InstagramJade Roper is opening up.
On Friday, The Bachelor alum shared a candid post with fans regarding her and Tanner Tolbert's son Brooks, who she welcomed in July with an unexpected home birth. In it, the new mom, revealed that she and Tanner recently discovered that their little bundle of joy is allergic to dairy and soy, which has made it difficult for their 4-month-old to properly absorb the nutrients he needs.
"Our feeding journey with Brooks has been a really hard one," Jade's post began, which features an adorable picture of her snuggling her bear onesie clad baby boy. "We've dealt with dairy and soy allergies that left him crying for hours on hours from malabsorption, a lip and tongue tie we were advised not to revise (although they give him a poor latch), milk supply issues, foremilk/hindmilk imbalance. It feels like the list goes on."
His food allergies aren't the only shocking discoveries that the Bachelor nation stars have learned. Their physician also expressed concern over his weight, which she said made her feel "like a failure."
"I think one of the biggest worries we have as mothers of little babies is if they are getting enough to eat and if they are gaining enough weight," she explained. "We went to Brooks' four month check up and I was crushed to find out he's in the 5th percentile, and that the ped was very concerned about his weight gain."
"The feelings of guilt that my baby was aching for food and nutrition, and I didn't know it, consumed me," Jade continued. "I knew he was a string bean (he's tall for his age), but with how hard we work on his feedings, I guess I didn't think he was that tiny compared to other babies his age."
Now a mother of two, the Mommies Tell All podcast co-host, who is also mom to 2-year-old daughter Emmy, admitted that she's been feeling overwhelmed balancing both of her young children. She added, "It can be hard to fully give your attention to each child sometimes when you are taking care of a baby and a toddler too, and I feel so bad I may have been missing some cues from him I didn't know he was showing."
Thankfully, Jade knows what to do now. She's changed her diet to ensure that every feeding is nutritious for the baby and has adapted her feeding schedule, per her doctor's instructions.
After breaking down her doctor's recommendations for her fellow mommies, she wrote, "There's been so many tears over here, but we are strong and working on getting this little guy some rolls. I'd do about anything in the world to help keep Brooks healthy and thriving."
Ending the emotional post on a high note, Jade opened the floor to her mom squad, adding, "Anyway, thanks for letting me vent, I guess I'm just hoping to know we aren't alone in this feeding struggle."