Good nutrition starts in the womb. It's so important to know that what we eat during pregnancy and how we feed our children can affect them for many years to come.
I have always been an observer of life and people. I love to watch body language. This is likely one of the reasons why my instincts are so in tune with a mother in labor. I have worked hard at learning to watch her non-verbal body signals.
One of my observations lately has been watching what people eat as well as what they feed their children. What we put into our mouths is often directly related to health issues and weight gain. Are we not in a crisis right now in this country with obesity? I firmly believe the problems start before birth. It's fascinating to watch that women will think nothing of eating processed food as their diet during pregnancy, formula feed their babies and then introduce the same unhealthy table foods to their children.
My daughters and I were talking about formula the other day since they know they were both breastfed. There are so many advantages to breastfeeding that there should be no debate on what we feed our babies (unless a mother truly has a problem making enough milk to feed her infant.) There is no comparison between breastmilk and formula in terms of nutrition, digestion, antibodies and long-term health benefits. Breastmilk is the equivalent of a nutritious meal of meat, grains and vegetables (with the best antiobiotic thrown in for good measure!) Formula cannot compete.
Our last series was based on healthy eating during pregnancy. If you are expecting, be sure to read all of the articles in the pregnancy nutritionseries.
Coming in the next few weeks will be articles on the latest breastfeeding research. I am also working on a series on preparing for labor.
Have a great week and email me if you have any questions or article ideas! I'd love to hear from you.
Brenda
