It Takes A Village
Welcome back…for now. Life gets hectic with little people, and of course I HAD to sign up for another gut health class on top of all the chaos surrounding me. But, hey, I love learning this information, and I love sharing as much as I can with all of you. Especially those who have littles at home like I do. I don’t take my title of “Mental Mom” lightly. I have a duty, as a mother, and as a member of society, to help guide and assist where it is needed. It does take a village ya know! What an interesting statement that is, “It takes a village”. I always thought of that statement as an outward support. Ya know, my family, my neighbors, my teachers, etc. Not until recently did I discover my own amazing warp of that statement. What if we had an internal village that WE have been neglecting all along?! One that we should be assisting and relying on every single day. And yet, we seldom ever think of it.
The Village
The external village of support and guidance is so important for all of us to utilize. It creates a sense of community, and let’s be honest, it decreases our stress levels tremendously when we can enjoy a peaceful moment doing basically anything, while our kids are in the care of someone else. But, in taking my newest class, I discovered an amazing community inside of my own body! My Bacteria! Usually we think of bacteria as a bad thing, but I’m here to change your thoughts about good ‘ole Bacti and Eria. (I even named them!) Over the past few years I have been getting very close and comfy with my gut and the bacteria that reside in it. I also got to know many of the pathogens that decided to take residency. And being the strict landlord I am, I kicked them out because they were destroying valuable property. Ya see, it’s just like my own community. It has to be managed, cleaned up, loved, comforted, and even disciplined at times. If we begin to teach our kids at a very early age how to upkeep their own communities, we can give them a fighting chance at preventing so many diseases and illnesses down the road. We also guide them into building one of the most resilient and diverse internal defense mechanisms for life. When I say very early on, I mean before they are even a thought in their mama’s womb.
Build Them Up Early On
Early on, meaning pre-conception. Now sometimes, planning is not in the forecast for pregnancy, and that’s ok. But for you Mama’s out there, if you are planning ahead to conceive, prepare your own gut bacteria and immune system for the future building grounds. Think of it this way, when a house is being built, your not going to just erect a frame on a random piece of land. You are going to flatten the ground, and build a sturdy foundation. If we put that much thought into building a house, we should definitely put even more thought into building a human being! Just saying. The more diverse and resilient your Gut Microbiome is, the better off your babies Microbiome will be. You will be creating the most plush garden for your seedling to grow in. As baby grows in the womb, the health of your Microbiome (your bacteria) will effect the development and health of your baby. This is not just about food either. Lifestyle choices play a key role as well in maintaining proper balance in your Gut Microbes. (Stress, sleep, exercise, etc.)
During pregnancy our bodies do amazing things. Our body knows how to alter its systems in order for life to grow and thrive. Just like that, our systems begin to create space for another living creatures systems to be built. Say whaaa? Yup, your body is pretty darn cool. Having said that, when mama gets pregnant, she really needs to maintain her gut. As baby grows in the first trimester, mom becomes more susceptible to bacteria disruptions because her microbiome diversity declines. (Growing baby needs protection so it doesn’t get attacked like a virus or pathogen does! I mean the zygotes doesn’t look like the other cells!! Where do you think that protection comes from?) But, this also means that mom’s immune system is suppressed as well. So eating plenty of veggies, good fats, fruits, and whole grains is so important in order to maintain a healthy number of microbes in mama’s gut. In the third trimester your entire microbiome goes into protection mode over baby. It’s like a huge airbag, if you will, that inflames itself to protect that precious cargo inside. See how amazingly helpful this tiny village is inside of us. And this is all before the baby breathes the outside air. When they do finally pop out, they are covered with bacteria (if they are born naturally). Many babies born C-sections lack this bacteria (it is only found in the mothers vagina), making them more prone to diagnosis of infections, respiratory issues, and higher risk of autoimmune complications. The newest science is phenomenal. Many mother’s have to have C-sections, and many doctors are practicing “vaginal seeding”, as we learn more and more about the importance of the presence of good bacteria when baby makes their grand entrance. (I highly encourage mom’s that have to have a C-Section to discuss this with your doctor.)
Infancy to Toddlerhood
Yes, breast is best, but why? It was never really relayed to me in any of those lovely classes I took on “how to not kill your baby when you bring it home” (as my husband and I would tease each other about), nor was it discussed with any nurse or doctor at the hospital. I was just told, breastfeeding was best, “If you could. If you can’t, there’s plenty of other options.” Ummmm, okay! I literally had to take a Gut Health class to learn about breastfeeding. Man, I wish I took this class earlier. Breastmilk is natures prebiotic! There it is in four words. It is babies first introduction to protective and diverse bacteria that will assist in building their own microbiome. When a baby drinks breastmilk, it doesn’t just satisfy the baby, it satisfies the microbiome growing inside the baby, which then create more microbes. We need to change the thoughts of eating when feeding ourselves and our kids. We aren’t just feeding a craving we have, we are feeding our microbes. We need to think about what our microbes NEED instead of what WE WANT. Our microbes love breast milk when we are babies. It contains antibodies and immune molecules that build the best line of defense when those lovely viral and pathogenic invaders decide to visit. When we feed babies breastmilk, it creates two times more bacteria than non breastfed babies, which then crowds out visiting pathogens.
From infancy to two years of age, our kiddos microbiome increases rapidly. From milk to solid foods, their microbes shift and alter based on what gets put in their little bodies. This is why it is so important to be feeding their microbes nutrients that build a strong ecosystem and immune system. Foods like dietary fibers and healthy fats that increase bacteria diversity and build bacteria resilience. Feeding foods that lack nutrients, or even downing way too many antibiotics when not necessary, actually suppresses their immune system, and decreases the diversity of their gut bacteria, leaving an opening for virus’ and pathogens to get cozy.
Strengthen the Village
It truly is as simple as teaching them young, and holding our ground in times of temptation. Training our mind to respect our bodies and feed our microbiome what it needs, will be our biggest defense against the smallest, and yet deadliest of inhabitants on earth: Viral and Pathogenic invaders. Eat vegetables, fruits, REAL whole grains. Use natural cleaning and beauty products. Purchase only what you need. Walk in nature, spend time in nature. Spend time laughing. Show love and kindness daily. Remove toxins and unneeded stress from daily life. Look at the world as part of you, and you as part of the world. When you look at all these things compared to a lifetime of prescription drugs, hospital beds, and bills stacking to the roof, it doesn’t seem so bad, right?!
Discoveries that have been made, and discoveries that have yet to be made, are completely fascinating, and sadly do not make their way to the headlines. If we all had a chance to get to know our bacteria and microbiomes the way we should, as well as guiding our kids to know theirs, we could truly discover a village that will always be there for us, and vice versa.
**To learn more about how awesome our bodies are I encourage everyone to check out:
