Life Force Families – transition foods chart

by natalia | Jan 14, 2022 | Life Force Families

Converting the picky eater/transition foods chart

The below table lists common toxic and non-ideal mainstream foods on the left and their higher-quality upgrades on the right. Although the transition foods on the right are not health generators per se, they are less toxic alternatives to make this lifestyle enjoyable and doable, in the long term. Some people use these foods in the beginning of their transition to get them moving in the right direction, and others use these throughout their lifetime. How you decide to utilize these transition foods depends on your current state of health and your long-term health goals.

This is a great resource to print and take with you when you go grocery shopping or out on the town. Refer to it often, and check back regularly for updated items!

• For more Life Force Families content, click here 

Life Force Families – Preconception

by natalia | Jan 14, 2022 | Life Force Families

Download this page as a PDF

CURRICULUM TOPICS FOR PRECONCEPTION INCLUDE:

• Why Preconception Cleansing is Essential
• Why Both Men and Women Need to Do Their Part
• How to Apply Transitioning Basics to Preconception
• Shopping List Ideas
• Detoxification Tips for Preconception
• When to Go Off Birth Control

If you are reading this now and thinking about starting a family, you are about to receive a precious gift for you and your future children! This is your opportunity to create an amazing foundation for your family-to-be. The longer you are able to cleanse your grateful cells prior to conception, the better. And any amount of time is better than nothing! Never fear that it’s too little too late. You are preparing your body to be a home for your baby, and now is the time to focus on cleansing and strengthening that home to be ready for conception. You are literally pre-protecting your little one.

We are in a state of emergency. Our children are getting sicker and heavier. People in their late teens are suffering from the same conditions that plague people in their 50s, such as joint pain and rheumatism. We should never see these diseases in children under 20, much less in a first grader, yet they are manifesting at earlier and earlier ages. Babies are born with a litany of allergies. Young children are developing cancerous tumors. Why is this happening? In an unclean body, which carries years of toxic accumulation and a poor health lineage, the sperm or egg has compromised blood chemistry. This is passed on to offspring, and with each generation this DNA becomes weaker and weaker.

Healthy humans living in clean air, on clean soil, drinking clean water, and on a diet of fresh fruits and vegetables would not have compromised blood chemistry. Their offspring would be a reflection of their perfect cells. When you start introducing elements that are not meant to be in the body, the cellular structure starts to mutate and the DNA starts to shift. The damages were lighter in earlier generations because the toxic load in soil, water, and food sources were lighter. Cows grazing on clean grass in natural pastures produced a raw milk product that was very different from the milk we typically drink today. Post-industrialization is then thrown into the mix. Our immigrant ancestors arrived in this country coming from clean farm living and eventually adopted the Standard American Diet. Now we have a dire situation.

Cleansing through clean eating and living is no longer a luxury. Cleansing your pre-conception body starts the ball rolling, and you begin your child’s life by giving him or her a huge leg up. Pre-conception cleansing is the best health insurance you can provide. A clean egg meeting clean sperm produces a clean baby. This means that this process is not just for women: it takes two to tango! Viable sperm is just as important as a viable egg.

Let’s use the analogy of soil and seed. A farmer does not take the time to prepare his soil—composting and tilling in fresh fertilizer—only to then plant inferior seeds. Nor does he neglect the soil and then plant carefully cultivated heirloom seedlings in it. Both sides of the equation need to be in place. We should not be surprised that infertility is such a common issue today. In fact, it’s high time we look at this seriously. All of the evidence is right in front of us: if we are not able to conceive, or if we are producing unhealthy offspring, it’s clear that something is seriously amiss. The survival of our species is being threatened. This is not happening randomly. ADD and ADHD, allergies, cancer, childhood leukemia, diabetes, and obesity in preschoolers are realities for a huge number of families. This is not a throw of the dice. This is the result of the mindless mass consumption of substances that are unfit for the body.

Here’s the good news: making dietary and lifestyle changes can be fun and easy! When we embrace a cleansing lifestyle, we don’t dive full-throttle into an all-vegan, raw diet. In fact, we operate outside those labels. We make a graceful, intelligent transition, with full awareness of where we’re coming from and where we want to go. This is the time to begin wading slowly into cleansing water. You can dive right in, in terms of your determination and conviction, but transition your body gently and slowly. Are you ready? Let’s get started.

Note: The great thing about pre-conception cleansing is that you are still outside the realm of critique in many ways. Once you become pregnant, you’ll find your nutrition program to be under much higher scrutiny. Right now, you don’t yet have to listen to the mother-in-law, spouse, or friend who doesn’t think you’re eating enough meat or drinking enough milk. You have freedom from prying eyes and criticism.

First, take the adult Assessment Survey and calculate your transition level. Follow the instructions for your transition level and apply as many of the dietary principles as possible. Gather your supplies of Transition Foods per the shopping list below, and incorporate as many of the Transition Ideas (also provided below) as you can into your diet

SHOPPING LIST OF TRANSITION FOODS

• Fresh fruit, including berries, apples, pears, melon, bananas, and anything delicious that is in season
• Fresh veggies, including greens, broccoli, carrots, beets, eggplant, cabbage, and any other favorites
• Starch-based vegetables, including sweet potatoes, yams, acorn squash, butternut squash, and kabocha squash
• Whole-grain pasta, including Spelt, Kamut, and Quinoa varieties
• Sprouted-grain breads, bagels, tortillas, and cereals
• Whole-grain snacks, including Ak-Mak crackers, Guiltless Gourmet tortilla chips, and Terra Veggie Chips
• Whole grains, including millet, quinoa, buckwheat, and wild rice
• Raw honey, stevia, organic pure maple syrup
• Sea salt
• Nama Shoyu soy sauce
• Marinara sauce without added sugar (such as Seeds of Change)
• Organic Dijon mustard
• Sulfur-free dried fruits, seeds, and nuts, including Lara Bars, pumpkin seeds, raisins, dates, walnuts, almonds, and other favorites

TRANSITION IDEAS

• Substitute your processed flour breads and bagels with sprouted-grain options. Alvarado St. Bakery and Ezekiel make sprouted-grain tortillas, breads, bagels, and English muffins.
• Start to incorporate big, fresh salads into your diet. Try an avocado salad accompanied by a sprouted-grain bagel with butter and honey.
• Begin your day with a veggie juice, even before you eat breakfast. Play with combinations that please your palate, and add stevia to sweeten the deal.
• Eat more fresh fruit. Having fruit for breakfast on an empty stomach is such a delicious and energizing way to start the day.
• Replace sugar and artificial sweeteners with stevia, organic maple syrup, and raw honey. Drizzle syrup over your berries, add stevia to your juices and salad dressings, and enjoy honey on your sprouted-grain toast.
• Switch out your oils. For cooking, use organic butter or coconut oil. And high quality, cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil is a great addition to your salads.
• Choose healthy condiments. Marinara sauce with no added sugar, organic ketchup, organic Dijon mustard, and Nama Shoyu soy sauce are delicious with your new snack and meal options.

Note: Many women worry about weight gain during pregnancy. If you properly prepare your body for pregnancy beforehand and maintain cleanliness throughout pregnancy, there is no reason why you shouldn’t have a better body after pregnancy than you had before. The concept of ruining your figure with pregnancy is part of mainstream thinking, because if you follow the Standard American Diet, it will most likely be true. Stretch marks, sagging, weight retention, pigmentation, gestational diabetes, and developed food sensitivities are not a part of this lifestyle.

Now that you’re prepared, it’s time to dive in and start employing your cleansing principles. You will note that these are the sample principles that we recommend for those who are struggling with infertility, but with slightly different emphases. Whether you are struggling with infertility or not, these are still the best steps you can take to help prepare you for parenthood and create a clear and welcoming space for your future child.

1. Give Your Body a Rest from Digestion

The more your body can rest from the process of metabolizing substances, the more your energy can go toward healing, turning over cells, and cleansing the blood. This means throwing out the false concept of a “fast metabolism.” There is no metabolism per se, which implies an actual, measurable part of the body. The concept more accurately refers to what I call “metabolization”—the act of taking in, breaking down, and eliminating substances. When more substances are going into your body than you can fully process, you become like an assembly line gone amok. You become overloaded and end up spewing matter everywhere!

When you overeat, or eat in combinations your body doesn’t recognize, your body works very hard to adapt. Overworking your system in this way ages you faster and also deteriorates your blood chemistry and DNA, which you will pass to your offspring.

Proper food combining (or eating in “Quick Exit Combinations“) is the best way to give your body a rest. Miscombined foods take about 8 hours to metabolize vs. approximately 3 hours for a properly combined meal. While going through the process of digestion, the food sits and ferments in your stomach at 98.6° Fahrenheit. This heated ball of festering matter feeds bacteria, fungus, and yeast, and it’s all downhill from there.

Eating your meals while sticking to the basic rules of food combing will be a huge step in the right direction. Basically, you only want your meal to include one food category at a time, accompanied by large amounts of neutral raw and cooked vegetables.

2. Flood the Body with Health-Generating Foods

Our job is to alkalinize the body and hydrate old waste matter to get it ready for removal. When these two things take place, you begin to soar. The best thing to consume for alkalinizing the body is pure vegetable juice, always including at least one leafy green. Leafy greens bring chlorophyll, or synthesized sunlight, into the body, giving us the highest energy levels possible.

All raw fruits and vegetables are alkaline and hydrating, so including them with every meal is an important part of the cleansing process. Eating a large salad before every meal, starting your day with raw veggie juice, and opting for fresh fruit for breakfast and snacks are easy ways to start to mobilize old waste and alkalinize the blood.

Note: When blood becomes acidic, the body alkalinizes it by releasing calcium from the bone stores. To grow a baby with strong and healthy bones, keep blood alkaline with plenty of raw fruits and vegetables.

3. Remove the Rubbish

Nothing that you consume can heal the body if its problems are caused by obstructions. An infected splinter cannot be remedied with cream or a Band-Aid. The splinter must be removed for the skin to begin to heal. The same principle holds true for all ailments of the body. As we begin to mobilize the old toxic waste by hydrating it with water-rich, alkaline foods, we can begin to remove the offending obstructions.

Do not be fooled by all of the products at drug stores and health food stores with the word “cleanse” on them. Remember, true cleansing only takes place when waste matter leaves the body. Luckily, we have the tools for waste removal at our disposal. We can use colonics and enemas to gently hydrate waste and send it on its way. This is an imperative part of the process. Alkalinizing and hydrating waste is the first half of the process, and the removal of waste is the second half. One is useless without the other.

Note: Beginning a relationship with a qualified and skilled gravity method colon-hydrotherapist will give you much deeper insights into the workings of your body, and a partnership that can last for many years. Visit our Colon Therapy Directory to find a gravity-method colon hydrotherapist near you. Click here to see our favorite enema option for those times when colonics are not an option.

4. Set the Stage

By beginning this process, you are setting the stage for the whole future life of your child. The seeds are sown during pre-conception. Parents who are socially conditioned with life-deteriorating ideas and who are consuming life-deteriorating substances will very likely end up dealing with a rebellious sixteen-year-old who’s abusing drugs. That child will have internalized sixteen years of untruth in every aspect of his or her teenage life, and will feel broken by it. Sixteen years of unfit substances piled onto compromised genetic lineage, and compounded by unfathomable social limitations, create unlivable conditions.

This is not just about diet. We need to change our thoughts, look at our environment, and evaluate our values. How are we treating each other? What are we going to offer our children? Will they be accessories? Is having a child just something that your spouse wants, or that you feel you’re supposed to do? Or do you actively want to create a person who will truly get to live and thrive on this planet?

Having children is not about getting them into Harvard or having the perfect Pottery Barn crib. We will reap what we sow, and the more we can change our attitudes and weed out bad relationships, the more our blood chemistry will improve. At conception, the baby receives not only the current condition of the mother’s blood chemistry, but also an imprint of the parent’s values as well. Cleansing the physical body is extremely important for healthy conception and pregnancy, but cleansing our emotions, relationships, and lives in general is just as important for the birth of a healthy human being. After all, how can we create vibrant, inquisitive, bright-eyed, healthy children when we ourselves are not vibrant and healthy and receptive to the world of truth? During this pre-conception cleanse, we encourage you to dive into this self-exploration in order to help set the stage for the lives of our unborn children.

