Author Topic: How an onion saved my family  (Read 47584 times)

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Offline Roy Munson

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How an onion saved my family
« on: January 26, 2006, 07:10:43 am »
Edited for sake of liability:  Always contact a doctor when your child suffers prolonged bouts of crying.  Also, contact doctor before administering homemade teas or wine.  And lastly, considering a milk allergy might be in order here.


Thanks for the fun read.
Diego's Mama, Admin
______________________________________________________________________________________________________

How an onion saved my family.

I know the title sounds like a bit of a stretch, but every word of it is true.  You see, my son had the most astounding bout of colic that ever reared its ugly head on planet earth.  Shortly after bringing our freshly baked honey loaf home, he started communicating, to our dismay, with aliens in outerspace by speaking a language that consisted of an ultra high-pitched screaming that lasted for hours and hours at a time.  More than once his late-night screech would curdle the milk in the fridge, peel the layers of sanity away from my wife’s normally fortified psychology, and sent the clouds (along with our friends) skittering in the opposite direction.  As the nights got longer and my boy fell deeper and deeper into the clutches of pure agony, my wife and I suc!@!b fully to the dreary blur that insomniacs call daily life.  Our days were spent grouchy and sharp, nights were unbearable.  We tried everything we could to ease this child’s pain and more than once reasoned ourselves out of all sitting in the garage together with the doors shut and the car on.  I think at one time I even tried to sell my little bundle of filial pork chops on ebay, only coming to my senses when the UPS driver raised an eyebrow after hearing the box hiccup. 

My wife and I, who normally sit in the stars with each other, began fighting over who slept less or whose turn it was to brush their teeth or who gets the first drink out of a fresh box of apple juice.  Yup, things got pretty ugly.  Naturally, we tried to rectify the situation any way possible; she tried to feed him to sleep, bounce him, run the vacuum, have a shower with him, drive haphazardly through stop signs and over peoples lawn at 4:30 in the morning, swing him, hold him, bounce on a ball with him, sing, shhhh,  pat, dance, walk, pray, listen to music - you get the picture.  We did ANYTHING and EVERYTHING to get this child to stop wailing and go to sleep.  And eventually, after expending every ounce of his energy on his extraterrestrial communiqué, he would….for an hour….or two.  And then he would be at it again for another hour or two.  The cycle repeating itself night after night, week after week.

Of course, this pattern of chaos and random wakefulness hard-wired the little Commodore 64 with an unearthly understanding of normal sleeping patterns.  3 years later, we finally have him reprogrammed and maintaining a somewhat reasonable schedule.  And let me tell you, it hasn’t been easy.

Enter our second child. 

We are prepared to set the record straight right from day one.  This one is going to be a breeze; we refuse to believe in colic (so it can't happen, can it?), daily routine, sleeping through the night - on her own - by six weeks old at the latest.  Teamwork is in full action mode.  Friends are coming over to help cook, clean, and cuddle.  Our heavenly present may have been born blue and with a squished nose (it's popped back out, thank you) but we love her dearly and life is beautiful...for the first two weeks…and then the world stops spinning...again. 

Colic pulled his RV onto our front lawn, patio chairs were laid out, a tab at the bar was initiated, and the unwelcome intestinal tourist was roasting weenies over a fire in our living room before we had the chance to call security. 

Once again, we went mad…only this time my three year old son came along for the ride.  As a family, we unravelled at the seams.  Collectively, our behaviour couldn’t seem to make it through the first inning and we were all acting like a gaggle of sugar fed chimps.  I think I may have even once yelled at my wife for not cutting my grilled cheese sandwich into triangles, but I can’t remember because I lost consciousness and woke up with my son’s foot duct-taped to my cheek.  What can I say, sleep deprivation does strange things to people.

When the family sanity rope had completely unravelled and our wit’s end was observed by the neighbours hitchhiking South (presumably to get a spot on a daytime talk-show), my soon to be ex-wife, in a moment of pure breakdown, looked deep into Mother Natures eyes and pleaded for a miracle.  Simultaneously, thinking that she was losing her biscuits, I headed to the store to purchase, for the very first time, synthesized breast milk – a.k.a. formula.  I felt dirty and embarrassed standing in front of all the cans at 10 pm.  I’m not sure why – it just didn’t feel right.  But I was desperate and willing to try anything to ease this kid’s pain and buy myelf a couple hours of shut-eye before work.  Luckily, by the time I got back home, Mother Nature had spoken.  My wife had found the answer within the pages of a book that she discovered in the basement.

The following information is an excerpt from a book entitled: “Natural Child Care – A Complete Guide to Safe and Effective Herbal Remedies and Holistic Strategies for Infants and Children” by Maribeth Rigss.

Now, I understand copyright laws and plagiarism and ‘cut and paste’ etiquette, 'n' everything, but for this one I can’t help myself.  What I am writing here is verbatim, word for word, an exact replica of what’s in the book.  My apologies to Maribeth for copying her good words and spreading them like pollen in the wind…but seriously, this stuff saved my family and it deserves to be in the public domain.  Hopefully this helps you as much as it helped us…if only we found this recipe the last time around, I probably wouldn’t told my wife that her sister was hot tamales and I certainly wouldn’t have woken up with my eyebrows shaved Vanilla Ice style.  In any case, if Maribeth happens to read this thread: thank-you from the bottom of our well-rested hearts.

