Shalom!

Welcome to Lotus Blooming: Birthing the Conscious Family.

The information contained within this blog has been gestating for a long time. In fact I have been writing this book since I first embarked on this awesome journey called Motherhood in 2002. Only now do I feel it is ready. I laboured over this for along time debating how I would introduce my Faith as an example and possible inspiration for people to explore the spiritual aspect of childbearing without alienating those who do not in fact even believe in a Higher Power. In the end I decided to largely write this book from  the perspective of my own personal journey and learning curve both as a Mother and a Birthkeeper. After all I can't really speak for any other way.

I also laboured over the decision to publish it as a printed book. This option is still available if anyone is interested. However, I decided to present the book in blog format to fulfill several functions; to make it accessible to anyone; to incorporate 'live' links, animations, illustrations and video; and above all to give readers the ability to comment or ask questions and have me respond so that everyone can benefit. In time I will add an FAQ section. This decision also enables me to fix broken links and add new inspiring or interesting links, as well as links to studies and professional sites for those who like that sort of thing.

Although you will notice that the post directly previous to this is actually the last heading in the book, you will find to your sidebar on the right a blog/chapter archive. The Introduction is the first listed (and it is in descending order after that) and I encourage you to start there in order to gain an understanding of where I am coming from. Where possible I have (and will continue to do so) hyperlinked resources within the text and you will also find a resource list in the sidebar to the right.

Above all it is my most sincere hope and joy that you find the information presented here inspiring, if not useful.

Many Abundant Blessings,
Michelle xo

The end is just the beginning……

I’m going to conclude this handbook/blog here. There is a lot of information out there on parenting, a lot of bad advice, a lot of good advice. We live in tumultuous times, “For we know that the whole of creation groans and travails in labour together until now” (Romans 8:22).

While I have purposefully left out some areas (to encourage more research from you), in writing this book and expanding on it in my classes I hope to have succeeded in my aim of helping you to see that the childbearing year is a process of design that you need not be afraid of.

I am passionate about birth. I am passionate about the childbearing year. I love being pregnant, and I love giving birth. I love bonding with my children. I believe that every woman who walks this earth is physically capable of giving birth and mothering her child the way we were designed to, given the opportunity (obviously excluding previous injury, malformed or immature pelvic bones). It is actually a rare occurrence in our western society at least, that sees a woman physically incapable of doing so. 

To have a truly enjoyable pregnancy, an ecstatic birth, and a blissful bonding experience there are only 3 things that you need. 

1. Mindful preparation (including taking responsibility..this is the first step)
2. Knowledge and understanding of the birth, breastfeeding, and bonding process;
3. Trust and Acceptance. This is a perfect design.

I am not denying that this whole process is hard work. It is. You do have to put the effort in to reap the most fantastic and immediate blessings. In fact the whole self-sacrifice of being a Mother is hard work. But it’s not rocket science. We don’t need to come up with a new formula. We just need to remember the original.

My aim in writing this handbook was to show you that a design has already been set in place. A design so intricate and ingenious that not one detail has been left absent, not one need or necessity is neglected. We come with it when we are born, so much so that we actually expect our parents to allow it to guide them when we are born. My aim in showing you this is to encourage you to reclaim this birthright.

If we work with this inner guidance system, this design, rather than against it, our journey as mothers (right from conception) becomes much easier, much more fulfilling, and the blessings of such will ripple on through generations to come.

As you read this, millions of women around the world are giving birth or breastfeeding their babes. While many have been deceived into believing that they are inadequate, many get on with the job at hand, their innate cellular knowing guiding them and the backing of thousands of women that have got on with the job before them. I believe that you can do this too. I believe in your God-given abilities. I believe God is and wants to be involved in all aspects of your life, particularly this one.  He knows this process and the responsibility of parenting intimately. 

I believe in you.

My personal birth stories - evolving consciousness: a holographic journey to freebirth.

Ariel Jakob -15/08/02
'The Lion of God greets the dawn'

Our neighbours must have thought there was a lost cow roaming the lonely midnight streets of Hornsby. A lost cow bellowing for her calf. That's what I sounded like anyway. With each wave I would stop in my tracks, my yoga, my conversation, & squat to release the primal beast-like sound that I'm sure came all the way from Eve herself.

At the right time, sometime after midnight, I languished in the bath. This is where I will live forever , here in this warm water, I thought to myself. A nice hormone-induced trip to the psychadelic world of Labourland. After a while I felt the Urge. The bath could no longer accomodate the lucid expansion. I moved to the toilet and my waters break.

Onto the bean bag, I bellow some more as Shaun keeps up the rhythm, massaging my back. Suddenly, the Almighty power comes - crowning, & then, all of a sudden he falls from me. Somersaults...

"A baby!" I exclaim, still lucid, as if it's the first one in the world. The kookaburras laugh. Welcomed by his family, Ariel greets the dawn.

(Note: from start to finish, my whole labour was 24 hours, established labour-5.5 hours. During that time both mine and Saun's immediate family trickled in and out at various times to offer their support. I had 2 midwices who actually didn't do a tremendous amount but at the time i was glad they were there.)

skip forwad 4 years...
Joshua James 08/08/06
Birth of the Amazon Woman

4.15am - Mon 7th Aug. 2006, my waters break. Very excited, the babe is on it's way! I get up with contractions, surges of energy, coming every 9 minutes or so. Breathing deeply I go to my special place. This is the start of a process. The most perfect process.
Throughout the day things still plod along. Mum arrives & starts helping out around the place. Then the drama unfolds. The hot water system breaks down (not good when you are having a waterbirth!. Mum starts filling pots of water and heating them on the stove to fill the birthpool with.
The rushes stop and start in response to the drama of the day. It's late now, I'm going to bed. Maybe tomorrow we will have a baby...

