A baby's microbiome starts to form even before birth. The term "baby microbiome" refers to the collection of microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other microbes, that reside in and on an infant's body. While in utero, a baby's gut begins to be colonized by microbes from the mother.
These microbes play a crucial role in early development and are essential for the development of a baby's immune system, digestion, and overall health.
Starting the way a baby is born, they’re affected by different microbes in the environment. A vaginal birth transfers the microbes from mom to baby and a cesarean birth exposes the baby to microbes from the surrounding environment, such as the skin and hospital environment.
In the first few years of life, the baby's microbiome continues to change and is influenced by factors such as breastfeeding (breast milk contains various beneficial microbes and compounds that support the growth of healthy bacteria in the gut), diet, environment, and contact with family members and pets.
Being introduced to different settings is essential for a baby’s body to develop and establish a healthy microbiome. The early establishment of a healthy microbiome may reduce the risk of various health conditions, including allergies, asthma, obesity, and autoimmune diseases.
As caregivers, it's our job to create a good environment for our baby to develop a healthy microbiome! Finding ways to introduce them to different surroundings and allowing their body to develop and grow in a healthy way.
As always, it's best to consult with pediatricians and healthcare professionals for personalized advice on promoting a healthy baby microbiome.
Interested in learning more? Click here to grab my guide that is packed full of information and tips for breastfeeding moms!
Autoimmune can mean a lot of different things for different people, but it’s important to remember that we really do have more control than we’ve been led to believe when it comes to feeling good. It’s our job to be educated and learn how we can feel good; because we can!
When you’re a mom it’s not always easy to take that extra care of ourselves that we need to do, especially with an autoimmune. There are hard days and days that we aren’t feeling like our best selves. Food is one of the best ways to take care of yourself because it plays a huge role in so many things. Food can effect your mood, how you feel, your energy levels and more.
Not only is ensuring that YOU get good foods in your body, your family benefits as well! Everyone has different thoughts on how you ‘should’ eat so it’s important to find what feels good for your body. Focus on what triggers a positive or negative response in your body. No matter what you’re eating sourcing it well is incredibly important.
I love visiting our local farmer's market; it's something I truly enjoy doing and the food is so much better for us! Eating local allows you to know exactly what is in the item. So many foods that we can buy on the market today are pumped full of chemicals and things that are not meant to be ingested into our bodies. Finding a source that you know and trust is a game changer.
Visiting our local farmer’s market has actually turned into a family affair for us and it’s so fun! We get outdoors to enjoy the beautiful day and we’re able to teach our son the importance of finding good foods to serve our body. It’s truly a win/win for us!
As someone with an autoimmune, it’s important that I’m mindful of what I’m putting into and on my body and that I’m taking extra care of myself. Especially being a breastfeeding mom, I need to keep myself healthy for my munchkin.
It’s so unfortunate that in today’s society, we can’t trust what is in the products we use. I’m consistently having to be mindful of the products I’m using and ensure that what I put in and on my body has good ingredients. Having an autoimmune, means that these toxins can impact our hormonal health and our endocrine system negatively. Toxins can get into our bodies and disrupt the normal processes needed to live in homeostasis (or balance). Exposure to certain toxins can actually cause flare ups!
As someone with an autoimmune, it’s incredibly important to know that these toxins can impact our hormonal health and our endocrine system negatively. (To be fair it’s important for everyone but autoimmune adds another layer). It’s important to take steps to lessen the toxins absorbed into your body or exposed to (as much as we can). With an autoimmune it’s even more important to take extra care of your body, mother or not!
Ingredients to avoid:
• 1,4 dioxane
• ammonium sulfate
• ammonium quaternary compounds
• benzisothiazonline
• BHT
• bleach
• brighteners
• dyes
• ethoxylated ingredients
• formaldehyde
• fragrances
• methylisothiazolinone
• natural fragrances
• nonylphenol ethoxylate
• octylisothiazolinone
• PEGS
• phenoxyethanol
• phosphates
• polysorbate 20,60,80
• sodium lauryl/laureth sulfate
When I started this low tox lifestyle, I went product by product replacing them so that I wouldn’t get overwhelmed. There’s nothing wrong with a slow progression because you’re taking steps to better your home and your health! Your laundry room is a great place to start because you’re absorbing the toxins into your skin all day from the laundry products you use! I can’t tell you what a difference it makes to use good quality products!
*the first thing I replaced was my various cleaners with Thieves cleaner! Once I started doing that, I not only saved money but also supported my immune system!
If you've fallen down the pumpkin hole and need all the pumpkin treats, add this to your list! Grab these cake bites, a warm drink and a cozy blanket and you'll be in pumpkin peace haha. Even though I live where the Sun never stops, I've still been wanting all the pumpkin treats!
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked organic pumpkin puree
- ¼ cup organic maple syrup or honey
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 1 drop Nutmeg essential oil
- 1 drop Cinnamon essential oil
- 1 drop Ginger essential oil
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- 2½ cups organic almond meal
- ¾ cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
1. Place all the ingredients except the almond meal and chocolate chips in a large bowl and whisk together until the mixture is well combined.
2. Then fold in the almond meal with a mixing spoon or spatula and mix for approx. 1 minute until fully combined. The cake mixture will be wet and moist. Taste the mixture and add a little more maple syrup or honey, if you like.
3. Using a tablespoon scoop a heaping spoonful and form into a ball with your palms and repeat until all the batter is gone.
4. Once the balls are formed you can either place add chocolate chips or melt the chocolate and drizzle on top.
5. Serve them immediately or store in an air-tight container for up to 4 days.
Breastfeeding is truly an amazing experience and I’m so grateful for what my body has been able to do. Not only did I grow and birth this sweet little munchkin, but now I’m able to nourish him with my body. Breastfeeding is hands down one of the best things I've done for my little one. Has it been easy? Nope it hasn't.
It takes a toll on your body, as does pregnancy and birth-again things that I am so happy to have gone through-but it does change things. Your boobs become heavy and basically you're at the whim of this adorable little human that you birthed. None of these are bad or anything but it's something that isn't always talked about and even when it is, you don't really know how it's going to feel.
Sometimes breastfeeding can feel completely overwhelming because you’re the only one who can feed the baby. It’s hard to take care of yourself when you’re the sole provider of nourishment for your baby. But that’s exactly why you should be!
Whether you are breastfeeding or not, it's so important for us moms to support our bodies with sleep, water and food. Breastfeeding just adds another level to it!
It can help to learn what foods help your milk supply or what oils help you mentally and physically as well as getting back into movement. Keep water on hand at all times and make sure you’re drinking consistently. A great tip to follow is to drink when the baby drinks! When it comes to food, nutrient dense foods are key for your baby to nourish you and baby.
Lastly, don’t focus on the baby weight. I know it’s easier said than done and you may have heard stories about breastfeeding either helping or hindering weight loss. Just focus on nourishing your body, drinking water and getting movement in when you can; we love to take walks!
I created a guide to help breastfeeding moms along their journey! It's packed with tips, resources, recipes and more to help remove the overwhelm and gain confidence as a breastfeeding mom! No more 2am Google sesh! GRAB IT HERE!