5. Practice the Art of Sacred Sexuality

The words “sacred” and “sexuality” rarely go together in our culture. Our concept of sex is generally one of selfish indulgence and lust—which leads more often than not to a feeling of emptiness. We all too rarely approach sexuality with the goal of giving and becoming one with a partner. Conception is far more often the result of either an accident (from a night of intoxication or blind lust) or an overly mechanized, stressful process of temperature taking, pill-popping, and “perfect timing.” Today, conception is rarely the result of the powerful union of male and female, of two human beings expressing their love for each other and sharing their united intention to bring about new life.

True lovemaking, as an art of sacred sexuality, is a lost practice. We’d safely bet that most of you did not learn about this from your parents, your friends, or from Hollywood! However, there are still cultures today (especially ancient cultures) that honor the power, beauty, and balance of male and female sexual energies. The balance of yin and yang, of night and day, and of earth and sun are all metaphors for the perfect whole that results from the union of male and female. Explore this exciting world with your partner in books such as Grant Me a Higher Love by Cindi Sansone-Braff, the entire Anastasia Ringing Cedar Series by Vladimir Megre, Tantra: The Path of Ecstasy by Georg Feuerstein; and Tantric Quest: An Encounter with Absolute Love by Daniel Odier.

When you are ready to have a child, one of the best things you can give your child is the power of your combined intention to bring new life into the world. Learn about this now so that, when the time comes, you are ready to pass this gift along to your child!

IDEAS TO REMEMBER:

• Healthy, clean sperm and eggs make healthy, clean babies
• Pre-conception cleansing is just as important for men as it is for women
• Transitioning to a cleansing lifestyle should be easy and gradual
• For all of your favorite foods, there are health-conscious alternatives that will work during your cleanse
• There is no metabolism per se. Metabolization is the act of taking in, breaking down, and eliminating substances.
• It is important to go off birth control for at least one year before you try to conceive and avoid all non-essential medications.

• For more Life Force Families content, click here 

Life Force Families – Infertility

by natalia | Jan 14, 2022 | Life Force Families

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CURRICULUM TOPICS FOR INFERTILITY INCLUDE:

• What Causes Infertility
• Natural Detoxification Tips for Increasing Fertility Odds
• How Long It Will Take to Become Fertile

WHAT CAUSES INFERTILITY?

We recognize that many of you have spent months or years trying to get pregnant. We extend to you our deepest compassion and respect. We know this has been an emotional, trying, and sometimes desperate time for you. We are here to provide an alternative to expensive, invasive, painful, and ultimately harmful fertility treatments. We hope that you can listen with an open heart and seek the truth that resides in all of us.

We can continue to treat infertility from the outside in with drugs and complicated procedures, but if we do this we continue to treat the symptom and not the cause. We continue to ignore the real questions: Why is my body rejecting pregnancy? Why is something that should be so natural so difficult for me? The answer is not the one your doctor will give you—such as ovulatory dysfunction, tubal infertility, endometriosis, etc.—these are just names that further define the symptom but not the true cause.

There are laws of nature, and as much as we try, we cannot will, trick, or fool nature into seeing things our way. The truth is, women are not getting pregnant because the egg, sperm, and vessel are not healthy enough to create and grow another life. In nature, widespread infertility is the first sign that a species is becoming extinct. Infertility is not simply random or unlucky, or something that we can safely treat with drugs and surgery (although these actions sometimes lead to pregnancy and birth, in the end, we leave our children to contend with the bigger picture).

If you are struggling with infertility, you are not alone. Few people today lead the kind of life that’s optimal for fertility. We have knowingly and unknowingly poisoned our bodies to the extent that many of us are no longer fit to create new life. We have spent decades consuming sodas, white pasta and bread, aspartame-laden yogurts and drinks, hormone- and antibiotic-infused chicken, beef, dairy, turkey, and fish, genetically modified produce, birth control pills and antibiotics, immense volumes of dead and dehydrated processed foods, and recreational, over-the-counter, and pharmaceutical drugs. On top of this, most of us spend our days without sunshine or fresh air, in front of a computer or TV screens in windowless offices and homes. All of this has seemed normal to us because everyone else around us is doing the same thing! However, we are now facing the consequences of this lifestyle squarely in the eye.

We can continue to ignore the signs that we are unfit to continue as a species in the way we are (e.g., rising infertility rates, early onset diabetes, cancer, obesity, etc.) or we can take responsibility and make dramatic changes—changes that will affect not only ourselves in this lifetime, but also our children and our grandchildren and so on, for generations to come.

We believe in treating infertility from the inside out, not the outside in. Our philosophy is about recognizing the interconnected web of all life, recovering as much as possible our most authentic selves, and living in peace and harmony with nature, as Mother Nature intended.

Note: This discussion of infertility is as important for men as it is for women. A farmer is concerned with both the viability of the seed and the fertility of the soil when planting crops. In the same way, we must pay attention to the quality of both the male and the female components. Therefore, the following cleansing tips will be most effective if both the man and the woman incorporate them into their lifestyle. 

“TILLING THE SOIL” FOR NEW LIFE

Although there are a lot of complex factors that have led to the high infertility rates that we’re seeing today, you can take very simple steps to begin undoing the damage that has been done to your body. These steps will not always be easy or convenient to put into practice, but practicing discipline by implementing them in your life will help to prepare you for the self-sacrifice inherent in creating and providing for another life. Consider this the ultimate training ground!

1. Flood the Body with Health-Generating Foods 

Take the adult Assessment Survey to assess your current level of toxicity. Follow the instructions for your transition level and apply as many of the dietary principles as possible. At this time, it is extremely important to focus your diet on foods from the Welcome Inclusions and Transition categories of our Food Chart, to completely avoid any substances in the Toxic category, and to minimize substances from the Non-Ideal category.

It is time to undo your learned behaviors and thoughts regarding food. Forget about calories, fat grams, protein, calcium, guilt, and countless other distracting details that you’ve picked up along the way. Learn to celebrate the simple beauty and vitality inherent in fruits and vegetables and their juices. Allow the transition foods, the recipes in our recipe section, and supplemental suggestions to gently assist you in shedding your food addictions. Cultivate a new approach to food—one that allows you to enjoy preparing simple, high-vibration foods for yourself and for loved ones. This is your time to heal, so take the time you need and enjoy the journey.

2. Give Your Body a Rest from Digestion 

The more your body can rest from the process of metabolizing substances, the more energy can go to healing and cultivating fertility. When you overeat, or eat in combinations your body doesn’t recognize, your body works very hard in an attempt to adapt. This overwork makes you age faster and deteriorates your blood chemistry and DNA. This can be a major factor in your inability to get pregnant, and if you do get pregnant (with or without the use of fertility drugs), you will pass along this deteriorated blood chemistry and DNA to your offspring.

Proper food combining is the best way to give your body a rest. Miscombined foods take about 8 hours to metabolize vs. approximately 3 hours for a properly combined meal. While going through the process of digestion, the food sits and ferments in your stomach at 98.6° Fahrenheit. This heated ball of festering matter feeds bacteria, fungus, and yeast, which are the antithesis of fertility and life.

Eating your meals while sticking to the basic rules of food combing will be a huge step in the right direction. Basically, you only want your meal to include one food category at a time, accompanied by large amounts of neutral raw and cooked vegetables. Refer to the Quick-Exit Combinations chart or consult any of Natalia’s books (Raw Food Detox Diet, Raw Food Life Force Energy, or Detox 4 Women) for more details. See below for food categories:

Fruit: Enjoy apples, bananas, oranges, melon, berries, cherries, mangoes, and any other fruits you love. Fruit should be eaten alone, and consumed on an empty stomach. Fruit is ideal as breakfast or as an afternoon snack because you know it won’t be layering on top of something else in the digestive system.

Dried Fruit, Nuts, Seeds: Enjoy Lara Bars, almonds, sesame seeds, dried figs, dates, mature coconut, Brazil nuts, hemp seeds, and more. These are great as a snack, and even more delicious tossed onto a big raw salad for a lunchtime option.

Grain: Enjoy sprouted-grain products, whole-grain pasta, cooked millet, quinoa, spelt, buckwheat, oats, brown rice, crackers, and tortilla chips. A grain meal following a large raw salad will pass through the body quickly. Pasta with marinara sauce, a veggie sandwich with mustard, or chilled quinoa salad are some great options.

Animal Protein: You can have eggs, fish, and goat and sheep cheese. Enjoy these in the company of a big raw salad, and with some baked or steamed neutral veggies such as broccoli or spinach. Try a raw goat cheese salad followed by broiled garlic and ginger fish, with steamed kale. Or a salad followed by a goat cheese and basil omelet.

Starchy Vegetables: Enjoy yams and sweet potatoes, acorn squash, pumpkin, kabocha squash, butternut squash, and cooked corn. Avocado can also combine with this category. Try a big avocado and salsa salad followed by baked sweet potatoes with butter.

Note: The by-products of toxic matter are just as detrimental as the matter itself. Miscombined meals and poor meal choices contribute to the overgrowth of bad bacteria, fungus and yeasts, and carbonic gas. These by-products infiltrate the body on the deepest level, and removing them is a large part of the cleansing process. 

3. Remove the Rubbish

The female body is designed to be fertile, so we must find our way back to our natural state. Colon cleansing is important during this time, as assisting the body in releasing accumulated matter will speed up the process of overall cleansing. Your odds of getting pregnant will be directly related to the degree of accumulated toxicity that you can eliminate. Colon cleansing will open up essential pathways for life force energy to flow.

Getting pregnant and having a healthy full-term pregnancy is dependent on the flow of life force energy from mother to baby, so we want to ensure the passageways are open and free to conduct energy.

Eliminating accumulated waste matter is also important at this time because the impacted colon can press up against the uterus, causing atrophy and preventing pregnancy. The release of the accumulation will also enable the endocrine system to secrete hormones into the bloodstream in a balanced way.

For additional information, see our section on colonics. To find a gravity-method colon hydrotherapist near you, please visit our Colon Therapy Directory. If you cannot find a therapist near you, at-home enemas are a good backup choice for assisting the body in eliminating waste.

Note: Beginning a relationship with a qualified and skilled gravity-method colon hydrotherapist will give you much deeper insights into the workings of your body, and it may well lead to a partnership that lasts for many years. 

4. Detoxify Beyond the Body

The importance of eliminating toxicity is not limited to your body. In order to create an optimum space for new life, you need to do as much as possible to clear the toxicity in all areas of your life, including your relationships and your emotional and spiritual life. We provide many resources here and throughout the larger Natalia Rose Institute site to help you detoxify beyond the body. In particular, we urge you to visit our Recommended Reading page for more educational and inspirational ideas. Here are just a few of our favorite books on the subject of detoxifying beyond the body: Grant Me a Higher Love by Cindi Sansone-Braff, Women Who Run with Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes, and The Power of Silence by Almine.

5. Practice the Art of Sacred Sexuality

The words “sacred” and “sexuality” rarely go together in our culture. Our concept of sex is generally one of selfish indulgence and lust—which leads more often than not to a feeling of emptiness. We all too rarely approach sexuality with the goal of giving and becoming one with a partner. Conception is far more often the result of either an accident (from a night of intoxication or blind lust) or an overly mechanized, stressful process of temperature taking, pill popping, and “perfect timing.” Today, conception is rarely the result of the powerful union of male and female, of two human beings expressing their love for each other and sharing their united intention to bring about new life.

True lovemaking, as an art of sacred sexuality, is a lost practice. We’d safely bet that most of you did not learn about this from your parents, your friends, or from Hollywood! However, there are still cultures today (especially ancient cultures) that honor the power, beauty, and balance of male and female sexual energies. The balance of yin and yang, of night and day, and of earth and sun are all metaphors for the perfect whole that results from the union of male and female. Explore this exciting world with your partner in books such as Grant Me a Higher Love by Cindi Sansone-Braff, the entire Anastasia Ringing Cedar Series by Vladimir Megre; Tantra: The Path of Ecstasy by Georg Feuerstein; and Tantric Quest: An Encounter with Absolute Love by Daniel Odier.

HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO BECOME FERTILE?

Life begets life, so when we really start living, not merely existing, we’ll be in position to bring new life into the world. However, we cannot have a short-term memory. We have been exposing our bodies and minds to toxicity for many years, and reversing this trend and all the damage it has done will not happen overnight. Moreover, it is difficult to estimate how long any one person will need to cleanse because infertility is the result of a complex combination of the following factors:

1. The amount of waste accumulation one currently has in the body
2. The quality of one’s lineage
3. Emotional and/or spiritual stresses that may be prohibiting pregnancy

As difficult as this may be, try to detach yourself as much as possible from the desired end result. Now is the time to focus as much as possible on cleansing your body and clearing your mind. If you apply the cleansing principles described above, even if you don’t get pregnant, you will still be far more physically and emotionally healthy for yourself, for your partner, and for the children you may choose to adopt. In relinquishing attachment to the outcome, you will allow yourself enough time to become ready physically and emotionally for a new life.

