No postpartum depression this time, either. Not even baby blues. Okay so at three days postpartum I did start randomly crying in the shower... not really sure where that came from or why, but other than that I've been feeling great. Recovery has been smooth, too. Frustrating, since there IS recovery to be done - I can't just bounce back into working out like I did before, and my hips are still a little unhappy about the birthing adventure they went through (but thankfully chiropractic care is helping out with that), and I really. really. miss working out. But still, I can't complain, because all in all recovery has been smooth. Plus I have a comparison - recovery after having Harlee wasn't NEARLY as pleasant whatsoever. Oh, and let me just say, using lavender essential oil and frankincense essential oil in a sitz bath has helped tremendously with the healing process (and general comfort during that process too).
Life hasn't been entirely perfect, though. Unfortunately, little Elliot started getting tummy aches shortly after a week old. At a week and a half, he wound up constipated - no poop all day. Then, we discovered a fissure during a diaper change. Something was definitely going on with our little man's digestive system!
For the record, Young Living's DiGize essential oil blend has worked wonders in getting his belly calmed down and his elimination process moving again. I'd mix one drop with some coconut oil and rub it clockwise on his belly, then rub the excess on the soles of his feet and massage the reflexology points for the stomach and intestines, along the arch of the foot. He'd go from crying pretty hard and tensing up to relaxing and lying calmly shortly after applying the oil. I kept this up twice a day until we were able to get him in to see the chiropractor, and she adjusted his low back and sacrum and got things moving again. But because of the fissure and the tummy aches, she informed me that he may have a food intolerance, and beings that I breastfeed I'm going to have to consider an elimination diet, starting with dairy and eggs as those are the most common allergens in situations like this. I quit drinking milk a long time ago, but I do enjoy cheese... and eggs are a staple in my life, plus not only do I enjoy them plain, they're in all of my paleo baked goods as well as my homemade salad dressings and all kinds of other things. Dairy would be easy to part with... Eggs, however?
Well, anything to help the little guy out. So I stopped eating anything that contained dairy or eggs (which was no fun when we went out to eat at the local Mexican restaurant one evening!) and within days he had fewer and fewer tummy aches. Thank goodness! Still, from my end of the struggle it wasn't nearly as difficult as dealing with a colicky baby - he still slept a LOT both day and night and his crying wasn't completely inconsolable like Harlee's was, but, regardless, you don't want to see your kiddo struggling no matter what level of discomfort they're in. I wish I had my essential oil knowledge as well as the resources to know more about cause and effect of diet back when Harlee was a baby, that's for sure... But at least I've got it now! Harlee is a happy 3-year-old and anytime he hurts himself or has any kind of issue worth complaining about he comes to me, tells me about it, and immediately says, "Put oil on it, Mom!"
So, back to this dairy and egg-free lifestyle I've entered into. I guess it's a blessing in disguise - I haven't been very paleo at ALL since Elliot was born. It's like all my willpower went out the window. Fortunately I think breastfeeding has kept my metabolism in good shape so I haven't gained anything, but the last 10lbs I needed to lose to get back to my pre-baby weight wasn't going anywhere, either. Well, I have no choice but to go back to paleo now! Of course my sweet tooth attacked me shortly after learning I need to do an elimination diet, and unfortunately a lot of my healthy paleo baked goods contain eggs. So off I went to search for an egg-free recipe that looked like it would satisfy my sweet tooth.
And so I found vegan peanut butter cookies on Elana's Pantry. Which would work perfectly with an idea I had - turning them into peanut butter and jelly cookies! I had a jar of strawberry jalepeno jam from a friend of mine, and another jar of blackberry jalepeno jam from our local farmer's market, so I made a double batch of the peanut butter cookie recipe and baked half with the strawberry and half with the blackberry. They were delicious! However, I didn't have palm shortening on hand and used coconut oil instead, which made them spread out a little too much. The intent was to make thumbprint cookies, but they weren't quite that style in the end. Still delicious, though!Here's the recipe:
2 cups almond flour
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup creamy natural peanut butter (I actually used almond butter, which has pretty much the same flavor)
1/2 cup honey
4 tbsp palm shortening (I used coconut oil but probably shouldn't have)
2 tsp vanilla extract
jam of choice - 1/2 tsp per cookie
Preheat oven to 350°. Combine the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Mix in the wet ingredients. Scoop the dough 1 tbsp at a time onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 5 minutes to establish a firm base. Remove from oven and press a well into each cookie with your finger or with the back of the measuring spoon. Scoop 1/2 tsp of jam into each well and return cookies to the oven. Bake for 10 more minutes. Let cool and enjoy!
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