Colic Tea
To calm and soothe the spasms of colic

Preparation Time:         10 minutes
Yield:            5 treatments
Children’s Enjoyment:   Low

This is an easy-to-prepare and effective remedy that relieves the bloat and gas of colic, and helps an infant sleep.  The onion tea recipe was given to me by another mother, who had it passed down from her mother, and so forth.  The muscle-relaxing, stomach-strengthening, and digestion-regulating properties of onion make them perfect for treating colic.  Onions are available everywhere, but try to get fresh, firm, organic yellow onions for this tea.  Do not use onion powder or flakes.


4 (1/4-inch) slices yellow onion
2 cups water

1.   Combine the onions slices and water in a covered pot and simmer for 10 minutes.
2.   Strain the tea through a cheesecloth-lined sieve.  Discard the onion slices.  The tea is a clear, light yellow and smells mildly of onions.
3.   Cool the tea to tepid before administering.  Refrigerate any unused portion for the tea and reheat to tepid before each use.  Discard any remaining tea after 2 days.

APPLICATION:  Administer 4 tablespoons of unsweetened tea to the infant twice each day, by bottle or teaspoon, during an attack of colic.  You will have to hold the infant firmly and reassuringly, and keep a grip on yourself, too.  Your infant may not like the taste of this tea.  If this is the case, administer it by spoon or dropper.  When I used this with my son, he slept for 4 hours after taking just a few tablespoons.  Many infants like the tea’s taste and suck it right away.  The infant will relax 30 minutes to 1 hour after drinking the tea, and may sleep for several hours.  Do not give an infant more than ¾ cup of tea each day.  If you are breast-feeding, it is a good idea to get your infant used to feeding from a bottle for this and many other purposes.

If the infant does not respond to 2 consecutive doses of the tea, if the colic seems unusually severe or painful, or if the infant fails to gain weight, consult a paediatrician.
 

Well, that's it.  I'm off for another 4 hour stretch of beautiful sleep.  We can finally practice EASY, scheduling, and PU/PD....


***PS. Other things that we do that seem to help are:

-   Swaddle her tightly.
-   When breastfeeding occasionally pump off the fore-milk so that she doesn’t get the gas-inducing lactose and if feeding primarily on the protein. (errr....my wife does this one.  I just watch and reminisce).
-   Rub warm castor oil on her belly to comfort and to expel intestinal gas (this one is also from the book and it works really well in concert with the tea - I do this to the baby, not my wife.).
-   Play the same calming music in the same setting while putting down to sleep.
-   We purchased a ‘Vicks’ humidifier, threw away the Vicks that came with it and replaced it with lavender oil – a great calming sedative.
-   A few drops of red wine with an eye dropper works well…but I hate sharing and will only use this method as a last ditch effort.
« Last Edit: January 27, 2006, 21:35:14 pm by Diego's Mama »

Offline Alexander's Mum

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Re: How an onion saved my family
« Reply #1 on: January 26, 2006, 07:30:15 am »
That's the funniest thing my husband and I have read in a long time, if not ever.    ;D
Will pass this onto a friend that has a DD with colic, even if it doesn't work she could do with a laugh
Jo


Offline kirsty_167

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Re: How an onion saved my family
« Reply #2 on: January 26, 2006, 08:06:22 am »
Wow.....you went through all of that and still have a fantastic sense of humor.That was by far the funniet,wittiest thing i have ever in my life read! I really think you should be a writer......in all honesty! A good laugh is exactly what i need right now and that i did believe me.I was in hysterics!!!!

Well done  on surviving colic and keeeping your humor intact!!!

Kirsty

Offline mcruari

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Re: How an onion saved my family
« Reply #3 on: January 26, 2006, 10:51:21 am »
That is really funny - well not the colic side of it but the way you wrote it. You definitely have talent there.
Shame I didn't know this info when my DD was 2weeks - 3months. We had colic every evening and I sometimes just sat and cried with her, until I found that a cotton bud used to stimulate the muscles around her bottom worked wonders and also gave us interesting wall colours :o :o ;D

Thanks

Sinead
Sinéad


Offline milliesmaw

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Re: How an onion saved my family
« Reply #4 on: January 26, 2006, 15:23:32 pm »
Hilariously graphic - can totally relate to a family unravelling at the seams!! Prob won't try the onion tea but thanks anyway. Cheered up my afternoon ;)
Jo

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4th November 2003
and Benjamin
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Offline Kimberly®

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Re: How an onion saved my family
« Reply #5 on: January 26, 2006, 15:27:37 pm »
That was brillent. :) I loved the creativity, it was fun to read. I'm glade you got things figured out.
Kimberly

Offline zelkad

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Re: How an onion saved my family
« Reply #6 on: January 27, 2006, 01:16:23 am »
What a pleasure to read......As an English teacher, I can't help but think that this would be an amazing piece of writing to share with my twelfth grade English class.  As a mother, I sincerely empathize with you and your family.  How wonderful that you survived this ordeal and maintained a positive outlook! (I saved the recipe for any future children we may have by the way) :D


Offline KaCee

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Re: How an onion saved my family
« Reply #7 on: January 27, 2006, 06:19:48 am »
Ohmygoodness I just about died laughing!

