Nursing, Weak, Baby Has Mucous Poop, and Burning Out

[Shannon Gardiner]

I am a SAHM to my beautiful almost 6 Month old son and 6 Year old Daughter.  He was born at home in water (posterior).  From the start we had nursing issues due to a class 4 lip tie that wasn't found till 4 months of age (found by me).  He had it lasered at 5 months and doc who is one of the best in the country said he didn't have any tongue tie.  Nursing has gotten better although he still likes to nurse on my nipple most of the time.   At about 2 weeks of age he started showing silent reflux symptoms doc wanted to put on meds, but when I removed dairy from my diet the symptoms mostly went away(which were the choking on spit up in his throat, hiccups when laid down anywhere up to an hour after eating, and a few others). Then around 2 months I removed gluten and eggs (which really helped get rid of gas and improve bowel movement frequency). Tomatoes and any citrus give him bad burns. Onions, garlic, and crucifrous veges give him gas. About 2 weeks ago he was having more normal smelling poops and no slime, and thinking it might be that I unconciously removed coconut, corn and beef from my diet. I was muscle tested for him and they said certain things were ok like tomatoes but I think those hurt him. He still gets hiccups after certain foods, and will spit up even if I have him upright for an hour then put
him on his belly to crawl around.  He had mustard seedy poop a few times in his early months but usually his poops are mucousy and sometimes greenish. After his first BM after birth he got constipated and had really bas sulfur gas.  

I should mention that he's almost 6 months, about 18lbs, and has 5 teeth.  He's had 3 cranial/osteopathic treatments and has seen a chiro 2 times. I also have had him on probiotics but never consistent (like
everyday for more than a week as I forget).

As for me I'm down 10lbs from my prepregnancy weight and too skinny.  I've been on progesterone cream since 3 weeks PP, whcih has really helped and was on adrenals (standard process) from 5 months in my pregnancy till about 3 months postpartum.  I can tell my adrenals are getting weak, but don't want to do the testing and isocort again like I did after my daughter.  I would rather find natural sources to support them.  There are times my joints and back ache, but with vit c it goes away.  If I have anything sweet my throat feels like I have a cold and things like little cuts will get infected easily (this goes away with vit c)

So I guess what I'm asking is what should I do?  I'm planning on do either the Dr. Sears TED diet or just chicken and chicken stock with brown rice for a week and slowly adding things back in to see what bothers him.  Also planning on making sure I use enzymes with every meal.  I have been off gluten and dairy for about 4 months, but others like eggs, corn, soy, coconut, nuts, etc have been on and off. I want to avoid gluten, dairy, tomatoes, corn, soy, eggs, nuts, coconut, beef, and gassy things like broccoli, onions, garlic, etc  My fear is that if I don't address his issues it will get substantially worse when I try to introduce solids into his diet.  But at the same time I need strength.  I fight depression (which is much better with prog cream than after my last pregnancy), and need to be in a good happy strong mood to be able to homeschool my daughter and take care of my son (on top of all the other house chores)

I would love any advice anyone may have.  I don't have much time for research as I'm homeschooling, taking care of my little guy, and trying to run a house, so anything would be greatly appreciated.

[Pat Robinson]

I would focus on healthy fats, and sufficient calories and nutrients because baby reacts to YOUR dietary intolerances mostly. Fermented cod liver oil, wild caught salmon, sardines in olive oil (hide in something flavorful), ghee, grass-fed butter. Another issue is that with elimination diets, you are eliminating macro and micro nutrients. I'm not keen on elimination diets longer than a couple of weeks for trouble shooting and getting to a baseline.

Many commercial probiotics are dairy or soy based.

Your food issues sound just like our newborn intolerances did. Do you  have/had mercury fillings in your teeth? Candida? Eczema? Allergies?

Bone broths, vegetable broths and nettle infusions would be important to include as they are simple, quick, portable and nutrient-dense. Adequate calories is huge because as you lose weight you dump toxins. So, ghee (which has very little dairy casein/protein) helps for calories. I'd be careful not to consume too much coconut oil as it can shift gut microbials rapidly and cause die-off toxins to dump to your milk.

Consider 100% grass-fed or organic liver. It is easy to hide a teaspoon in a smoothie or in soup or other ground meat.

Bubbies sauerkraut juice is easy to add and tons of whole food probiotics. I'd start there. But here are more nutrient dense foods: http://heal-thyself.ning.com/notes/14_Steps_for_Healthy_Guts

MAGNESIUM is huge for supporting 300+ biological processes in the body. Most women, especially pregnant and nursing women are deficient. Magnesium (and nettles) help adrenals and hormone balance, also.

Pat

[Shannon Gardiner]

Pat,

  Thank you for taking the time to reply.  I'm not a big fish eater (don't like the fishy taste) but will eat it if I should.  Wondering if you know of a good source for salmon that is mercury free?

I don't have any mercury fillings but think I might have when really young, no candida that I know of-although if I eat sugar I drool out my left bottom lip (it's still numb from a procedure I had in 2008), get a feeling in my throat like I'm sick, and sometimes a runny nose.  No eczema (do have ketosis pilaris that got has gotten really bad since his birth and did the same after my daughters birth), and no allergies except perfumes give me a headache

Also, I have bubbies pickles are they a good sub for the sauerkraut?  Afraid to do sauerkraut as it will most likely give him gas.

I have nettles that I normally put in a mix of alfalfa, RRL, oatstraw, rosehips, and sometimes hops.  Should I just do it alone?

I have grassfed liver caps, and take 3 a day, should I increase this?  They are Dr. Ron's.

Also wondering if you have any rec's for a really good probiotic and enzyme for me?  I have klair ones for him but need to remember to give them to him everyday.

Again thanks for the help.