2:25am Tues 8th Aug 2006- I awake to a very strong rush. Every 5 minutes now. I breathe and go to my special place. I call Myra (my midwife)and she comes over to watch as i labour in front of the fire. She advises me to get more rest as she only thinks this is early first stage. Shaun doesn't think so and I think there's no way the rushes can get stronger than this. She leaves...
I need to go to the toilet - very strong rushes now. I tear my clothes off. "myra's wrong" I gasp to Shaun, "I need to get into the pool now!"
He helps me in and then goes to call Myra, he comes back then leaves again as Ariel wakes up. Shaun tries calling Myra again as Mum reads to Ariel. I labour in the pool, alone now. I need to push, and cry out to God for help. I reach down and feel a bulge in my perineum.
"come on baby, we need to do this together"
"It's a head!" I yell as he emerges from my body. I guide his head and then his body. Gently under water, I lift him up to my breast now.
Peaceful gentle child, caught by his own mama. Another beautiful boy. Joshua James.
Shaun, Ariel, and mum all come in then to witness this beautiful entrance. 5:39am.
I then birth his placenta 5 hours later.
Joshua was then Lotus born just after midnight 5 days after his waterbirth.

(Note: I call this birth my freebirth because I really did it myself, and from now on if I am blessed with any more mini-me's this is how I will do it from the get-go. Even though Ariel's birth was amazing and empowering I still somehow was left with the feeling that I was still a little girl. This birth left me feeling that now I am a woman. By doing it alone I was able to get in touch with my own sacred feminine and my own innate birthing power. This birth did however, teach me a very important lesson and that is that as a birthworker/birth support one needs to be very careful what you say to a woman, it can plant a seed of doubt. I have learnt that the best support is to just shut up, forget how things should be going and follow the woman's lead. Only she can tell what is truly happening in her body/mind/soul.)

The Birth of Niamh Eliza 28/03/2009

The Promised Land

Around the end of 2007 I began to consciously desire another baby but as horrible as it may be construed to sound I needed the baby to be a girl. I prayed continuously for this miracle and in June/July 2008 we conceived in consciousness.  I decided to completely surrender to the process of this pregnancy and forewent the usual pre-natal care, checking my own blood pressure when I felt the need to, measuring my own uterus until it was obvious from movement and growth that babe was doing fine. I asked Myra to listen to the heartbeat about 3 times throughout the whole pregnancy and palpate whether babe had engaged and was head-down about a week before my due date. All was well. 

The pregnancy itself had been very different to the boys. We did a lot of travelling, Shaun and I went through a very rocky period, and as a family we experienced our fair share of flu, stomach bugs, measles, and chicken pox. I found it difficult to relax throughout this pregnancy because even though my highest desire was for the babe to be healthy there was also the uncertainty it just might be another boy. How would I cope? I spoke to Myra on many occasions simply as a friend about what was going on and she helped me put many things in to perspective.

My ‘official’ due date covered the 17^th/18^th/19^th March (depending on which pregnancy calculator I used). Mum arrived the Sunday before. In hindsight this may not have been a good idea although at the time I thought I would birth either on or around these dates as both the boys had been pretty spot on. Well, the due dates came and went, and the first week of being ‘overdue’ went by. I began to absorb the impatience of others as the text messages etc started to come flooding in, every day....’is anything happening yet?’.  I became housebound, choosing not to go anywhere just in case. I was getting very strong Braxton-hicks borderline early labour waves consistently every day.  In short, I was starting to go crazy as I felt that if I just pushed the babe would fall out. 

As the pressure and the guilt all began to get too much I sank to my knees and prayed the prayer of thousands. During the prayer however, something changed and I began to express my most heartfelt gratitude for the blessing of this pregnancy, the privilege of the birth I was about to give, the joy of having my babe all to myself. A deep sense of peace came over me and I knew that all would be well no matter what. 

At 4:20am on the 28^th March, ten days after my due date, my waters broke. How exciting. It begins. I had prepared myself for another 24 hour labour so I went back to bed to get some sleep. Sleep became difficult as the waves began to roll in. I listened to some music on my iPod as I drifted in and out of a semi-sleep. At some point around 7 I got up and made myself a cup of nettle and rose petal tea. Mum was awake so I let her know. Needless to say she was very happy. 

The waves continued throughout the day gradually gaining in intensity. I am enjoying the feeling that my babe will be coming soon. I snack on watermelon and frozen blueberries, drink often, I make a few dolls for the boys and then suddenly around lunchtime an overwhelming wave of fatigue comes over me. I decide to go and lie down for a while; Shaun takes the boys for a walk. He is gone for about an hour or so and while I manage to rest and fall back into a doze the waves are gradually intensifying. Shaun returns and somewhere around 2 or 3 the waves become really intense, there is much burning pain in my sacrum. I become fearful, of what I’m not sure. In hindsight I am standing at the edge of that familiar abyss that marks Transition. I begin to cry. Shaun asks me why I’m crying ‘I don’t know’ I reply. He reassures me that everything is fine and I’m doing well. He says that this is about the time Myra came last time. I think to myself ‘I don’t remember it getting stronger than this’. But it does. I decide to get into the pool. Instant relief. The waves slow down. I begin to regain focus. A sense of calm. 

