Candida Symptoms Return - Part 2

Sunday night was rough.  During the day Sunday my left breast began to hurt and last night it just got more and more sore, deep inside the breast tissue.  One side of it seems almost lumpy and extremely painful...yeast!  I have called and left a message for my LC (its a holiday here today).  I have no idea what to do about my diet (Stage 3 or back to Stage 2), and now that the symptoms are this bad, would she recommend I begin taking Fluconazole again?  This thrush/Candida thing is tough to beat!

On a more positive note, my milk blister on the right nipple seems to be mending wonderfully, I don't feel it at all anymore.

Candida Symptoms Return - Part 1

I woke to nurse Mister at 3am and my left nipple was so sore; yeast all over again.  I'll start using the APNO after every feed and see how things progress.  I'll increase my Grapefruit Seed Extract intake to 3 doses a day and increase my probiotics to 50,000 BCU twice a day.

Looks like I'm going to have to continue on the CD indefinitely, at least as long as I want to continue breastfeeding.  I just don't know if I can return to strictly following Stage 3 or if I need to go right back and repeat the initial Stage 2 for 28 days.  I kind of figure that if the yeast has regrown enough to cause these symptoms all over again, I probably need to promote another Die-Off (which will not be fun because it made me really sick and now I am working full time).

10 Days Post-Candida Diet Update

Don't you just hate when you've written almost an entire post and your computer decides it's suddenly the perfect time for an update/reboot?  

Yup, I had a wonderfully detailed post of my last 10 days 
in regards to my choice of foods as I finished the 
Candida Diet and began reintroducing foods.  

In the last few days of the diet I began using Kraft salad dressings (just got so tired of lemon juice and olive oil) - and yes they contain a little sugar and some vinegar.  Then I began making smoothies for breakfast as a way of introducing 2 of the recommended berries (blueberries and raspberries - lower sugar); mixing them with plain yogurt.  I then had a few meals of brown rice pasta with Parmesan cheese (avoided during CD due to potential for mould).  I thought it was perfect timing when I saw Kellogg's come out with Brown Rice Rice Crispies, so I began having about 1/2cup of that for breakfast (but with 1% milk which does contain sugar - still have not developed a taste for almond milk).

Note: I have continued to take one dose of probiotics and grapefruit seed extract daily.

The worst has been this last week; I've returned to work.  At work I had one cup of coffee each day (that means caffeine; and with milk sometimes which means some sugar).  Wednesday night we went out for dinner to celebrate our 4th anniversary and I figured I'd been so good while on the diet that I'd treat myself to a real dessert.  I ordered a slice of decadent chocolate cake which we shared some of and brought the rest home.  We had more of it for dessert on Thursday after having pizza for supper (I only had 2 small pieces).  But today was the kicker at work; I had a chocolate glazed doughnut in the morning and in the afternoon I indulged in red licorice and some smarties.  I know, what was I thinking?

Tonight I am wondering if I am beginning to feel vaginal yeast symptoms (there is the potential that it's simply pre-period twangs of pain).  If it's yeast symptoms, that means I will have to re-start the diet ALL OVER AGAIN!  (and I still have some of that amazing chocolate cake left in the fridge). This makes me wonder what I might have done wrong the first time because if all the yeast was killed off as it should have been, how could it repopulate to a point of causing symptoms so quickly?  In some ways I don't mind the thought of getting back on the CD; as I felt quite healthy and loved the bonus weight loss (I've been getting lots of compliments lately)!   I know that before I said that if my yeast issue returned, I would consider weaning Benjamin and stopping breastfeeding, but I am not ready to give up breastfeeding (and I now know that I can survive the CD - I'll admit the weight loss is bonus encouragement to repeat the CD).  My major concern about starting to follow the CD again will be the likely "die-off" symptoms (I felt so sick last time, I could hardly do anything for the first week and a half).  I need to be able to manage at work now.

Well, who am I kidding...I'll finish the rest of the piece of chocolate cake in the fridge tomorrow and THEN I'll decide if I'll begin following the CD again.

