I'm passionate about sharing our family's story because I don't want anyone to struggle the way we did. Read the book to find out what happened when we removed gluten from her diet. Other than Sydney's stomach pains and severe bloating, my first clue that something was terribly wrong was her inability to nap or sleep through the night. Now I know it's a condition that causes the body to have an autoimmune response to the protein found in wheat, barley and rye, and it typically shows up in common symptoms such as digestive issues, bloating, stomach pains and nausea. I was clueless about the effects of gluten and had no idea what celiac disease was when we started. Celiac Mom shares the story of my daughter's diagnosis at the age of 5 and the ups and downs of our family's transition to a gluten-free lifestyle. Today, in honor of Celiac Awareness Day, the ebook of my memoir, Celiac Mom, is on sale for just 99 cents. #celiacdisease #celiac #glutenfree #delayedgrowth #shortstature #autoimmunedisease #childrenshealth #glutenfree If you or a friend are struggling with the challenges of undiagnosed symptoms, order a copy of Celiac Mom here: Īnd may you all have a Happy (and safe) Halloween! I'm so grateful for all the work they do! I've been honored to earn multiple awards for Celiac Mom, and to receive the support of celiac advocates worldwide such as Ellen Bayens of The Celiac Scene, Belinda Whalen of The Healthy Celiac Podcast, Sue Jennett of A Canadian Celiac Podcast, Registered Dietitians Margaret Weiss, Deb Waldron, Jamie Feit and so many more wonderful folks. My desire is to raise awareness about celiac disease, so that no other families have to go through the pain and challenges we did. In Celiac Mom, I share the story of my daughter's diagnosis and our family's journey into a gluten-free lifestyle. It was sheer joy to see our girl blossom into the person she was meant to be. And she got a new Halloween costume - this time it was a pink cat.

My daughter not only started growing, but her stomach pains vanished, she started sleeping through the night, and she had so much more energy. But as I removed gluten from her diet, everything changed. As a noncook, I had to learn how to feed my daughter from the ground up. It was a huge relief AND an enormous challenge.

Why wasn't she growing? What was going on? Would she be so far behind her peers in growth that it would cause other issues? Doctors told me she was healthy, and everything was fine, even though she barely registered on the growth chart.Īt the age of 5, she was finally diagnosed with celiac disease. At the age of 5, Sydney was the size of a 3-year-old.Īs a mom, I worried constantly. 3 years! That's crazy, right? One of the symptoms of celiac disease is delayed growth. My daughter loves cats, but that's not why she wore the same Halloween costume for 3 years.

Motherhood by Ann Campanella