Additionally, the current idea that it becomes dangerous to have a baby after the age of 35 is based on our modern mainstream lifestyle and the damage it does to the body. The accumulation of toxicity reaches a critical mass around the age of 35, which increases the risk of miscarriage and unhealthy offspring. However, if you take steps to cleanse your body, you will lengthen the years in which you can produce viable offspring.

Note: Fertility drugs add toxicity to the body, but if you have chosen to take them, it’s still a good idea to cleanse the body at the same time. Cleansing will remove only some of those added toxins, but it will also increase your chances of having a healthy pregnancy and a faster, easier recovery. 

WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM FELINE FERTILITY

A ten-year experiment done from 1932 to 1942 by Francis M. Pottinger (MD) sheds interesting light on the impact of nutrition on our health and fertility. The experiment included 900 cats over four generations, and the cats were divided into five groups. All five groups were supplied the same basic minimal diet, but the major portion of the diets were varied. Two of the groups were fed whole foods (raw milk and meat—real foods for cats). The other three groups were given processed foods and pasteurized, evaporated, and condensed milk.

All four generations of the raw meat and raw milk groups remained healthy throughout their normal life spans. The first generation of all three processed food groups developed diseases and illnesses near the end of their lives. The second generation of all three processed food groups developed diseases and illnesses in the middle of their lives. The third generation of all three processed food groups developed diseases and illnesses in the beginning of their lives, and many died before six months of age. There was no fourth generation in any of the three processed food groups. Either the third-generation parents were sterile or the fourth-generation cats died before birth! Remember, all four generations in the raw food groups were healthy throughout their normal life spans.

Applying his results to human nutrition, Dr. Pottenger said, “While no attempt will be made to correlate the changes in the animals studied with malformations found in humans, the similarity is so obvious that parallel pictures will suggest themselves.”

This study highlights the accumulative effect that poor nutrition can have over generations and sheds light on why we are seeing an increase in diseases in our youth and an increase in infertility even among people of “prime childbearing age.”

• For more Life Force Families content, click here 

Life Force Families – pregnancy

by natalia | Jan 14, 2022 | Life Force Families

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CURRICULUM TOPICS FOR PREGNANCY INCLUDE:

• Common Pregnancy Myths
• Dietary Nuances for the Three Trimesters
• Ideal Daily Diet Ideas and Recipes
• Additional Pregnancy Preparation

INTRODUCTION

In the study of ancient ways, we are reminded that there are many secrets of nurturing and caring for the human body that have been lost over time. The human body, in its purest form, is designed to function perfectly, and pregnancy is one of the most awe-inspiring times to experience that perfection. There is a special, magical way to go through pregnancy and childbirth. This information has been lost over many hundreds of years, but the loss has been accelerated since the Industrial Revolution. All the untruths that we are told by the media and allopathic medicine reflect our post-Industrial Revolution age, and today we are further removed from our naturally intended state that humans have ever been. We want to remind you of the lost traditions of pregnancy and childbirth—to revive information about the most natural of human conditions.

People often talk about buying a house big enough for a family or having enough money in the bank before starting a family. However, taking care of yourself (and this is true for your partner, too) is the biggest gift you could ever give your baby. The perfect Pottery Barn crib, the organized closet of new clothes, and the exact right shade of paint are all fun things to think about, but remember, they are not important in the big picture—and they’re never worth stressing about. So stop worrying about pretty sheets and the pretty clothes. Rather, focus on what is truly important and still largely within your control: a solid foundation of health and vitality for your baby.

Relish the quiet moments and commune with your inner spirit. During this wonderful time, find joy in providing bountiful nourishment to support your baby’s development, and discover ways to envelope yourself with love and gratitude. We women have the honor of carrying life within us, and this should not be thought of as an illness or a burden, but rather a gift worth cherishing with reverence and awe.

COMMON PREGNANCY MYTHS

There are many potentially harmful myths surrounding pregnancy in our culture. We would like to expose several of the myths that pregnant women often tell themselves, and offer alternative perspectives.

Myth #1:

This is a time when I can eat whatever I want.

Alternative Perspective:

This is one of the most important times in my life to be vigilant about what goes into my body.

The purpose of vigilance here is not to be overly concerned about gaining too much weight, but to protect our bodies and those of our growing children from toxic substances. And we are not talking about the usual substances that people already make a big deal of avoiding during pregnancy, such as alcohol, cigarettes, over-the-counter drugs, and even deli meat and sushi—though we should definitely still avoid them! It is amazing that we are told to be so careful about these substances without mention of other substances that could be even more harmful to the developing fetus, such as fast food, sodas, mainstream meat and dairy products, refined sugars, and white bread and pasta. Because the toxicity in the substances we consume at this time will enter into our bloodstream and thus also the placenta, this is a time to strictly avoid anything in the Toxic and Non-Ideal categories of our Food Chart. Focus exclusively on Ideal and Transition items, and eat these to your heart’s content—with the exception of the wine, of course!

Myth #2:

I am eating for two, so I need to double my intake of food.

Alternative Perspective:

Burdening my body with over-consumption will divert energy necessary for the growth of my baby to the process of digestion.

The key here is to listen to your body, eat when you are hungry, and not to fall into the trap of overeating just because you are pregnant! Again, this is not because we are overly concerned with gaining weight while pregnant, but because we want to make sure the body has all the energy it needs to create and support the growing baby. “Eating for two” is not necessary for the health of your child and will only force your body to expend unnecessary energy on digestion. Overeating can also lead to constipation, which can be particularly problematic and uncomfortable during pregnancy.

Myth #3:

My body will never be the same again after pregnancy.

Alternative Perspective:

If I apply the concepts of this lifestyle, I’ll not only be able to get my body back after pregnancy, but I may well have an even better body than I had before!

If you live this lifestyle with consistency, you can have a much better body after pregnancy—no matter how old you are, when you get pregnant, or how many children you have. This will feel effortless for those of you who apply these principles during or before pregnancy, but the same results will also apply for those of you who adopt this way of life after pregnancy. Also, since the outcome of awakening and releasing stored toxicity and waste in the body is accumulative, you will have a better body with every month and every year that you live this way.

You do not have to accept the outcome of a matronly figure, sagging boobs, stretch marks, and aches and pains. If you take care of yourself and follow the principles laid out for you here at Life Force Families, you will easily lose the pregnancy weight, your skin tenacity will come back, and you will look better after pregnancy than you did before!

Myth #4:

If I gain more than 35 pounds, I get to keep it.

Alternative Perspective:

If I pay attention to the key elements of this cleansing lifestyle, I will gain the right amount of weight that my body needs to create a healthy child, and I’ll shed it when I don’t need it anymore.

As hard as this may be at times, it is important that you not stress about what the scale says during your pregnancy. Some women will put on 40 pounds, and others will put on 15–20 pounds. If you are a real lightweight and you eat according to this philosophy, you may still put on 40 pounds, but in any case, do not get hung up on a number! If you’re doing everything right, trust that the weight gain is necessary, that your body knows what it is doing, and that the weight will leave very easily after your baby is born.

Myth #5:

Morning sickness is a natural part of pregnancy.

Alternative Perspective:

Morning sickness is another symptom of toxic accumulation in the body, and a clean-celled body will not experience morning sickness.

Morning sickness is another common ailment that we have come to take for granted as “normal.” (Pregnant women in traditional, indigenous cultures do not experience this phenomenon.) Unfortunately, in our culture, our levels of toxicity have become so compounded that morning sickness is no longer confined just to the morning or to the first trimester.

GETTING STARTED

Pre-conception is the ideal place to begin this work, so if you have done the pre-conception cleansing, congratulations! There are a few nuances to consider during each trimester, but for the most part, you will simply continue doing what you’ve been doing to the best of your ability. You will also want to read the Birth to 5 Months section of the parenting curriculum now, in order to educate yourself on the many important and lost practices of childbirth, breastfeeding, and the early days of your child’s life.

Many of you will discover this work while you are already pregnant. Still, this is very lucky for you and for your unborn child! The good news is that you can make gentle changes now that can dramatically affect the health and well-being of your growing child. You do not want to begin an aggressive detox or cleansing program, because during pregnancy everything that goes into the bloodstream goes into the placenta. When we purposefully cleanse our bodies, large amounts of toxins enter the bloodstream. So again, if you have not been practicing the detox lifestyle until now, you should not undertake a dramatic detox program during pregnancy!

The best place to start is with an assessment of your current toxicity level by taking the adult Assessment Survey. Incorporate the transition ideas for your detox level and make sure to stay within your level. For example, if you score as a Crawler, do not try to Run! Use the assessment to determine where you are, make the suggested changes within that level, and wait until post-pregnancy to consider moving up a level.

Note: If you ate animal products twice a day pre-pregnancy, try eating it once every other day during pregnancy. Strictly avoid all mainstream meat products as listed in the Toxic category of our Food Chart and focus more on the goat and sheep cheeses. Remember that mainstream flesh products are laden with hormones and antibiotics and these will be absorbed directly into your bloodstream and will reach your growing baby. If you chose to eat meat, make sure all animal consumption is properly combined, and only consume grass-fed, free-range land animals and the highest-quality wild fish (avoid tuna, mackerel, and swordfish).

THE THREE TRIMESTERS

Although the fundamental principles of this lifestyle remain constant throughout pregnancy, the three trimesters mark significant changes in the development of the fetus, and with these changes there are dietary nuances that you will want to consider.

The First Trimester

If your vegetable juices are putting you off in the first trimester (this can be common)—do not force yourself to drink them. Most likely, you will enjoy your green juice again in the second and third trimesters, so do not worry about this temporary change. In the meantime, you may want to consider taking Sun Chlorella tablets to get your daily dose of “synthesized sunlight.”

A vegetable rendition that many women find appealing in the first trimester is a juice more heavily based on carrots. You can either enjoy carrot juice alone or with additional ingredients like beets, apple, and ginger (add romaine if you can stomach it). The key is to find something you enjoy that sits well. But again, if it doesn’t feel right, don’t do it! Instead, if you are hungry in the morning, enjoy fresh fruit or high-quality grains (see below for more tips and ideas).

Pregnancy is not a time to worry about juicing until lunch, nor is it advisable to juice until dinner. Once you’re ready for something more than juice in the morning, you will probably find fruits very appealing. And if you need something more, consider an organic free-range egg omelet with a green salad or your favorite high-quality, sprouted- or whole-grain bread product. A good option would be Ezekiel’s sprouted-grain bread toasted with butter and honey, or Suzie’s Kamut or spelt rice cake with slices of avocado or topped with raw almond butter and raw honey. Arrowhead Mills offers a great Puffed Kamut cereal that is wonderful with almond milk. See below for more ideas and peruse the Pregnancy Must-Have Shopping List.

If you find that raw salads are not appealing to you in the first trimester, do not stress! You will have plenty of time to eat raw salads later in your pregnancy. For some women, this lack of desire for raw vegetables and juices is the biggest roadblock during the first trimester. However, if you can just focus on the highest-quality root vegetables (e.g., such as baked winter squashes) and the highest-quality grains (e.g.,quinoa, millet, buckwheat, amaranth, and spelt) you will be doing just fine.

Because the first trimester is such a delicate time, it is extremely important to listen to your body and trust in its wisdom. If you lack interest in raw vegetables at this time, it may be your body’s way of protecting you from potentially harmful microbes in the soil.

Note: As a general rule, take precautions against foot massages in the first trimester. There are pressure points around the Achilles (back of the foot) that are linked to the ovaries and you do not want to trigger any undesirable activity.

Second and Third Trimesters

The keys to a healthy and radiant pregnancy in the second and third trimesters are eating as much hydrating foods as possible (raw fruits and vegetables), juicing, and Quick-Exit Combinations. Incorporating hydrating foods and juicing will be easier during this time; you should start to feel better and you will most likely be able to incorporate your green vegetable juice and raw salads again. The enzymes in your hydrating fruits, vegetables, and juices will help you break down the food and anything else that is stuck in your system.

Constipation is one of the most common events in the body during pregnancy because the growing womb is pushing against the digestive organs, resulting in less space; therefore, food combining becomes especially important during this time. Constipation can be especially problematic during pregnancy because it backs up the whole system—this not only creates discomfort for you, but also creates blockages that make it difficult for your body to deliver nutrients and other substances that are of use to the baby. You need to keep things moving, and the best way to do that is to make sure you’re eating hydrating foods in quick-exit combinations, and that you’re getting plenty of vegetable juices.