Suddenly they intensify incredibly. I lose my focus as stories of my birth, ariels birth, and Joshua’s birth swirl around my head. My inner doula steps in intermingling with the swirling stories, ‘you can do this, I can do this, you are doing this’.  At some point Joshua hops in the pool. This doesn’t bother me. I’m too in between worlds to care. Intense waves, burning in my sacrum. I wonder if babe is posterior...how much longer can i do this for? I can’t do this much longer I don’t remember it getting any worse than this. I grab onto Shaun who stares into my eyes, willing me with his own inner strength to keep going. I cry out, ‘I just need the head!’ I reach down and feel the familiar bulge in my perineum. I need to push. A big push the head is out, I reach down, and she is facing the right way. Restitution. Another big push, ‘she’s coming out the back I say. I’m on my hands and knees. As her body emerges, mum gently reaches into the water and pushes her back through my legs. 6:56pm. I scoop her up to my breast. She looks at me, wide eyed but content. I look up and Ariel is about to get into the pool. I tell the boys I love them, and all is well. We all erupt in a flood of joyous emotion as I discover that babe is our long awaited girl. She looks around at the familiar voices, content, happy, peaceful. Such a contrast to the inner turmoil dizzying my senses moments before. She seems to instantly know who the boys are. We name her Niamh Eliza and she latches on perfectly for her first suckle 15 minutes after her birth. I birth the placenta 25 minutes later as Myra arrives. I had decided that I would like Myra to come after the placenta had arrived to share in our joy and offer post-natal care if needed. She was such an integral part of this whole journey.

So Niamh is born, and I am reborn surrounded by my family holding a space of love for this lotus to blossom. We snuggle up in our big family bed, and the karmic record is set right.

Lotus born, she lets go of her travelling companion on the 2^nd April around lunchtime. 

They say that every woman either relives her own birth in some form during the birth of her own children or in the lead up to it if the limbic imprint hasn’t been consciously cleared. It is interesting that there are so many similarities between my birth and Niamh’s birth. We were both ‘overdue’, we both experienced the same sort of labour, our pregnancy cravings and aversions were the same. There are so many elements to Niamh’s birth that make it magical. When I look back on my birthing ‘career’ I see the hand of the Divine guiding a deeply healing process. Even down to her birth on the Sabbath as if to say ‘My covenant with you is sealed’. (I have reflected this in Niamh’s middle name Eliza which means ‘God is my covenant’)

Our babies are already immunized – A Beautiful Design.

And a final note about vaccination (just because ‘they’ tell us our children need it…)

Drugging our babies – is it really an act of conscious parenting?

This can be a hotly debated topic, to vaccinate or not to vaccinate? Vitamin K or no vitamin K? The following is a brief look at the design that is already in place to ensure your child’s immunity, or rather general wellbeing and vitality.

Vitamin K

Vitamin K that occurs naturally is an essential component of blood clotting. It is naturally low in breastmilk, however it is very high in colostrum. 

Why? – The synthetic form of the vitamin is given either as an injection or as 2 oral doses. It is routinely offered to all newborns in the medical model of birth due to the concern over VKDB (Vitamin K Deficiency Bleeding, also known as haemorrhagic disease in the newborn).  This disease occurs in 10 out of every 100,000 babies. It can occur up to 12 months of age & there are 3 forms;

1. ‘early’ (0-24 hours after the birth) –rare, mainly occurs in mothers who took anti-coagulant drugs during pregnancy.
2. ‘classical’ (1-7 days after)
3. ‘late’ (1-12 months after, although peak onset is before 8 weeks).

In any of its forms, VKDB is more likely to occur if there has been birth trauma (such as internal foetal monitoring and instrumental delivery), suffocation/asphyxia, or prematurity (if born in a medically managed birth). Antibiotics may also increase the risk due to disruption of bowel flora.

What happens naturally? -  Vitamin K1 is naturally transferred across the placenta in very low amounts. Vitamin K2 is manufactured by the infant bowel flora and therefore production is low until colonization occurs (during the birth process and with the consumption of colostrum). In a natural unhindered birth there is a rare likelihood of baby bleeding.  Colostrum is extremely rich in vitamin K.

Our babies are already immunized – A Beautiful Design.

“In the colostrum of the first few hours there are millions of immune-active cells per cubic millimeter..these neutralize and digest the most dangerous of germs. The most copious antibodies, called IgA, cannot be made by the newborn itself and are not brought by the placenta…Colostrum is in fact an army able to suppress any kind of infection..”  (Dr Michel Odent)

A baby’s immunity to the ‘germ warfare’ of the outside world is actually passed on in a beautiful continuum of symbiosis from the mother. Many antibodies such as the immunoglobulin IgG are passed through the placenta during pregnancy, however for the journey to the world beyond a child will eventually need her own defense. When we speak of the ‘immune system’, we acknowledge that there are specialized cells that control and subdue microbes that have ‘gone too far’, however we also acknowledge that the immune system by and large is a reference to the efficient functioning of the overall body and its ability to process and eliminate waste products and toxins through specific pathways of detoxification and elimination. In a word it refers to our general vitality. 

During birth as babe makes her way down the birth canal she literally swallows the beneficial flora living in her mother’s vagina which then begins to colonize her own gut and lays the foundation for defense in the outside world. As she then suckles that first liquid gold – Colostrum from her mother in those precious 48 hours after birth the nutrients and antibodies in that further work to build a healthy immune system. Despite the fact that we have numerous tissues, glands and organs which manufacture specific immune cells, the seat of our immunity largely resides in our gut.

A baby is born with a purposefully designed ‘leaky gut’ or perforated gut lining. This is to ensure that the antibodies and other immune cells in her mother’s colostrum and milk can pass directly through into her blood stream. These cells are proteins. When we introduce solids or formula (foreign proteins) before the gut has naturally sealed (as indicated by the eruption of teeth)  this sets up an allergic or immune response whereby the body tries to eliminate something it does not recognize. The ingredients in vaccines are also foreign proteins. 

With such a well-designed & ingenious establishment of immunity in our child we may be surprised to learn that the immune boosting properties of breastmilk actually continue for as long as the child breastfeed. If left to naturally wean this may mean for up to 4 years.