Every argument against Nursing-in-Public debunked - Newly expanded

I just came across this link/article by Elsinora and LOVED what she had to say!  Wish I could remember it word for word when people question my beliefs/practices about Nursing-In-Public (NIP).

http://community.babycenter.com/post/a31512833/every_argument_against_nip_debunked

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the matter!

1st Day Back to Work

I was worried. 

I was nervous.  I don't know why.  I knew where I would be working.  I knew the people (or most of them) with whom I'd be working. 

Of course everything went well...except that my computer log-in information didn't work; I didn't have the computer access authority to create the network drives I need; oh and I forgot that my water bottle was actually carbonated water and it erupted all over me at the table in the lunch room in front of most of my co-workers. 

Ya, what was I so worried about?

Candida Diet - Summary of my food choices

I meant to do a little more blogging, tracking my progress on the CD.  Today is Day 24.  I can't believe I am so close to being done the 28 days I set out to do.  I have done very well, if I say so myself.  It's been interesting to see how my "sweet tooth" has changed, over the course of the last 24 days, I've been using less and less Stevia, if at all.  Here is a summary of typical foods I've been eating.

Beverages:
- water with lemon juice
- less than 1 coffee per day (usually decaf; makes a nice "dessert" in the evening sweetened with Stevia)

Breakfast:
- 2 eggs (scrambled - sometimes with veggies mixed in, over easy)
- Bacon (Maple Leaf has a new "Natural Selections" with no chemicals/preservatives and 0 carbs!)
- sometimes 2 Tomato slices
- rarely 1 Brown rice cake (plain) [7g carbs]

Snack Options:
- Celery sticks or
-  Brown rice cake (cheddar cheese flavor) [7g carbs] or
- Nuts (almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds)

Lunch:
- Salad
     - spinach or mixed greens
     - veggies (snow peas, cucumber, celery, tomato)
     - sometimes topped with leftover chicken
     - homemade dressings (lemon juice/E.V. Olive Oil/herbs or E.V. Olive Oil/plain yogurt/herbs)

Snack Options:
- Celery Sticks or
- Snow Peas or
- Raw Turnip (I enjoyed the crunchy veggies as snacks) or
- Brown rice cake (cheddar cheese flavor) [7g carbs] or
- Nuts

Dinner:
- Meat (chicken, pork or salmon - cooked in Coconut Oil on the George Foreman Grill)
- Steamed veggies (turnip, asparagus, green beans, etc).

Dessert/Evening Snack:
- Coffee (sweetened with Stevia)
- Walnuts and pecans chopped up in plain yogurt (sweetened with Stevia)

Co-sleeping - Still feeling the pressure...

Searching through one of my favorite blogs (andmybaby.ie) I found a wonderful post that reminded me of many reasons we began co-sleeping and still co-sleep (see post here).  The post also suggested an article and video on co-sleeping by Alexandria Thom Durell which appeared on CNN.  I loved this video!  Thank you Durell Family for your willingness to talk about your family's co-sleeping arrangements!  The original post also refers to James McKenna, a "guru" on the subject of co-sleeping (see links to his website and info on my resources page).

Everywhere I go to look up information on babies and toddlers, one statement rings true: "They don't stay small for long".  If that is true, why am I feeling pressured to change something I so strongly believe in when it's only going to be an issue for such a short (and oh so precious) amount of time?  Eventually there will come a day when my son doesn't want snuggles with Mommy, when he wants his own space...like one of the above mentioned items said, eventually he'll be a teenager who won't want to come out of his own room!  What is so wrong with wanting to enjoy our special bond and the times that he does want to be close to Mommy?

I figure that to deal with the issue of hubby and I not being together at night, we simply need to get us all in one bed.  BUT...unfortunately, because of my back pain issues, we can't put mattresses on the floor to create a "family sleep room".  We can't fit a king-size bed in any of our bedrooms, let alone afford one.  So, I've run out of ideas...

