All the previous blogs lead me to the final thought. Healing. What all parents of sick children want….for their child to be healed. Forever. Not “treated” for their symptoms but the cause for the illness found and it cured. It seems there is a tendency to treatment rather than prevention and cures these days…and I find that frustrating. I am on a relentless quest to cure this disease. I believe it has a root cause (in our case in the gut) and that it can be healed with the proper treatment. So far with everything we have done we are about 95% well. This has been a huge change. We have gone from sleeping two hours a day in short burst, crying all the time, clingy, itchy and covered in a rash from head to foot…to happy, vibrant, sleeping 14 hours a day, exploring and content. Our lives …her life…if COMPLETELY different. So let’s get to the “meat” of what has healed our daughter from her eczema.    #1. TRADITIONAL ALLERGY TESTS I know allergy tests are notoriously inaccurate in babies. My pediatric
 allergists both disagreed. For me, the prick tests were very accurate. This
 helped know what the real allergies were. I thought these would have been awful. The first doctor wanted to do TWENTY EIGHT AT ONCE! She told me to slather her 
in steroids forever, give her unbelievably strong oral steroids and give her bleach baths. I fired her. These test are not
the end all be all. There are other ways that I learned afterward that do not 
involve pricks. I did only the ones that can be life threatening such as nuts, 
dairy etc. ...I do not regret that and she didn't seem to notice when it was 
done by the wonderful nurse and we did so few. 
When it comes to life threatening nut allergies it is critical to know as soon as you can what you are dealing with! We were allergic to nuts (particularly ALMONDS which is NOT typical), dairy and eggs.    #2. ALTERNATIVE ALLERGY TESTS   Try a NAET testing professional. They can do muscle testing for allergies, 
which I had good success with my daughter. Seemed very "voodoo" to me but I would try
 anything! Turns out they were very accurate! I had very good experiences with 
these diagnostics and treatments. 
I would HIGHLY recommend trying this route. Be sure to research your practitioner and read reviews. Make sure they have the proper credentials. Some chiropractors do similar services. It is a great way to detect allergens in a non-invasive manner.  Another great testing protocol is skin testing. It was a lifesaver. If you have a colicky or eczema child I highly recommend taking a small piece of the food as it would be served (raw egg, scrambled egg, eggs white, etc) and placing on baby's back and then covering with a large gauze pad and tape in place at least 24 hours. Remove and check for redness. Only do a few at a time as some may have a large red reaction and you may not be able to decipher which food caused the reaction. Do this for these children before you try ANY new food!   #3. DO AN IGG TEST   This tests for food intolerances. So many of these babies
 have intolerances to foods on top of or instead of allergies. This will help you 
avoid trigger foods or "rotate" foods so they aren't constantly exposed to the
 same food they are reacting to. This is particularly helpful if you are having a difficult time discerning WHAT they are reacting to due to delayed reactions! 
My daughter could be exposed to something and not react for 3-4 days. How hard to figure out what is going on! We were INTOLERANT to soy, wheat, gluten, raspberries, onions, coffee, chocolate, avocado and more! Whew!   #4. REMOVE ALLERGENS Remove the common triggers and start from scratch. If you are nursing remove 
eggs, wheat, nuts, diary, soy, coffee, chocolate and gluten. See if baby gets 
better. If so, slowly add foods back one at a time and look for a reaction. This
 can be hard, as my baby wouldn't react for days afterward. It was impossible to
 pin-point. I did notice she was almost well when I avoided nearly all foods doing
 Dr. Sears elimination diet. I still could not pin-point personally but it is a 
great starting point if you are really struggling. 