Clearly this design is reliant on instinctive parenting. It is also indicative of the fact that mother & baby are really two souls of the same being for at least the first 3 years of life.

And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.

Genesis 1:31

Many parents are deciding not to vaccinate their children. Some due to increasing evidence of adverse reactions, often life changing, others for the following reasons;

• The immune system (and therefore the gut) is not fully developed, neither is the brain or nervous system. If a vaccine of such an amount is given, the baby’s immature immune system will be working tirelessly to sort it out, leaving itself vulnerable to other, potentially more dangerous infections.

I would have to argue from a Natural Hygiene perspective, are we ever ready, even as adults, for such a bombardment of toxin to our systems? Is this in the best interest of our health at any age?

• In accordance with Natural Hygiene, we know that ‘germs’ themselves do not cause disease or illness. The expression of childhood and other disease is that of the body attempting to cleanse itself of accumulated waste due to poor lifestyle habits. Specific viruses and bacteria found in proliferation at the scene of the crime are in fact acting as scavengers, such as flies at a rubbish dump. If we consume a healthful diet and practice a healthful lifestyle and raise our children likewise then illness will be minimal and in accordance with the body’s ability to heal itself.  The mode of entry of all vaccines, except perhaps the Oral Polio vaccine is certainly not how we acquire new microbes nor is it how disease occurs naturally.

• Vegan and kosher parents baulk at the idea of vaccination due to the fact that some of the vaccines have been cultured on chicken embryos or passed through animals such as cows, horses and monkeys. In 1966 the rubella component of the MMRII vaccine was cultured from ‘human foetal lung tissue obtained from a foetus aborted at approximately 3 months gestation’.

Along with these concerns are concerns as to the effects that different preservatives in the vaccines such as mercury and aluminium have on children in the short or long-term. Even if the preservatives are considered ‘inactive’, these heavy metals have been found lodged in brain and gut tissue of susceptible individuals who experience Autism and other developmental disorders and unfortunately these cannot be so readily excreted from the body.

• The theory is well meaning but in the current push for mass vaccination, many parents would like to know ‘why a vaccinated and therefore supposedly ‘protected’ child be kept away from an unvaccinated child? Who is at risk here- surely not the one who is vaccinated?’ if vaccination gave the protection it is claimed to give, no person vaccinated against a disease can get that disease from an unvaccinated person.’

• Another problem arises in the fact that most of the vaccines given to children contain ‘attenuated’ live viruses. This means that the virus has been diluted through physical or chemical processes, often by the repeated passage through cells of another species. The concern here is that the virus (or cell debris), whether this be man-made or of animal origin contained in the vaccines can often be different from the wild strain encountered in nature and therefore different to the strain that a child would naturally acquire.

• There is also the environmental impact to consider. Most pharmaceuticals including vaccines have relatively long ‘half-lives’ meaning that they don’t readily break down and their constituent chemicals continue to be active long after they have been excreted from the body. There is a warning that should be (but mostly isn’t) issued for children who have received vaccines for the measles, mumps, and rubella as well as pertussin (whooping cough) and polio, that these children should be kept in quarantine for up to two weeks after the vaccine is administered because as these are considered ‘live’ or attenuated viruses the children are therefore considered ‘contageous’. In society groups that largely live the same lifestyle we can then see how ‘epidemics’ occur. Now imagine all of those soiled disposable nappies going into landfill. With the rain and the continual piling up of waste these chemicals and activated tissue often then leach into the water table. Once these get into the waterways they then go on to cause untold damage to fragile ecosystems. 

Even if you choose not to vaccinate, what are you intending to feed your children when they wean? Please be aware that animal products whether flesh or dairy will also contain vaccines as well other pharmaceuticals such as antibiotics and growth hormones which are typically stored in their tissue and milk.

An informed choice begins with having the knowledge of your child’s development, knowing what your child is being subject to and knowing all of your options.

I personally chose not to vaccinate my children. I believe firmly in the exquisite design of the birth process and breastfeeding as well as practising a healthy Natural Hygiene-based lifestyle. My children have experienced only robust health & vitality with minimal seasonal head colds that lasted no more than 36 hours. Please see the resource section for further information on raising healthy children.

If you would like further detailed information on vaccination, including the manufacturer’s guidelines, study results, and ingredient listings, as well as alternatives please follow-up the resources listed. Please be aware that the manufacturer’s guidelines, ingredients, clinical studies and side-effects of ALL pharmaceuticals including vaccines are available to the public. Your state or local university library and your local GP all have copies of the MIMS Annual. This is a book that details every pharmaceutical currently available in Australia (international equivalents are also available). Do some research, ask to see this reference at your local library or doctor’s office and make an informed choice.

Tripping through the Booby Fruit Jungle

The following is an excerpt from my book SolFood: A Recipe for Living Simply & Living Well.

“That the natural food of a baby is its own mother’s milk is so obvious that it hardly needs emphasis” 

Dr Herbert Shelton, The Hygienic Care of Children.

The process of birth as nature intended THROUGH the birth canal also sets the foundation of the child’s optimum health. By passing through the canal, the baby picks up the beneficial flora living there that in turn populate the baby’s gut and lays an important foundation in healthy digestive and immune integrity. Children born by a caesarean surgical procedure definitely benefit from breastfeeding in the newborn period. (I have also known women who ask for a vaginal swab to be wiped onto her nipples after the surgery so the babe still acquires the beneficial flora when he/she first latches on) When the child is born, this physiological exchange between mother and child continues in a beautiful picture of symbiosis, with breastfeeding being the all-important but often missing link. 

