Gluten Free and Dirty Mommy Talk

Readers beware... if you are not a parent, this might just be way over the TMI quota!
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Well, for as long as I remember Jack's poop has been green. Spinach green to be exact. Honestly I don't remember how it was in the beginning, but I THINK it was green. And while nursing wasn't a huge problem, there were things that drove me nuts. Like the way he would pop off and struggle with me when I knew he was starving and arch his back. He also had some very nasty crusties behind his ears, I thought it was dried milk at first, but apparently it wasn't My Lactation Consultant told me as much when we went in at I think it might have been 4 months? Anyway, she said the likely cause was a food intolerance, wheat or dairy in my diet. She followed that by saying they usually out grow it by 6 months, so it was up to me if I went through elimination diets. I chose to wait it out since it can take nearly that long to cycle through anyway. As long as it takes to clear my body, it takes that same time to clear his... back to back.

So, while we were waiting it out, it just continued to get worse. His ears especially. One day when I looked at it I almost thought it had started to rip off... but it only took a split second to realize that was wrong... it was just gooey and his ears do not stick out but lie flat (lucky kid) so I was looking up under the flap and it was all yucky. *sigh*

I was starting to be torn and his poop was getting darker green by the day. At 6 months, we were worse and not any better. So... I knew it was time to try. I tried convincing myself it didn't hurt him to have green poop, but seriously... it's his little body's way of saying something is wrong. As much as I do everything else under the sun to try to make sure the kids are healthy it didn't make sense for me to ignore this any longer. So, the day Of Max's Bar Mitzvah/ Ankle Sprain, I went gluten free. The day before I gluttoned on all the gluten I could; cookies, crackers, bread... you name it, I tried to eat it. By the end of the day I felt so sick. Sluggish, vile, icky... so much so I could not even eat the last 2 organic oreos. I was heartbroken. But, I knew I was doing the right thing.

Now, with an allergy/intollerance to wheat it is usually the protein in it that carries a problem. It is also for all intents and purposes identical to the protein in Barley and Rye, so none of those either. Oats are super close, but may or may not react. Milk/dairy is also extremely close, not the lactose(the sugar) that we know I have issues with but the casein, the protein. Well, so far I am only eliminating the gluten, not dairy. So far there has been improvement. His ears have healed completely and his 'mustard seed' is looking more like it.

So there you have it.... that is Jack's largest new development.