For the Sake of Daisy

First Aravis came home with a virus. She had a slight fever which turned into a runny nose and a super sore throat.

Then Judah caught the virus.

And then both Joe and I caught the virus.

And we THOUGHT Daisy joined the ranks of virus misery.

Strangely (and thankfully) Daisy never had a fever, but it was sad (and scary) to listen to her little congested nose snore through the night.

So we propped her up slightly with a pillow while she slept and used a saline spray and a nose sucker to keep her nose clear. We took her in the bathroom when we took showers to let the steam work it's magic and we kept a close watch on her temp. She threw up a few times and was generally cranky. She had green poopies and a rash all over her face, head and chest.

Then we noticed that Daisy was miserable from about 4pm until she finally screamed herself to sleep around 8pm. My mom suggested the possibility that Daisy was colicky, so I googled away. It made sense - so we got some Gripe Water. That stuff is from HEAVEN. Yes, it works.

Daisy has been so, so gassy and apparently colic can be a reaction to something the breastfeeding mama is eating. The most common irritant is dairy and I'm a vegan. Obviously, not a dairy problem.

In looking back on what I've been eating lately I realized that I've been eating A LOT of wheat. I mean a LOT of wheat.

Pasta, bread, crackers... you name it.

So, I searched around for food irritants in breastfed babies. Seriously - the symptoms are rash, vomiting, diarrhea (or green poop), gas, congestion, irritability...

So, I've been on an elimination diet. I've cut out any possible irritants: wheat, tomatoes, corn, broccoli, cauliflower, peanuts, soy, spinach. I'm eating a lot of rice, potatoes, green smoothies and beans (I know beans seems a little risky, but I've been assured that they are okay). Can I tell you how BLAND my food life is this week? But one look at that rashy, screaming baby and I'd cut out all solids if it would give her relief.

I woke up this morning with a sense that something had changed for Daisy and, no joke, she has been a happy, happy baby all day. She still has a slight rash and she's still a little gassy, but she has been smiling, eating and sleeping with no problem. And it's 5:30pm. We'll see how bedtime goes.

To all you mamas with colicky babies, my heart goes out to you. To all you mamas with babies with food intolerances, my stomach grumbles with you. Oh, the things we do out of love for our little ones.