MXC

Have you ever seen the show Most Extreme Elimination Challenge, a.k.a. MXC on Spike? You should youtube it if not. Your life will be better for it, trust me. : )

Unfortunately I'm talking about a different MXC.

You see, my sweet, chill, happy little baby has become possessed. He screams bloody murder most hours of the day and no longer sleeps through the night like he has been since his 3rd week. Top that off with the giant puke splatters regularly landing on my floor, furniture, clothes, hair, you name it, and I've been dangerously close to losing it. But even with that, I'd do laundry all day if it meant my little guy didn't have to hurt so bad.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. Even the prescription antacid wasn't helping anymore, so I turned to my old friend, Google.

We've tried everything from sleeping at an incline to homeopathic remedies to prescription drugs, but there was one other culprit I hadn't given much credit to. ME. Since he is exclusively breastfed, I'm trying a total elimination diet in an attempt to get to the bottom of Mason's colic/reflux/allergy/sensitivity issues. It is quite extreme in my opinion, and quite challenging for a fatty like me. Not nearly as awesome as the real MXC, fo sho.

The info can be found here, but it's referenced lots of places. It basically takes the idea of eliminating certain foods from your diet one by one to see if it was causing the problems, and turns it around so that you eliminate almost everything then add one thing back at a time. I can currently eat organic turkey, potatoes, rice, squash, and pears. SO exciting! I have been getting a little more creative in the kitchen as a result. I realized I can have rice chex and rice krispies with rice milk in the morning, and throwing in ground turkey instead of only "thanksgiving style" has helped me feel like its normal food. Last night I thanked my lucky Mormon stars when I had the thought to use my wheat grinder to make rice flour to use as a thickener. Sauce! I miss sauce...

Anyway, it's the first time I've ever been so diligent with a diet. It changes everything when the stakes are as high as your child's health and happiness. It will be one week tomorrow since I took him off the Zantac and started this and I do think its helping. Its a good thing because I was one bleeding eardrum away from walking out in front of a train. We've only used the gripe water once today AND we opened up his stroller and went to the mall! WhatWhat!?

I think the main offenders are probably dairy (since I am still somewhat intolerant, too, but not enough to pass up a bowl of ice cream), caffeine, wheat, and soy. Don't know for sure yet, there may be others or it may be one simple thing. I guess we'll find out in time.

My question to all you out there (BOTH of you!), is: Do you have any experience with babies with food allergies? What did it take to ease the insane reflux? How long did you have to restrict your diet, if that's what helped? Recipes? Restaurant options?

I know he'll grow out of it eventually, but I had reflux as a baby and still have issues that come up, literally. In the mean time, I'd like for all three of us around here to enjoy this fleeting time, and not wish it away.