The child’s newborn digestion is still somewhat immature. After all it hasn’t had to rely on these processes in the womb. The newborn stomach has a near neutral pH, and pepsin (the enzyme that breaks down protein) is typically low for the first several months. This means that proteins tend to escape breakdown in the newborn stomach and are absorbed directly into the intestinal lumen (lining). This lack of digestive ability means to ensure the increased survival of antibodies in the mother’s milk, including those in colostrum (the first substance produced immediately after birth. This continues for around 3 days until the milk proper comes in). Breast-fed infants are therefore more resistant to intestinal infection than the unfortunate formula-fed baby. Which, given the principles of disease development we now know why. Babies receive antibodies both before and after birth. Coupled with this inability to break down proteins, it has also been found that the baby is born with an intentional ‘leaky gut’ enabling these proteins to pass through the intestinal lining.

While food allergies may be passed on during the pregnancy, allergies, intolerance and underlying toxaemia may also develop due to either one or a combination of factors such as vaccination, antibiotic use, formula feeding and/or introducing solids too early. While it is beyond the scope of this book to fully argue the case against vaccination, it can be surmated that the neonatal immune system up till two years is immature and largely incapable of dealing with such a massive onslaught of foreign matter plus the usual cocktail of neurotoxic additives such as mercury. As a whole, it must be remembered that vaccination really replaces the best ‘immunisation’ a child will ever get, and that is through extended breast-feeding. Not to mention the essential colostrum a child receives to begin this wonderful gift. In regards to vaccination, however, what defense does a child have against foreign proteins (such as with introducing solids too early) when their fledgling immune system (or delicate vitality) has already been grossly compromised?

In 1974, Dr John W Gerrard wrote, ‘we presumed that the function of breast milk was little more than the provision of nourishment. We now know that breast milk also provides effective protection, more effective than antibiotics, against certain common enteric pathogens, and that it can also be expected to provide relative freedom in infancy from allergic disease, a growing problem of modern feeding habits.’

The WHO (World Health Organization) recommends that children be breastfed until at least two years of age. In many ‘primitive’ cultures it is not uncommon for mothers to breastfeed their babies for the first 4 years of life. As we know that this exchange doesn’t just stop at the immune enhancing qualities of colostrum, but adapts to the daily needs of the growing child. 

The use of antibiotics in infancy (often to counteract side effects of vaccines) can also lead to the development of health problems by stripping the baby’s gut of the fragile colonization of beneficial gut flora as well as damaging the gut environment. Although the mechanism of how it occurs is poorly understood beneficial gut bacteria has also been shown to be transferred in breast milk as well as during the birth process as mentioned above.

While vaccination and antibiotics certainly increase the chances of toxic build-up and subsequent health concerns such as allergies, ear, nose, and throat infections etc, the early introduction of solids, in particular cereals and animal products can bear significant contribution to poor health and on-going health problems. As discussed above, a baby’s digestive ability is unable to breakdown proteins in order to process the mothers’ donated antibodies. If foreign proteins are fed to the infant the proteins can escape digestion and due to their ‘foreign’ status can generate an immune response or in Natural Hygiene speak – contribute to toxaemia and illicit a ‘detox’ reaction. 

It is said that when a baby has his/her first couple of teeth, it is a sign that the gut has ‘sealed’ and the digestive ability has somewhat normalized. I erred on the side of caution and waited until my son was nine months before introducing solids, albeit a banana. (He had about four teeth by then and was asking for the banana) Breast milk was the main staple for the first 18 months with all 3 of my children. They have been breastfed for 3.2 years, 2.5 years, and the youngest ongoing, respectively. They all enjoy robust health & vitality.

It saddens me to see product labels advocating food (cereal or dairy-based, or even worse -meat) suitable for 3-4 months old. The importance of breastfeeding cannot be stressed enough. If for any reason there are concerns over this, please do your child a favour and consult a qualified natural health care professional or La Leche League or the Australian Breast Feeding Association.

If you have a genuine inability to breastfeed your child, or produce enough breastmilk the next best thing is a wetnurse or human milk donation. A brilliant organization called Eats on Feets at www.eatsonfeets.org has been established to meet the needs of these mothers and babes. It uses Facebook as it’s platform and is organized into local groups where mothers can get to know each other personally. Fed via a supplementary tube along with the usual act of breastfeeding, the babe and mother continue to experience all the benefits of the breastfeeding relationship.

So, when is the best time to introduce solids? In a La Leche League newsletter, Margaret Kenda offered some sound advice;

‘Your baby can tell you just when supplemental food is a very good idea and when the time has not yet come. Here are some signs that your baby is ready, physically and emotionally:· Your baby can sit up, with support. Your baby has control of his head and neck.· Your baby has plenty of saliva to begin digestion of food.· Your baby has the ability to transfer food from the front to the back of the mouth. Your baby’s throat muscles have developed a stronger, more mature swallowing ability. Babies are born with a tongue-thrust reflex, so that their instinct is to push food outward and forward. That’s survival instinct, so that the baby will not choke on food or other substances. This instinct disappears after about four months, when the baby has developed other options, such as chewing and swallowing.· Your baby has a tooth or two. This should be at five to seven months old.· Your baby is capable of refusing food. The ability of turning away and indicating a negative decision does not develop until the baby is about five months old.· Your baby likes to imitate other people. Your baby is showing distinct interest in other people’s food. Your baby reacts with interest to the sights, sounds, and odours of cooking.· Your baby can reach and handle and perhaps try to taste or eat-food, toys, and other objects.· Your baby is not ill and has no rashes, including actual teething.’

Contrary to popular belief and unwanted advice, introducing solids or formula won’t make your baby sleep better at night, make them grow faster, or provide superior nutrition. The best advice for introducing solids however, is to follow your child's lead. There is no rush. Allow your child to enjoy the gift of this mothers love for as long as she wants. She will let you know when other fruits are desired as well. I have found that the best foods to begin introducing solids are soft fruits such as avocado, mashed banana, and young blended coconut flesh. Karen Ranzi and Anne Osborne both list suitable options in their books (listed under resources).

