Tia Mowry discusses her son Cree's health scare for the first time in candid post

Tia Mowry opened up for the first time about her eldest son’s peanut allergy and how stressful and traumatic the diagnosis can be for families. The actress recently gave birth to her second child, and she also gets candid about being a mother of two.

Tia Mowry has become an exemplary Instagram mom by sharing pieces of advice, tips and product recommendations with other moms through her social media. She often talks about her motherhood experience hoping to help other moms out there, and in her most recent post, she talked about allergies.

THE REVEAL

Specifically, about peanut allergies, a condition that affects 1 in every 50 children in America, for a total of nearly 1.5 million kids living with it to this day.

Her eldest son, Cree, is one of those kids, and that’s why Mowry partnered with DBV Technologies, a global clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on food allergies, that’s looking to raise awareness about the severe, life-threatening consequences that peanut allergy can bring to a child’s life.

“My son Cree is one of 1.5 million children in the U.S. living with peanut allergy. "Is a peanut allergy really that serious?" The simple answer is "yes," the former “Sister, Sister” actress wrote on an Instagram post. And continued:

“Exposure of even trace amounts of peanut can trigger a potentially severe, life-threatening reaction, and that's stressful for children and their parents. Avoidance isn't always possible. I never make a decision about where Cree goes or what he eats without considering the risk of exposure.”

THE DIAGNOSE

Cree, 7, was diagnosed when he was 3-year-old in what Mowry described as a “stressful and traumatic” experience. She was putting her son to bed when she noticed some hives on his hands and arms, as she recalled in a video for the “Talking Peanut Allergy” campaign.

“My motherly instinct kicked in and said, 'This is not right. Something is wrong,’” she said. After taking her son to the emergency room, doctors advised her to seek the opinion of an allergist, who diagnosed Cree with the peanut allergy.

“I knew right then and there that our lives were going to be changed," said the 40-year-old. "I knew right then and there that our family dynamic and what we do on a day-to-day basis is going to be different."

THE RISK FACTORS

Caring for a child with a peanut allergy requires a lot of effort from family, and teachers, friends, and acquaintances have to get involved in the process of looking out for everything the child eats or touches, as even the slightest risk of cross-contact can lead to life-threatening reactions.

According to DBV, the symptoms of an allergic can include hives or rashes in the skin, dizziness, fainting, weak or rapid pulse, vomit, diarrhea, tightening of the airways, and swollen tongue, throat or lips.

The site also advises parents to have an epinephrine auto-injector handy, at all times and most importantly, to educate the child and everyone around them about the allergy and what to do in case of accidental exposure.

“I have a lot of anxiety about my son potentially getting a hold of something with peanuts in it — at school, or a playdate, or a restaurant," Mowry told TODAY Parents. "I handle it by educating him about it and also by educating everyone else around him that this is serious and stressful."

THE STRUGGLES OF HANDLING TWO KIDS

Besides being cautious about her son’s environment, Tia also has to juggle her time to take care of her 5-months-old baby girl, Cairo Tiahna.

Tia confessed to People that, going from one to two kids, has been one of the most challenging experiences in her life, but she wouldn’t change it for anything.

She said:

“It’s hard for me because there’s a big age gap. It’s just about trying to juggle everything. Cree is on a whole different schedule while Cairo is a newborn. It’s all about meshing those two schedules together and feeling like one whole family.”

Unlike her first time being a mom, Tia is now enjoying the process with less fear and more confidence. “I’m more at peace with things. I don’t have anxiety,” she revealed. “I’m more, ‘You got this, Tia!’ I’m older and wiser. I’ve gone through trials and tribulations of motherhood.”

It helps that her husband Cory Hardrict is around to help, and he’s a very hands-on dad to both of their kids.