However, when faced with a choice between a quick-exit food combination and the quality of the food you consume, quality should take priority. If no other options are available, make the highest-quality choice and then do your best to properly combine that food.

The second and third trimesters are also the time when brain development is at its peak, thus this is the only time (in addition to nursing*) that we recommend consuming oils for therapeutic purposes. These oils are very important for healthy brain growth, and you should make an effort to consume them daily. Remember, if you do not consume the necessary nutrients for your baby’s growth, your baby will leach what it needs from stores in your body. Research studies have shown that women who have many children actually score lower on IQ tests, and this is believed to be the result of fatty matter being leached from the brain during pregnancy. So protect your intelligence and supplement with oils at this time! Your best choices for oil supplementation are cold-pressed extra virgin olive or flaxseed oils. The Udo’s Oil brand is also perfect for pregnancy—so go ahead and put this or any other cold-pressed oil on your salad or mix it in with your meals.

*We also recommend the therapeutic use of oils during nursing, as brain and eye development also peak at this time. A baby’s ability to get this essential oil from mother’s milk is another key reason why mother’s milk is the ideal food for infants. Since 2002, infant formula manufacturers in the United States have produced and sold products fortified with docosahexaenoic acid and arachidonic acid (DHA/ARA). These polyunsaturated omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are important components of the human brain and eyes and are naturally present in human breast milk. Since breast milk is the gold standard for infant nutrition, the addition of DHA and ARA in infant formula would in theory be beneficial. However, these supplemented oils provide DHA and ARA in forms that are structurally different from those naturally found in human milk. These oils appear to be added to infant formula primarily as a marketing tool designed to convince parents that formula is now “as close as ever to breast milk.” However, their safety has not been affirmed and there is sufficient evidence to suggest that they may be very harmful. Click here for more information on this topic.

IDEAL EATING IDEAS WHILE PREGNANT

1. Water

We recommend you start your day with pure water instead of jumping right into your juice, because when water is consumed on an empty stomach, it can go directly into the cells. If you are thirsty later in the day, have water later too, but water should be the first thing to enter your body in the morning.

Drink as much pure water as you desire. This is a time to be drinking really high-quality water—ideally, spring water in glass bottles. However, we recognize that pure spring water is difficult to come by these days! Other fine choices include reverse osmosis water like Smartwater or Essentia. Also keep in mind that if you are following this lifestyle, you are consuming water-rich salads, fruits, vegetables and their juices all day long, all of which contain large amounts of water to keep you hydrated.

2. Fresh Vegetable Juice

Have as much fresh vegetable juice as you had during the pre-conception cleanse or as much as your body is used to. If you are new to this lifestyle, you can consume between 12 and 24 ounces per day. If you have been doing the pre-conception cleanse for some time, you can have up to 32 to 64 ounces of juice daily. Again, only do what feels right and do not force anything. It is OK to add fruit to your vegetable juice if you need or want the sweetness.

3. Mid-morning Snack

Between your juice and your lunch, it is fine to consume fresh fruit and, if necessary, a high-quality cereal. As discussed above, and especially in the first trimester, some pregnant women immediately gravitate toward starch. If you are craving starchy foods in the morning, go ahead and consume them, but make sure you keep really high-quality starches on hand, such as Alvarado St. Bakery and Ezekiel sprouted grains. Cereal options include anything by Health Valley, Nature’s Path, Cascadian Farms, New Morning, or Barbara’s Bakery. These cereals are made of all-natural, high-quality grains.

Many pregnant women crave granola, but mainstream granola is normally miscombined, by mixing nuts and grains. However, if it’s granola you crave, you can try raw granola by one of the many raw food companies (we especially like Lydia’s apple-cinnamon granola or Go Raw!) The raw granolas are normally made exclusively with nuts, seeds, and dried fruits, so they are properly combined and easier to digest. Enjoy your raw granola with almond milk, agave nectar, and sliced bananas for a fabulous treat!

Remember to use a high-quality nut, brown rice, or coconut milk on your cereal. Pregnancy is a time when it is particularly important to avoid cow’s milk, as it will create constipation and a clogged environment for your growing baby.

4. Midday Meal

If you are already eating a diet that is mainly raw until dinner and that still feels good to you, by all means, continue what you are doing! For those who were not eating raw until dinner during pre-conception, or who no longer feel satisfied eating this way, always begin your daytime meal with a raw salad but follow it with a cooked component. See below for some examples of great foods to enjoy during your daytime meal. Remember, if you eat a neutral salad, you can follow it with any of the options below!

Starch-Based Raw Salad followed by:

• • Sprouted-grain bagel with butter and raw organic honey
  • Big, thick avocado sandwich on sprouted-grain bread with tomatoes, lettuce, and sprouts (Pregnant women are technically supposed to avoid sprouts, but if you buy them organic and from a trusted source, they are probably OK.)
  • Non-soy veggie burger (Sunshine Burgers taste wonderful and are the cleanest veggie burgers that we have found) on a sprouted-grain bun. (Avoid all soy-based veggie burgers.)
  • Baked yams or sweet potatoes with organic butter, sea salt, and pepper

Nut/Seed-Based Salad followed by:

• • • Raw granola – Lydia’s Apple Cinnamon flavor is amazing but any properly combined raw granola will do (we also like Go Raw!)! (If you had a big raw salad with tahini dressing, follow it with granola, almond milk, sliced bananas, and agave nectar.)

Goat Cheese Salad followed by:

• • • Steamed veggies with marinara sauce and goat cheese
    • Any high-quality fish
    • Free-range, organic eggs

5. Mid-afternoon Snack

If you want an afternoon snack, simply remember the Quick-Exit Combination rules. To keep things simple, one suggestion is to eat more of what you had for lunch as your snack. Blended soups are great in the afternoon. Another idea is to make a delicious, healthy shake for yourself. Any high-quality, well-combined foods as a snack are fine.

6. Evening Meal

You can enjoy your heaviest meal of the day at dinner. After a heavy meal, all of your energy goes to the stomach for digestion, resulting in overall sluggishness (hence, the famed “food coma” that follows Thanksgiving dinner!). It is most ideal to consume your largest meal at the end of the day when you don’t need as much energy for grocery shopping, working at your desk, or playing with the kids at the park. Therefore, anything in the Ideal or Transition categories of the Food Chart is fine for dinner, as long as it is well combined and begins with a fresh raw salad. Check out our Recipe Section for some great ideas – you can search for recipes that taste especially good during pregnancy here!

7. Dessert

Enjoy any of the desserts in our Recipes section or enjoy some high-quality 70% or more dark chocolate (Endangered Species is a good choice!) When it comes to dessert, just remember your food-combining rules and do not change food categories or have a fruit-based dessert until at least 3 hours after dinner.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Remember not to start anything new when you are pregnant—this includes new types of exercises, colonics if you have not had them before, and a drastically new diet.

• During the last months of pregnancy, you can actually begin the important process of bonding with your child. You may want to hum your favorite tune, play a beautiful song, or say a phrase over and over at this time—and then repeat them during and immediately following birth as well. Because your baby can hear you from inside the womb, these familiar sounds will help to orient your baby quickly to his or her new surroundings.

It is important to feel empowered and to understand that whatever you expose your baby to in the womb will make a difference. A baby in a womb, like any other form of budding life, will naturally absorb and synthesize elements from its surroundings—including the nutrients from the foods you eat, your attitudes and emotions, as well as those of the people around you, and the music you are listening to. Such environmental factors have an amplified effect on life at this particular stage of development. We often talk about protecting our children once they are born, but it is equally important to protect the fetus.

Remember that you are bringing huge amounts of vitality into your system for your baby to utilize. Be joyful about the process and make it as convenient, pleasurable, and stress-free as you can! Stress is counterproductive and just as acidic as the noxious products we are working so hard to avoid. Rather than create stress in your life, dig deeply into yourself and know that you have the wisdom and love within you to do whatever it takes to keep your baby safe. Find your inner “mama bear” and protect your child with strength and confidence. You have been called upon to provide a safe haven for precious new life, and this is a great honor.

In preparation for the big day, meditation and an overall quieting of the mind can help tune you into your body and your baby’s natural signals. When you are fearful about the process of delivery, remind yourself that there are millions of years of biological coding built into your genes: you know what to do, you have the strength to do it, and you need only listen to your body and follow its lead. Anticipate the love, joy, and exhilaration you will experience when you bring your baby into the world.

• For more Life Force Families content, click here 

Life Force Families – birth to 5 months

by natalia | Jan 14, 2022 | Life Force Families

Download this page as a PDF (to come)

CURRICULUM TOPICS FOR BIRTH TO 5 MONTHS INCLUDE:

• The Flaws in our Modern Birthing Approach
• Stage Specific Recommended Reading and Media
• Pitocin Related Issues
• Birthing Options
• Essential Exchanges Immediately Following Birth
• The First 100 Days
• Co-Sleeping
• Breast-feeding (Feeding on Demand and Breast Feeding Frequency/Timeline)
• When and How to Introduce the Breast Pump
• The Ideal Diet for Abundant Breast Milk
• Options for Women Who Cannot Breast-feed
• Post-Pregnancy Weight Loss
• Pacifiers
• Well Visits

“We must rekindle our knowing of a personal power that can flow with the power of all things and never be exhausted. We must rekindle a faith in a life system that is our matrix and designed to support us. Only through faith in yourself and in your own life can you respond to a new life given you (either your offspring or your own lost self) according to the needs of that new life.”

—from Magical Child by Joseph Chilton Pearce

Humans are remarkably made, complete with our perfect ability to reproduce. However, with modern civilization has come a tragic detour away from the three million years of successful human evolution and away from natural birthing methods. Ever since we removed ourselves from the bosom of Mother Nature, we set into motion a series of events that have compromised our bodies and the development of our children’s bodies. Believing we could improve upon nature was the original mistake. There is no better example of this than the modern process of giving birth.

Modern obstetrics and hospitals have capitalized on the fear and demand around this critical time and replaced it with a system of birth that conflicts with the natural process. Ironically, our “civilized” lifestyles have created compromised individuals who depend on modern medicine to save them from the myriad affronts of modern living. When birth, a totally non-medical event, comes along, modern medicine is immediately sought out. It is the norm today, but that has not always been the case. Up until very recently (the last fifty years, give or take) women gave birth at home, with the aid of midwives. Prior to that, women gave birth on their own, much as wild animals do—in a warm, safe place, usually away from the group, out in nature. We are not suggesting that you forgo medical birth if that does not feel right to you, but we would like to offer you another perspective.

Today, pregnancy and birth are treated as illnesses rather than as completely normal stages of life. As such, the magic of delivering life has been almost completely lost. The practices we follow in the birthing chamber overlook several critical biological (and spiritual) exchanges between mother and child—fundamental building blocks of a baby’s development. We must not dismiss the importance of these exchanges out of arrogance, ignorance, and a sense of technological superiority. We cannot dismiss them and expect health and harmony.

Much of the content in this section is based on traditional indigenous wisdom, the kind that worked for humankind for three million years. We would not be here today if it did not work. Many of these practices have been lost over time, particularly with the decimation of indigenous peoples. You will not read about these practices in mainstream parenting books. Some of the suggestions may seem subtle and nuanced, but we urge you to consider each detail. We included it because we believe it’s an essential part of cultivating the most advantageous life experience for you, your partner, and your baby.

If you and your child are already past this stage and many of the practices we discuss are new to you, do not panic or blame yourself for coming to this information too late. This information has been out of mainstream circulation, and it’s never too late to make meaningful improvements to your parenting methods. Our parents were not raised with this knowledge. Therefore, much healing and understanding is required of all of us, and awareness is the first step in the right direction.

NATURE’S BABIES

Did you know that in indigenous cultures, it has been documented that babies smile as early as four days after delivery? By contrast, babies in our culture typically begin to smile only after 2 to 2½ months after delivery! Indigenous babies rarely cry; they sleep a fraction of the time that babies in our culture do during the day; and they can sit up, head and back erect, with only gentle assistance on their forearms at two days old! What accounts for the dramatic difference between these babies and ours? The answer is complex but lies within the difference between what we consider normal during childbirth and early infancy and nature’s plan.

Recommended Reading and Viewing

Birth and the developmental stages immediately following birth are complex, and parenting decisions during this time are very personal. In this section, we introduce important concepts and highlight practical applications, but we also urge you to continue your own education. The following books are a great place to start: The Tibetan Art of Parenting by Brown, Farwell, and Nyerongsha; Magical Child by Joseph Chilton Pearce, and The Continuum Concept by Jean Liedloff. We also recommend the documentary, The Business of Being Born, which you can order from our store or online at www.thebusinessofbeingborn.com (this secures the movie for you for 24 hours). The website also offers an online resource for birthing options and a directory of midwives.

