A couple of months after Matthew was born,
we had him in a routine of small drinks so he would not projectile vomit. He
continued to gain weight during the vomiting. Matthew and I joined a playgroup
through Riverside Hospital in Columbus with other Moms and babies born around
the same time. We met every week at Riverside and then we continued meeting in
our homes. During this time is when I started noticing that Matthew wasn’t meeting
developmental milestones that the other babies were. Everyone around me kept
saying that everyone develops at their own pace. In my gut I knew something
wasn’t right but was hoping I was wrong.
During this time Matthew started getting
sick a lot. I believe his immunities were weakened when we did his vaccines.
There was one time Matthew had a cold and the Doctor said it was okay to go
ahead and do the shots. Boy was he sick after that! He got in a cycle of ear
infections, sinus infections and croup. So we got in the pattern of lots of
antibiotics as well. All the antibiotics he was on tore up his stomach which
made for lots of screaming. There were times we thought he had an ear infection
and it was belly pain. We were told to keep his diet bland to help heal his
stomach.
My sister in law had recommended a
Naturopathic Doctor for some health issues I was having at the time.
Naturopathic medicine is a form of alternative medicine. It’s a holistic
approach with non-invasive treatment and generally avoids the use of surgery
and drugs. I learned a lot about
Acidophilus and natural methods to heal the body. I decided to take Matthew to
her and see if she could help us stop the sickness cycle we were on. One of the
things that were recommended was no more antibiotics for him. I believe there
were times that the medical Doctors couldn’t find anything wrong with him and
gave us an antibiotic which in turn heightened the upset stomach and food
sensitivities.
The Naturopathic Doctor helped us a great
deal! The sickness cycle slowed down. She had Matthew eating gluten free and
dairy free to heal his gut and build up his immunities. We did not know that
Matthew had Autism yet. The experience with this Doctor opened up doors for us
to help our son. There is a place for alternative medicine! To this day we use
a combination of medical and alternative medicine.
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| There was lots of crying in the first few years. |
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| And there was still more crying with cousins. |