At the time of writing, I have now been breastfeeding for a total of 8 years. While I firmly believe that for those of us who weren’t breastfed, a low fat raw vegan diet (with lots of coconut water!) and lifestyle is by far the most optimal way to live in terms of healing and ‘compensation’ if you will, I also firmly believe that this way of living is also highly beneficial to breastfeeding mothers. 

While pregnancy and birth require extra calorie/fuel requirements, breastfeeding mothers require almost double. 

Mums, it is REALLY important to meet your calorie needs. This will benefit your energy levels, how much milk you produce and your ability to cope physically, mentally, and emotionally.

I have actually found that when I consume around 4000 cals/day (40 bananas worth, for example) I THRIVE. Why is this so? When I calculate my calorie needs with online calculators based on my weight, age, height, activity levels I tend to come in around at 2500-3000 cals. 3000 for when I’m cycling, doing P90X, yoga, zumba, etc. This also factors in breastfeeding which is given the standard calorie output of 300 cals/day. Going by this standard is a health hazard! 

Why???  Breastfeeding is a supply and demand issue. The more your baby/child feeds = the more milk you will make = the more calories you will burn. As the composition of the breast milk changes on a feed by feed basis depending on the needs of the growing child, output will also change. 

 I believe that these equate to dramatic changes in calorie need in the mother if one chooses to feed to term (IE: until the child self-weans) because you are also meeting the needs of growth spurts and other developmental milestones like teething. Oftentimes a mother that feeds on cue will find that during these times of growth she will be feeding almost twice as much, even if the child is eating other foods. I cannot overemphasize the importance of this. Mothering IS formal exercise.

Adopt a low fat raw vegan diet and follow a natural hygiene based lifestyle. This is the most optimal lifestyle for anyone but ESPECIALLY for women during the childbearing year.  This will give your body and your baby the most optimal nutrient intake and set you both on the path for wellness for the rest of your parenting life and your child’s life.  This way of living will reduce the toxaemic load that accumulates from ingesting chemicals, damaging grains, and toxic animal products to name but a few. Again, I must reiterate that you eat as much as you care for on this diet. A frugivore lifestyle isn’t about restriction, it’s about abundance. Getting most of your calories from sweet juicy fruit will allow you to feel a fruitfulness of your spirit that can only be conducive to conscious parenting and child-rearing.

The Basic Tenets of Conscious Parenting – a new paradigm that is as old as time.

Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all you that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all you that mourn for her:
That you may nurse, and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations; that you may drink deeply, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory.
For thus says the LORD, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream: then shall you nurse, you shall be borne upon her sides, and be dandled upon her knees.
As one whom his mother comforts, so will I comfort you; and you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.                                                                                                                                                 Isaiah 66:9-13

 ‘…we proved to be gentle among you, as a nursing mother cares for her own children”  

2 Thessalonians 2:7 

(Incidentally, in verse 11 of the same chapter Paul also says” we exhorted and encouraged everyone you as a father does his children.”) 

Science has now proven that a child continues its gestation for 9 months after the birth. This is called the ‘in-arms phase’, and refers to the need for a baby to be carried close to her mother or fathers heart as much as possible (if not all the time and this would by extension follow onto co-sleeping) and to be exclusively breastfed. At 9 months of age there is a significant increase in a child’s digestive enzymes which indicate a shift in attachment and developmental needs.

 You carried your child in your womb, tucked safely under your heart for a period of time, nurturing her with your body, mind and soul.  Just as your body instinctively knew how to give birth, you also know deep down how to meet your baby’s needs. Just as we explored in the concept of the being Heart an Organ of Perception.  A newborn’s cry is designed to pierce your very soul. The following suggestions are really reminders, permissions for you to attend to that cry in love. To ignore it and let your baby ‘cry it out’ (as in controlled crying/comforting) is exceptionally dangerous. These suggestions are also especially pertinent to children who were born earlier than expected & those with special needs. Fathers these reminders intimately involve you as well.

The Babymoon -  

What has come to be known as the babymoon is a period of seclusion for the new family or for mother & baby specifically and has been present throughout history in many cultures around the world. It is only in recent times in the West that this practice has fallen by the wayside, much to the detriment of mothers & babies.  

• It is a period of time (either 7 days, or in some cultures such as mentioned in the Bible, 40 days for boys, 70 days for girls) for baby to transition into the family, & to bond with the family,  & for mum & babe to get into a rhythm of the outward expression of their symbiotic relationship.
• Some families choose to practice Lotus Birth to create a sacred space & babymoon.
• During this time only immediate family members and very close friends are invited into the family space..they bring meals, do light housework, help mum with older siblings if dad has gone back to work, any jobs that need doing so the family can spend time adjusting gently & in peace. In other words, like the birth, they are not just there to come & see the new baby..but to actually offer some much appreciated support.
• When baby is kept at home, he /she is exposed only to that environment…the environment he was used to in the womb & the environment that will be his home from now on. He is not ready for the onslaught & stimulation of the outside world yet…
• It is also an important time for mum to recover after the birth & gives her permission to get rest and take time out. Your baby is only new once..cherish this time.

Breastfeeding

Human milk is meant for Human Babies. Breasts secrete Colostrum in the last few weeks of pregnancy (then produce milk from the 3^rd/4^th day after birth)…& babies are born with a sucking reflex.

