MamaTribe Co-founders Alina Slotnik and Rainbow Partridge are deep in the trenches of motherhood with their kids, Stella Grace Slotnik, 2, Sophie Slotnik, 6, Phoebe Partridge, 6, Bennett Partridge, 19 months, and Zach Patridge, 4.
The power of the Tribe
Local moms turn to Facebook group for advice, digital friendships BY LORI ORLINSKY PHOTO BY FRANK PINC
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n February 2015, Laura Kowalski’s 14-month old son, Luke, wasn’t himself. He had been vomiting for nine days straight and neither the pediatrician nor the ER could pinpoint the mysterious illness. Frustrated and desperate, Kowalski turned to the Facebook group, MamaTribe, for advice. And it came pouring in. Hundreds of moms responded to Kowalski’s post, sending prayers and words of encouragement, even providing her with names of pediatric specialists. Through the support of these moms, Kowalski felt empowered to advocate for her son. After spending eight days at Lurie Children’s Hospital undergoing tests, Luke was diagnosed with Eosinophilic esophagitis, a chronic, allergic inflammatory disease of the esophagus. (Kowalski first mentioned EoE to a GI after a fellow mom suggested she look into it.) Now, 18 months later, Luke is working toward remission. He recently had a feeding tube surgically placed to help his esophagus heal.
“The mothers of MamaTribe became our protectors,” says Kowalski, who remains very active in the Facebook group. “They supported, they shared their experiences and helped us piece together what was happening with our baby. During our hospital stay, they even sent care packages.”
“Secret” unveiled MamaTribe is a “secret” Facebook community consisting of nearly 25,000 moms from the Chicago area.
Topics discussed on MamaTribe include labor and delivery stories, teething advice, husband rants, sarcastic memes, photographer recommendations and everything in between. There’s also a popular buy/sell forum integrated in the page. “I have found MamaTribe to be very helpful, both as an actual resource and as a means to talk me down from those crazy parent moments,” says Lynnie Mehic, a member of MamaTribe. “I remember one instance where I was waiting for a call back from my son’s doctor with his pain reliever dosing chart. It took so long, so I posed the question to MamaTribe and not only got answers right away, but also other helpful and tested tips for how to soothe and reduce a fever in an infant.” MamaTribe was born in 2011 when a group of new Chicago moms wanted a way to connect with one another, mostly for playdates and meetups. CONTINUED ON PAGE 36
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