A London mother, Kate Lancaster, shared her experience of feeling “gaslighted” by healthcare professionals when her baby, Violet, developed an allergy to her breast milk. Lancaster instinctively knew something was wrong, despite being a first-time mother. Violet suffered from rashes and painful digestive issues.
“Everyone’s telling me it’s fine, but I know that this isn’t fine,” Lancaster told The Times. “Before you get that diagnosis, you’re kind of made to feel like you’re going crazy a bit…There is sadly a lot of that gaslighting in that initial [phase]. You’re being told, ‘No, no, everything’s fine,’ you know, that you’re overthinking it or overanxious.”
This experience resonates with other mothers, such as Brittany Mahomes, who shared with PEOPLE magazine a terrifying incident when her son Bronze was rushed to the ER due to an allergic reaction. Finding support and accurate information can be crucial for parents navigating the complexities of childhood allergies.
It wasn’t until a friend suggested the possibility of a Cow’s Milk Protein Allergy (CMPA) that Lancaster found answers. Violet was reacting to cow’s milk proteins present in her mother’s breast milk due to Lancaster’s consumption of dairy.
The American Academy of Pediatrics identifies CMPA as the most common allergy in infants and young children. While CMPA is prevalent, it’s less common for babies to react to the proteins passed through breast milk.
Eliminating dairy from her diet led to a complete resolution of Violet’s symptoms. This personal victory fueled Lancaster’s desire to help other mothers facing similar challenges. She launched the Instagram page, @thedairyfreemum, and a corresponding website, both dedicated to raising awareness and providing support for parents dealing with CMPA and other allergies.
“That’s really what fuels what I do with the page, because I just don’t want anyone else to have to feel like that,” Lancaster expressed to The Times. “I want there to be better training. I want there to be more information, more guidance and just more support for allergy parents in general, really.”
Lancaster now collaborates with the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation (Narf), a charity established by the parents of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, who tragically died in 2016 from an allergic reaction to sesame seeds in a Pret A Manger baguette. This partnership underscores the importance of continued advocacy for allergy awareness and improved labeling practices. For Lancaster, the fight for awareness is driven by a sense of shared experience and the desire to prevent future tragedies. “It’s a really, really tricky, lonely, frustrating journey to actually get to the point of a diagnosis,” she emphasized.