• Colostrum contains vital immune properties that protects your baby in the immediate period after birth from any infection, & in your baby’s long term immunity & health.
• Breastmilk contains the exact ratio & composition of macro- & micro-nutrients for your baby, & this composition ingeniously changes on an hourly & daily basis according to your baby’s developmental needs.
• It enhances bonding, security, & comfort, creating loving & secure adults later in life.
• Breastmilk contains calming properties if your child is hurt or upset.
• It reduces the risk of obesity, asthma, respiratory & ear infection, food allergies, & osteoporosis in later life.
• Promotes the release of Oxytocin that helps mum’s uterus tone after the birth, & also promotes release of endorphins to reduce the risk of post-natal depression.
• Reduces the risk of breast cancer in mums.
• Encourages brain development, teeth, jaw, & speech development in babe.
• Breastfeeding burns calories helping mum get back to her pre-pregnancy weight.
• Breastfeeding/breastmilk is convenient, sterile, & free.
• Breastfeeding brings families closer together & helps with confidence in mothering.
• Breastmilk promotes healthy digestion in babies (a healthy gut is the seat of a healthy immune system). Breastmilk is a living food.

Breastfeeding is partly instinctive & partly a learned skill but confidence comes with practice & persistence. Be aware that your birth experience may also have an impact on the establishment of the breastfeeding relationship,….so be patient.  In the latter weeks of pregnancy, ‘practice’ breastfeeding with a doll by trying out positioning etc..get the feel for the reality of breastfeeding. What does this bring up for you?

• Many issues associated with breastfeeding (such as sore nipples, mastitis, etc) can be prevented by sound attachment. 
• Breastfeeding is a supply & demand mechanism. Many women have complained of being unable to breastfeed due to their milk simply drying up. Unfortunately on further exploration of why this happened  is largely due to the detrimental practice of scheduled feeding, instead of feeding when babe communicates he is hungry. Once breastfeeding is established it is interesting to notice that at certain times of the day you may experience a let-down reflex & your breasts will feel full & tingly. This may be in response to your baby crying or it may be around the time that your babe fed the day before.
• When you are breastfeeding, it is a good idea for you to have a drink at the same time, in order to rehydrate. Sit back & relax. It is a wonderful time for simply taking time out & resting, & enjoying your baby.
• Fathers support of breastfeeding is also crucial to the mother-baby relationship & to the confidence of new mothers. Mature men realize that their women are simply fulfilling an act of motherhood..there is no room for jealousy. If issues are likely to arise for fathers it is a good idea to explore these when you explore your core beliefs around men, women, birth, etc.  

       

Co-sleeping

When most women give birth they will instinctively wish to keep their baby close to them at all times, including sleeping with him/her. This is not wrong. 90% of the world’s population share a bed with their babies & children. Again it is only in recent times in the West (within the last 150 years in the upper classes) that the practice of separating ourselves from our babies has become the norm. Again, we have come full circle & science is starting to prove that God knows best in terms of the benefits to the baby & the dangers of separation in the early years.

• helps to regulate a baby’s breathing.  Studies have shown that mums & baby’s who sleep together often synchronise their breathing. As a new baby has an erratic breathing cycle during sleep, co-sleeping helps to establish regular patterns. 
• helps baby to have her needs met (with little communication), many mums who co-sleep report nursing their baby instinctively while they are still in ‘twilight’ sleep - a bonus for mum not having to get up during the night & missing out on vital sleep,
• helps to regulate baby’s sleep cycle, 
• provides security for the baby. Your baby has just heard your heart beat, your breathing sounds for the last 9 months..if continued outside the womb this is re-assuring for the baby. 
• the natural activity during sleep (eg: changing positions etc) appears to naturally guide the baby into positions that when coupled with the breathing regulation reduces the risk of SIDS. 
• Studies have shown that co-sleeping availability in children up to t he age of 5 enhances brain development.
• Co-sleeping does not create a ‘rod for your own back’. Like breastfeeding & babywearing it provides a loving family life & lays down the blueprint for children to develop into emotionally secure & compassionate adults. 

 There are numerous ways to co-sleep with your baby/children. Some parents place baby on their own ‘bed’ (eg: a bunnyrug covered lambskin) in between the parents in the ‘big bed’; others place a cot with one side down up against the  mothers side of the bed; while other families dispense with the usual set up & have wall to wall mattresses in their bedroom – such as the double mattress with a single next to it. Co-sleeping is as individual as the family practicing it. As the child/children grows, other families have ‘nests’ (mattresses) in the bedroom, giving older children the option of coming & going as they please. 

Parents who co-sleep still find ways and means of resuming their pre-parent sexual life amid the family. Our brain is the sexiest organ in our body. Use your imagination. 

Babywearing

The following 43 reasons is complied from the work of Ashley Montagu Ph.D, Jean Liedloff, and various child development researchers.

1.  Baby-wearing recreates the oneness of the baby and mother that existed in the womb which is absolutely necessary for proper development of the infant and the mother's levels of mothering hormone, prolactin.

2.  Baby-wearing provides fathers a way to share the nurturing as well as enhances bonding in the family.

3.  Baby-carrying helps the baby maintain equilibrium and provides movement to the baby in all three directions, essential to proprioception (body awareness).

4.  Baby-carrying provides the natural rhythm of movement and tactile stimulation that small babies need for proper neurological development. Constantly carried babies fall asleep quickly in the comfort of their sling - some babies may always fall asleep while carried.

5.  Baby-carrying stimulates optimal development of the cerebellum of the brain, the only part of the brain that continually increases in cells as the baby gets older.

6.   Baby-carrying enables the mother to be acutely responsive and aware of her baby's cues and signals.   Baby-carrying increases maternal sensitivity and heightens parent's perceptions of their children's needs. Mothers become so sensitive to their baby that they can anticipate hunger needs, waking, and the need for a clean diaper.

