By Dr. Janet Levatin
I hope that everyone had a marvelous Mothers Day. I know I certainly did! Now that the dust has settled from all the activities, I have had time to reflect on mothers and what wonderful people they are.
In my 30 years as a pediatrician, I have had the opportunity to meet thousands of mothers. While I admire and respect all mothers because they work so hard and are so wonderfully protective of their infants and children, there is a certain kind of mother I love and relate to best. Here’s what she’s like:
- She takes care of herself very well while pregnant, eating the healthiest foods she can, avoiding unnecessary medications (including vaccines), and taking time to nurture and care for herself.
- She educates herself on the issues relevant to holistic parenting, including nutrition, natural, non-toxic infant and child care products, non-toxic cosmetics, healthy water, green cleaning products, and more. She then makes the best choices to live the healthiest lifestyle possible.
- Her primary goal is natural childbirth. If that is not possible, she chooses the least invasive interventions.
- She studies and pros and cons of vaccinations, asks questions and makes independent decisions about her child’s health. She is not pressured into treatments or interventions by the medical establishment she does not want.
- She enjoy and takes pride in breastfeeding. If she is not able to breastfeed, she researches and uses the best alternative to mother’s milk.
- She prepares natural, organic whole foods for her baby when the time is right to introduce solids. As her baby grows she makes the healthiest food and nutrition choices she can.
- When her baby or child has a health problem, she accesses natural care such as homeopathy, herbs, osteopathy, non-toxic allergy treatment, and chiropractic (all available at TIMC!). When necessary, she will choose conventional care.
- She does all the right research and asks all the right questions to keep her family healthy.
I have met many mothers who are living some or all of this lifestyle at Tenpenny Integrative Medical Center (TIMC). I love, admire, and respect them all because I know they are doing the best they can for their families. I hope you all had a wonderful day celebrating with your family and friends.
What an awesome blog! As a mum who has instinctively followed this lifestyle for my family I tend to get more sidewards glances and worried looks than praise, love and respect. So thank you!!
Congratulations on your work and supporting mothers that care about health. I am 56 years old, raised 3 children ages 24, 21 and 18. Birthed them all at home with a midwife, no doctor visits ever, all alternative meds – homeopathy, herbs, chiropractors, energy medicine, organic food, breastfed til each one was at least 3, family bed, signed the waivers at their schools for the personal exemption and I’m proud to report they are all very healthy and smart and attending college. Not a lot of support 25 years ago but what I found I am very grateful for and hope more MD’s join you in thinking the same and treating their patients the same as you do.