I birthed both my babies at home, and from birth my partner and I have taken a natural approach to parenting. Our children are vibrantly healthy and happy, and I believe the choices we made in those early years are reflected today in their bright eyes, energetic bodies and clear skin. Something I try to focus on when it comes to my family’s well-being is minimizing toxins. Our modern world may have many advantages to it, but it has also created practices and products that are incredibly toxic to both our bodies and our environment. This is why we have to take steps early on to minimize the toxins that go into our own, and our children’s bodies. This is just one of the many topics I've covered in detail in this book.
Within these pages you will find information on making informed choices through the various stages of motherhood, based on the most up-to-date research.
There are six parts to this book: The first two parts are all about pregnancy and birth and include vital information on prenatal care, medical procedures during pregnancy, supplementation, natural birth and birth interventions. Part three is about the first few months of your baby’s life as a newborn and reveals the truth behind common parenting myths, as well as research on many important topics such as co-sleeping, first foods, SIDS and breastfeeding. Part four is all about childhood vaccinations and includes a breakdown of the vaccines that are given in childhood, their ingredients, and the risks involved with each one. Each of the common childhood diseases that we vaccinate for are also explained in detail. Part Five is all about natural immunity and includes tips to boost your child’s immune system and their overall health and wellbeing. Part six is about the natural remedies you can implement in your family’s daily life. I have also included an A – Z of minor health conditions in children and natural remedies for them. All the studies cited throughout are included in the reference section.
This is not your typical parenting book, but it is a book for mothers who prefer to think for themselves and follow their inner guidance. We may all be unique in the way we parent, but what we all have in common is wanting what’s best for our families. Being informed is about being empowered to do the very best we can for the health of our children, now and for years to come.
Disclaimer & Copyright
This book is for informational purposes only. All of the information is my opinion based on my general experience and research. Consider it as general advice. It is not specific to your personal health or your child’s health. It is not a substitute for consultation with your medical practitioner or naturopath. It is not a replacement for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. None of the information given in this book is intended to diagnose, cure or treat disease. Please always use your own discernment and seek professional advice as needed. The information in this book may not be copied, reprinted or redistributed, without written permission.
Informed Choices in Pregnancy
“To be pregnant is to be vitally alive, thoroughly woman, and distressingly inhabited. Soul and spirit are stretched – along with body – making pregnancy a time of transition, growth, and profound beginnings.” - Anne Christian Buchanan
From the morning sickness and back pain, to fluctuating hormones, there is nothing that can quite prepare us for the physical and emotional challenges of growing a baby! From the early stages of pregnancy you might already start to sense the deep connection forming between yourself and your baby. It is this incredible bond that makes us as mothers become so acutely aware and conscious of our unborn babies, and to strive to protect them and nourish them as they grow inside of us.
At this stage, babies are already downloading and absorbing everything around them. In the womb they begin to learn language from their mothers and respond to their mother’s touch. Antibodies travel from the mother to her baby through the placenta and later through breastfeeding. These antibodies boost the baby’s immune system both before birth (from the placenta) and after birth (in breast milk) to help protect her child from serious bacteria and viruses.
The Myth of the Placental Barrier
It was once a common belief that the placenta protected the baby from unwanted toxins. Whilst it may offer some protection from infection, the placental barrier doesn’t protect from everything. Research has shown that the umbilical cord carries not only oxygen and life-giving nutrients, but also pollutants, chemicals and other toxins from the mother.¹ These pollutants can easily cross the placenta to reach an unborn baby.
The average newborn baby is born with over 200 chemicals in their body.
In a shocking study conducted by the Environmental Working Group, researchers at two major laboratories found an average of 232 industrial chemicals and pollutants in the umbilical cord blood from a group of 10 babies born in US hospitals. These babies were chosen randomly, yet each showed a broad range of chemicals in their blood. Tests revealed a total of 287 chemicals in the group. Of the chemicals detected in these babies, 180 are known to be carcinogenic, with 217 known to be toxic to the brain and nervous system.² The dangers of pre-natal and post-natal exposure to this complex mix of carcinogens and neurotoxins have never been studied.
What this tells us is that unborn babies are being exposed to more environmental toxins than ever before. Chemical exposure in the womb or first few years of life can be drastically more harmful than later in life. There is substantial evidence that suggests children face increased risk from chemical pollutants.³
Some of the reasons for this increased risk are that:
Young babies have an undeveloped, porous blood-brain barrier, which allows greater exposure to the developing brain.
A baby’s organs are rapidly developing and therefore more vulnerable to chemical exposure.
The systems that detoxify chemicals and pollutants from the body are not yet fully developed.
There are so many choices we make during our pregnancy that are important to both our own health and our child’s health, yet many parents will spend very little time at all researching these vital issues. What I’m going to discuss now is one of those subjects and one that brings with it much heated debate and emotion – Pregnancy vaccination.
In the later stages of your pregnancy, your doctor will probably advise you to be vaccinated for whooping cough and influenza (depending of course on which country you live in and what the current recommendations are). To help you to make a truly informed choice, I am going to share the facts on this very important issue.
VACCINES DURING PREGNANCY
As mothers we are often made to feel as though our own feelings about what is best for our own child are meaningless. Your opinion as a mother does matter! It is extremely important. If you have a feeling that something just isn’t right, then trust it. If your doctor raises the subject of pregnancy vaccination, then I would encourage you to check in with your gut feeling, first and foremost. If your instinct is saying no, then chances are you are like me, and many other women and already intuitively know that pregnancy vaccination is an unsafe and unnecessary practice.
The truth about vaccinations during pregnancy
When I first heard