THE TYPICAL CHAIN OF EVENTS IN MODERN CHILDBIRTH

Birthing females in nature seek a dark, quiet, familiar, and safe place to deliver their offspring. This comfortable environment facilitates relaxation and allows the female to harness her power and focus exclusively on the task of bringing a new life into the world. By contrast, when we in the modern world go into labor, most of us enter a busy, bright, and sterile hospital. Upon entry into this unfamiliar and overwhelming place, our body senses danger and shuts down or significantly slows the labor process. This clearly works against our birthing process and initiates a vicious cycle of unnecessary interventions. What should be a very seamless birth turns into a complicated array of procedures.

Some lucky women give birth easily despite this unnatural chain of events. However, for the majority, there is a fairly predictable snowball effect that takes place. If the birth is scheduled (which is increasingly common, even in the case of vaginal birth) the birthing process is triggered by breaking the water. Next, the mother is given a drug called Pitocin to mimic oxytocin, the natural hormone that stimulates contractions. If labor is in progress when the mother enters the hospital, the hospital setting will interfere with the birthing mother’s instincts and the whole process will stall. Pitocin is then used to recommence labor. Either way, Pitocin is typically used to induce the labor. This would not be necessary if the labor took place in a conducive environment at the right time.

It’s important to understand that Pitocin results in increased contractions and pain levels, but does not necessarily speed up the dilation process. Therefore, labor with Pitocin is typically abnormally painful and lengthy, resulting in the almost inevitable need for an epidural. The epidural gives some relief from the exaggerated pain the woman experiences from the Pitocin but again slows down contractions, resulting in the re-administration of Pitocin to speed them up again. This vicious cycle continues and frequently results in a cesarean section.

The use of drugs and surgery are sometimes very necessary to save the mother or the baby. However, in an alarming number of cases the drugs are used out of convenience and as a reactionary measure to remedy the previous interventions rather than as a necessary savior for mother and baby. Educate yourself about your options so you can be fully aware of the possible side effects of any intervention that you may need to consider during labor.

With all of this said, we want you to know that there are no judgments here. Whether you decide to give birth in a hospital or at home, whether you take an epidural or choose not to use drugs, we want you to know that you have a choice, that there are many options for childbirth, and we want you to feel empowered to make the decisions that are best for you and your family.

For more on this subject, we highly recommend you read “The Truth About Pitocin” by Elaine Stillerman at Massage Today online.

THE BIRTH PLAN

A birthing plan is an outline of what you would like to see happen during labor and delivery. While it is certainly a good idea to think about how you want the birth process to unfold, it is also important to have realistic expectations. For example, it is unrealistic for a woman who has gone through pregnancy on the Standard American Diet to go into a mainstream hospital expecting to have a vaginal, drug-free birth. It is unfair for this woman to hold herself to these ideals and consider herself a failure when things do not go as planned. Expecting to have a natural birth under the typical circumstances in a hospital setting is not realistic.

Options outside of the typical hospital setting include birthing centers, hospital birthing centers, and home births. Different birthing techniques include water births, silent births, hypnobirths, and births with a doula. If you are considering using a midwife or a doula, it is important that you do your research because, as with anything, there are some that are better than others. In the near future, we will have resources here to assist you in your search. In the meantime, if you have any suggestions that may help others in their search for the right option for them, please do not hesitate to share them with us!

FACING THE FEAR OF CHILDBIRTH

It is completely natural to be afraid of the unfamiliar experience that lies ahead of you. How could you not be afraid? Most of what we know about delivery we have learned from Hollywood, and the stories of childbirth are normally entirely focused on the negative. Facing fear, understanding that we cannot control everything, and learning to embrace the unknown are among the first of many humbling lessons of motherhood.

ESSENTIAL EXCHANGES IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING BIRTH

Upon birth, before anything else occurs, the baby should be placed skin-to-skin on the mother’s breast with the head near and facing the nipple. Unless there is an emergency, this should happen before anything else takes place—before the cord is cut and before the baby is cleaned, weighed, and fingerprinted. The umbilical cord should be left alone as long as there is any activity detectable in it. This has been a long-held practice that is almost invariably ignored by doctors today. Cutting the cord too soon can exacerbate the baby’s difficulty in catching its breath in those first critical moments. The importance of skin-to-skin contact at this point cannot be underscored enough! If you are wearing a hospital gown, make sure that it is removed immediately so your baby can be placed on your bare skin.

What is remarkable about this first skin-to-skin moment is that if the baby is placed close to the nipple, the baby will be attracted to the scent, find the nipple, latch on, and start to suck. The perfect latch is instinctual! Establishing the sucking response in that moment will help you avoid the common issues many modern women have with breast-feeding (e.g., establishing a good latch, bleeding nipples, “tongue-tied” babies, and mastitis). So much happens in that moment! It is what scientists call imprinting. Pheromones are exchanged and a deep bond is formed between you and your baby: you breathe in each other’s scent, the risk of hemorrhage is greatly reduced, and the body releases oxytocin, which stimulates the uterine contractions necessary to release the placenta.

The second critical moment is for your partner and your baby. After your skin-to-skin bonding moment with the baby, your partner should remove his or her shirt and hold the baby chest-to-chest. Again, in this moment, pheromones are exchanged and an instinctual, primal connection is established between your baby and your partner. If possible, your partner can wrap a blanket around the baby and him or herself and spend a few very special moments this way.

Your baby will be covered in vernix caseosa (a natural white substance that protects the baby’s skin and aids immunity), which should sit on the skin for as long as possible and can be used to provide the baby with a continual, gentle massage. This massage is extremely comforting for the baby and can actually assist in sensory development.

If you have given birth in a hospital setting, your baby will be whisked away to get measured and weighed. Your partner should go with your baby and continue to speak so the baby can hear his or her voice. This is an overwhelming moment for the infant just entering the world, so the soothing and familiar voice of your partner will put your baby at ease.

DID YOU KNOW?

For the critical transition period from the mother’s to the baby’s oxygen supply, the placenta contains approximately 30 percent of the infant’s blood and oxygen supply in reserve. Nature provides roughly 26 inches of umbilical cord so the baby can exit the womb but remain in constant contact with this reserve supply. The umbilical cord is the perfect length, in fact, for the infant to be clasped to the mother’s breast without breaking the connection with the placenta’s vital oxygen reserves. Mother Nature thought of it all!

Note: If you are giving birth in a hospital setting, having a friend or doula with you who clearly understands your preferences for the critical moments after birth can be very helpful. You and your partner will be overcome with emotions, and the last thing you’ll want to worry about is arguing with the doctors and nurses. The doula can ensure your wishes are met during this time.

“ROOMING IN”

If in the hospital, you will be given the option of having your baby sleep either in the nursery or in the room with you. For a few key reasons, we highly recommend “rooming in” with your new baby. First, immediately after birth (and for approximately 100 days after birth), the baby still thinks he or she is a part of you and wants to be as close to you as possible. Your baby will probably spend a lot of time on your chest sleeping and cuddling. This is the most sacred time and one of the sweetest moments in life for both mother and child.

The second reason rooming in is so important is because, even if instructed not to, nurses are likely to give your baby formula and/or sugar water to keep him or her happy and quiet in the nursery. This varies from hospital to hospital, but with long, late night shifts and anywhere between eight and fifteen babies in the nursery, the nurses are generally exhausted and will do whatever is necessary in order to keep themselves sane. However, ensuring that your baby receives 100 percent breast milk is of utmost importance at this time! Your body produces a substance called colostrum for the first 24 to 48 hours after birth. Colostrum serves to seed the “good flora” in the intestine and sets the stage for proper digestion and elimination for the rest of your child’s life. The colostrum is also the carrier of all the mother’s immunities into baby. You only produce colostrum for a brief time, so you only have a limited number of feedings to make sure your baby gets all of the colostrum it needs. It is imperative that you do not miss any of these early feedings!

It can be very helpful to have someone there with you during those first few nights. If your partner cannot join you for whatever reason, it is a good idea to ask a friend, family member, or hired caregiver to stay with you. Even if you did not have many drugs during the birth process, the experience can make you feel woozy and tired, and it is extremely helpful to have someone there to help you with the baby.

THE FIRST 100 DAYS

After the incredible closeness the mother and baby experience while the baby is in the womb, a soft and safe landing into the mother’s warm and welcoming arms is necessary to ease the transition for them both. The sight, smell, feel, taste, and sound of the mother is all the baby knows as he or she emerges from the womb. This first 100 days following birth is one of the most critical and impressionistic times of a person’s life. Because these are the first experiences, the baby has no point of comparison, no additional factors to consider when evaluating the surroundings, so the baby takes in his or her experiences directly, without any filter. The adjustment from the soft, warm, enveloping world from which the baby just emerged is a shocking one, but our evolutionary history has prepared us for this and the baby is ready to make this leap, to take his or her place in the warmth, safety, and security of the mother’s arms.

However, what our evolutionary history has not prepared us for is a giant leap into a world where we are surrounded by synthetic materials, fluorescent lighting, lifeless toys, plastic bottles, inertness, and chemical smells. What qualifies as a “normal” environment for newborns today is in stark contrast with the more natural, intimate kinds of environments for newborns that have served human evolution for millions of years. This violent contrast between the baby’s experience in the womb and its introduction to our manufactured world may understandably result in postpartum depression for the new mother as well as agony and confusion for the baby.

Taking cues from ancient cultures and tribal communities, there are steps we can take to get closer to nature’s intended transition from womb to world. These include the in-arms period, co-sleeping, and breast-feeding on demand. Often, people carry prejudices, stereotypes, and criticisms against these practices. If this is true of you, we ask that you try to keep an open mind and weigh your opinions more carefully. Are these your authentic opinions or the voices of others? Do you have preconceived negative images and associations with the “type of people” who do these things? Where do these images come from? Ask yourself these questions as you take in information and form judgments, and, as always, listen to your heart and do what feels right for you and for your growing family.

THE IN-ARMS PERIOD

For millions of years, newborns were held close to their mothers from the moment they emerged from the womb. Of course, many babies in our modern society have been deprived of this, but that does not mean the mother’s and baby’s natural instinct and desire for this closeness has changed. For millions of years preceding “civilized” culture (and in some tribal communities today), an infant’s life was in full swing from the time he or she emerged into the world. Although asleep a lot of the time, a baby grew accustomed to the mother’s voice, smells, motions, rhythms, textures, temperature, and the overall feeling of safety that comes with being held against the body. A baby felt included, comforted, and cared for, as if his or her signals were telepathically communicated and received. In this mother-and-child dance of unity, the baby was able to engage with its new environment, to learn about it from a place of safety and security.

The 100-day in-arms period helps to establish a feeling of security, peace, and harmony for the baby. These first 100 days set a solid foundation for the baby’s conception of the world, which the baby will use to evaluate his or her place in the world throughout his or her life.

One concern that’s commonly raised is that if we give a newborn baby too much attention, this will prevent him or her from becoming independent and self-reliant. On the contrary, a sufficient in-arms phase will bolster a child’s confidence and sense of security such that he or she feels safe enough to explore the world. A baby uses this time to observe the surroundings before interacting with them, and this observation period helps to prepare the baby for independent interaction at the next stage of development.

However, the manner in which we approach the in-arms phase is important to consider. This phase is not one in which the child is consistently the center of attention. On the contrary, it is one in which the baby is simply present, in the midst of normal life and activity. From this vantage point, your baby learns about your world (not a contrived world centered exclusively around him or her), constantly observing and experiencing life with you. Your baby absorbs experiences of the “real” world, not a manufactured world in which adults are bored out of their minds and babies are given plastic imitations of adult tools to play with.

A baby is instinctively curious and wonderfully receptive to the world. A baby wants to be exposed to all that is LIFE! Walks, parties, quiet time, nature, siblings, cooking, swimming—a baby wants to experience all of these things authentically, from the safety of your arms at first. With increased exposure to these positive experiences, a baby will become confident and secure in his or her ability to interact with these situations and will naturally begin to explore on his or her own.