DO NOT STOP NURSING! IT IS NOT THE ANSWER! I know you will hear to do this over and over. If you are like me you will likely get pressured by doctors, friends and even family to stop nursing. They will say you are exposing your child to allergens by nursing. Studies show that these babies do MUCH better breastfed for 18 months or longer. They are more likely to outgrow these allergies and less likely to develop asthma etc. Also, formula is very difficult on the gut and all formulas are created using some allergen. The one that has ALL the allergens broken down contains GMO DHA, which is considered an allergen by many experts. Most formula is also GMO, which triggers allergies and some experts claim are causing the allergies to begin with! If you are not nursing I would look into donor milk from Human Milk for Human Babies on FB! There are moms that are nursing babies with allergies that you can get milk from to feed your baby. If that isn't the right route for you the next best choice is a raw goats milk homemade formula. Look into Weston Price for that! Make sure to skin test for all allergens before exsposing baby..If your baby is NOT allergic to diary then the best conventional formula without all the toxins like BPA and GMOs is Baby's Only. I do NOT recommend doing extensive eliminations without professional help from a nutritionist. I did this and regret that choice. I was not getting the nutrients I needed. Also it is INACCURATE that breastmilk is not healthy when moms are on limited diets. There have been studies on severely malnutritioned moms in other countries and their breastmilk is still very healthy. I was told this and it is WRONG.   #5. THE GAPS DIET!   This was a saving grace. My daughter got up every two hours 
at night scratching ...it was AWEFUL! After only 4 days with both of us ( I was nursing so had to be) on
 the GAPS diet she started sleeping 12 hours a night! Literally in 4 days!  The GAPS diet is a protocol for treatment of allergies, asthma, autism and other disorders explained in a book by a MD neurologist and 
nutritionist called The Gut and Psychology Syndrome. It was extremely difficult
 for me with all of her allergies as I had a difficult time getting enough fat
and calories. My daughter is allergic to dairy, eggs and almonds, which was hard. 
I strongly recommend all eczema babies doing GAPS and nursing moms as well.   #6. FIND A CNN-   Clinical nutritionist who is an expert in eczema who has a more “natural” approach...my child has so
 many food allergies and is such a picky eater that I had serious concerns about. 
She was not getting all the nutrition she needed. She refuses all
 vegetables...yes even hidden in trees, juices, etc. She is smart and can tell
 after one bite. Even veggies that are typically liked by children, she will gag 
until she vomits if you put a little in her mouth. The nutritionist also
 believes that my child is very deficient in calcium and magnesium. We have been 
supplementing and this so far appears to be healing that last bit...stay tuned. 
My doctor is Dr. Abdo in TX and does phone consults.    #7- AVOID VACCINATIONS…FOR NOW   Did you know that you should not be vaccinated if you are on steriods? I didn't know that and most parents (if any) are asked about this prior to vaccination. Immunocompromised people should avoid vaccinations according to many professionals. Both pediatric allergists
 asked if she had recently had vaccinations and admitted eczema can be caused by
 vaccines. One specifically asked about the chickenpox vaccine. Eczema is listed as a side effect in the inserts for most if not all vaccines. As my daughter got sick at 4 days old I never gave her vaccines. I believe 
that the idea that all people must be vaccinated so that people who can't can be
 safe applies to my daughter. She has a severe autoimmune disease. I would not 
add assaults to her immune system with this autoimmune disease. I won't give
 antibiotics for the same reason unless it was absolutely essential. You may feel 
differently. You may just delay until your child is healed. But I believe there 
are medical reasons not to get vaccinated and personally this is something I am 
not willing to gamble with...If you talk to enough parents with this disease 
they have some pretty frightening stories about these babies and reactions to
 vaccines. 
I am not a doctor and you need to research to decide what is right for your child with your own situation. Especially since autism, asthma and eczema are all related it is too much of a risk for me.   #8. STICK WITH ORGANIC FOOD AND CLEAN WATER   Stick with organic food and filtered water if you can. Anything you can do
 to "calm" the immune reaction and inflammation in baby will allow their body to
 heal. Pesticides, GMOs, artificial colors, sweeteners, sugars etc are not healthy for children anyway. If you have a child with immune or inflammation issues, it is important to avoid these.   #9. PROBIOTICS AND VITAMIN D   Get started with BioGaia probiotics right away! Brand new babies can handle this! If you have a colicky baby or reflux baby do the same thing! Probiotics are important for everyone! Babies, moms…everyone! Probiotics are particularly beneficial for eczema babies (and colicky babies)! We were using Garden Of Life RAW and I still do for my older two year old, but now my CNN recommended Fortefy checked. Vitamin D is crucial for immune system health.   SUMMARY   Food eliminations and GAPS alone got my child 95% well. She was about 50% better 
after the initial food eliminations (the common allergens). After removing my one cup of coffee in the morning she was 10% better again, after chocolate  (allergen free even!) she was another 10% better. The GAPS diet moved her to about 80% better! And finally after removal of each salmon, spinach and avocado she was
noticeably better each food removal. Her attitude would change, she would cry less and smile more. Oddly, after removal of avocado she stopped 
clinging to me and started discovering the world. She was a different child. She would let other people hold her. She would let me put her down (she didn't let me put her down for the first year of life...thank goodness for Organic Ergos!)  It was remarkable. She didn't have to wear her
 mitts all the time.  Keep trying to ferret out the causes. 

