My Story

From research to motherhood

My interests led me to focus my PhD studies at Dartmouth College on the infant gut microbiome and the bioactive components of human milk including microbes. In particular I explored the importance of human milk composition, as well as exposures such as maternal diet, delivery mode, and maternal antibiotic exposure, on the developing infant gut microbiome over the first year of life. I also have studied the effects of heavy metals on infant health, the role of epigenetics in metabolic health and cancer, and the relation between the gut microbiome and epigenetics.

The turning point

Then, perhaps ironically (given my research background), in 2021 I became a parent and discovered that my child had numerous food allergies of various sorts. Nobody could tell me how to help her, so I dedicated myself to troubleshooting her dietary issues, which mostly involved altering my own diet by restricting more and more foods over time. As her struggles continued, it left me feeling defeated as well as depleted. After an agonizing amount of research, I began to realize that I was approaching the issues from completely the wrong angle. Ultimately, I found that intentional dietary support yielded much better results than just eliminating problem foods, and she is doing much better now.

I began to realize that I was approaching the issues from completely the wrong angle.

This experience shifted my perspective on many things, and I entered into my next pregnancy with a completely different mindset and a goal to support the wellbeing of my family more holistically. I started listening to my intuition in addition to continuing to research, remembering that science is and never will be complete - otherwise there would be no more research to do. As a result of these efforts, my family’s health is better than ever.