In addition, “in arms” can actually mean in a sling or any other type of baby carrier worn against the front or the back. Traditionally, babies were usually carried on the back. In African cultures today, babies are still carried on the back in a cloth sling wrapped around the mother’s waist. In fact, many African nannies carry the babies they care for this way. Natalia recalls: “I learned first-hand to carry my babies this way when my daughter was born, affording me so much flexibility—allowing me to go about nearly all of my business and housework without ever putting her down. I used to run errands up and down the streets of Manhattan with Thandi and Tommy on my back, with them wrapped against me, using nothing more elaborate than a sarong.” Carrying your baby on your back frees up your hands so you have your full range of movements and activities available to you. Again, this period is not one in which life should stop or drastically change—we urge you to continue living your life fully with your baby now a part of the experience.

With all of this said, we understand that our societal structures do not create the most conducive situations for everyone to fully embrace the first 100-day in-arms period. We understand that everyone’s situation is unique, so implement this to the extent that you are able; the first 100 days, 30 days, or 5 days of consistent physical closeness with your baby will make all the difference in his or her development. Also note that the baby does not have to be solely in the mother’s arms; time spent in the father’s arms, grandmother’s arms, or the arms of a loving caretaker is also invaluable.

So get yourself a good sling, Ergo or Baby Bjorn or find someone who can teach you to wrap your baby against you with a towel or sarong, and make sure you or someone else is carrying that new baby as much possible!

Note: All babies do not need the same amount of time in-arms, but it should always be offered. Some babies will thrive only if given plenty of in-arms time; others will not need as much. Let your baby be your guide and determine for him/herself when separation is desirable.

CO-SLEEPING

A natural extension of the in-arms phase includes co-sleeping. Progressing from day to night does not need to break the bond a baby has with his or her family. At night, a baby is still learning and experiencing the world—the soft (or not so soft!) sound of your breathing, the warmth of your skin, the movements made throughout the night—these are all just an extension of the many experiences that your baby absorbs during the day. The transition from day into night should not be jarring but seamless. Co-sleeping may seem radical or extreme, but considering our millions of years of evolution, what is actually radical is our abrupt departure from this long-established norm of human experience.

Co-sleeping can dramatically diffuse the issue of exhaustion that many new parents experience. If your baby is in bed with you and you sleep topless, your baby can find your breast during the night and feed whenever necessary, barely waking you at all. No need to drag yourself out of bed to the baby’s room, heat up a bottle, or sit in a rocking chair—simply stay bundled in bed and allow your baby to feed as you sleep!

New parents are often concerned that they may roll over on the sleeping infant beside them or smother them with their blankets. However, a sleeping person is not completely unaware or in a coma unless they are extremely intoxicated, heavily drugged, or ill. It is well established that a sober mother will not roll over on her baby (fathers may not be as sensitive, so it is worth considering your partner’s sleeping behaviors). If you are anxious about co-sleeping, a bassinet next to the bed is a good alternative. Although your baby’s sense of touch will not be as stimulated, he or she will still hear and smell you and feel safer here than in another room.

We are often surprised and confused when a baby cries incessantly when placed in a beautiful crib in a beautiful room so carefully prepared for them. However, when placed in that room, separated from the parents (especially at night), a baby feels alone and far from everything he or she knows. Again, during the first 100 days of life, a baby still feels like one with mommy, and any separation can be excruciating.

When the in-arms period is fulfilled and your baby is ready (normally between 1 and 3 years), he or she will express a desire for a separate bed. It is a good idea to continue co-sleeping for as long as the arrangement works for the family. If your baby is happy to nap in the crib or bassinet, you may find that’s a great segue to solitary sleeping and occasionally try it at night. You might find your baby makes the transition earlier than you were expecting. There’s no telling how independent a baby brought into the world like this can be. Such babies are wired to feel safe, protected, and fulfilled. In fact, as brilliantly documented in Jean Liedloff’s The Continuum Concept, these babies are extremely confident and do not throw fits when it comes time to leave them with a caregiver or try something new.

Lastly, people often worry about their sex life during this time of co-sleeping. If you worry about this, too, let us remind you that there are no rules that confine sex to the bedroom! Find another comfortable space in your home and enjoy the change of scenery!

BREAST-FEEDING

“There is no evidence that God made a mistake when he constructed breasts that don’t yield Similac or Enfamil. Unfortunately, many pediatricians don’t seem to believe that, so if you are breastfeeding your baby and his weight gain does not match the charts, your doctor is likely to insist on switching him to formula. That’s bad for you and worse for your child.”

—How to Raise a Healthy Child in Spite of Your Doctor, Robert Mendelsohn, MD

The decision to breast-feed your infant is one that will stay with your child long after the first year or two of life. In addition to the physiological bonding that breast-feeding facilitates between mother and child, breast-feeding has proven benefits for the development and health of your child. Some benefits to point out include:

• Higher IQ scores later in childhood
• Enhanced neuro-developmental performance
• Lower incidence of the following conditions: allergies and asthma, bacteremia and meningitis, childhood lymphoma, chronic constipation, diabetes, gastrointestinal infections, infantile eczema, inflammatory bowel disease, iron deficiency anemia, lower respiratory tract infections, sudden infant death syndrome, and urinary tract infections.

Despite the fact that pediatricians put their stamp of approval on commercial formulas, there is simply no substitute for breast milk. Perhaps the most important difference between formula and breast milk is the effect the latter has on brain development. Breast milk contains long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids such as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (ARA), which are essential for brain development. Recognizing this, formula manufacturers have begun to include synthetic variations of DHA and ARA, touting that infant formula is now as “close to breast milk as ever.” However, the supplemented DHA and ARA do not function the same in a baby’s body as do the natural forms, and there is now evidence that the addition of DHA and ARA may actually be dangerous to the health of a growing baby. Again, at the end of the day, there is simply no substitute for the perfect “cocktail” of vitamins and nutrients that Mother Nature has created in breast milk. To learn more on this topic, click here.

There are also physical advantages for the mother that should not be discounted. Not only will your baby thrive on the milk you provide when adhering to the diet principles of Life Force Families, but you will also attain the best shape of your life. Breast-feeding will help make both of you vibrant and healthy, and is quite possibly a mother’s best tool in raising a truly joyful child.

With all this said, there are several tricks of the trade that will make your breast-feeding experience flawlessly enjoyable!

Nursing On Demand

Most doctors, nurses, and mainstream parenting books assert that you need to get your baby on an “every three hours” feeding schedule. However, forcing your baby into a three-hour feeding schedule before he or she is ready for it is a recipe for stress and insufficient breast-milk production, and it normally results in the need for supplementation. The most important thing to remember about nursing is that it is all about supply and demand. A suckling baby is not merely taking in what he/she needs to nourish the body today, but is literally preparing the mother’s body for his/her growing needs tomorrow. A suckling baby is sending the mother’s mammary glands the message to make more milk tomorrow than they made today, because the baby will be bigger tomorrow! Genius, isn’t it?!

It may seem like your baby is endlessly hungry and you may wonder if something is wrong, but this is really an effective process of demanding milk now so the supply is there tomorrow. Therefore, let your baby direct the frequency and duration of feedings, especially in the first 8 to 12 weeks, when the milk supply is being fully established. Trust nature and have faith that your baby knows best and is working hard to establish the necessary milk supply for his/her growing body.

Feeding on demand can be challenging in the first several weeks, as you will probably feel like your baby is permanently attached to your nipple! You will spend what seems like countless hours on the couch or on the bed nursing. If you are not mentally prepared for this time, it may be difficult for you. However, if you are mentally prepared to feed around the clock in those early days, it probably won’t be as difficult as you expect! When else do you get to lounge around all day and completely relax? Enjoy these quiet times with your new baby, as they will likely become some of your fondest, most precious memories.

Remember, the frequency of feedings is only intense in the early weeks when your baby’s stomach is so small. (One of the main reasons a baby cannot feed every three hours from the very beginning is that a baby’s stomach is too small to hold the amount of milk that would be necessary to provide three hours of satiation.) Breast-feeding on demand requires such a small sacrifice of time in the grand scheme of your life, yet is invaluable and will pay off continually throughout your child’s development. Find someone else to do the laundry and answer your e-mails. It’s a few weeks for a lifetime of gain! Anyone can do your chores. Only you can nurse your baby.

Breast-feeding will definitely get easier and easier with time. Once the milk supply is established, you and your baby will fall into a very predictable and easy feeding schedule. After about three months, breastfeeding will end up being a pleasant experience all the way through weaning.

Approximate Frequency and Timelines for Breast-feeding

• 2–4 weeks = up to 10–14 feedings per day*
• 4–8 weeks = 8–12 feedings per day*
• 8–12 weeks = 8–10 feedings per day (should be getting close to every 2–3 hours)
• 3–8 months = 5–6 feedings per day
• 8–12 months = 2–3 feedings per day
• Beyond 12 months = 1–2 feedings per day

*If the baby naturally transitions to feeding every three hours before the specified timelines, how wonderful for you and your baby! However, this is not typical, so be prepared to feed more often for a period of time. Your baby will be able to maintain a three-hour schedule when his or her stomach gets large enough.

Introducing the Breast Pump

Introducing the breast pump too early can compromise milk production. While your body is establishing the milk supply, you need to be able to match what the baby will do (which is suckle beyond the point of emptying the breast), which can be tedious with a breast pump. Therefore, you will be far better off in the long run if you can reserve those early weeks virtually exclusively for breast-feeding and not use the pump.

However, having to go back to work in the early days while breast-feeding is a reality for many mothers, so we must do the best we can under the circumstances. If you have to go back to work before the milk supply is established (before 12 weeks), just remember to pump as long as the baby would nurse. This means you will have to pump to empty and then keep pumping for approximately 15 to 20 minutes after.

Another important note: women who are overly concerned with getting their babies on a schedule will often think they’re failures because everyone else seems to have it down to a science—but this is not the case! What’s really happening is that other mothers are ignoring their babies’ hunger cues and not boosting their milk supplies for the next day’s increased demand. Babies who are prematurely forced into feeding schedules aren’t getting as much breast milk as they need. Doctors will declare that a baby is not gaining enough weight, calling this “failure to thrive,” and will recommend formula supplementation. At this point, a slippery slope ensues because now the baby is missing a breast-milk feeding every day, which means the next day, when the baby needs more milk, there will actually be less! The mother will have to supplement more and more, until finally she can no longer maintain her milk supply.

If you are in this situation, forget about the clock and listen to your baby’s hunger cues. Allow your baby to suckle as long as necessary. Eat according to the dietary suggestions below and give yourself time to reestablish your milk supply. You can get your supply back with a little effort. Only if absolutely necessary, and after checking with your doctor, you can give your baby goat milk to supplement your supply before it is fully back. Click here for Meyenberg brand powdered goat milk. However, if you do supplement with goat milk, make sure you are pumping for at least as long as your baby is suckling on the bottle.

The Recipe for Bountiful Breast Milk!

There is an ideal diet for increasing and maintaining a bountiful milk supply. Despite what you might be told by well-intentioned advisors, ice cream, beer, meat, and dairy products will not help your body produce more milk! In this case, it would be wiser to take our cues from cows. Cows eat grass to make huge amounts of milk. Therefore, here are the three most important dietary components for producing milk, in order of importance: greens, fruits, and healthy fats. Below are a few guidelines to keep in mind. By incorporating these dietary elements, you will create abundant milk for your little one and enjoy some wonderful foods and juices while you are at it!

• Drink at least 20 ounces of freshly extracted green juice (with apple for sweetness) daily.
• Eat at least 5 servings of fresh, raw fruit daily.
• Do your best to consume at least ½ pound of raw leafy green vegetables and ½ pound of lightly steamed or sautéed leafy green vegetables, such as spinach, kale, or broccoli.
• Enjoy avocados or cold-pressed olive oil, flaxseed oil, or Udo’s Oil to ensure you get enough healthy, raw fat to aid your baby’s brain development and to protect the fatty matter in your own brain, which can get leached by the baby’s needs in utero.

Options for Women Who Cannot Breast-feed

If you cannot breast-feed, for whatever reason, you do have alternative options to infant formula. Goat milk formula or young coconut water are traditional alternatives. You can get unpasteurized, organic coconut water at some health food stores or juice bars, or you can buy young coconuts and pour the water into bottles. You can also purchase boxes of pasteurized coconut water at most grocery stores.

In addition, you can visit MilkShare to find alternatives to receiving banked milk. MilkShare serves only as an educational resource and connection point designed to give mothers who are unable to produce their own milk with some tools to explore private milk donation. Numerous breastfeeding women are willing to graciously offer their extra milk supply to your child(ren). The key is finding those women and MilkShare serves as a portal to locate both donors and recipients alike.

We anticipate that, in this dawning era of enlightenment, more options will become available for mothers who are adopting or who cannot breast-feed. If you have discovered a viable option for mothers who cannot breast-feed, please share your knowledge with us and we will do our best to spread the word to those in this challenging situation.