The nutritionist and I are working now to completely heal the rest of the 
autoimmune disease. I am seeing results already after a few weeks with her skin
 getting softer. She doesn't scratch hardly at all and can even wear short
sleeves! You can see from the first pictures on the first blog to the last how much she has changed visibly! Totally worth all the hard work!   PREVENTION I recommend watching this video by Dr Randall Neustaedter. He talks about how probiotics during pregnancy greatly reduces the likelihood your child will get eczema. Also make sure you maintain appropriate levels of Vitamin D during pregnancy. Personally, while there is no research to show this, I believe a huge contributing factor in my daughter's eczema was drinking a lot of pasteurized milk during pregnancy.  I hope this blog can help some moms with their long journey with eczema. The good news is I do hear about children who are completely well after just removal of one food item like dairy or eggs. Others who get completely well after switching to soap nuts or Greenshield! It may NOT be such a long road! For others like myself it is a step by step process to healing. Hang in there. It can be done. YOU CAN do it. Have a plan, have support! Any questions are welcome!!   *I do have a final follow up blog with suggested reading and other options that I think are great that just didn’t work for me!   PART 6: RESOURCES AND OTHER OPTIONS   PART 4: ENVIRONMENTAL TRIGGERS

Being a mother has been the best and hardest experience in my life.  A love so deep accompanied by thoughts of needing to find balance and seeking greater patience.        It has brought unbelievable highs and soaring lows.  The constant desire to be the best mom I can be, staying calm, being a teacher and also recognizing my children are my teachers in so many ways.  With all of the beauty that comes with being a mom, why does it seem so hard, why do I feel so alone, why do I constantly feel like I’m running on empty.    Waking day after day, full days of homeschooling, running a business, cooking meals, doing the laundry, cleaning, being a mom, a partner and maybe having 10 minutes with James (my partner) before I fall asleep in the middle of a conversation is exhausting.   Today I am so thankful for the opportunity to be a mom and to know that I am not the only mom that feels overwhelmed.  I am not the only mom who has recognized “I thought I could be superwoman…really: I am woman and it is okay”.    Yes, I have innate super qualities, super love, super motivation, super sexiness, and super powers like intuition, birthing and breastfeeding…and I am still human.   The following life experience allowed me to understand the depths of my superwoman façade:   Feb. 28th I started to have abnormal symptoms, numb mouth, tingling in fingers, toes, face,… leading to an unexplainable neuronopathy that changed my life within days.  My full active life turned to the inability to walk, talk, swallow, pick up or hold my children, turn over in bed, urinary and fecal incontinence and sleeping more hours than a newborn.  In desperation, my mom flew in from California to be by my side and literally took care of the kids and me.    Ten days later I underwent one of the hardest decisions I, as mom, had to make, surrender…you can’t do it all…right now you can’t do any of it, and right now you need to trust your children are in good hands.   Kaden my 4 year old, went on an adventure of camping, traveling, and living with his grandparents, aunt and cousin in Maryland…   (I am so excited to reunite with him on May 21!)   In the meantime my mom flew with Naiya my 18 month old, and me to Los Angeles where I spent the next 17 days in UCLA Hospital.     Another emotional rollercoaster.  Breastfeeding came to an abrupt stop, co sleeping out the door, invasive medical testing, invasive medical treatments and the most disempowering event of my life.  Feeling unheard, scared, angry, and like a guinea pig in an institution I did not trust, subjecting my body to nuclear medicine and the list goes on.    I kept telling myself, “I am only here in the hopes of finding a diagnosis in order to treat it and heal naturally.”  Medical intuitives, shamans, energy healers, massage therapists, acupuncturists…I was working with them all…and no physical answers.    I was released after 3 days of Prednisone IV and 5 days of plasmapheresis; unable to care for myself and a prognosis of: you may get better in weeks, months, years or never.   Amidst all of this I found my deep power, my true values came through, clarity shined bright, relationships with my immediate family deepened with a strong unbreakable love…This is a Spiritual Journey.   I never received a formal diagnosis, and every test in the world came back negative.   Hours by myself in the hospital, unable to talk and completely uninterested in TV, really gave me a lot of time to meditate, contemplate, and allowed the answers I needed to come forth.    Forgiveness. Love. Trust. Surrender. Rebirth. Move From Your Heart.  Follow Your Passion.   I recognized I was trying to escape from the social pandemic of life but fighting against the system alone ran me into the ground…well almost.    It is obvious the United States system does not support pregnant women and families.  The United States system supports work, making money, and consumer consumption.    This unhealthy, wasteful system is breeding unhappy, unhealthy, stressed parents working overtime to make enough money to pay the bills.    The stressed out unhealthy population is birthing stressed out unhealthy children.   Although I consciously chose to live life differently in hopes of escaping this social pandemic of life, it backfired on me in a way.   ·      I chose to start my own business before I got married and had kids so I could do something I loved and make my own schedule.   ·      I chose to birth my babies at a birth center and at home because I believe in the woman’s natural ability to birth, nurture and feed her baby.    ·      I decided not to vaccinate after long hours of research and deciding I do not trust what is inside the vaccines nor do I trust the pharmaceutical companies.    ·      I use a pediatrician who refuses to vaccinate and he works with a homeopathic and other alternative doctors for medical treatments.   ·      I chose to home school my children because I do not believe public education focuses on the whole child and private holistic or alternative institutions are extremely expensive.    ·      I chose to spend extra money on organic fruits, vegetables, and high quality meat products after years of research regarding genetically modified foods, pesticides, inhumanely raised and slaughtered animal, and the diseases these foods cause.   ·      I chose to exercise daily and practice mind-clearing activities.   And guess what…   I ended up like so many other Moms…stressed to the max, worried about finances, unable to get the things done I needed to, the feeling of not having enough or only if I can reach this point and everything will be okay, anxious, depressed, irritated, in an unhappy relationship with myself and with my partner, frustrated, overwhelmed, thinking I can’t possibly take a break from any of it and now so sick I couldn’t care for myself, my children, and the business.   This was a rude awakening that has brought so many blessings.    I was discharged with the hospital with physical therapy, occupational therapy, and a home care nurse.  By this time, I had already realized the purpose of this experience and like so many people say…I miraculously healed 80% within 2 weeks and on Friday May 10, I went for my neurological follow-up feeling 95%.  The neurologist joked with me saying, “I went to the waiting room looking for someone in a wheel chair after reading the previous doctor’s notes.”    With the combination of the amazing support of my family, the prayer and thought groups from around the world, the natural and western medicine, and the power of my thoughts, I am able to sit here, feeling physically and emotionally amazing and type this.  It has officially been 29 days since my discharge.   Within this journey I have come to realize and recognize one major thing.  Pregnant women, pregnant couples, new moms, new families, and families in general do not have the needed support to live happy healthy lives.   It seems to me the United States really has its priorities out of order.  When I examine the systems the United States has in place regarding pregnant women and new moms this is what I find:   The maternity system   Pregnancy: Prenatal care (also known as antenatal care) refers to the regular medical and nursing care recommended for women during pregnancy.[1][2][3] Prenatal care is a type of preventative care with the goal of providing regular check-ups that allow doctors or midwives to treat and prevent potential health problems throughout the course of the pregnancy while promoting healthy lifestyles that benefit both mother and child. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prenatal_care   Usually, prenatal care focuses on the physical body of both mom and baby, performing routine tests, measurements, and listening to the baby’s heartbeat.  Unfortunately, there is not enough time spent discussing the mother’s mental emotional aspect of pregnancy and how she is coping with pregnancy, work and life.   Women in general are already stressed out before pregnancy.  Being pregnant alone is a stress as there are physical, mental and emotional changes.  Now add the most common fears of pregnant woman: ·      Miscarriage ·      Will it hurt the baby? ·      Sibling rivalry ·      Cross your fingers ·      Fear of childbirth ·      c-section ·      Can we afford this baby? ·      The unknown ·      How will our lives change? ·      How will our relationships change? ·      Will I be a good parent?   And we now have a toxic environment to grow a baby.    "Stress is a silent disease," says Dr. Hobel, director of maternal-fetal medicine at Cedars Sinai and a professor of obstetrics/gynecology and pediatrics at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). "Pregnant women need to be educated in recognizing when they have stress, the consequences and some of the simple things they can do to make a difference." http://www.webmd.com/baby/features/fetal-stress   There's even compelling evidence from epidemiological studies and animal research that babies who experience stress inutero are more likely to develop chronic health problems as adults, such as heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes.   It may not be surprising: According to The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), between 14-23% of women will struggle with some symptoms of depression in pregnancy which can lead to preterm birth and pre-term babies are susceptible to a range of complications later, including chronic lung disease, developmental delays, learning disorders and infant mortality.   Unfortunately many women do not know the detriment stress causes on themselves and their growing babies   It is common for pregnant woman to feel bad or ashamed of conflicting feelings of happiness and fear.  They may not discuss their anxieties, fears, physical discomforts, and conflicting feelings…leaving them bottled up and many pregnant women do not feel like they have an outlet to distress.     Childbirth:   Statistically: The United States ranked 27 out of 30 developed nations according to a 2008 National Center for Health Statistics report he three nations with worse infant mortality rates are Chile, Turkey and Mexico. Source: 1.usa.gov/JdBdmd   The United States spends $98 billion annually on hospitalization for pregnancy and childbirth, but the US maternal mortality rate has doubled in the past 25 years. The U.S. ranks 50th in the world for maternal mortality, meaning 49 countries were better at keeping new mothers alive. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/24/maternal-mortality-rate-infographic_n_1827427.html   With only 1-2% of women birthing at home, the hospital seems to be the location of choice for the majority of pregnant women.  