(Meet Christsenio)
Compassionate Pediatric Nurse, IBCLC, & Food Allergy Consultant
Christsenio Dean, RN, IBCLC
Let’s start right away with how to say her name, to make it a proper introduction…Chris-t-sen-e-o
As a breastfeeding mother herself, she knows the real struggles behind feeding your baby. When anything goes wrong with your little one — especially food allergies — you put that stress on yourself. Christsenio joined Free To Feed to support you and take some of that strain away.
Her experience as a pediatric nurse drives her passion to help families like yours. She adds extensive lactation education to our team, giving tangible answers to the “successfully feeding your baby” puzzle.
Is it oversupply or food allergies?
What food do I cut next?
Can I really do this?
Christsenio’s here to help you reach your feeding goals and provide support that the whole family needs! Her medical knowledge and experience serve our food allergy community on another level.
Christsenio’s Life-Long Passion for Babies Means She’s Eager To Help You Feed Yours!
Christsenio’s love for children started real early. Her favorite memories growing up were with her own cousins. She loved “playing and taking care of infants.”
As Christsenio grew up, she realized there’s a lot more to babies than playing and enjoying snuggles. She knew she’d keep babies in her life with her career, and dreamt of becoming a mother one day.
Now as a registered nurse — whose primary experience is pediatrics — she brings another level of care to the Free to Feed team.
Her Background Keeps Our Food Allergy Families Successfully Breastfeeding
-
Bachelor of Nursing (University of Missouri, Kansas City)
-
Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) Nurse
-
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Nurse
-
Travel Nurse Experience
-
Certified Lactation Educator Certificate
She easily chose pediatrics in nursing school, hence all her PICU and NICU experience. She loved every minute of it, and now gladly shares her knowledge to educate other families.
While enjoying life as a nurse, she noticed how troubled parents felt around feeding their babies. Much of her job includes “reassuring parents their breast milk will come in and they will be able to feed their babies.” Her heart absolutely bursts with joy when she empowers parents with confidence that they can feed their babies.
She’s thrilled to bring those results to your family. Caring for a food allergy baby’s hard work in all aspects of your life, from the physical diet restraints to mental turmoil. With years of pediatric/neonatal medical experience, Christsenio’s knowledge benefits your food allergy journey in so many ways.
A Breastfeeding Mama We Can All Relate To
.jpeg)
Born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, Christsenio has known her husband since elementary school. She referred to him as “the younger brother” of her friend back in those days. Until he reached out to her as an adult to ask her out on a date. (We know, how romantic!)
She vividly remembers seeing him again and thinking, “he’s no longer the little brother!” A handsome man serving in the military swept her off her feet. They were married shortly after and moved to California, where they currently reside. They love seafood, exploring new restaurants, traveling, and the Kansas City Chiefs.
They were over the moon to find out they were pregnant. Christsenio describes her pregnancy as “chill and smooth.” (Maybe she’s that amazing or just got that lucky!) They waited on the gender reveal and were pleasantly surprised with a little girl, Lavender, in 2021.
It wasn’t long before Christsenio personally experienced the lack of support from medical providers surrounding lactation and food allergies. She saw time and time again the quick recommendation for formula if babies were gassy, fussy, or had reflux. Plus, a general lack of support for breastfeeding parents while solving the root problem of what was going on in babies doesn’t make sense to her.
When her daughter dropped birth weight (normal after delivery and still within normal range), the pediatrician instantly told her to supplement with formula. No details, no timeframe, just “supplement to get her weight up.” It hit Christsenio’s confidence:
“Even with knowledge about breastfeeding, I found myself second-guessing my ability to feed my daughter.”
She chose not to supplement but knows countless parents blindly listen to doctors’ orders (because we’re supposed to, right?). She understands how this could have detrimentally impacted her own breastfeeding journey.
As she says, “when parents have to go through a problem with their baby, it’s truly scary. I’m enthusiastic to educate and support families. It IS possible to breastfeed through infant food allergies and I can help.”
Christsenio has spent time learning the ins and outs of everything we know about food allergies directly from the Free To Feed Team. She’s trained with Annie, assisting parents with not only food allergy questions, but breastfeeding ones. She’s the type of person you want in your corner on this journey.
The minute you talk with her, you’ll feel her compassion for helping others and her genuinely good heart. Christsenio and her husband adore playtime with Lavender. To unwind at night, she enjoys Bridgerton, HGTV, The Real Housewives, Selling Sunset, and several other good reality shows. She loves yoga, and looks forward to getting back into it. She took a break while transitioning into motherhood (probably sounds familiar, right?). We’re proud to add her, as one more real parent and passionate professional, to our team!
Christsenio’s Advice to Parents Just Finding Out Their Baby Has Food Allergies
“You are not alone and there are people who are here to help — The Free To Feed Team! We understand what you’re going through, and it’s possible you can make it through. We know it doesn’t feel like it, but we can help.”
Christsenio’s Motivation to Support Breastfeeding Parents Through Infant Food Allergies
“When you want to provide the best for your child and desire the special bond breastfeeding brings, I want to reinforce to you that you can reach your feeding goals — with the right education and resources it’s truly possible.”
What Christsenio Wishes People Understood About Baby Food Allergies
“First, that you can breastfeed through it. So many parents think because of the baby's reaction they have to stop altogether. Second, the reintroduction process can be confusing and complicated, having more help during this time isn’t something to be ashamed of.”