Women with Food Allergies: Why Many are Afraid to Get Pregnant

The fear of pregnancy is one that many women living with anaphylactic food allergies hold deep inside their chests. It’s difficult to explain to anyone who does not come from a place of knowing. So we carry it silently. Sure, we may want to have children, but with severe food allergies, pregnancy raises many issues and unknowns. And they give us pause. 

In the three years since becoming pregnant myself, I have spoken to countless women who, like me, have multiple severe food allergies and fear the idea of pregnancy and motherhood. Before actually experiencing it, I was hesitant, too. 

So much of our anxiety about this allergic life comes from the lack of information available to us. We deal with so many unknowns managing food allergies in our daily lives that I call it – life in the gray zone. 

Patient advocacy for parents of kids with food allergies focuses helpfully on information so that parents can make educated decisions. However, what about the large cohort of millennials who have food allergies themselves and are of parenting age? Yes, those of us who were part of the first big wave of allergic kids are now having children. Yet for this journey, there are little to no resources to guide us. 

With this series called “Food Allergic & Having a Baby,” Allergic Living and I want to change that. Through my storytelling, combined with experts’ information, I want to provide some handrails for those adults with food allergies. I’m looking at you millennial and Gen Z women considering or embarking on pregnancy and parenthood. You are not alone in this. 

Pregnancy with Food Allergies

I distinctly remember sitting in a campus cafe at the age of 18, drinking black coffee and wearing my dark-wash skinny jeans and buttoned-up plaid shirt. By my fifth coffee of the day, I’d come to the conclusion that I probably shouldn’t get my hopes up about having kids. I’d had one too many anaphylactic reactions, and I couldn’t process the idea of my body successfully experiencing pregnancy. 

I placed the idea of kids in my brain’s dustiest filing cabinet, feeling that I should keep others at a distance, so no potential romantic partner ever got too close. I intentionally developed a kind of coldness, maybe you’d have called me aloof. Anxiety had tricked me into thinking that breaking out of my comfort zone would undoubtedly end in catastrophe. 

There were too many questions for which I did not have answers. What happens if I have an allergic reaction during pregnancy? Will my food allergies be passed on to my kids? Can I be allergic to my own breast milk? I had a long list of questions, and few answers.

But time changes thinking and, despite my chilly efforts, I fell in love and got married.

Some years later, I found myself eager to become a mother. And 2 1/2 years after that, I was finally pregnant with my son. I had to learn about pregnancy and motherhood with severe allergies as I went along – by doing. 

It does not put your mind at ease to learn that there is very little medical research about the impact of pregnancy on atopic bodies, or of allergic reactions on the well-being of a fetus. “That has not been studied” may be honest, but it’s not reassuring. (Perhaps some doctors reading this series will become inspired to bridge the knowledge gap.)

Eating from Home Only

Pregnancy is a time of heightened physical and emotional vulnerability. A time when decisions you make directly impact the baby growing inside of you. For those of us who live with severe food allergies, there are many ‘what if’s’. 

So let’s say you do get pregnant. How does one differentiate between taking reasonable food allergy precautions, and newly heightened anxiety around food?

The stakes are now higher as you are responsible for the health and wellbeing of your fetal child, but caring for mom’s health is just as important as caring for your baby’s. 

I took comfort in drawing strict personal boundaries:

• I did not eat in any restaurants, get drinks from cafes, or eat in anyone else’s home for the duration of my pregnancy.
• On the flip side, I told myself that I was not allowed to skip a single homemade meal because of anxious thoughts. My son’s well-being relied on me properly nourishing my body. 
• I worked with my doctor to cobble together a daily vitamin regimen using supplements from brands I knew and trusted, as I could not find a single prenatal multivitamin that was allergy-safe for me.
• I did not try any new foods or new brands during pregnancy.

Since everyone’s allergies are different, my pregnancy boundaries might be stricter than yours. However, with a history of anaphylaxis and allergies that include dairy, peanuts, nuts, soy, and legumes, this is what worked for me.

Eating Well for Baby

Dr. Carina Venter is a leading dietitian in the food allergy space. The professor in the University of Colorado’s allergy division advises that if an expectant mother feels limited in her diet, she’d be wise to consult with a dietitian. That expert can help devise a plan for eating well and healthily during pregnancy. 

She also advises expecting mothers to enjoy a wide variety of foods during the gestation period. Research suggests diet diversity can have a positive impact on whether a child will develop food allergies.

During my first trimester, I was a bit nervous about eating and felt uninspired by food. I consulted with a dietitian who gave me a long list of foods that I should eat regularly, and also explained the beneficial impact they would have on my son’s growth and development. 

From then on, eating felt like an important mission, and the nutrients I put into my body, my first generous offering to my baby. My husband also jokes that our son was built by pickles, pasta and salmon – my biggest cravings. 

As you will read in this series, I faced my own trials and obstacles, often outweighed by highs and successes. But it is because of my experience that I want to provide others with information, new perspectives, and a sense of solidarity. 

We have a lot to uncover about being a parent with food allergies, and I can’t wait to dive in. 

Next in the ‘Food Allergic & Having a Baby’ Series
May 15: Birthing that Baby – My Food Plan Goes Awry

Amanda Orlando is a cookbook author, food allergy advocate at EverydayAllergenFree, and founder of the non-profit organization Free To Be Me Society.

Related Reading:
Multiple Food Allergies ‘Remarkably Common’: Study
Rewards, Risks of Baked Food Challenges for Milk, Egg Allergies