Unfortunately, the hospital usually does not provide an opportunity for women to experience one of the most important and empowering events in her life…an unmedicated natural birth.    With c-section rates over 30% nationwide and much higher in large cities, drugs use as high as 99% in most hospitals, and the insurance companies dictating what procedures they will and won’t cover leaves little to no opportunity for women to birth naturally, and even more difficult to naturally birth multiples (twins, triplets), breech (butt or feet down instead of head), and vaginally after a c-section.   Many parents do not realize a natural unmedicated vaginal birth is the safest and healthiest way to birth for both mom and baby.    Many parents are not aware the imprint birth has on baby’s life forever:   Traumatic birth experiences (including interventions as epidurals, pitocin, breaking of the water, vacuum, c-section, fetal distress, maternal distress, being pulled out, inducing, being “stuck”…) affect a person for life physically and psychologically.  Now chiropractic treatment can be used to help with physical problems and psychological treatment can help to correct the psychological damage of a traumatic birth such as EMDR [Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing], EFT [Emotional Freedom Technique], and AIT [Advanced Integrative Therapy].   Maternity Leave America is the only modern, industrialized country that does not offer paid maternity leave to new mothers.  And in the U.S., 51 percent of new mothers lack paid leave from their employers. Now, a new study finds that many of those women who do have maternity leave from employers aren't using it in full in fear of losing their job, being disliked, unable to move up in the company… http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2013/05/10/study-women-dont-take-full-maternity-leave/ Unpaid maternity leave rushes new moms back to work, abruptly ending baby bonding, nursing, and the needed relaxation and recovery of birth and becoming mom.  In at least 178 countries around the world, paid leave is guaranteed for working moms, while more than 50 countries provide wage benefits for fathers, according to the ILO. The United States, along with Papua New Guinea, Swaziland, Liberia and Lesotho are some of the only countries in the world that provide no type of financial support for mothers, according to a study done by McGill University’s Institute for Health and Social Policy. What the U.S. does guarantee is that new parents receive 12 weeks of non-paid leave, but only for parents who work in companies that employ 50 workers or more and who have worked there at least 12 months and accrued 1,250 hours or more in that time. These rules translate to about 1/2 of women.  The other half are guaranteed nothing. Here is a 10-minute news snippet of new moms in the United States Feeling Pressured to return to work before their maternity leave is up. http://live.huffingtonpost.com/r/segment/working-mother-most-powerful-mothers/518bde6dfe3444166d000237e     So the big question is what can be done? One of the crazy things I contemplated was selling the house and cars in Florida, packing up and moving to Bali where there is an amazing Green School and the cost of living is much more affordable than where I am now.  This really made sense to me.  Families from all over the world are moving there just for the school.  I would just join the community, put the kids in a school I believed in, have uninterrupted time for the business and plenty of relaxed family time and family meals.   But then something amazing happened.  I received a phone call last Tuesday morning.  I usually don’t answer my phone while I am lying in bed at 7 in the morning to an unknown number, but something compelled me to answer.   A woman was desperately trying to share her story through the tears.  She felt so alone and read the story about my pregnancy with Naiya and our journey.  She said when she read my story she felt she could connect to me, someone who went through a similar situation.  She said she could not wait until the July Pregnancy Retreat in Hawaii, she needed somewhere now.   In the meantime this is the third or fourth woman who has contacted me in the past week basically saying the same thing.   For some innate reason I told her I would ask my parents if we could host her at their home in Malibu, and we would do a private 5 day retreat.  When I got off the phone I knew for sure this was a long shot, asking my parents if a crying pregnant stranger could come stay at the house for 5 days without even knowing her name.   To my surprise they said yes and she got on a plane the next day and spent 5 days with my parents, Naiya, and me.   All of us having this experience together really made my dream of opening an eco-village for pregnant women, new moms and families to come and stay for days, weeks, months or years a reality.    Although I can’t change the unfair, failing Maternity systems in the United States, I can help provide a needed outlet for pregnant women and their families.    This idea has been sitting deep within me for the past 21 months and it is time to start living life passionately, with integrity, with love, and fun!   I wrote a blog when I was getting ready to leave Hawaii after the birth of Naiya expressing my desire to be able to create a retreat center where pregnant women and families could go to feel supported, to separate from the daily stressors of life, to reconnect to themselves, to connect with baby, and to experience a magical feeling of peace.   So now I am sharing with you my dream is coming true.    It has been a rollercoaster journey but everything happens for a reason.   I will be scouting properties, more than likely in Hawaii but other places are an option too!   Soon there will be an eco-village to support, hold, and nurture mothers to be and their families.    I’m looking forward to this new venture!   With lots of love and gratitude on this mother’s day, Kim  

Parents who are looking for natural treatments for common illnesses. Does gargling help with the common cold?  

