Diet Overhaul

My darling Elise has caused us all quite the diet upheaval! This has probably been the most baffling thing as a mom I've encountered yet. And we've had some doozies (RSV, broken femur, C-def infections, etc.)! Ellie switched to whole milk from formula when she was about 11 months old. And it plugged. her. up. Bad. Like, one day she woke up at 3 in the morning and didn't go back to bed until 4 that afternoon and only slept half hour at a time. It was awful. I had been doing half milk and half formula for a month so I thought it would be no problem, like with Addy. But when I switched back to strict formula, she wouldn't drink it. So I gave her a little while to maybe get used to it. And she didn't. It's been a month of her being constipated. I had to give her miralax a few times it got so bad. So I've been trying to figure out what diet changes she needs to help her. Because I can't be giving her laxatives all the time! 

So, some things we've done: 

• switched to brown rice
• switched from cream of wheat to 8 grain cereal or cracked wheat
• more raisin bran for snacks 
• switched to whole wheat pasta
• more green veggies
• fruits like pears and peaches
• water like CRAZY
• only two bottles per day

And guess what? A couple days ago she had a normal diaper. I never thought I'd be so happy. I also never thought that I would enjoy these changes. Brown rice? Nasty. But actually, it's not. Cooked in a rice cooker and topped with some stir fry it's pretty dang good. And even Scott likes it. Same with whole wheat pasta. In my chicken noodle soup we didn't even notice and in spaghetti, we noticed it actually has more flavor. So our whole family is eating healthier, and I am excited about it. Hopefully I can continue to help my baby be comfy and happy. For a couple weeks there I was a bit of a zombie. Sleep wasn't good and then she was miserable during the day. So this has been an improvement :)

Anyway, kinda random and maybe too much info, but I thought I'd make note. I am conquering baby constipation :)