Yesterday I wrote about my journey with preventative medicine, how the way I live, the choices I make, determine my overall well being. Taking responsibly for my own health, the health of my children and the health of the earth is what is most important to me. So it was without question that I would want my children to have the best start in life!
I took good care of myself during all my pregnancies, wheatgrass is just one of the things I consumed, so that my body could provide my girls with all that they needed to grow and develop. I ate a diet reach in whole foods, wild foods and tonic herbs to boost my immune system and to provide my body and my babies bodies, with the minerals and vitamins they needed.
Indeed preventative medicine starts before conception, as the overall health of both parents has an affect on the baby that they conceive. So maintaining my health during pregnancy is a continuation of that.
As a woman, my body is perfectly adapted to breastfed my children, lactation is common to all mammals and the milk we produce is just what our babies need for optimal health and well being. The composition of milk changes as our babies grow, making sure to enhance their health and development. If a baby is born premature, the milk will adapt to the babies needs.
Breastmilk is simply amazing and it is one of the most important preventative medicine's out there. A mothers immunity is passed from her to her baby through breast milk, so when the mother is exposed to infectious agents in her gut or her lungs, the antibodies that her body produces then get passed onto her child. Colostrum, which is the first milk that the mother's body produces, is rich in antibodies and memory lymphocytes, these lymphocytes pass on protection against illnesses that us mothers have encountered throughout our lives. The thymus which is such an important component of our immune system, is twice the size in breast fed babies as it is in non breastfed babies.
The thymus gland will not function throughout a full lifetime, but it has a big responsibility when it’s active—helping the body protect itself against autoimmunity, which occurs when the immune system turns against itself. Therefore, the thymus plays a vital role in the lymphatic system (your body’s defense network) and endocrine system.
On top of the many physical health benefits that breast feeding provides, there are also many emotional and psychological benefits as well. There have been numerous studies that have been done and that show that children who have been breastfed, have better cognitive development and problem solving abilities, both which result in those children experiencing less stress and anxiety throughout their lives.
The emotional bond that develops between the mother and baby, enables the baby to grow up to be more emotionally secure and stable, as the very thing that they needed from the time of their birth is provided for them. Babies need to have their mothers present, they need to feel secure and safe and when they do they learn to trust their environment, to adapt to it and this stands to them later in life. Allowing them to move forward in life feeling secure and confident in their place in the world.
I have focused mainly on the benefits of breastfeeding for the child, but the benefits are also many for the mother as well. Benefits that affect her whole well being and protect her from serious illnesses, for example cancer and depression. For this reason, Breast Feeding needs to be recognized as one of the most important preventative medicines that humankind has.
This is my 2nd response to the NaturalMedicine Preventative Medicine Challenge, but it really is just an extension of my first response.
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