Not all eczema is caused by food allergies and many children with the food allergies may react to other environmental toxins and chemicals. It is important for all moms to try to use the safest, least toxic products they can on their children, but particularly important for eczema and asthma babies! The easiest thing to do is just get rid of all the cleaners and personal products and start from scratch! Otherwise you will have to go product by product hoping that you can ferret out any reactions. There are many reasons to avoid the types of products mentioned below other than eczema. These chemicals are linked to cancer, birth defects, hormones disruption, asthma, and more!   1.    FRAGRANCE- Eliminate all fragrances from everything…and I mean EVERYTHING! “Fragrance” is the number one trigger for asthma and we know these diseases are related. “Fragrance is created using many of thousands of toxic chemicals on the market that have never been tested by ANYONE for safety! NO ONE! One of the most common is a chemical class called phthalates. These are linked to hormone disruption and birth defects and other health issues. Most eczema babies will react to these types of chemicals.  "Fragrance free" is not enough. Many
of these products have the "fragrance" covered with another chemical…they are not “chemical free” or even “fragrance free” really…you just can’t smell it!  Keep in mind these children (and adults)
 can be very chemical sensitive. No perfume, no scented products etc. I would
 overhaul your regimen. Check out the CosmeticsDatabase.com for safe options.
Think of shampoos, lotions, bubble baths (which are not good for eczema anyway), wipes, diapers etc.   2. LAUNDRY- Go chemical and fragrance free on your laundry. Some babies get eczema SOLEY from detergents and dryer sheets!! ·      Use Eco Nuts or Greenshield for laundry only in our opinion. They are the only truly chemical
-free options that we have found. Use Yoreganics for whitening and stain removal. Dreft contains 
lots of chemicals and fragrances and is not a good option for laundry for any baby if you are trying to avoid toxins in our opinion. Regular laundry
 detergent is terrible and many contain phthalates, fragrances and cancer causing chemicals like 1,4 dioxane. 2.    CLEANERS- Use only safe, green cleaning products. Greenshield is my favorite. Try 
making your own with vinegar, water, lemon etc. Avoid ammonia, bleach and other traditional brands. They are loaded with reactive chemicals. These babies are VERY susceptible to
 asthma so be proactive about avoiding anything than can trigger this. 