All I know is that my husband wants to be beside me (which is awesome, of course) and my son wants to be beside me (which is also awesome in my books)...but I feel like I can't please them both, so what am I to do?

Confused, Torn & Stressed about Our Sleeping Arrangements

My hubby's been sleeping in a separate room since our son was only 3 weeks old, (at the recommendation of a therapist/counselor who suggested the arrangement so he would get sleep while I took care of the baby at night).   My son began sleeping in a bassinet, but we have been co-sleeping since he was 5 mths old.  This arrangement has worked wonderfully for our family...but I am no longer so sure it's wonderful...

Our little man is now 14.5 months.  We have been using tips from The No-Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley for the last few months to get him used to his crib.  Instead of bringing his crib into my room, we moved my bed into his room.  He still hates his crib and cannot be placed in it when he's awake.  He has to be sound asleep beside me in bed and only then be moved into the crib.  He lasts in there for anywhere from 30 mins to 2 hrs and then wakes and needs to come back to bed with me. 

Our little Mister is a "high-needs baby" as defined by Dr. W. Sears (our son is very similar to the Dr's 4th child which he writes about).  He is a wonderfully happy little guy, content and confident...as long as he is close to me (and breasts) at nap-time/bedtime and throughout the night.  People have often commented that he is the happiest baby they've ever seen.  I think it stems directly from the close bond and deep trust he has in me and his Daddy, that his world is complete and that we meet his intense needs of closeness and love.

So why do I feel like our sleeping arrangements are not working?  Lately, I have had a few people whom I trust and look up to make comments about our family sleeping arrangements:

• Not conducive to a healthy marriage (no opportunity for intimacy).
• Now that my hubby says he wants to sleep in the same bed as me again, (and I'm not sure I want to stop co-sleeping with my son), that I am not respecting/honouring my husband, (which tears me up inside, because of course I want to be with my hubby, but I also want to be the kind of mother my son needs).
• I should stop breastfeeding so my son learns to sleeps through the night.
• We should just let our son Cry-It-Out and let him learn to put himself to sleep without mommy/breasts, (but I am so fearful of the terror and doubt this will cause my little boy; and thank God, my hubby agrees with me!).

I feel like I am the only one who sees our son's personality for what it is and understands that he needs me more because of it.  I feel like I am the only one who sees the value in making the personal sacrifice of not sleeping with my hubby to give our son what he needs right now.  I didn't ask for a high-needs baby, but I've got one, so why is it wrong for me to want to parent him the way he seems to need?  Will my marriage suffer that much or are there other ways hubby and I could make up for lost time of sleeping side by side?

Hubby and I chatted last night and planned that I will continue to let our son nurse and fall asleep in bed with me and then move him to his crib once he is asleep.  This way, we hope he will grow more and more comfortable with his crib and with sleeping away from me.  But I will let him sleep with me if he needs it, i.e. teething, sick, etc. and is in need of that extra comfort.

Wifehood vs. Motherhood; why is this so hard?

Grapefruit Seed Extract and Breastfeeding

Over the holidays I stopped into a local health food store to pick up my usual grapefruit seed extract capsules (GSE) and ask what else I could do/take to raise the pH of my body to help fight off yeast (yeast thrive in an acidic environment).  I spoke with a young woman, maybe my age, maybe even a bit younger.  When I showed her the bottle of GSE I was buying and told her I'd been taking it on and off with Fluconazole over the last year, she freaked!  Literally freaked that I was breastfeeding and taking GSE.  She told me it was awful for me to be doing that, that it transfers to the baby and harms not only my body's balance of yeast and probiotics, but also that of the baby's...(Boy, did I feel like an awful mom!)

BUT...I have been told to take GSE by my Lactation Consultant who referenced the recommendations made by Dr. Jack Newman from the International Breastfeeding Clinic in Toronto, Ontario.  He is considered Canada's "guru" on breastfeeding do's and don't's!  So, I will continue to trust the experts and not some young person who felt the need to verbally attack a horomone-ridden new mother!