Katzilla's Primal Journal page 2

[spughy]

You're doing great! I'm so impressed that you've got your stuff together so soon after having a baby - took me 5 years almost!

(Pregnant now would suck though... keeping my fingers crossed for you.)

[katzilla]

You know you've gone primal when your xmas list involves a cowshare and CSA.

[katzilla]

You're doing great! I'm so impressed that you've got your stuff together so soon after having a baby - took me 5 years almost!

(Pregnant now would suck though... keeping my fingers crossed for you.)

Thanks! I had this nagging feeling that if I didn't get my rear in gear soon that it would be harder to lose the rest later.

I hope I'm not. The tests say no but my period is still absent. I wonder if it's the diet change or something?

[katzilla]

Things are going well with the primal-ness. I think I found a doctor that I would like to keep seeing. I had brought my infant in to talk about her allergies and the possibility of waiting to start solids and what foods I should introduce (We're waiting for a while, and we got blood tests yesterday which was awful) and he mentioned to me that there is absolutely no reason that any human should need grains or useless carbohydrates. I didn't mention being primal but later mentioned buying all our food and making everything from scratch and he applauded us for it. He said no one should eat processed shit ever. He's family practice so I am going to switch to him for my cholesterol issues and such.

Her allergies are terrible. She broke out in horrific sores after being exposed to one ounce Similac Allimentium (a so-called hypoallergenic formula.) Normally I have a milk stash for her but 2 months ago we had thrush and I had to trash my stash. Soon we will have the blood tests result back which will be extremely helpful if they show anything. They had to stick her 3 times and it took 25 minutes to get her blood. That poor baby.

I'm pretty sure I have celiac disease too, I tested it twice since going primal and both times left me absurdly sick. That pretty much saves me the temptation of cheating, no one wants to be chained to a toilet forever.

And I'm not pregnant, which is awesome. It would have been too soon, but we'd have made it work. At least now I don't have to worry about that.

Oh and the baby has been sleeping through the night which is AMAZING. I am sure that since I have now mentioned it she will stop sleeping ever again.

[spughy]

LOL yeah saying anything good about your child sleeping is DOOOOM!!!!!

So glad to hear you found an awesome doc - those are few and far between.

As far as solids for your baby goes - generally meat is the best thing to introduce first. It's the most completely digestible food, unlikely to cause reactions, and one of the few things that will provide your baby with MORE nutrition per ounce than breastmilk. Go with dark chicken meat, really soft stewed beef or lamb, or dark turkey meat. You want fatty bits. (Bone marrow is actually even more perfect.) Chicken livers are also really good. All of these things are soft enough that babies can eat them without them being pureed into goo. I strongly recommend letting your baby self-feed - it's the best way to ensure that she's eating what she wants, as much as she wants, and no more. Also, the routine of sitting there with a spoonful of food waiting for the little mouth to open gets very tired, very fast.

And as far as when to start - most babies end up making that decision on their own, by swiping some of mom or dad's food when they're not looking and stuffing it in their mouths! That's totally fine btw. But technically, solids should wait until baby has met most, if not all, the following milestones:

- has a tooth or two
- able to sit unassisted
- able to grasp food and convey it into the mouth
- displaying a desire to eat adult food

Actual age isn't so important as developmental readiness.

ETA: I should add that I am a trained post-partum doula (DONA), breastfeeding educator (Douglas College), and mother of a healthy 5-year-old, not just some random baby-trivia-obsessed internet personage. That doesn't mean you have to listen to what I blather on about though

[katzilla]

Thanks spughy!
We did baby lead weaning last time with my daughter where she brought it to her mouth and she loved it. I think that's something we're going to do again. She's trying so hard to eat our food, and she's met all the milestones. I'm the one holding her back because I am a little worried. The best thing about being primal is that it eliminates the foods that she can't have.

We'd probably get along. I am a bit crunchy too. I actually had my daughter at home. I figured this time I sure as hell wasn't going to get an infection and then C-diff because that stuff isn't in my house, haha. It was the best experience ever.

[katzilla]

I got Ilse's allergy test results back today. She tested positive for egg whites. Which is kind of a bummer because I love eggs, but this might be why she's still a little sick after I kicked dairy and soy to the curb. It's also good to know that dairy and soy are sensitivities for her, and not allergies. That means she might outgrow them in the future. Still they need to be avoided for now, because sensitives are dangerous in their own right.

Now I know and knowing is half the battle, GI JOEEEEEEEEE.

[spughy]

Egg whites is a bummer, but manageable. At least you know! Good luck with it all.

[katzilla]

Egg whites is a bummer, but manageable. At least you know! Good luck with it all.

Thanks! I am so glad to know, I never would have guessed. I knew something was still amiss but since cutting it out her poop is normal and her excema is getting better!

[katzilla]

I finally got back from visiting the in-laws for a week and eating at their mercy. (Actually they went out of their way to provide allergen free food for us) I never mentioned being primal because I didn't want to be a dick, I just wanted to make sure that whatever I fed the baby wouldn't make her sick.

I had a celiac episode from eating on the airplane. I guess I can't just eat around the bed. Truthfully I was starving, our fights didn't really have a long enough layover (30 minutes) to scrounge something primal so I bought a turkey sandwich and just ate the turkey. I spent the next few days with aching joints and was chained to the toilet. NEVER AGAIN. I have learned my lesson.

I had a few non-primal meals, some rice based nasty pasta that my MIL spent a horrific amount of money on (so obviously I should eat it so as not to offend) and I definitely ate more fruit that I would normally. I also ate a ton of nuts.

I didn't really gain any weight though, which was awesome. That was kind of my goal for the week.