bringing health home
This picture is from April 2016. My family was in Utah on our #bordnergreatadventure, and Declan was 11 months old. I unknowingly had walking pneumonia, and Declan had eczema all over his body. His face was the worst. Thankfully, his skin condition didn't seem to bother him too much, but it bothered me. I was heartbroken over losing my milk supply, him being allergic to dairy, and literally I had to make him goat's milk formula, which, obviously, he was sensitive to, as well. There were nights I spent so upset, knowing that what was sustaining him, was also harming him.
To help his skin, I eliminated toxins not only from his diet, but also from our environment. I used DIY laundry detergent with super clean ingredients, gave him a (mostly) paleo style diet without dairy and almost no grains, I kept him any from synthetic cleaners by making my own with essential oils, and I made soothing and supporting ointments for his skin using coconut oil, lavender, melaleuca, and frankincense (and correct-x from doTERRA was the best!!).
Soon after this picture was taken, at 11 months old, we removed formula altogether from his diet, and switched him straight to water. At the suggestion of my sis, I put a couple frozen blueberries in his bottle of water for a bit of flavor and fun, poured a big glass of wine because I was so nervous, and put him to sleep with a bottle of water for the first time ever.
Within a few weeks, his skin had healed. To this day, we still don't give him milk, but have opened up his diet to occasionally add in the grass fed cheese or yogurt, piece of pizza, and organic mac and cheese. If there is a week in particular where I know he's had a bit too much, I'll see some bumps form around his mouth and reign in the dairy for the next few weeks.
But most of all - I didn't let his condition cripple me into inaction, I didn't give him bleach baths (WTF, btw), I didn't take the answer from the pediatrician that they "can't test for allergies at such a young age" because I know that my son's health is, ultimately, up to me to be his advocate, his healer, his comforter, and his biggest supporter. I sought out holistic mamas who were going through similar situations with their littles and I leaned on my sister the chiropractor to make sure I was supporting his body properly with nutrition.
Declan taught me to question everything, to check the ingredients, and to trust my mama instincts. It's such an important lesson to learn... and I'm so thankful I had the community and the resources to figure out what "health" care could (and should) look like for Declan. While I certainly don't have all the answers and I'm not a doctor, I am a mom who loves her babies, and empowered living is so much better than living in the dark.
To check out what bringing healthcare into your own home looks like - go here. There's a whole community in there who have awakened to what empowered living looks like to them.