If you can buy it at a “regular” store it is probably pretty toxic. Avoid fragrances in your cleaners. Most "green" cleaners are not so chemical free! Check your ingredients!   3.    PERSONAL CARE- Be super careful with baby products. Eczema babies are usually chemically sensitive. Stick with the “cleanest” and safest products with ingredients you recognize from nature. Avoid sodium benzoate as it is known to cause rashes. LESS IS MORE!!! ·      Shampoo- Try Dolphin Organics or Earth Mama Angel 
Baby, or St Francis Organics for shampoo. Avoid shampooing every day. I would suggest once a week or longer if you can. Everyday Shea has another good shampoo with Neem Oil which is
 good for eczema. ·      Bubble Bath- Avoid all bubble bath for these babies. ·      Soap- Look at Dolphin Organics and Earth Mama Angel Baby for soap. A nice Shea butter soap made with all nature made ingredients is a good choice as well. We have found some on Etsy.com. ·      Wipes and Diapers- Use the least chemical-filled choices here! The best is make your own cloth wipes and cloth diapers by a mile. If you do use “regular” diapers look for 7th Generation, Earth’s Best or other less toxic versions. Bum Boosa or Jackson Reece are better options for wipes. ·      Water-* Filter your water. Go to friendsofwater.com and get a bath filter. Chlorine is
VERY drying for baby!   4. FOODS- Avoid foods that trigger and cause allergies such as GMOs (genetically modified) foods, artificial colors, dyes and processed foods. Use high quality mineral water for drinking with a good PH or buy a water filter that filters fluoride and other contaminants and leaves minerals such as FriendsOfWater.com   Now learn what your options are for actually HEALING your baby from eczema!        PART 5: HEALING AND PREVENTION   PART 3: LOTIONS AND ITCHING PRODUCTS 

[Reprinted with the explicit permission of the author, Cohain JS. In-links added by GreenMedInfo.com. The Epidural Trip. Midwifery Today 2010:95:21-4, 65. © 2010 Midwifery Today] Abstract: Two million American women will take an epidural trip this year during childbirth. In most cases, they’ll be ill–informed as to possible side effects or alternate methods of pain relief. In many ways, epidurals are the drug trip of the current generation. Similar to street drug pushers, most anesthesiologists in the delivery rooms maintain a low profile, avoid making eye contact and threaten to walk out if they don’t get total cooperation. Women get epidurals for one of the main reasons so many women smoked pot in the 1970s—their friends are doing it. This article examines why so many women in the Western world are compelled to take powerful drugs during their labor and exposes the risks epidurals pose to both mother and baby." by Judy Slome Cohain, CNM This year, about two million women will get an epidural legally, but hopefully not lethally, in the US. As a result, about eight of them will never walk unassisted again. In Westernized countries, roughly 50–70% of birthing women have epidurals for pain relief. Research on who gets an epidural and why draws a profile very similar to the people who were taking drugs in the ’70s. Most women are getting epidurals because their friends are doing it.(1) In a recent, large study of epidural users, the most often cited factor in deciding to have an epidural was having heard about positive experiences from friends and family. Having already had children and having fear of the side effects of an epidural each reduced the odds of choosing one by half. In other words, the older or wiser women get, the more they avoid the epidural trip. Overall, those who did not choose an epidural reported wanting to be in control and having more confidence in their ability to tolerate labor pain.(2) The typical epidural is a combination of two powerful opiates: Fentanyl and Bupivacaine. Fentanyl has 80 times the potency (and side effects) of morphine. Bupivacaine has the ability to cause tingling around the mouth, tinnitus, tremors, dizziness, blurred vision, seizures, depression, loss of consciousness, respiratory depression and/or apnea. Bupivacaine has caused several deaths by cardiac arrest when an anesthesiologist accidently inserted the epidural analgesia into a vein instead of the epidural space in the spine. Today, health authorities tout epidural analgesia as the safest, most effective method of pain relief available for childbirth. You could not pull that off on my generation. We lost enough creative artists—Janis Joplin, John Beluchi, Jim Morrison and Lenny Bruce to injectable pain killers. We are aware of the potential of painkillers that are injected into your body—let alone into the delicate spinal cord—by someone else. We know that epidurals do not compare in safety to asserting the power of mind over body, hypnosis or even group high. Those three involve no danger and are all as effective as epidural anesthesia. Pain, more than any other sense, is open to individual interpretation. This is particularly true when it comes to the pain of childbirth. Watching a woman get an epidural reminds me of watching a teenager have a bad drug trip. Birth is not a terribly painful process in the comfort of home, although going to the hospital doubles it. At home, the part that hurts enough so that you can’t sleep through it typically lasts 2–12 hours, and even then, the pain is neither continuous nor pointless. Labor is a series of 30 seconds of pain followed by 2–, 3– or 4–minute intervals without pain. During that interval between pains, a woman can sleep, talk to friends, work, paint, cook, sing, read, do absolutely anything her imagination can dream up. She is in no pain. The task of labor is to breathe and relax for 30 seconds of contraction. This can easily be accomplished by the most unimaginative person by walking slowly and counting 10 slow breathes. An imaginative person can connect to the place in her body where she can release her natural endorphins and get a natural high. She can surround herself with a few people who love her and get a contact group love surge. She can connect to her power or whatever power she wants to let flow through her—it’s much like the energy you get watching a great concert, or a shooting star, or a child take his first step. As this energy flows through her she can imagine herself powerful and giving life force to others, praying for the health of sick people she may know. She can kneel down in soft, green grass and suck in nature’s bounties. It can be tiring, but the longest it will last at significant strength is 12 hours. If labor lasts longer than this, the contractions usually slow down and the woman can sleep a bit. If one needs pain relief to help release endorphins or sleep, three acetaminophen or acetaminophen with between 8 to 15 mg codeine work.  