in sight. Kiley Oesterreich, creator of @allergy_mama_diaries on Instagram, shares thoughts on finding peace living with her daughter's EoE and food allergies. Her encouraging post reassures that allergic life can and does get easier — food allergies won't always be at the center of your world.

What food allergy freedom feels like

I knew something was off with my sweet baby. Lylah was often unhappy. She had terrible acid reflux and it made her so uncomfortable, inconsolable. Switching to a formula without cow’s milk protein helped, but didn’t solve the problem. And then, around her first birthday, the vomiting started. No clear pattern. Totally random.

The not knowing settled in my stomach as a permanent knot of anxiety.

Getting to answers was like following a trail of breadcrumbs, the path never very clear until somehow we got there.

We made endless trips to the pediatrician, but Lylah never showed symptoms during those visits. It was frustrating. We felt dismissed, but we didn’t stop pushing. Eventually we were referred to a pediatric allergist and GI specialist.

At age two, allergy testing revealed an overwhelming list of food allergies. And after an endoscopy, we had a diagnosis: eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). That’s what was causing the vomiting. Finally, we had an answer that we’d prayed for — but not an answer we’d hoped for.

In those early days, it was easier to keep track of the few foods she could eat rather than the endless list she couldn’t. She was allergic to dairy, nuts, wheat, soy, eggs, bananas, pineapple, cauliflower, carrots, broccoli, honey, rice, oats, and probably a few I’ve forgotten over time.

I was overwhelmed.

How was I supposed to nourish a child who was allergic to so many foods? How could I keep her safe in a world that didn’t understand—and often unintentionally put her in danger with well meaning offers of food? Food is love, right?

But time passed and our way of life, avoiding many, many foods, became our ‘normal'. Though it was hard knowing she felt left out at parties and holidays, especially when desserts made their appearance and she had to eat something different, brought from home.

Lylah’s now 12. She started taking Dupixent at 9 to treat her EoE. She’s been incredibly brave about taking the shot every couple weeks. Filling up and replacing the sharps container is a testament to our dogged persistence and faith that Dupixent will allow her to eventually eat all her trigger foods without reacting.

And it’s working.

Her most recent scope in June—her 22nd—confirmed she’s in remission. Her doctor has recommended we begin reintroducing trigger foods. We could start now, but truthfully? We’re in a good place. Avoiding dairy and nuts is second nature, and while we know reintroducing something like baked milk could be life-changing, we’re content with where we are.

We’ve reached a stage I once only dreamed of.

Food allergies don’t consume our lives anymore. Days go by without giving them much thought. We have our safe go-to restaurants, our stocked, allergy-safe pantry, and a much lighter emotional load. The fear that once followed us everywhere? It's loosened its grip.

I no longer panic over what to feed her. Sure, she’s definitely a picky eater who could live off pancakes morning, noon, and night—until she randomly decides she’s over them, and I’m left scrambling (again) to find something new she’ll eat. (Life with a picky eater keeps me on my toes!)

But she’s happy. Confident. She doesn’t feel left out like she used to. She’s thriving in school and sports—playing basketball and volleyball, right in the mix with her friends and teammates.

Is this what “food freedom” feels like?

It’s what I prayed for. And it’s a far cry from the early days, when I shed tears over meals and worried constantly whether she was eating enough and if she’d be ok at school.

Now, I feel confident, too. We’re no longer defined or overwhelmed by food allergies. We’re living with them—not under them.

Dupixent changed everything for our daughter and our family, and we’re grateful for that.

To the food allergy mamas reading this:

You’ll get here too. Maybe your child will outgrow their allergies. Maybe they won’t and you'll make your peace with that. Maybe you’ll find resolve and courage to pursue a treatment like we did.

But there will come a day when food allergies aren’t the center of your world. A day when meals are manageable. When the anxiety lifts. When your circle knows the drill and steps up to keep your child safe.

Research is on our side. Progress is happening. Life is getting easier and safer for our kids.

Little by little.

Until then, I see you. I hear you. I was you.

Hang in there, mama. It gets better. I promise.

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About the Author: Kiley Oesterreich is a working mom of three from Wisconsin. Her daughter has multiple food allergies, as well as eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). She enjoys sharing their journey navigating life with food allergies and a rare disease on Instagram. On Instagram she shares safe foods that are nut and dairy free and takes you along on their journey using Dupixent for her daughter’s EoE, all while raising awareness one post at a time. Her family’s faith has been strong and important to them throughout some very long and often tough years.

Image: Courtesy of Kiley Oesterreich