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A Mother Just Knows...
By Eva Zemlya
A mother just knows what it`s
right for her baby. Instinctively. However, after so many years of
disconnection with Nature, we have lost that sense, that inner feeling
that tells us exactly how to raise our babies. We have lost it somewhere
between so many rules proclaimed in books, advice read online,
traditions from our grandmothers, patterns created by doctors and
psychologists.
The truth is that no book in the
world can give you instructions on how to raise your baby. Only you know
how, deeply within. So I`m not here to teach you anything, just to
remind you what you already know and to share my motherhood experience
with you.
I remember that feeling of
safety and bliss when I was holding my baby in my arms, especially when
breastfeeding. The feeling that there are just the two of us in the
world, that nobody can harm us, that we`re going to be fine no matter
what.
A mother just knows to
breastfeed her baby whenever he wants to, because he is hungry, or
because he needs to be comforted, or because he wants to fall asleep.
This doesn`t mean he is spoiled.
A baby doesn’t know how to
emotionally manipulate you; he hasn’t learned it yet. He is too little,
too pure. He just came into this world. He just feels. All that he knows
is that he feels safe, nurtured, and warm at your breast, hearing your
heartbeat, smelling your scent. Don`t deny him that. It will just lead
to emotional insecurities later on. Breastfeeding creates a relationship
of trust and an exceptional bonding between mother and son or daughter.
A mother just knows when to
sleep with her baby and knows she is not going to suffocate her
overnight. A mother always sleeps with one eye open, and always knows
where her baby is, even in her sleep.
A mother just knows how to bathe
her baby gently, without fearing she is not holding her right, or that
the water might be too cold or too hot. She tests it with a delicate
part of her own skin. She doesn`t need those fancy thermometers. Or
those fancy shampoos, which, even if they are for babies, still contain
chemicals.
To wash my baby’s hair I used an
egg yolk mixed with a teaspoon of apple vinegar. Rub gently the baby’s
scalp, rinse, and then delicately massage with a herbal oil, for the
crusts which often appear on babies’ scalps. I made my herbal oil using
500 ml of olive oil + 2 teaspoons of dried salve (Salvia Officinalis) +
2 teaspoons of dried basil (Ocinum Basilicum). You put the herbs into
the oil, in a dark bottle, and leave it for two weeks. Then strain the
oil and keep it refrigerated. Please warm it up when massaging the baby
and remember: Never use essential oils on babies, as their skin is too
delicate. For washing the delicate parts, I used chamomile and marigold
tea.
A mother just knows that her baby is curious about the world. So she lets
him experiment with life, to feel and touch grass, dirt, water. She
knows he already has a strong immune system from being breastfed, and
she knows that this way will make it even stronger. She lets the
sunshine caress him, just the right amount so his little body can
naturally produce Vitamin D, instead of taking it from a bottle.
A mother just knows when to
introduce her baby to new foods. Knowing that there is no hurry, knowing
that her milk still provides the baby with everything she needs.
When my baby was six months old,
I slowly started to introduce him to banana and avocado mashes, baked
broccoli and cauliflower, spinach, carrot and tomato soup, and various
fruits. Here is one of my favorite vegan, gluten-free recipe for
diversification: Green Puree.
You will need:
Put the peas in a pot with water
and let it boil for half an hour. Wash the spinach leaves thoroughly and
add to pot. Let it boil for fifteen more minutes. Cut the broccoli into
little trees, heat the oven at 250 C and place the broccoli inside, on a
tray with baking parchment. Leave it to bake for ten minutes. When the
peas and the spinach are boiled, strain the water, then add the olive
oil, the avocado, and the spirulina, and mix with a blender. Then
decorate the mash with the little baked broccoli trees :). Enjoy !
As a final thought, I hope that
our souls will regain that ancient wisdom of motherhood and that each
day we will take a few steps forward towards a more organic, healthy
lifestyle.
Eva Zemlya has experience in many fields
such us permaculture/gardening, pets, healthy nutrition, alternative parenting, and Yin Yoga. She lives
in a traditional and picturesque area of Romania with a dog shelter, a
garden and orchard, and two children. She has invented and tested many
vegetarian, raw vegan, and macrobiotic recipes, for mother, kids, and
even pets.
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