Navigating your baby's first foods journey doesn't need to be daunting.
In 2025, I became a mom — and everything I thought I knew about gut bacteria suddenly became personal.
I hold a Ph.D. from Duke University, where I spent more than 15 years studying how microbes interact with their hosts. I've published peer-reviewed research, mentored scientists, and read more papers on microbial ecology than I can count. But nothing made the science hit harder than watching my own baby's microbiome develop in real time.
During pregnancy and those early months, I went deep into the research on infant gut health — how birth, breastfeeding, and first foods shape the bacterial communities that influence immunity, digestion, and long-term health. I found extraordinary science. I also found that almost none of it had been translated into tools that a tired parent could actually use at 6 am.
So I built them.
Growing Little Guts takes peer-reviewed microbiome research and turns it into practical trackers, guides, and resources for families introducing solids and building food diversity. Every product cites its sources by name. Every claim traces back to published science. And nothing here is medical advice — I'm a scientist, not a doctor. Always work with your pediatrician.
The deep research lives at The Living Microbiome, my Substack publication. The everyday tools live here.
I believe the best microbiome science shouldn't live behind journal paywalls. I believe every feeding path is valid. And I believe a pinch of cinnamon on oatmeal is easier to remember when you know it's feeding your baby's Lactobacillus.
— Growing Little Guts | by The Living Microbiome
"Nourish the little ones within"
