How to Live Naturally - Including During Pregnancy

How to Live Naturally - Including During Pregnancy

Sometimes it seems that more women than men tend to think about natural foods and a natural lifestyle. Women will choose clothing made from corn processed into fabric. More women than men will buy a car that can be converted to any type of fuel. Because women get pregnant, they will be the first to eat a banana or cook an organic meal. Something in women is aware that to carry and bear a healthy baby they need to be at tip-top health. Pregnant women will carefully weigh the advantages of cloth over disposable diapers, read the ingredients in the baby shampoo and buy a food processor to make natural baby foods.

Cloth Diaper Benefits
Cloth diapers aren’t like they used to be. Twenty years ago a mother bought a five-pack of white squares. These she folded into a triangle, placed the baby in the center and pinned the diaper securely. Then she placed the child in plastic pants. Today, cloth diapers come in fitted, lined and unlined, and pre-folded. One thing they don’t come with are toxins that irritate baby’s behind or chemicals to make the diaper more absorbent that seep into baby’s skin.  Another thing cloth diapers don’t come with is a guarantee of 500 years to decompose in a landfill with the chemicals leaching into the ground water and polluting the air.

Natural Household Cleaners
Most chemical companies selling household cleaners carry children’s soaps and shampoos. For some babies, the chemicals get into their system and cause trouble. Some cause rashes or allergic reactions. However, if a new mother wanted to go natural, she could make her own household cleaners and baby shampoos. It can be done using what’s in the pantry and a couple plastic spray bottles. Natural cleaners will let you use the products without being fearful of what you’re inhaling or when a product touches your skin.

All women really need is vinegar, lemon juice and baking soda. A bottle of castile soap is cheap at most health food stores and can be mixed with the above ingredients to get a better clean. These ingredients can be used on fabrics, wood furniture and floors, counter tops and tile in the bathroom. It only takes a cup of vinegar in the rinse cycle of the wash to rid the clothing of soap scum and naturally soften clothing. Baking soda and water made into a paste will take no time at all to clean the oven. Lemon juice mixed with olive oil makes the best hardwood floor polish ever. Vinegar will kill the mold and mildew in hot moist areas like bathrooms. It doesn’t need to be rinsed off, either, because the residue will keep mold and mildew from gaining hold on the bathroom grouting. Baby shampoo is as simple as mixing baking soda with cornstarch. It absorbs the oils in baby’s little hair, while preventing whitecap on the baby’s scalp. Rub it in and brush it out.

Natural Diet

One of the most important changes to make during pregnancy would be to eat a cleaner, healthier diet. Ridding your diet of processed foods, sugar-laden snacks, and chemicals is a smart choice whether you are pregnant or not. Before making too many changes to your diet, be sure to speak to your doctor about what you’re eating. While it’s important to cut out unhealthy foods, it is equally important to be sure that what you’re eating is filled with the proper nutrients and vitamins to keep you and baby healthy during your term. Your doctor is not only an excellent resource for diet advice, but also for advice about other variables like exercise and all of your options from cord blood banking to breastfeeding that come after pregnancy.

Living naturally isn’t about going without normal comforts. It’s about turning away from chemicals and other catalysts for sickness. Choosing a more organic diet and cleaning with homemade cleaning solutions are a few small examples of how to live more naturally. Buying a food processor to make homemade baby foods is a great idea. These small changes are not tough and it makes life happier knowing you’re giving the best you can to your family.

Katie Moore has written and submitted this article. Katie is an active blogger who discusses the topics of, motherhood, children, fitness, health and all other things Mommy. She enjoys writing, blogging, and meeting new people! To connect with Katie contact her via her blog, Moore From Katie or her twitter, @moorekm26