Soon-to-be mothers might be some of the most health conscious people on Earth! They know that taking care of themselves also means taking care of their baby – that their health has a direct effect on the health of their child. Taking pre-natal vitamins and focusing on much healthier nutrition choices, soon-to-be moms are open to making smart decisions before their baby arrives.
The foundation of a strong immune system for your baby begins with a vaginal birth (if possible). When the baby makes its glorious arrival in this manner, while he or she is making its way through the birth canal, the baby will be coated in vernix, which has anti-bacterial effects that get things off to a good start.
Of course, breastfeeding is of great importance, especially during the first year of life (or until the baby starts showing teeth – which means the baby is ready for different forms of food). During those first months of life mom is passing along her own defense system through antibodies in the milk while the baby is building its own immune system based upon exposure to the world.
Obviously, the stronger a mom’s immune system is, the more protection the baby will have. Besides a healthy diet, there a number of smart things a mom can do to fortify the immune system for herself and her baby.
- Supplement with Vitamin D3. Studies have shown that vitamin D plays an essential role in protecting the body from many serious health ailments, including cancer, type 2 diabetes, and chronic inflammation; and is also important in fighting off infections like tuberculosis, influenza and colds. The easiest way to get vitamin D is through sufficient sunlight, eating foods with high levels of vitamin D, and supplementation. However, according to Dr. Kate Rheaume-Bleue, author of Vitamin K2 and the Calcium Paradox: How a Little Known Vitamin Could Save Your Life, you shouldn’t take any vitamin D supplement without taking vitamin K2. Vitamin K2 directs calcium where it should and shouldn’t be throughout the body. Dr. Rheaume-Bleue says, “When you take vitamin D, your body creates more of these vitamin K2 dependent proteins, the proteins that will move the calcium around. They have a lot of potential health benefits. But until the K2 comes in to activate those proteins, those benefits aren’t realized.” So, keeping in mind that there is less sunshine during cold winter months, it becomes even more important for moms nursing their babies. Talk to your chiropractor more about this important combination of vitamins D3 and K2 – it’ll help you build a strong immune system for your baby and you.
- Get lots of healthy fats/omega3’s. Healthy fats/omega3’s provide a variety of health benefits – especially in promoting a healthy and strong immune response while reducing the synthesis of proinflammatory molecules. Reducing inflammation is vital to the overall health of your baby (and you). Chronic inflammation has been linked to cancer, diabetes, digestive issues, and issues affecting the lungs, esophagus and cervix. There are many foods that contain these important healthy fats (like salmon and olive oil). However, we don’t often eat enough of these foods, so taking a high quality supplement is very important. Fish oil is a common supplement that provides a healthy dose of omega3 fats. There are many providers of this supplement on the market, but Nutriwest’s Complete Omega 3 Essentials is a product I highly recommend.
- Stay hydrated. Since our bodies are composed primarily of water, it just makes sense that we need to drink a sufficient amount of water each day to remain healthy. We lose water daily through perspiration and urination, so replenishing the supply is important. Generally, you should drink at least half of your body weight in ounces of water each day. Cut out other drinks (especially sugary health damaging drinks like regular and diet soda) and replace them with water. If you want to add a little variety, try herbal teas. While tap water is generally safe to drink, for nursing moms its recommended that pure, filtered water be the choice. Most tap water contains fluoride and trace amounts of other chemicals. If your tap water comes from a well it could also contain higher levels of metals and other minerals that, over time, could be a problem. Pure, unfiltered water eliminates these issues – and the water usually tastes better, too! One easy way to gauge whether or not you’re getting enough water is through your urine. It shouldn’t be dark or have an odor – it shouldn’t smell and should be light yellow in color.
- Stop eating white sugar and white flour. This one is harder because most processed foods have some form of sugar, and most processed grain products use white flour. Here’s the problem: there are no health benefits from eating white sugar. They are “empty” calories. Sugars are: bad for your teeth, can overload your liver, cause insulin resistance (which can lead to diabetes), and can be highly addictive. It is far healthier and better for the immune system to eat fruits that have healthy sugars (and many other health benefits). White flour (or, refined/processed flour) has serious health consequences as well. The milling and processing of wheat essentially removes most of the vitamins, minerals, fiber and phytonutrients. With many of the health benefits removed, the health consequences can include real problems with blood sugar levels, higher levels of inflammation, metabolic slowdown (which can lead to weight gain), digestive problems, and acid-alkaline imbalances. So, what can you do? Replace foods made with refined flour with a balanced diet that includes whole grain foods that are high in fiber. Overall this will be better for your immune system, heart health, and overall well-being.
- Get plenty of sleep. Sleep is the natural process the body uses to strengthen and fortify overall health, but is especially important in maintaining a strong immune response. When we sleep our bodies go into a “rest and digest” and “heal and repair” cycle that is essential. It’s a time when the body catches-up on vital internal processes. Getting enough sleep each day is one of the best defenses we have in maintaining vitality and wellbeing – for mom and baby. That being said, during the first few months of a new baby’s life, sleep patterns will be disrupted. This is just a fact of the parenting life. For this reason alone it’s important for a new mom to have a strong support system, beginning with a sympathetic partner who shares in getting up with the baby during the night. Having the ability to call upon relatives and friends to care for the baby during the day so mom can catch a nap is also helpful. Creating a system that allows for a solid eight hours of sleep will have a powerful effect on keeping everyone healthy and vital!
Dr. Maria Scarano is a partner with Core Chiropractic. She takes great pleasure is working with moms to give infants a healthy beginning in life! She loves living in Nevada City. When she’s not assisting people in experiencing optimum well-being, she enjoys cooking healthy food, running on the amazing local trails, and going out dancing with friends.