Ali Bastian is celebrating the news of her pregnancy on our photoshoot.
The former Hollyoaks actress, who is mum to daughter Isla, is expecting her second child with husband David O' Mahony, and as well as talking to us about all things pregnancy, she opens up on her two year old's allergies.
Isla was diagnosed with severe allergies as a baby and can't eat dairy, egg, nuts, peanuts and sesame. And discovering Isla had allergies gave the couple some “terrifying” moments and hospital dashes when she was just months old.
“Anaphylaxis can look different for different people,” she said. “With Isla, she had a systemic shutdown and went blue and floppy. She was so tiny, it was awful. Allergies are life-changing and become a lesson in managing your anxiety. Isla has outgrown her wheat allergy, which feels like a huge win.”
Hollyoaks' Ali Bastian 5 months pregnant – see every photo from her maternity shoot
As well as being very careful about the foods they have at home, the tot's allergies also meant she was breastfed until quite recently.
“When she had an allergic reaction to sesame, the paediatrician advised to stop weening her for a bit and just breastfeed her,” Ali explained.
“I breastfed Isla until I was three months pregnant. I don’t think I’ve ever had such mixed emotions about anything. It feels great that you can do it, but you also feel shattered. You feel like you want your body back but also feel connected when you are doing it. I’m grateful that I could do it for so long and had time at home to do that.”
The couple are now taking Isla to a private allergy consultant with the aim of desensitising her to food allergies. The consultant is putting Isla through a peanut desensitisation process and Ali revealed they found out about them through a contact she made on Instagram, as she often communicates with other “allergy parents”.
“Social media gets quite a bad rap but I do feel part of a community," she said. "I think that came about through lockdown, I shared a lot more of my life than I otherwise would do. But I connected with so many people in a similar situation and I really valued that."
The couple are now looking to the future as a family of four and share the "magical" moment when they told Isla she is going to have a sibling.
“Isla came into our room one morning and we were having snuggles. I said to David over her head, ‘I think we should tell her now’ and he agreed.
“I said, ‘Have you noticed that mummy’s tummy has been getting bigger?’ and she said ‘Yes!’ I said, ‘I’ve got a baby in my tummy.’ And then there was this big smile across her face," Ali, who is 20 weeks pregnant, gushed.
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