I tried to breastfeed Austin from the very start. We were having a tough time at it but it was something I tried for about six weeks, including pumping because he was unable to latch properly, would fell asleep at the breast and not take in enough milk. It was tough and in my desperation to get some sleep, we switched to formula, once my milk had been used up. When we stopped, that is when the problems began.
Within a few days of switching to formula, we experienced the first episode of him arching his back, stiffening like a board and not breathing for a few seconds, followed by a scream. It was a little scary. Doctor said it was reflux and it was time to change his formula and even put him on a medicine to reduce the acid in his stomach (first Zantac and then Prevacid) and so began our journey of figuring out the correct combination to keep him from having reflux and being happy. We changed formulas, with rice, without rice. Some screwed up his bowel movements and gave him rashes, others he just refused. After about three months, we finally found a combination that worked; Nutramigen with rice added and a daily dose of Prevacid. At over $2.00/ounce, Nutramagen was pretty expensive and Prevacid was not made for babies, so I had to dissolve a solutab in his cheek and make sure he didn't choke on it. We called it "strawberry delight". If he missed a dose, he felt it. There were times he would take up to 20 oz at one feeding (OMG!) because he was trying to calm the burning sensation in his chest. For awhile, Matt and I would take shifts of staying up all night because he was up so often. He slept in a swing for a good two months because it was inclined. Sleep was an issue, definitely. For all parties. But right about six months, when he began to sit up on his own, the reflux stopped. It was a miracle! But then the eczema started......
Fast forward a year or so later, we started noticing that he was having reflux again. This time it showed up as throwing up at random times. In the car, at a restaurant, on the floor at home. The only commonality was that it was about 2 hours or so after he had eaten. Hardly anything had been digested either. And his tummy was always so bloated. The only fix we had at the time was to reduce his meals to very, very small and frequent. He was begging for food. It was tough to keep it up.
Around this time, we had heard about the GAPS Diet. G.A.P.S stands for Gut and Psychology Syndrome. It is based on the theory that when your gut is in a state of dysbiosis it can create havoc on all sorts of processes in your body, from the inability to digest foods properly, skin disorders, food intolerance and learning delays, all the way to neurological disorders, like ADHD, depression, autism and even schizophrenia. At this time, Austin was suspected to also have a speech delay. After reading the book, it also confirmed that all my issues with reflux, IBS, etc may be indicative of gut dysbiosis and I (in addition to formula) may very well could have contributed to Austin's state (mother's and father's gut health are passed on) as well! We were intrigued and since we already followed a processed-free diet, we thought his may be the ticket for Austin and I. We started the third weekend of January 2013.
Fast forward to two weeks later and we are doing okay. Stage 1 of the INTRO portion of the diet is tough and boring. Boiled meat, boiled veggies, sauerkraut juice and broth for Every. Single. Meal. It was excruciating for me and so dang bland! Austin was refusing the broth and I was withdrawing from caffeine, so I had headaches for two days and then I started experiencing "die-off" symptoms (where the bad bacteria dies and enters your blood stream, ready to be filtered out), which is similar to a bad cold with lots of congestion and drainage, but no fever. We progressed to Stage 2 within a couple days (so what, we add raw eggs to our soups, blah) and then to Stage 3 by the end of the week. Right before we started Stage 3, I had experienced an energy burst and something disappeared that I had been suffering from for over a year. Vertigo! I could not be a passenger in a car and not get sick nor watch Austin swing back and forth without getting dizzy for as long as I could remember and it had been increasingly getting worse. The Wednesday after we started, I took Austin out to the park and for the first time, I did not get dizzy and my head had been the clearest it had ever been! It was amazing!
Right before we started to move to Stage 4, Austin started showing signs of yeast (Candida) overgrowth or "die-off". He started getting pimples/bumps on his face as soon as we introduced fresh juice and nuts. I broke out as well. So we decided to pull the the nuts and fruit to see if it goes away. We are going to move forward with Stage 4, but keep the nuts and fruit out of our diets while upping our probiotics. Stage 4 would normally include nut breads (YES!) and grilled/roasted meats. We will hold off on the nut breads (yep, DARN) for now.
It is definitely an interesting journey. I have wanted to quit three times now. I kept telling myself that we are not as bad as everyone else is (there are a lot of kids with some serious failure to thrive issues and autism on this diet) and don't need to put ourselves through this. I am thankful for the ladies on the Facebook page for "GAPS Kids", however. They are a bunch of strong mama's, fighting for their kids and their family's health. Matt is also keeping me grounded so I keep on cooking meals that are starting to become more savory, but a stretch from my normal yumminess!
Till then.....
