The Milky Way: 7 Things to Know About Breastmilk
Breastmilk is a powerful superfood. It's pure liquid life force with amazing benefits and qualities, and it comes in a perfect, portable and attractive dispenser.
This sweet substance is a vital link in the survival and evolution of humanity. Without it we would not exist.
Breastfeeding provides much more than just nourishment, it also creates the foundation of our lifelong gut health and provides the physical closeness between mother and baby to support attachment, bonding and love.
Breastmilk nourishes the body, inoculates the digestive system with a healthy microbiome, boosts the immune system and is constantly changing multiple times a day to always provide exactly what a baby needs.
7 Amazing Things to Know About Breastmilk
#1: The Best Superfood Ever:
There are over 400+ known nutrients, probiotics, enzymes, stem cells and more in breastmilk - and it doesn't decrease in nutrition at anytime! It's constantly the perfect temperature, always changing during each day to provide exactly what a baby needs, and provides up to date immunity to what's in the mom's environment.
#2: It Gives Babies the Munchies:
Breastmilk has cannabanoids in it, which are natural nutrients which also make up one of the medicinal factors of marijuana. The cannabanoids in breastmilk help to support the babies appetite, and that munchie-effect helps to make sure that babies want to eat, which is essential for them to grow and thrive.
#3: Colostrum is Like Liquid Gold:
The first milk that a mother produces in the first couple days after birth is not actually breastmilk, it is colostrum. Colostrum creates the foundation of the baby's immune system for life. It is super turbo packed with nutrients and provides a huge immunity boost to the baby.
#4: Breastmilk is Healing:
It's been used as a home remedy for hundreds of situations from pink eye to scraped knees because of its antibacterial properties. Moms have been known to use breastmilk for soothing earaches, skin irritations, diaper rashes, stretch marks and so much more! It's not only the most nutritious food for babies, it's also a healing balm for all kinds of situations.
#5: Breastmilk May Provide Powerful Cures:
The breasts have their own stash of stem cells that promote regeneration and can be accessed throughout expressed breastmilk. Breastmilk is an abundant source of stem cells which research shows can be used for treating many diseases. The stem cells in breastmilk are also able to be ethically harvested, thus making unnecessary the aggressive intervention of taking stem cells from the umbilical cord in the immediate moments after birth (which necessitates early cord clamping and takes the precious stem cells in the placenta away from the baby), or from aborted embryos. Many women are able to produce extra breastmilk through pumping, and could continue to pump long after weaning, thus providing breastmilk for medical research. I believe this is a much more humane and conscious way to pursue stem cell research and help lots more people with this healing potential in regenerative medicine.
#6: Breastmilk Deserves the Best:
The quality of breastmilk is effected by the mother's diet. The foods and herbs she eats provide nutrients and flavors to the milk and it's essential for nursing mothers to eat the highest quality foods possible. A good diet for breastfeeding mothers ensures that her body is using her food supply, rather than personal reserves, to make the milk. In traditional cultures around the world, pregnant and nursing mothers were given special nutrient-dense foods that were considered sacred for their ability to nourish the mother and baby such as oysters, fish eggs, liver and bone marrow which are very high in minerals as well as vitamins A, D and K.
#7: It's the Stuff Myths Are Made Of:
Our home galaxy here in the Universe is called the Milky Way, because in Greek mythology milk squirted out from the Goddess Hera's breast and became the stars in the sky. The name Milky Way is derived from the Greek word "Galaxius" which means milk. Breastmilk is the best food in the galaxy!
Why Milk Matters
While breastmilk is an essential ingredient to human survival and health, breastfeeding is very challenging today, especially because of the lack of support and the cultural objectification of the bodies of women.
Breastfeeding is an incredibly important practice for humanity overall, yet this vital mother-baby relationship is frequently sabotaged today by excess intervention and technology in the birth and postpartum experience, the advertising and promotion of formula, as well as societal pressure against breastfeeding in public.
Despite the prominence of sexualized breasts in advertising, billboards, commercials, fashion and media, the breastfeeding breast is controversial. This is evidenced by many women getting their social media accounts suspended for posting breastfeeding photos, as well as getting kicked off of planes and out of businesses for breastfeeding in public.
Parents-to-be are sent packages of formula samples when pregnant, pushing formula over breastmilk. New parents are given gift bags of formula when leaving the hospitals with their newborns. This kind of practices are deriding to a mother's confidence, as well as to her breastfeeding support systems, and can lead to early weaning.
Instead we should be promoting and marveling over the amazing properties of BREASTMILK! The most special food that humans have available to us - and the only food that we really make ourselves.
It is important for breastfeeding mothers today to eat organic and non-GMO foods, as pesticides from conventional produce pass through the breastmilk to the baby. However, the amount of pesticides in the body drops considerably in just a few days of eating organic. Also, only pastured, grass-fed and high-quality animal foods should be eaten by breastfeeding mothers, including eggs, dairy and meat, because the amount of pesticides, hormones and chemicals in the conventional food supply gets concentrated in animal fats posing even higher risks.
A plant-based organic diet with grass-fed pastured special nutrient-rich foods is ideal for a nursing mother. Many women today have a hard time accessing and affording organic and healthy food during pregnancy and nursing. This should be a top priority for public health.
I think we need to create a Farm-to-Breast Movement connecting organic farmers directly with pregnant and breastfeeding mothers!
It's time we really pay attention to studying the life-giving, regenerative and healing powers of breastmilk, start supporting pregnant and breastfeeding women to have better food and health, and respect what breasts are REALLY for - keeping homo sapiens alive for over 200,000 years!
This liquid of legends is full of the energy of life, health and youth - and has incredible characteristics.
It's absolutely awe-inspiring what life giving and healing powers are inherent within the breasts and bodies of women.
Many blessings,
Kara