"When you know better you do better." ~ Maya Angelou
I have a confession to make. It's not something I'm proud of, at all.
Before the self-inflicted flogging begins, let me go back for a minute.
Part of the reason I began this journey back to what is real, is due to the health of my now 7 year old son. You see, back when he was an infant he more closely resembled an adorable lizard. I don't mean he was green or slimy, but when he was around 4 months old he began developing scaly patches of skin ALL over his body.
I was semi-familiar with the tell-tale signs of eczema, since I had it as a child too. Itching before a rash appears, dry and rough areas of skin, open sores caused by constant scratching.
My poor kid's skin was a hot scabby mess!
After seeing many under-educated doctors, who prescribed steroid creams or antibiotics (which only exacerbated his scratching and over-all discomfort), we were finally directed to a dermatologist who understood the root cause.
Food allergies.
Some of his sensitivity might have been avoided if I had breast fed him longer than 3 months. After that I went back to work part-time and left him with run-of-the-mill infant formula. I just didn't know the full range of benefits in momma's milk.
Besides that, I had also fallen prey to the old myth that giving my infant rice cereal or oatmeal in his bottle would help keep him satisfied, without any adverse reactions.
But I was wrong.
You see babies digestive systems aren't like ours.
There is so much evidence that shows why exclusive breast feeding and delaying solids, of any kind, is beneficial to the long-term immune health of your child. The World Health Organization, UNICEF, and American Academy of Pediactrics all recommend, " all babies be exclusively breastfed (no cereal, juice or any other foods) for the first 6 months of life (not the first 4-6 months)."
The health benefits are astounding.
Aside from having greater protection from illness and iron deficiency anemia, delaying solids also allows the stomach to mature and lowers their risk of food allergies.
Most parents (and even many pediatricians) don't understand the connection between good gut health and good over-all health.
Our gut houses 70% of our immune system. All those awesome automatic responses that are meant to protect your body from foreign invaders that can lead to colds, flus, or ear infections, are housed in your small intestine.
Not only is good gut flora important for digestive health, it can also help prevent immune system responses like asthma, eczema, gluten intolerance, and celiac.
Back to your baby's belly.
During the first 4-6 months of life the lining of an infant's small intestine is what is referred to as an "open gut". From Kelly Mom.com:
This means that the spaces between the cells of the small intestines will readily allow intact macromolecules, including whole proteins and pathogens, to pass directly into the bloodstream.This is great for your breastfed baby as it allows beneficial antibodies in breastmilk to pass more directly into baby’s bloodstream, but it also means that large proteins from other foods (which may predispose baby to allergies) and disease-causing pathogens can pass right through, too.Here's a great visual for what's going on in their little tummies.
If your child is introduced to any solid food, before their stomach has closed, it is more likely that their immune system will see the food particles that seep through as an attack, and create a response to let you know somethin' just ain't right. The result is inflammation, which is sometimes visible on the skin via a rash or eczema.
Our search for answers continued.
After getting a full allergy test work up, we discovered that our son had a dairy allergy (most likely affected by the formula) and a gluten intolerance (attributed to the cereal in his bottle and other early grains.)
Thankfully we've been able to "heal" his gut with a gluten & dairy free diet. He hasn't had an outbreak of eczema in almost 2 years. YAY!
As moms, we only do the best we can with the knowledge we have. Which leads me back to why I used to feel like a fraud.
When my third son (yes I have all boys, and no I'm not going to "try" for a girl) was born 2 years ago I was determined to set his immune system up for success. Knowing that our kids were predisposed to our family history of asthma and allergies, they needed all the help they could get.
I knew I wanted another natural birth, this time at home to start him out with all of the "good" bacteria that only comes from a vaginal delivery. I knew I wanted to avoid vaccinations, which have been linked to creating a fatal outcome when a child's immune system is already compromised. I knew I would exclusively breast feed for at least a year...going on 27 months...and counting....
I was doing everything RIGHT! Right?
Well, sorta. My little cherub-cheeked son is now a healthy 30 pounds, has only had one nasty stomach bug, and a handful of sniffles.
But the lower half of his body looks like it should be attached to someone on The Walking Dead.
My poor kiddo's legs are a war zone of healing wounds and freshly scratched patches of dry skin.
What-in-the-hell...
I know I only have myself to blame. And not just in an obligatory mommy guilt kind of way.
Over the last few years I've learned more and more about the links between chronic inflammation and disease. Most commonly associated are type II diabetes, heart disease, stroke, some cancers, neurological diseases, autoimmune diseases (like rheumatoid arthritis, allergies, and eczema), Crohn’s disease, fibromyalgia and migraines.
That's a WHOLE lot of illness that could be avoided, if on an anti-inflammatory diet; real fresh food, minimal dairy, lean proteins, whole grains ( no white sugar, pasta, bread), lots of Omega 3's, plenty of Vitamin D, and a dash of anti-inflammatory spices.
Normal signs of inflammation are heat, pain, redness, and swelling — which are the first signals that your immune system is being called into action. But constant inflammation, or your body always being in defense mode, can lead to an interference with the bodies healthy tissue production.
Here's why I was a "crunchy failure". Even though I knew this information, I was lax in implementing ALL of these changes.
The hardest part was knowing that everything I eat goes directly into my little boy via breast milk. On most days that consists of green juice, healthy fats, very little sugar, fresh fruits and veggies, and a cup of coffee (or 2).
On a busy bad day it meant we were snacking on a cheese stick, a couple of Oreo's, a slice of non-organic toast, and bowl of pasta for dinner.
I thought I was going to get my "holistic mom card" revoked.
So I'm calling myself out on my short comings because truthfully, it was making my baby sick.
I've committed to being more conscious of our food choices so we can finally nip this eczema in the f-ing bud.
Thus far it's involved a lot of trial and error; removing one inflammatory food group at a time and waiting a few weeks to see his skin improves.
It's definitely been challenging getting back to what's real. But now my mistakes can be used to help other crunchy mama's on their journey.
Is there some part of you that's having a hard time shifting your perspective or habits? Do you need help making the small changes that will lead to BIG improvements in your well-being? Sometimes all you need is some loving accountability.
I'd love to support you in creating an action plan that brings balance and bliss into your life. Give me a shout and we can get started with my one-on-one coaching program, Soul Fueled Living.
2 comments:
You two look cute in that photo!!
I guess you heard that Soleil Moon Frye is expecting I saw her on "The Chew" a few weeks ago. Good luck on your class <3
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