1. Breastfeed
There is no better food for your child that breast milk. It really is that simple. It is frustrating that this even has to be discussed. We are mammals. We were designed to feed our babies with our milk via our breasts. It is one of those things our bodies just do. We don’t have to think about it, it just happens. You have a baby, your body provides you with the PERFECT FOOD for that baby! No one will ever duplicate our milk into a powder. It’s actually offensive if you think about it. Sorry nasty formula companies, but it’s ours and you aren’t getting our secret recipe!
I think I underestimated how hard it could be to get a good breastfeeding relationship going. I just thought baby would come out, latch on, eat and everything would be right in the world. Yes, this can happen for some moms, but for the rest of us, it hurts! Ouch. Why does it hurt? Well, because mom and baby just need to figure things out a little bit. Once we do, the ouchies should go away.
It took me 3 kids to finally get a hang of breastfeeding and then I nursed that baby for 2 years! Some things that helped me were googling “latch videos.” Another great resource is http://www.kellymom.com and of course the La Leche League. The women there are just ready to jump up to help make sure your baby never gets a plastic bottle! There are some great LLL leaders that are understanding and will help you in any way they can.
2. Chiropractic
All of our children were checked for subluxation by a chiropractor shortly after birth? Why? Because we knew they could possibly have nerve interference from the birth process! We also knew that if this nerve interference was present, it could manifest itself in many different ways. We wanted our children to have a perfect start at life. We wanted to make sure their precious, tiny bodies were functioning at their optimal levels. We wanted to know their immune systems were starting out as strong as possible.
Our oldest daughter was born via c-section. She was breech and her head was stuck pretty tight. It didn’t take a chiropractor to look at her and realize her head was severely tilted to one side. She was checked 5 times her first week of life and needed three very gentle adjustments. We continued care for her to this day and she is a healthy almost-seven year old! I can’t imagine how hard it would have been for her body to adapt without that removal of nerve interference! It is one of those things that we will never know what the difference would have been.
Our other children have been adjusted throughout their short lives as well. None of them have ever needed an antibiotic, inhaler, over the counter medications, etc. I feel very blessed!
Even our baby that was born unassisted at home, needed an adjustment hours after birth. Just recently she wouldn’t nurse on my right breast. All day I tried to latch her onto that side and she simply refused. She would only latch on the left. Finally, the light bulb went off. I asked my husband (an upper cervical chiropractor) to check her. Sure enough he found evidence of nerve interference. He gave her a gentle adjustment. He then brought her back to my waiting arms and I offered my right breast. She immediately latched on and nursed happily for a long time!
I cannot imagine any other way than having my babies checked by a chiropractor shortly after coming earthside.
You can go to http://icpa4kids.org to find a chiropractor who is certified to adjust your babies.
3. Educate before you vaccinate
As you can tell, the Hep B vaccine given shortly after birth is replaced by chiropractic in our family. Brandon wrote a post on how much the schedule for vaccines has changed over the last few decades. I was recently listening to a talk at Sherman College of Chiropractic’s Lyceum about vaccines. I can’t remember who was speaking, but she showed that children are recommended to have about 68 vaccines before they are pre-teens?! That is nuts.
I just ask that you educate before you vaccinate. Don’t just vaccinate because that is what everyone does or because people or your pediatrician scares you into doing so. Only vaccinate if you TRULY feel it is best for your child’s health. Research and pray over it.
There are many great resources on the internet. Brandon wrote two posts about the vaccines schedules you can read here and here There are great books like this one. Also, I can’t recommend contacting my friend Guggie enough. Her source of information is phenomenal. Just ask and she will provide you with whatever you need.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Great article January. I have been given permission from Brandon to use Atlas of Life articles on our blog (I always let people know it is your article and do a link) but am just checking with you that I can do so with this article please?
I am totally ok if you do not wish to do so.
Kind regards,
Karen
Actually – I forgot to mention the reason – so that people will know we are not the only ones thinking along these lines xx
Go for it Karen!
Karen, absolutely! Thanks!