As you may know, I recently had a son in February, 2009. Right now, at 6 months, he is transitioning in to starting solid foods in addition to breastfeeding. Last night, I attempted a “real” solid of sweet potatoes mixed with breast milk. I LOVE sweet potatoes! However, the experience was so new to him that he seemed to not feel the same way about sweet potatoes that I do!

I bought a small organic sweet potato for him and baked it in the oven with ours. I let it cool and then poured some pumped breast milk in with it so the consistency would be soft and mushy. I have only given Joel rice cereal and bananas mixed with breast milk so this new food was very different for him. He just let the sweet potatoes sit in his mouth and made a silly little grimace with his face. Then he would cough and try to get the mixture out of his mouth.

I only gave him tiny spoonfuls so I didn’t understand why it was so hard for him to eat it. My husband, Jeremy, reminded me he probably has not got the hang of swallowing the strange stuff in his mouth yet..

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Since I have had my son, I am extra conscious of what I put into my body and what goes into his.

Convenience and price has led many people to accept products that are very bad for their health. Food products are full of preservatives and empty calories, with no nutritional value. Or, body products contain known skin irritants that are used to test for allergic reactions in a medical setting. Many mothers blindly put faith in doctors and children’s companies…trusting that these people have their child’s best interest at heart.

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[caption id="attachment_49" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Almond Breeze

Childbirth in the USA is often looked at as “torture” or “traumatizing,” and unfortunately many babies suffer due to the high rate of fear pregnant women suscept themselves to.

A study performed by Standley K, Soule AB in 1974, reviewed the correlation between local-regional anesthesia and newborn behaviors. The newborns behaviors were rated by the Brazelton Neonatal Assessment Scale. The study found that three days after being born, the infants were more irritable and less motorically mature than the infants whose mothers had not been medicated.

In the late 70′s and early ’80s, the anesthesia dosages given were very close to the amount given to women in childbirth today. So, we can see this study as very relevant even though it was performed more than 30 years ago.

These results were taken from Gentlebirth.org

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These results were formed from an online survey performed by Our365.com. The results show what the average woman has experienced during pregnancy and childbirth and the results