If there’s one thing I’ve learned these last 10 years, it’s that as a mother we pass on our healthy or unhealthy gut flora, our immune strength or weakness, our toxic burden, and our faulty DNA and genetic expression, onto our precious babies. Whether babies are born with no gut flora, or according to developing research may begin developing gut flora by swallowing amniotic fluid in the womb, and possibly through the placenta, the mother’s flora in her entire digestive tract, and the nutrients she has available in her body and through the foods she eats, create the babies gut flora and therefore their immune health. By passing through the birth canal, being exposed to the world, and through breastmilk, babies gut flora is created. If a mother has a strong, healthy, microbiome, and a strong, healthy immune system, as well as a plethora of available vitamins and nutrients their baby will inherit the same. If a baby has a family history of allergies, asthma, autoimmune disease, IBS, Crohn’s disease, Celiac’s disease, mood disorders, ADD, ADHD, or a multitude of any other family issues, their immune system is automatically more sensitive than another baby with no family history of these issues. Couple that with a mother with an unhealthy gut microbiome, and a weakened immune system, and you have a very sensitive baby.
These sensitive children act in our world as somewhat of a canary in a coal mine. Up until 1986, canaries were brought by miners into the coal mines to act as a warning system for miners to evacuate. Canaries are more sensitive to the colorless, odorless carbon monoxide and other poisonous gases than humans. If the canaries became ill or died, that would give miners a warning to evacuate.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/story-real-canary-coal-mine-180961570/#CAIeHGetTBY36k3M.99
Similarly, these babies with sensitive immune systems are more sensitive to the toxic burden impressed upon them from the earliest days of their development. They react strongly to these environmental attacks they are exposed to through the air, food, water, vaccines, antibiotics, cleaning products, home products, skincare products, the list goes on and on. Through these environmental attacks these babies toxic load quickly becomes too much for their body to bare, and they develop a plethora of early issues including allergies, asthma, eczema, developmental delays, seizures, autism, speech delays, and even childhood cancer.
These babies and children are here to open our eyes to what we are doing to our planet and to ourselves. We must take heed, and begin to detoxify our lives and our world and give every baby their best chance at their best life.
I learned this early on in my research, and because I knew I wanted a third child, I knew I had to heal my gut, strengthen my immune system, rid my body of candida overgrowth and heavy metal toxicity, fill my body with good bacteria, and completely overhaul my family’s life. We started with our diet, throwing out almost everything in our refrigerator and pantry and replacing it with gluten, dairy, soy, preservative, artificial color and flavor free foods. We switched everything to organic, pastured and grass fed where available. We threw away our non-stick pots and pans and replaced them with stainless steel. We threw away our Tupperware and replaced it with glass containers. We had a water filtration system installed, we purchased organic mattresses, sheets, pillows, towels, anything and everything we could switch. We threw out our toxic cleaning supplies and replaced them with vinegar and baking soda (we have since graduated to Thieves cleaner and baking soda a much better smelling and better option). We threw out candles and replaced them with salt lamps, and have now added diffusers to every room as well. We threw out all of our hair, body, and skincare products and replaced them with non-toxic options. We threw out sunscreen, make-up, everything we could think of and replaced it with non-toxic options. We looked into infrared saunas and hyperbaric oxygen therapy. We turned over every stone.
I had my amalgam filling removed and did a mercury detox (find a holistic dentist or a dentist who follows the Safe Mercury Amalgam Removal Technique to have this done). I followed an anti-candida diet for 3 months to rid my body of candida overgrowth. I began taking probiotics, digestive enzymes, and countless supplements. I worked hard to detoxify and strengthen my body in preparation for my final pregnancy. I knew that by preparing my body I would be able to give my third child the strongest gut, immune system, and the best chance at his best life possible (I knew he would be a boy – mother’s intuition)!
17 weeks pregnant with my third baby. This is the day we found out we were having a boy!!!
Our daughter came to send us a strong message. We listened, and by doing so completely healed our entire family. We are the healthiest we have ever been, we have tools, knowledge, and resources we wouldn’t have known existed, and we continue to learn each day.
If you’re ready to start ditching toxins I am ready to help you! Reach out to me at amystanfordnutrition@gmail.com. If you’re ready to start with ditching those chemical laden cleaning products and switch to Thieves cleaner or ditch any of the items in your home, you can order clean, safe, life giving products here https://www.youngliving.com/us/en/referral/3136396 and I’ll support you with recipes, education, resources, and support.
