Breast Is Best - Natural Preventative Medicine
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.
8 Pillars of TribeSteemUp
I breastfed Jarrah til 8 months and he just weaned himself very suddenly.. just downright refused lol. I was devastated. Glad I got that long.. many woman cant for various reasons. They say touch is also a precursor for intelligent, happy kids.. so I think the added benefit of extended breast feeding is that you are in very close contact with your child too, something that is often broken in this fast paced modern world.
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All kids are different and it is best to follow their lead. I feel for those mums who are unable to breastfed, I can't imagine not doing it. You are so right touch is so important for child development, for all of our development really xxxx
So a very dear, close friend of mine is a lead researcher into breast cancer. They had some very big news a couple of years ago, I wish I could remember the exact study it was so I could share it... doesn't matter....
Anyway... I've been coaching them in the background with the Chinese Medicine understanding of the breasts and how they work and why they work and whatnot... so I can kinda say I helped influence the direction of the study...
Anyway, it's all to do with what is called the Chōng mài, which begins in the womb, goes up the centre of the body and spreads out into the breasts, and up into the face.
It's said that it fills up slowly, and then drains monthly - menstruation.
But in pregnancy, there is no draining. It fills up and up, like a reservoir, and fills the breasts. Then it is emptied through breast-feeding after childbirth.
Breast-milk is considered jīng, Essence, as is menstrual blood.
There is a lowered incidence of breast cancer in women who breast-feed and have regular monthly flow.
So yeah, breast-feeding is preventative for mum as well as bubs!!!!!
that makes so much sense, our bodies are made for certain things and we are meant to keep our lives and bodies in flow, to keep the energy moving. Thank you @metametheus, it is always great to see you drop by xxx
I nursed my daughter for 2 years and 3 months until I started to suddenly lose so much weight that I had to wean her. She's an incredibly strong, healthy girl and well above average in IQ, EQ, height and things like language ability. She is rarely sick.
My oncologist said to me once that my own lack of ever having been breastfed was likely a major contributor to my body's early cancer diagnosis at age 27.
Breastfeeding is so NORMAL to me I don't even think of it as medicine - it's the optimal way to nourish a baby.
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Breastfeeding is such a gift and you are an amazing mama. I do hope to get to meet you and your beautiful daughter sometime along with my 3 girls xxx
Breast milk, of course, is psychological comfort, immunological protection, this is the most anti-allergenic natural free product for a child, which gives everything that is necessary, including psychological, cognitive, and psychomotor development.