7.  Baby-carrying holds baby securely leaving the parent's hands free for working at a desk, in the kitchen or garden, or shopping at the market.

8.  Baby-carrying allows the baby to be an active participant in the walking, talking, laughing, movement, and working of the parent without being the centre of attention.

9.  Baby-wearing in a sling or backpack is the most comfortable and easy way to hold baby on the parent's shoulders, backs and hips. Baby-wearing distributes weight evenly from parent's shoulders to hips and aligns baby's center of gravity as close to parent's body as possible.  Plastic carseat carriers create severe torsion and strain in the caregiver's back and arms, and an unnatural gait.

10. Baby-carrying develops the back muscles necessary to carry the baby and corrects posture in the caregiver.

11. Babies are easy to wear and parents learn to relax and touch, even if they were not touched often as children or are awkward with physical intimacy and closeness.

12. Carrying infants lowers the level of stress hormones and adrenalin circulating in the blood stream of the infant, as well as the parent/caregiver.

13. Infants who are not carried can be at risk for the brain pathways that modulate pleasure being improperly or incompletely developed, and thus prone towards addiction later in life.

14. Babies that are carried develop a strong bond with their mothers and a solid emotional security pattern in the foundations of their psyche.

15. Baby carrying greatly reduces crying and fussiness (one study reported in the 1986 Paediatrics Medical Journal found 43% less crying during the day and 51% less at night), mothers feel more competent and nurturing toward their infant and are less likely to act in abusive ways towards their children.  This author found that baby-carrying resulted in crying less than 1% of the time for the first year of the baby's life.

16. Continuously carried infants actually initiate separation faster and become more emotionally self-reliant.

17. Baby-carrying creates autonomy as well as a healthy development of physical intimacy and touching between parents and children. Baby-carrying gives healthy messages of touching to children and they learn to give and receive affection and touching in healthy ways. Carried infants are less likely to have sexual problems later in life.

18. Babies who are touched and carried continuously develop larger brains than infants who are denied this stimulation.

19. Babies who are carried have a lower mortality rate than infants who are denied this constant contact.

20. Baby-carrying greatly benefits premature infants and lowers their mortality rate (called Kangaroo Care in Neonatal nursing). This should be practiced ideally 24/7 along with exclusive breastfeeding . If babe is too young to breastfeed then expressed breastmilk can be given via a supplemental tube or on a spoon. It is most important for the baby-wearing to be skin-to-skin during this time. Premature babies who are cared for in this way have greater survival and growth rates. For more information on prematurity please see the resource section.

21.  Babies who are carried cry less, smile more, are less prone to vomiting and spitting up.

22. Infants who are carried experience reduced or little incidence of colic.

23. Carried babies experience an enhanced degree of bonding with their caregiver.

24. Baby-carrying allows parents to accomplish their day-to-day activities and still be in close physical contact with their babies.

25. Baby-carrying develops bonding and attachment between parent and child, shows love and affection, and parental-child love is expressed and actively demonstrated on a constant basis.

26. Baby-carrying tells children they are loved, safe, secured and cared for.

27. Baby-carrying creates children that are more involved in their parent's life and more likely to be involved in their own lives and less isolated as adults.

28. Baby-carrying allows children to be AT the center of activity rather than being the center of attention, which is a healthy atmosphere for development of empathy, affection and a healthy sense of self.

29. Baby-carrying offers constant and easy access to the infant's food source, mother's breastmilk.

30. Babies sleep comfortably and for longer periods of time while carried.

31. Babies who are carried have a solid sense of self-esteem and independence.

32. Carrying of the infant is the most important factor responsible for the infant's normal and social development.

33. Baby-carrying is a natural soothing baby tranquilizer which helps fussy or tired infants fall asleep.

34. Baby-carrying stimulates the tactile receptors in the skin, developing muscle tone, increases cardiac output which increases circulation, promotes respiration and aids in digestion.

35.  Baby-carrying on the body provides the elements of pressure, motion, pleasure, warmth, security, sound that is essential to the development of the vestibular nervous system during infant development.

36. Baby-carrying provides the exact level and kind of stimulation an infant requires, energizing their nervous system and providing quiet and calm alertness in the infant.

37. Older infants learn more as they are in a vertical position or semi-vertical position which encourages an alert state of arousal. Baby-carrying develops the muscles needed for the infant to sit, stand and walk. The baby must use his muscles to fight gravity and hold his head up, building necessary muscle strength, control, and coordination.

38. Infants who are carried have less head lag, stronger neck and shoulder muscles, and walk on their own by ten months old versus the average North American walking age of eleven and a half (or more) months. Baby-carrying allows infants to retain the standing/stepping reflex present from birth which they use to push themselves up and grab onto mother.

39. Carried infants experience less vertigo and increased physical agility in adulthood, a superior sense of balance, precision of movement, and an awareness of their position in the space around them.

40. Baby carrying shortens the period that an infant is dependent on his caregiver, and carried infants initiate separation sooner and for longer periods due to their more secure attachment to the parent.

41. Baby carrying constantly allows the baby to complete its extra-uterine gestation period which is needed for the proper development and health of the infant.

42. Baby-carrying creates an intuitive sensitivity that allows mother to anticipate her baby's every mood and need and fully experience the joy of mothering.

43. Babywearing can help reduce the severity of postpartum depression in mothers who have had negative or endocrine-disrupting (epidurals and/or IV pitocin)) birth/delivery experiences, and can help stabilize new mother emotions.

How you carry or wear your baby is up to you as the individual and how often & when. There are many styles of carriers available such as pouch slings, wraps, & backpacks. Mums, dads, older siblings, extended family members & friends can all take part in this wonderful activity & means so much more than pushing babe around in a pram.  Please see the resource section for more information.