POST-PREGNANCY WEIGHT LOSS

Whether you’re twenty-six or forty-six, you can have a healthy, strong, and, yes, lean postnatal body by following the dietary guidelines for your appropriate detox level. See any of Natalia’s books and/or take our assessment survey to determine your detox level. Even if you are breastfeeding, it is ok to follow the Detox diet plans within any of Natalia’s books and you can expect great results (Raw Food Detox Diet, Detox 4 Women, and Raw Food Life Force Energy.)

However, don’t expect to be bikini-ready until at least five months after delivery! On the detox diet, you can still look really great much sooner after delivery; just don’t expect to have that super-lean look until your body naturally decides it is ready to let the last 7 to 8 pounds go. Again, this happens around five months—not coincidentally around the same time you’ll begin breast-feeding less frequently and your baby develops an interest in solids. Before that point, your body will hang on to some of the fat stores whether you are breast-feeding or not, no matter how little you eat or how much you exercise—so don’t kill yourself trying to hurry the process along! Trust your body to know when it’s ready to whittle down to an enviable shape.

If you’re feeling a little impatient and you want to get the weight off more quickly, check with your physician and simply do a four-day juice fast after you have hit the five-month mark. This should be fine even if you are nursing. A short four-day juice fast will quickly get you back to your pre-pregnancy shape; most likely, your body will shrink into an even better shape than you had before! But remember to check with your physician before you start the juice fast.

Note: Your lean shape won’t come back any faster if you stop nursing sooner, so do not use this as a reason to stop breast-feeding prematurely! After five months, you will have your figure back and you will be able to continue nursing until your child weans.

PACIFIERS

In general, try to avoid plastic and use pacifiers only when you cannot fulfill your baby’s desire to be on the nipple. You can use a pacifier occasionally, but babies who are getting enough time at the breast will not need the additional suckling time a pacifier provides. In addition, pacifiers can ruin the shape of the mouth and teeth; breast-fed babies normally have beautiful mouths.

WELL VISITS

Below is an excerpt from How to Raise a Healthy Child in Spite of Your Doctor by Dr. Robert Mendelsohn, a pediatrician who explains the business behind pediatrics and provides practical advice for when a visit to your doctor is necessary vs. when it’s wasteful and potentially harmful. We are not pushing an anti-well-visit agenda here, but the question of well visits warrants further reflection. However, well visits may not be optional if you have to maintain paperwork for your child’s school and camps and such.

“Although professional groups have recommended that the value of preventive child health care can be validated by conducting controlled studies that follow patients over many years, little research has been done. The three studies that I have seen offered no support to pediatricians who demand that their patients visit them on a regular basis. The studies focused individually on general health, behavioral patterns and learning abilities, and developmental status, as the end points of the research. As reported in Pediatrics, ‘None of these studies provided evidence that the preventive services given affected the outcomes measured positively.’

In the absence of any evidence that well-baby visits will improve the health of your child, I suggest you avoid them and the risks of needless treatment they present and save your time and money. In all my years as a pediatrician I do not recall ever having discovered a well-baby examination that was not revealed in a timely manner by taking a careful history on the child’s initial visit or by the subsequent development of observable symptoms. [. . .]

Well-baby visits are worthless because they are essentially superficial, and they are superficial because the doctor knows deep in his heart, that they are a waste of time. A study conducted in metropolitan Pittsburgh revealed that pediatricians conduct a well-baby visit in an average of a little more than 10 minutes and then provide advice on child development, potential problems, and similar matters in an average of 52 seconds. Similar findings were reported in New York City, Baltimore, Seattle, Los Angeles, and Rochester, New York.

No doctor can diagnose a symptom-free disease in 10 minutes or give any constructive advice in 52 seconds. If my child were the patient, I wouldn’t even give a doctor the opportunity to try.”

—from How to Raise a Healthy Child in Spite of Your Doctor by Dr. Robert Mendelsohn

CLOSING

The period of time from your baby’s birth through the first 5 months are filled with exponential growth—both for you and for your baby. There will be times when you feel overwhelmed and you may question whether you are even qualified to be a parent! There will be many voices telling you what you should and shouldn’t do and how to care for your child. Kindly listen to their opinions but know that your parenting instincts lie deep within you. Trust your instinctual nature, listen to that soft voice within that is uncluttered with anxiety and fear. When you are up in the quiet of the night, alone with your newborn, listen for that voice and trust its guidance. The wisdom of Mother Nature, the ultimate nurturer, is within all of us and there is much to learn in succumbing and simply allowing her to flow through.

It is OK to feel scared and lonely at times—after all, this is a powerfully new and deeply humbling experience! No matter how many books, websites, and blogs you read, you will never be truly prepared for the vastness of parenthood. It is something you’ll learn only through experience. Let go, embrace the ride, and experience the joy and wonder that this new spirit evokes in you.

Throughout human history, new parents were constantly surrounded with family and friends. Modern society has isolated us from each other in our separate homes and this can lead to extreme feelings of loneliness at a time when you are bursting to share and learn. This is why we created this parenting site. We urge you to join the community, contribute to the discussion, and find parents in your area in the Playdates section of our website. We urge you to utilize these resources as much as possible as you embark on the new journey of parenthood.

• For more Life Force Families content, click here 

Life Force Families – 6 to 18 months

by natalia | Jan 14, 2022 | Life Force Families

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CURRICULUM TOPICS FOR 6 TO 18 MONTHS INCLUDE:

• Finding Courage to “Face the World”
• Stage Specific Recommended Reading
• Introducing Solids
• Natalia’s Famous “Baby Shake” Recipes
• Introducing Cooked Foods and “Safe Poisons”
• When and How to Utilize Goat Milk
• Naturally Reducing Teething Pain
• Weaning
• “Small” Children
• Well Visits

THE COURAGE OF YOUR CONVICTIONS

It’s time to talk about courage. As a parent, you may not realize your power yet, but it is within you and now is the time when you really need to connect with it. It is less difficult to stand behind your beliefs when you’re at home with your baby; and it can even be relatively easy with your spouse, immediate family, in-laws, and friends. However, around 6 months, when you start to introduce solid foods and enter the world of playdates, classes, and more frequent interactions with other parents, your lifestyle choices may begin to feel more complicated and difficult. You may feel alienated or like the odd one out. However, as soon as you enter a space of insecurity and vulnerability, you can be easily misled.

Use this time to find the courage to figure out what you believe, who you are, what your intentions are for your life and for your baby’s life. Where are you going to go with all of this? If you don’t have strength of conviction, the confused world will end up confusing you.

Remember, if we as a society continue on the same lifestyle trajectories, we will continue to get the same results. This means having our children suffer from terminal illnesses, chronic diseases, emotional imbalances, behavioral problems, obesity, eating disorders, and a whole host of other issues common to today’s youth. It’s only by changing our approach to living, by challenging mainstream beliefs and adopting more life-generating ones, that we can lead ourselves and our children to happier, healthier outcomes.

Someday the folly of modern medicine and the extreme damage we are doing to ourselves with toxic foods and environmental poisons will be fully exposed. Until then, a brave few pioneers must light the way for others with the courage of their convictions. Who else but you will protect your child? Certainly not the government, the education system, or big business. You must take back our power and take full responsibility for your health and the health of your children. At times you may feel alone and isolated. But remember, we are here for you as a supportive community. Together we can be strong in our search for the truth and for a better way to raise our children.

For further inspiration during this time, we highly recommend reading The Tibetan Art of Parenting by Brown, Farwell, and Nyerongsha, and Magical Child by Joseph Chilton Pearce.

INTRODUCING SOLIDS

Between 5 and 6 months after birth, you will start to offer your baby solids (aka “table food”). Despite what we know about the health advantages of exclusively feeding breast milk for the first six months, it is common for doctors to encourage rice cereals as early 4½ months. Rice cereals are inflammatory, gluey, and difficult to digest and pass. Sadly, however, they have become the norm. How has this happened? Look no further than interests of economic gain for your answer.

Since a baby’s gastrointestinal tract is sensitive and still developing, it is best to wait until a baby is fully ready for solids before introducing them. A sure sign that a baby is ready for solids is the emergence of teeth and interest in table food. The presence of teeth generally indicates readiness in the stomach and intestines. Sound obvious? Believe it or not, this bit of traditional wisdom has been largely lost in the modern age, due to the manufacture of dead foods such as grain, pasteurized dairy, and soy products.

When solid foods—particularly undesirable solid foods such as grain and dairy—are introduced to an unprepared system, digestive weakness and digestive imbalances develop. It is a recipe for IBS. Even if you’re using organic rice cereal, it is highly processed and not health-generating. Rice cereals can set the stage for allergic reactions in the body later in life. In addition, rice cereals and other non-fruit items are constipating for the baby. To start a clean-celled, alkaline body on acidic substances is to jump-start the process of acidic accumulation right away.

Therefore, it is important to introduce solid foods thoughtfully, with respect for your baby’s sensitive digestive tract. It is ideal to offer your baby the lightest possible foods first, and as it becomes clear that your baby is digesting them well, you can transition to heavier natural foods. Remember the “light to heavy” principle? It applies here too!

A good rule of thumb for introducing solids: start with fresh, juicy raw fruits, which are ideal for a baby’s digestion. Within the fruit category, begin by offering the lightest possible fruits, such as melons—ideally starting with watermelon and then moving on to cantaloupe; however, any melon will work fine. Use melons to test for digestive readiness for solids (organic is ideal, but even if you cannot find organic melons, it’s still best to start with them). If you are starting solids in the months when melons are not in season, go ahead and choose the lightest “winter fruits” you can find, such as apples, bananas, or avocados.

Thoroughly blend the watermelon, cantaloupe, or honeydew in a blender until it is smooth. Then let your baby sip the melon through a bottle (cut the nipple large enough to let the mixture through without it pouring out too quickly) and notice his or her response. Next, pay attention to how quickly it is eliminated. What do the eliminations look like? Are they regular and comparable to the amount taken in? Your baby should essentially be passing along exactly what he or she is consuming with well-hydrated regularity. This kind of smooth digestion will pave the way to a strong system with excellent flora and peristalsis!

If your baby’s bowel movements are regular and well-hydrated, you can begin to make your way through any fruits you want to try, with the exception of strawberries, and avoiding honey, which a baby should not be given in the first year. You may need to add a little water to denser fruits, such as bananas, to blend smoothly.

It is a common misconception that if you do not introduce vegetables and only introduce a baby to sweets, he or she will end up with a sweet tooth and will not eat vegetables later. This is false! Babies naturally crave fruits because these are the cleanest, most life-generating foods available. The desire to eat vegetables will come eventually and should not be forced. Fruit is the most natural food for humans, and babies are naturally attracted to it. Also, like mother’s milk, it is sweet and hydrating.

At this point, the most important thing is making sure that what you are feeding your baby is highly digestible. A baby’s digestive system will do best with simple, raw foods. Many mothers try to make their own cooked baby food, or steam and bake their fruits and vegetables. This will not increase digestibility, and will only rob these foods of their vital nutrients. At this stage, it’s perfectly OK for a baby’s diet to remain completely raw IF YOU ARE CORRECTLY MONITORING YOUR BABY’S INTAKE AND RESPONSE.

If your baby is exhibiting symptoms such as thrush, mucous-y discharge, coughing, or extreme colic, this may be an indication that the breast milk itself is quite toxic. Don’t assign blame here! You may have only just started your cleansing journey. If this is the case, you may give your baby some cooked food in the form of baked sweet potatoes or steamed apples. Fruit is the most alkaline, high-vibration, and highly cleansing food for the body. If your baby’s body is already struggling with a toxic load through lineage or compromised breast milk, too much fruit may be difficult to process at first. But this is extremely rare! Most babies can remain on a raw diet up until 18 months, around the time they are exposed to other toxins. At this point, you will need to temper your little one’s raw intake with some occasional cooked food.

INTRODUCING BABY SHAKES

After working your way through a spectrum of fruits, you can move on to baby shakes. Baby shakes are wonderful for you and your baby because they are extremely easy to prepare (blending only once for a full day’s feeding), chock-full of nutritional value, easy to digest, and they will fast become your baby’s favorite treat!

There are 3 components to the baby shakes:

1. Fruit
2. Greens
3. Fat

Fruit will be the main component of your baby shake, with a sparing amount of greens and a tiny drizzle of high-quality oil to further support brain development. You can get creative with your combinations, but make sure your mixture will appeal to your baby’s palate. Remember, babies like sweet because the human body is programmed to start with fruit!