You are a brilliant writer! I read it to my dh and even he (usually bored out of his mind at the sound of my voice reciting anything) was in stitches!
Korinne
Mommy to Mercy Sloan - Feb. 4, 2005



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Offline ryan's mum

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Re: How an onion saved my family
« Reply #8 on: January 27, 2006, 11:12:24 am »
 ;D that was a great piece to read. glad you have found a remedy that worked. i wish i had the same humour as you dealing with reflux ! must keep a note of this . will make sure i post this on to anyone who is suffering the way you have.
[img width= height=]http://tac.families.com/tickers/tdb.php?tid=1032165&ignore=1[/img]Ryan James 9 Nov 2003

[img width= height=]http://lafemmebonita.com/blinkies//Pregnancy%20and%20Babies/ILoveMySon.gif[/img]

son , I may have silver in my hair but you are the gold in my heart .

Offline ryan's mum

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Re: How an onion saved my family
« Reply #9 on: January 27, 2006, 11:14:03 am »
would it be a good idea to maybe have this as a sticky in the colic , reflux and crying forum.
[img width= height=]http://tac.families.com/tickers/tdb.php?tid=1032165&ignore=1[/img]Ryan James 9 Nov 2003

[img width= height=]http://lafemmebonita.com/blinkies//Pregnancy%20and%20Babies/ILoveMySon.gif[/img]

son , I may have silver in my hair but you are the gold in my heart .

Offline annas mum

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Re: How an onion saved my family
« Reply #10 on: January 27, 2006, 13:47:19 pm »
Absolute quality !!! ;D

Offline mickymuscles

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Re: How an onion saved my family
« Reply #11 on: January 27, 2006, 18:17:46 pm »
TOOO  FUNNY!!!!!  I also wish I had know this recipe when Jackson was a wee pain in the rump!!  :o  Thank you for sharing your great sense of humor!!
Micky
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Offline izabellabhz

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Re: How an onion saved my family
« Reply #12 on: May 20, 2014, 18:23:02 pm »
OMG I made this tea for my baby girl... the smell is horrible LOL. Let's see if it will work

Offline lily_layne

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Re: How an onion saved my family
« Reply #13 on: May 21, 2014, 02:44:39 am »
The title caught my eye and it was well worth the read! I can relate all too well, especially the part about the unraveling family. I think DH and I came close to divorce the night he woke up DD after I'd spent hours getting her to sleep because he *had* to use the microwave to heat up his supper and let the buzzer go off (I still maintain that it was perfectly reasonable to ask him to eat it cold). ;)
DD - August 2012
DS - November 2014

Offline Eyesup

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Re: How an onion saved my family
« Reply #14 on: January 02, 2019, 00:38:40 am »
Tried and true.  I came across this entry while googling onion tea.  A recipe given to me by my mother in law 21 years ago when my jaundice, severely colic son had my eyes swollen shut half from crying and half from sleep deprivation so bad I was fearful to even stand up for fear I would fall over.  This well written entry took my mind back to the one thing that saved both my sanity and my bundle of joys health.
   My mother in law was of corse a wealth of info when I had my son, all well meaning but some not doctor recommended let alone mom approved.  Thank God for pushy MIL’s!

   Onion tea is a recipe that has been around for ages.  Long before  mylicon or pricy gripe water.  I have no idea how far back it goes but mil is 80 and was raised by her grandmother so I know at least 120 years and I would venture to say since the beginning of dirt.

   So why am I responding to this very old post?  Because last night I stayed up all night with my 2 week old grandson who, like his father whaled most the night.  I have suggested onion tea to my DIL but I think like me she is not only following doctors orders of nothing but breastmilk or formula until at least 6 months but also pinion?  To a new baby?  I was mortified at this idea.  I’m of the mindset that our parents raised us up without these rules or pricey remedies as did their parents and so on but onion tea sounded crazy! 
     My MIL showed up at my house one day with a fresh made batch of this golden tea.  I say golden not just because of the color but because it was liquid gold!!! My new bundle of screams greedily suckled  down 4 oz of this gold, let out a tiny burp and his screams turned to coo's. 
   I’m can’t guarantee it will work for every baby but there are few things I regret in my years of mommyhood but not trying this old remade sooner ranks at the top of my list and this is twenty some years later.
    Now my poor son and DIL are stuck in the same mindset that I was with the same sleepless nights and after last night I was doing research in hopes of modern testimonies of the miracle and safety of this concoction to help relieve them of their fears and give my poor grand baby some relief and came across this.  So I thought I would give my own testimony. 
   If it helps even just one baby and saves the sanity (and marriage) of one parent then it's worth the time.