If this gal ever questions my love, I'm pointing her back here to the part of her life where she sleeps (mostly) perfectly, smiles all the time, and is in general the best, sweetest baby I've ever encountered......buuuut her eczema has me on a diet so restrictive that I sometimes want to just curl up in a ball and cry.
We had to take Sophia back to the doctor 2 weeks ago because the antibiotic she was on caused yet another rash. Thankfully she had been on it long enough to knock the staph back, so she didn't have to switch to a new antibiotic. While we were there her doctor (who is so wonderful) told us the way Sophia's eczema has spread makes her fairly sure it's caused by something she is ingesting (i.e. mama's milk). She gave me a long list of do not eats and lent us a book on reflexology to help us naturally control the itching. An afternoon trip to the yarn shop landed me in a conversation with an eczema sufferer who added even more things to my do not eat list. It ended up as follows:
No eggs, dairy, wheat, soy, tomatoes, onions, broccoli, chocolate, coconut, tree nuts, and peanuts.
(I feel like I'm forgetting something.)
It's the no eggs, wheat, tomatoes, chocolate, and tree nuts that are killing me. Those were staples of my previous diet. I've been on this for two weeks, and I'm still trying to figure out how to eat around these things. On the bright side, her eczema is clearing up, so maybe my efforts won't be in vain. The real kicker is that I still have a few more weeks to go on this diet before I can start the slow process of adding food back in. Hopefully this will give us a better idea of what foods she's sensitive to before we start her on solids which won't be until she's closer to the year mark...if not all the way too it. In the meantime, I'll just be kickin' back here in miserable food land.
Oh, poor you!!
ReplyDeletewe'll be praying!
you really are such a good mumma!!!
I was on a restrictive diet with Anna Cate because of her colic, not quite as restrictive as yours, but close. I lost all the baby weight plus some...until that day I could return to my normal diet. Oh but that day was blissful when I could eat my favorites again!
ReplyDeleteI have no regrets, absolutely none, about breastfeeding, but many aspects of it are a true labor of love.
Hopefully you can bring back some of your favorites in limited amounts soon enough.
That diet is intense. Luckily there are some alternatives...but still...that's rough. Good luck, you are such a great Mama!
ReplyDeleteMy bad eczema was one of the reasons I went on a strict cleansing earlier this year.
ReplyDeleteMy hands were getting raw and everytime I would use the soap at work they would be so painful!
I did a no eggs, dairy, peanuts, wheat, milk chocolate, caffeine, oats and processed foods.
My tip: Makes lots of quinoa and soups for lunch and dinner. Make smoothies for breakfast.
Hope her skin starts to clear up soon!
I'm glad that at least it seems to be clearing up Sophia's eczema. I can relate to that diet! Sounds a lot like what my son is able to eat: No wheat, dairy, eggs, nuts, very light on all the starches and grapes, apples and pineapples. I did the same diet with him and lasted for a week and a half or so before I lapsed. Heh!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photo.
Hopefully the diet will help! We never were able to figure out what caused the dude's...Thankfully, the older he gets, the better it gets!
ReplyDeleteOh so sorry after I read your last eczema post I thought you would have to do this and I know how hard it is, stay strong it's worth it in the end
ReplyDeleteYou are a fantastic and devoted Mama! Fantastic! I say make friends with quinoa and chickpeas. And remember this isn't permanent. You will eat chocolate again someday....
ReplyDeleteHummus and guacamole...your two best friends. I would dip carrots or potato chips (in desperation) - not the same as a big chocolate bar, but an easy thing with the kiddos.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good work - I've been there with that diet...know that it is for a good cause.
The peanuts would be rough to me! Also - tomatoes, chocolate, and eggs.
ReplyDeleteHang in there. Before you know it, her eczema will probably be a distant memory.
stephanie@metropolitanmama.net