Use greens very sparingly and be sure they are well blended if you are adding leaves instead of raw juice. Romaine lettuce is an ideal starter green because it blends so well and is highly water-containing. Just make sure there are no unblended chunks large enough to pose a choking hazard.

Baby Shake Ingredient Ideas

Fruit*/Organic Leafy Greens*/Fat (small amount)

• Raw pure fruit juice/Raw green juice/Avocados
• Melons/Kale (ripped from the stem)/Udo’s oil blend
• Banana/Romaine lettuce/Flaxseed oil
• Pineapple/Baby spinach/Raw tahini or raw sunflower paste
• Apple/Parsley/Raw nut butters**
• Peach/Alfalfa sprouts
• Orange/Sun Chlorella chlorophyll powder
• Coconut water & young coconut meat

*Fruits and greens should be blended or juiced. Adding carrot juice can help to create the perfect consistency in the blender and appeal to your little one’s craving for sweetness.
**Some good options are almond, pecan, or walnut, but NOT PEANUT OR SOY NUT. AVOID STRAWBERRIES AND HONEY, which can be dangerous in the first year.

Sample Baby Shake Recipes

1. cup fresh-squeezed orange juice, 1 cup blueberries, handful baby spinach, and 1 avocado. Blend well.
2. 2 bananas, water, 2 large leaves romaine lettuce, and ¼ avocado. Blend well.
3. ½ honeydew melon, ½ cup green juice, 1 teaspoon Udo’s oil. Blend well.

These shakes are easy to digest, full of enzymes, and so easy for mom to prepare! All you need is a cooler bag to bring the bottles with you and give them to your baby throughout the day. Babies will usually enjoy baby shakes solely until about 14 months, but they can have them forever if desired!

Tip: For easy feeding, simply cut the nipple of your bottle until the opening is slightly wider than is needed for milk alone. Then, fill it with your blended food and give it to your hungry baby! For daily intake, make 40 ounces of blended baby shake or simple melon puree and divide it into five 8-ounce bottles. These will keep in the refrigerator until your little one is ready for them.

INTRODUCING COOKED FOODS AND “SAFE POISONS”

Although a diet composed mainly or exclusively of raw fruits and vegetables is the ideal diet for humans, the truth is that we are exposed to a lot of toxicity in our environment and most of us do not live in cultures where such a diet is realistic or always safe. At some point, your children will most likely be offered a cupcake at a birthday party, a bag of chips, or a slice of pizza. If restricted to a diet that’s 100 percent raw, children can have extreme reactions when exposed to toxic elements of the Standard American Diet (SAD). We want to keep children on mostly raw, highly alkaline diets, which will keep their bodies happy, but we should temper this with some safe additions. Deliberately introducing children to select cooked foods or “safe poisons”—i.e., acidic substances such as cooked vegetables, high-quality grains, and goat and sheep dairy—will prepare them for encounters with mainstream diets in other homes and environments.

When you decide to introduce cooked and/or processed foods, start with the lightest and cleanest substances for your baby (baked root vegetables and steamed vegetables), and as your child gets older, introduce foods with safe levels of toxicity in the form of high-quality grains (quinoa, millet, Kamut, and spelt) and raw goat and sheep dairy. Although raw goat and sheep dairy is ideal for our purposes here, if you cannot find such products, regular goat and sheep dairy is fine as well.

Goat Milk

Consult with your pediatrician before introducing goat milk to your child, but keep in mind that it is nice to have on hand for emergency feeds at any stage of infancy. It is not optimal (most people can only get pasteurized goat milk, which is not an alkaline substance) and should never be chosen over available breast milk. However, if there is a difficult travel situation, or mom is either unavailable or temporarily unable to produce milk, goat milk is an option.

If you are going to give your baby goat milk in the early stages, be sure it’s diluted 1 part goat’s milk to 3 parts water. As your baby grows, switch to a 1:1 ratio (half goat milk, half water). Eventually, your baby will be able to take straight goat milk. It smells terrible, but kids love it. Two things missing from goat milk are folic acid and iron (along with all the other special human nutrients that cannot always be measured in a laboratory), so it is not a substitute for breastfeeding. It should be used as supplemental milk, and only when absolutely necessary, after consulting with your family doctor.

Tip: Meyenberg powdered goat’s milk is great to keep with you when you know you’ll be traveling or away from the home for an extended period. Simply add water and shake in a bottle for feeding time.

SUMMARY OF INTRODUCING SOLIDS

1. Start with the lightest, raw fruits available—ideally blended melons. If melons are not available, start with the lightest winter fruits, such as banana, avocado, or apple, adding water to blend if necessary.
2. Pay close attention to bowel movements to ensure your baby is digesting foods properly.
3. Move through the spectrum of raw fruits, paying close attention to eliminations. Do not force vegetables; a baby’s natural preference for fruits is advantageous because fruit is truly the best food for a baby’s delicate system during this early stage of development.
4. After completing thorough testing of different raw fruits, begin introducing baby shakes. Baby shakes are composed of fruit, a green element, and a small portion of “good fat” or oil.
5. When moving your child away from a 100 percent raw diet, begin with baked root vegetables, baked fruits, and steamed vegetables.
6. Eventually, add “safe poisons” such as high-quality grains and raw goat and sheep milk products to avoid any potential shock to the system when your child is exposed to mainstream foods.
7. Although not ideal, if there is a difficult travel situation, or mom is either unavailable or temporarily unable to produce milk, goat milk is an option.

TEETHING

The most important thing to remember during the teething process is compassion! This is a time when your precious little one will be experiencing bouts of intense pain on and off throughout the day as each new tooth breaks through the gums. An adult could not withstand such pain. The accompanying crying and irritability are wearing on even the most patient parent, but the teething process is difficult and intense. Parents must support each other, and work together to comfort their baby.

Natural Options for Reducing Pain

1. Medicinal Oils
Numbing oils, such as licorice and clove oils, can be rubbed directly on the gum for soothing relief. Licorice root, often available in health food stores, doubles as a chew toy. Warning: Swallowing too much clove or licorice oil can create tummy problems for your baby.

2. Homeopathic Remedies
During the first year of a child’s life, homeopathic remedies can be employed with great success, as the body is still clean and finely tuned enough to respond to such specified treatment. Employ the help of a homeopath, or try one of the creams or tinctures available at your health food store. As long as they are made of all-natural ingredients they will be safe, and can often be extremely effective. Many babies respond well to Hyland’s Homeopathic Teething Gel.

3. Chewing
During this stage, you’ll notice that everything tends to end up in your baby’s mouth. This urge to chew is natural and should be encouraged, as it’s the best way to speed up the teething process and help new teeth to break through. Hard vegetables that will not break off and cause a choking hazard, such as carrots, are ideal. Just have a bib ready for the accompanying saliva!

WEANING

A baby knows best when it’s time to wean, so watch for signs. Typically, a baby will let you know it’s time for more “real food” and less milk by spending more time playing with your nipple and biting on it than taking milk. This usually occurs between 11 and 16 months, though some babies choose to nurse longer. (It’s interesting to note that because nursing reduces fertility, indigenous women would often nurse beyond 2 years in order to help prevent population growth. However, this is not a dependable form of contraception, as the mothers of many an Irish twin will attest!)

When it becomes time to think about weaning, nursing will have naturally become less frequent—from approximately four times per day to three times per day, then to two times per day, and then perhaps to only once per day—over the course of the year. Some babies choose to nurse a lot longer than that. Tune into your baby’s needs and natural inclinations, and remember there is no strict rule for the right time to wean.

However, if you find yourself nursing your child for years and years, I urge you to examine your intentions and figure out what psychological factors might be behind this prolonged developmental stage. If your intentions are clear, and your child is not merely compensating for feelings of abandonment or neglect, then relax and trust your little one.

If you need to wean before your child “directs” this process, just keep in mind that milk and soy milk formulas are highly mucus-forming and acidic and not ideal for a baby’s system. However, this is something that you will need to discuss with your doctor. You need look no further than the ingredients list of even the highest-quality organic formula to see that mainstream infant formula is simply a cornucopia of chemicals. Make your own choices based on this information, but please note the growing epidemic of bowel disease in this country, which is occurring at shockingly earlier ages than ever before.

Obviously, many women have to go back to work before their children are ready to wean. If this is the case for you, and if pumping enough milk for your baby is not an option, you can simply begin to introduce baby shakes (see above) and fluids such as coconut water or, occasionally, goat’s milk. Infant formula and cow dairy are not necessary and can be harmful to the baby’s health.

DEVELOPMENT

During this time, you may be attending “well visits” with your pediatrician on a consistent basis. One issue that many parents confront when raising children within the detox lifestyle is their babies tend to be smaller than the national average and may fall on the low end of height and weight charts. The noticeable difference in size is due to the fact that most children are being fed hormone- and antibiotic-laden formula from birth (even if only partially) and are now consuming hormone-laden dairy products, mainstream meat products, and other foods that prematurely beef kids up. Keep in mind that one in three children born after the year 2000 will end up with diabetes, so the fact that your child is not on the “normal” curve in this way is a good thing!

If you child is smaller than most of his or her peers right now, that doesn’t necessarily mean your child will remain so forever. Your child will reach his or her full growth potential beautifully, just at a slower, more natural pace than those who are being artificially plumped up from an early age. And keeping your child away from chemical- and hormone-laden foods will allow your little one to grow at his or her own pace without the ailments, mood swings, and sugar cravings that come with the modern lifestyle.

Good health is diminutive. Healthy cells are tight, tiny, and spherical. When you have babies raised on toxic breast milk, formula, and compromised lineage, then the biomass and the biochemical makeup of the cells in their bodies will be bloated with yeast and water retention. These babies will actually look puffy. This plump, “healthy” baby look that we are used to in our society actually indicates that a baby is unhealthy and mucus-filled, bound to suffer from ear infections, IBS, asthma, allergies, and headaches. When a baby drinks clean mother’s milk, and doesn’t get formula, the wrong kinds of dairy, or other compromised foods, it will show. It’s not that the baby is undersized, but that we are used to seeing oversized babies. Clean, healthy babies are being compared to a skewed ideal.

Size is not an indicator of good health. Many children who place “normal” on the height and weight charts are constantly sick and in otherwise poor health. To assess the true health of your child, ask yourself the following questions:

Is your baby…

• alert?
• active?
• energetic?
• happy?
• engaged?
• calm?
• free from colds, constant runny noses and coughs, ear infections, eczema, respiratory/digestive issues, flus, and other common childhood ailments?

If your baby has these indicators of health, you can feel good. Your instincts will tell you when something is wrong, and imbalances will manifest in the form of digestion issues, colds, ear infections, asthmatic breathing, croup, cradle cap, thrush, and so on.

From How to Raise a Healthy Child in Spite of Your Doctor by Dr. Robert S. Mendelsohn:

When your child enters a pediatric examining room he is almost invariably subjected to height and weight measurements, usually taken by a technician or a nurse. This is part of the ritual Modern Medicine has developed to make you feel that you are getting your money’s worth. First-time parents wait nervously while the nurse places the squirming baby on the scale and may be asked to help hold the child’s legs down so that the height can be measured. Mom and Dad sigh with relief when their pediatrician finally appears, checks the measurements against a chart, and announces that their child is developing “normally.” Conversely, they are worried if they are told that their baby is gaining too much or too little weight.

What their doctor doesn’t tell them is that this ritual has no medical significance whatsoever. They aren’t told that some formula manufacturer was probably the source of the growth chart that the doctor is using and that he is given these charts by baby food and formula companies. This leads to an obvious question: Why are the formula makers so eager to have your doctor check your baby’s weight? Answer: Because the weight gain of breastfed babies may not match the average weights shown on the formula maker’s chart. They hope that the pediatrician, instead of reassuring the mother that this is normal and nonthreatening, will tell her to stop breastfeeding and switch to their product. The pediatrician may even have some samples on hand. Too often, the baby is subsequently denied the immunity and other benefits that breastfeeding provides.

CLOSING

Around this time, you will begin to experience with force the realization that although you are doing what you know is best for your child, there are many who will not agree with your parenting choices. The pressure to do what is “normal” is strong, and with the overall lack of awareness and the commercial interests driving so much of modern medicine and mainstream childcare practices, the cards are stacked against you! You will need to dig deep within yourself to find the strength to do what you know is best for you and your child. We have listed many great reference materials on this site. Some of you will want to tap these resources to strengthen your knowledge base and your powers of conviction when you are having moments of doubt. Remember to connect with others in the detox parenting community. We are here to support you in any way we can!

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