Wow, if there were ever a powerful quote to inspire a blog post, it's this one! I've been so looking forward to writing about the little ones, and I figure I'll start with baby nutrition... I don't enjoy posting about controversial topics, or ever make anyone feel as if they're doing something wrong; the point of this blog is to inspire and better us (myself included). I hope that I can inspire those planning future babies, those expecting, or those of us that already have little ones! There's no question that we want THE BEST for our children; but sometimes what's best is foggy-and a lot of it differs from child to child and family to family. But there are definite basics and helpful hints I've learned from my now 15-month-old boy, other mommies, my own mommy, and nutritionists I follow.
Kai Mason, my now 15-month-old, hasn't had a fever-EVER-until today that is! Good timing, eh? (No, I'm not Canadian, I just enjoying ending rhetorical questions with "eh" sometimes). We have felt SO blessed thus far, and I've attributed the lack of sickness to breast milk, getting loads of Vitamin D while pregnant, getting us BOTH loads of Vitamin D after birth (safely), and eating lots of nutritious foods packed with antioxidants-not to mention our daily intake of DHA (for brain development), probiotics (for gut flora, immune health, and digestion aides), and multi-vitamin supplements (for whatever he's NOT getting from his foods). Now do I think that my doing this is the SOLE reason for his (and my) lack of sickness so far? Do I think that those who don't do one or more of these things will have automatically sick children?? ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! But, I do feel that this boosts the chances of a healthy immune system-that's all-basic science, nothing more. Of course, exposure to other children, daycare, etc influences a lot as well. I'm not here to judge. I think you could do all of this and more, and still wind up with a child prone to chronic illnesses-I count my lucky stars. We had our hardships with dealing with a premature birth at 33 weeks, the NICU-complete with feeding tubes and an IV in my little guy's head, and once home and relieved-2 hernias found that needed to be surgically repaired at 9-weeks-old! Yes, we all have our moments, and our hardships, as mommies... but what a powerful thing we can do by LESSENING the likelihood of certain illnesses, and just as importantly, teaching our children how to be healthy from day one.
It all starts at birth... I absolutely believe in the power of breast milk, but that doesn't mean I don't understand that it doesn't work for everyone. I know the best mommies in the world that couldn't provide this gift for whatever reason, and it all works out. Having said this, if we CAN provide breast milk (ideally 100% for a year-don't laugh, mommies!), it can truly do amazing things for both ourselves and our little ones-our main concern! (Click here for a link that will show you a few amazing benefits for both mommies AND babies, some that you'll see now-from allergies to cancer prevention-and in the future development in your children). I know this is NOT an easy task-I look at it as part of my mommy job and try my best, but as you'll see from my story, it's not always possible, and that's OK!! As for the "year" thing... I wish I could have done it! But I won't tell you I did. I won't even tell you that my Kai got 100% breast milk in his 10-months I nursed/pumped. We did have a difficult situation with him being in the NICU, and me not being able to stay overnight with him, but thanks to wonderful nurses' encouragement, and a generous mom of my own, I pumped using that double electric faithfully every 3 hours!!! When I did spend my 12-hour days with him, we practiced and practiced, but he had a lot of trouble latching (a nipple shield saved the day eventually-definitely worth a try!). But, my supply wasn't always what it should be, my 4-lb preemie was catching up on his weight and feeding every 1-2 hours for THREE MONTHS, and pumping was doubly exhausting. Sometimes, he'd get all of his ounces from me, sometimes half from a sensitive formula (after finding my dairy consumption upset him). Still, despite the obstacles, I was happy that I could provide WHAT I WAS ABLE TO during those 10 months. Luckily, he transferred over easily to an organic formula at that time (I found him to be too aggressive nursing after 6 months and taking time to pump with a crawler to look after was for the birds), and took well to whole milk after a year. I've set my goal a little higher for the next babe-fingers crossed for a full-term sweetie! The important thing to remember is that while 6-months of exclusive breastfeeding is the current recommendation, any little bit helps-this couldn't be emphasized enough in the preemie ward watching less fortunate babies struggle for their lives-it really put things in perspective.
Ok, enough about THAT! It's after the milk that matters just as much-and this we are TRULY in control of... I think I'm so passionate about what we feed our babies because they honestly don't know any better yet-if they're eating crap, it IS actually our faults at this young age. I don't think I'm turning my son into this crazy kid who will turn down all foods bad for him his whole life:) School and friends and influences will surely change things, BUT if he doesn't even know what sweets, breads, juice, chips etc etc are yet-why would I give them to him?? Because they are the American "norm" and cute to watch him eat? This thought process boggles me... Now, don't get me wrong, there are occasions for everything-he had a (homemade) pumpkin cupcake on his 1st birthday, a muffin once or twice, and even a bite of pie on Thanksgiving! Primarily, though, he thrives off of smoothies, pureed fruits/veggies/meats, milk, soft finger foods, and his snack of organic "greens" puffs. He drinks whole milk mixed with a little water, gets a probiotic, DHA, and multi-vitamin supplement. He loves every single bit of these foods, and it makes me proud to watch him daily! He doesn't crave what he doesn't know exists, and fruit to him is as good as candy! The longer we can hold off the inevitable, the better, and even more important-we're influencing HIS norm of what he thinks eating should be. If he gets used to dessert every night, that's most likely what he'll continue to crave the rest of his life. I like to look at dessert as a special treat (not yet, but I know it'll come!). He loves eggs, meat, greens (as long as there's some fruit around!), and his milk-I'm lucky, and I think sometimes that him being a BOY has a lot to do with his love of food;) Get creative-mix recipes, buy new foods, make foods if you can, etc... I'm also aware that major deprivation can cause a binge (for us) or pure rebellion (for him); that's why I think it's important to educate our kids on WHY we eat healthfully, and how to eat treats in moderation! Luckily, there are many healthful ways to make sweet treats ourselves-something I'd love to post about down the road.
I haven't posted on why organic foods are so important to our family yet, but I especially urge you to give organic foods and drinks to your children as much as possible. If they seem too pricey, just invest the money in your children's food, if not for the whole family. Our little ones are growing rapidly-brain development taking place daily. The last thing we want in our children is toxic chemicals and pesticides that interfere with this. I enjoyed this article by Dr. Greene-check it out!
I think that's enough for this blog post-was definitely planning on posting recipes and more details, but I always find myself starting broad with major topics we haven't conquered-and I like it that way! I'm glad you can see the basis of where I'm coming from BEFORE I go preaching things to do... thanks for reading... I'm still in the learning process as well-here's to the health of our amazing children! Stay Chic, Stay Healthy, Mamas;)
Great article! Cant wait for some recipe's!
ReplyDeleteThanks, considering this was a 2am production!! Recipes to come and you KNOW we'll be in a picky toddler phase soon enough;) Will have to find new tricks! Thx so much for reading!
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