Tera Warner

On Birth and Being of Babes – Part 2 of 2

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baby, breastfeeding, birth, labour, delivery, natural

On Birth and Being of Babes – Part 2 of 2

By Tera Warner

Breastfeeding and the correct use of essential oils enhance and support your baby’s health.

Breastfeeding for Baby’s Immunity

Breastfeeding is the best thing that you can do for your baby’s health. Each drop of breast milk contains over a million white blood cells and actually builds antibodies through all the years of breastfeeding. The substances in the milk shift and change to develop along with the child’s changing needs.

Breastfeeding is also of prime importance in taking care of your baby’s teeth. Generally, newborns are born without teeth, yet their teeth are already forming. Nutrition is key for tooth development, so make sure that mom is getting enough of the fat-soluble vitamins such as A, D3 and K2 in her daily diet to pass on to baby. Tooth decay in babies and toddlers is never caused by breastfeeding.3 Nighttime nursing, which has been done since the beginning of time, has never caused a cavity. However, juices are very acidic and can promote cavities, so limit night time drinks to breast milk and water.

Some women are concerned that the essential oils they consume or use on their skin may pass through breast milk and harm the baby. Compounds from essential oils do pass through breast milk, and this is good. The oils will enhance the baby’s health. To ensure safety, simply avoid using on yourself the few oils that are best left unused on young children. These oils are listed below.

Botanical Baby Care

Essential oils provide simple solutions to common childhood issues, and can help you prevent exposing your child to chemical medicines, painkillers or antibiotics. There are hundreds of effective and easy to use essential oils. My favorite oils to use with babies are Roman and German chamomile, lavender, eucalyptus and rose otto. The general guideline for using oils on infants and young children is to keep the mixture of oils and carrier oil to a 1-2% dilution: 7-12 drops essential oil per ounce (2 tablespoons or 15 ml) of organic carrier oil.

There are only a handful of oils best avoided by little ones younger than 2 years old. These oils are: anise, citronella (which is not an authentic essential oil), clove (undiluted), laurel, lemongrass, Melissa, oregano, savory, pines and spruces. Also, you should avoid applying peppermint to infants because it is very cooling, like an ice cube, and can unsafely lower body temperature. As the child grows and is able to more efficiently regulate body temperature, you can start using peppermint – it is effective as an antibiotic and pain reliever for boo-boos.

It is very important to store your temptingly pretty bottles of essential oils out of the reach of children. Essential oils are very potent! Most oils taste like a pine tree, so they are unappealing to a child’s palate. Even so, for safety and ease of use, be sure to store all essential oils away from curious children and keep them in bottles with integrated drop-dispensing lids.

Teething

Teething can often challenge a baby’s immune system and may be accompanied by swollen gums, ear infections, colds, diarrhea and irritability. Raising your little one’s dietary intake of phosphorus and vitamin C can be very helpful during teething. To relieve discomfort, massage into the cheeks and jaw one drop of the essential oil of Roman Chamomile or lavender diluted with one drop of jojoba oil. To calm inflammation, half a drop of organic clove oil diluted in virgin coconut oil, or half a drop of Wild Child Healthy Gum Drops can be applied to the gums. These oils will also boost the child’s immune system.

Congestion

Eucalyptus oil has a long history as a treatment for congestion from colds, infections and allergies. There are two great ways to use this oil. Rub a few drops of eucalyptus essential oil all over the bed sheets, rather than on the baby. Or, add a few drops to a vaporizer going in the baby’s room. As the baby inhales, the nasal passages will open and clear so that your baby can breathe freely.

Ear Aches

Ear aches can also be treated with eucalyptus oil. Place 1-2 drops on a cotton ball and gently insert it into the ear for a few hours. You can also massage diluted lavender around the jaw and the area behind the ear.

Skin Care

Babies’ soft, delicate skin is sensitive and can be easily irritated. When you clean and moisturize your baby, it is important to avoid petroleum based products frequently marketed for babies, like baby oil. Infants need to be cleaned, though, and essential oils can help you with that.

After I gave birth, the midwives warned me to keep Leif’s belly button clean. I put on his belly button one drop of undiluted tea tree oil, widely heralded as a gentle cleaner, and then I put him in the warm sun for just 2 minutes. When the midwives returned the next day, his little belly was clean and his belly button was totally healed and formed. Normally it takes about two weeks to heal. Still, I recommend that you dilute the oils for use on babies.

Babies can be cleaned and protected, even from diaper rash, using a warm, damp cloth along with a mixture of Roman Chamomile in a carrier oil with a little bit of Calendula. Ron and I cut up an old flannel sheet into squares to use as wipes and used a little warm water and a squirt of Seabuckthorn Best Skin Ever. You can also use Jai Baby Joy to promote healthy skin and to clean up during a diaper change. They both are great for an after-bath skin softening lotion – for you and your baby.

We all love a good massage and babies do, too. Massage stimulates circulation, gets the lymph system moving, improves the immune system and relaxes and calms baby, preparing her for deep sleep. I like jojoba or pure coconut oil as a massage oil, adding a little bit of lavender oil as I massage the baby’s feet.

Colic


Colicky tummies are unpleasant for babies and tough on parents. A change in mom’s diet is the first step to easing colic. Try eliminating from your diet the common childhood allergens to determine which foods upset your baby’s tummy. These foods are: dairy, nuts, soy, eggs, wheat and fish. Also, you can add ginger and fennel to your diet to pass along the tummy-calming elements to baby through your breast milk.

In the meantime, as your diet takes effect, you can help your baby’s digestion by dabbing a few drops of Colic Calmer to your little one’s lower back and feet – places where her little wandering hands can’t reach.

Colic Calmer

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons jojoba
  • 2 drops German Chamomile
  • 3 drops Lavender
  • 3 drops Cardamom
  • 3 drops Fennel
  • 3 drops Ginger

A responsible use of essential oils will bless you and your baby with good health. Always trust your intuition and common sense as you care for your child. As your knowledge of plant botanicals grow, your intuition and attunement to your child’s needs will also strengthen. Let your mother’s and father’s intuition guide you.

References:

3 For further reading: http://mothering.com/health/big-bad-cavities-breastfeeding-is-not-the-cause