New year, new us! Enough of this “we’re exhausted new parents; we have to eat whatever’s easy” crap. Oatmeal for breakfast! Salads for lunch! Lean meat and a vegetable for dinner! WRONG!! Nice try, Jenny Craig. Your baby has other plans.
At three months old, he has given up daytime sleep. He’s never been a good nighttime sleeper (it’s the ONLY thing about him that’s been consistent — I can count on a consistently poor night’s rest) so this is adding up to very little sleep. Not only does he not sleep, but every blissful (but brief) snooze is preceded by an epic meltdown. After witnessing one particularly awesome display in her office, the pediatrician has prescribed something for suspected reflux and ordered me on a bland-foods diet to rule out a food sensitivity. ”If it looks at all interesting or like it tastes good,” she says, “don’t eat it.” Think nursing home fare. I was allowed white bread, white rice, baked chicken breast, plain baked potatoes, and water for four days.
A stronger woman than I may have found a way to make the most of each acceptable food and composed healthy (albeit tasteless) meals from that limited menu. I did not. I stuffed myself full of plain bagels and snacked on bowls of rice cereal with rice milk. I ate loaves of sourdough bread with sides of chicken broth, and when I realized I could probably eat Jell-O (it’s served in nursing homes!), I nearly wept with joy.
By the end of day 2, I was starving, rundown, and convinced my hair was falling out. My New Year’s goal of daily yoga (even if it’s just for five minutes!) was abandoned, but I did take several walks with the baby — mostly in an effort to distract myself from hunger pangs (but a calorie burned is a calorie burned, regardless of the motivation!).
Within 36 hours the meltdowns had become a thing of the past, but we had made so many changes at once there was no way of knowing which was to credit for our success. After much debate, we continued the Zantac and kept my diet free of coffee and dairy. I would say three good things emerged from this exercise: little man clearly feels better, I’m off carbs for awhile (you can get too much of a good thing!), and I was reminded that I should never, ever make New Year’s resolutions.