Most women who hear that Tylenol works in labor ask me why they don’t give it in the hospital. I tell them that I have absolutely no idea. Walking through labor on her own path helps establish the type of self-confidence that is needed for mothering. You are upright and in your own home. No one is shaping your birth for you. You create your own reality. You find strength for the challenges of nursing and motherhood. The biggest lesson I’ve learned from 25 years of assisting births is that there are no two people on earth alike. Each woman is a completely unique entity with different tastes, needs and desires. By enabling a woman to birth at home - or in any place she chooses—where she can find the position, place, smells, atmosphere and surroundings she needs to birth, she can birth practically without pain. I am not only referring to people who meditate and do hours of yoga every day. I’m talking about Mrs. Couch Potato, too. I could describe hundreds of women who did not feel much pain during birth. Yesterday, I had just such a birth. When I arrived, she was in early labor, 12 hours after her water broke. We all agreed that perhaps she was stopping herself from going into strong labor for all kinds of psychological reasons. It was her third child. We all went to sleep for a couple of hours. When her husband woke me up two hours later, the mother seemed fully dilated, sitting on the toilet spraying herself with the water from the shower handle. The bathroom was covered with water and an inch or two of water covered the floor. Although it was her third vaginal birth, she said she did not believe in her ability to push. She did not want to get in the bathtub, where I suggested she could be surrounded by water and have something to lean her back against. She did not want to go to her bedroom either. She decided to sit on the floor of her tiny bathroom leaning her head on the toilet seat, sitting in an inch of cold water. It didn’t seem comfortable to me, but it was for her. In fact, she said that in this position, the labor was painless. She said it then and she repeated it after the birth. She sat there for an hour, not pushing during contractions. During the hour, the fetal heart rate was reassuring and I told her so. I occasionally whispered to her how great she was doing. Finally, she gave a very large, strong push and pushed the baby out. She said, afterwards, that for the first hour, she just didn’t realize, "It was up to me!" She said it was a lesson that applied to her life in general, not just birthing. This could have never been learned in a place where she could not direct and choose the path of her birth, i.e. sitting in an inch of cold water on the floor in no pain, learning the lessons of life. This kind of emotional growth does not take place under the influence of epidural anesthesia. You have to be in a position to make personal choices for yourself. How to Take an Epidural Trip If women could take an epidural themselves, the FDA would make it illegal for women to do so, (probably using the same excuse they have used to ban other products that women can use themselves, for example  Epi-no to prevent perineal tears): i.e. it is deadly and lacks adequate research. Although the euphemism, "She took an epidural." is universally used, No woman can takean epidural. She has to be given it. She doesn’t get to administer the drug herself or choose the dose or the timing. The only active part of epidurals is agreeing to one and signing the triplicate, multi–colored consent forms. The procedure is as follows   First the current drug birth culture doubles the laboring woman’s pain by putting her in a $10,000 hospital bed with two sensors (each three inches in diameter and about the weight of a coffee cup) strapped tightly around her belly with wide, elastic belts. The continuous fetal monitor makes her constantly aware of being in a hospital and focuses her attention on the pain. She can’t turn, walk, or lie in a bath. There are two hospitals in Canada, though none in the US, that routinely use epidurals that permit walking and avoid some of the other "side effects" of epidurals, but most physicians and midwives have never seen it.   Then the woman has to have a two–inch long plastic cannula placed into a vein in her arm to really convince her that she’s being treated for a severe car accident or a ruptured appendix rather than the birth of her child. Then the authorities ask her in a sweet, kindly voice whether she is interested in an epidural. It will have no effect on the baby, they tell her. Any other pain relief willaffect the baby, they tell her. It is true that for the purpose of anesthesia during cesarean, epidural anesthesia causes less respiratory depression of the baby than general anesthesia. But extrapolating from the relative safety of its use for cesareans to stating that epidural is the safest anesthesia for vaginal birth has no basis. Not until long after she has verbally agreed to the epidural and the IV is loaded and the woman is beached in bed with her monitor, only then will a distant, impossible–to–track–down anesthesiologist appear. Like street drug pushers, the anesthesiologist often seems to makes him or herself scarce. For stories about this go to the website: www.MyOBsaidwhat.com. The comparison does not stop there. Often the midwife, nurse or doctor will make it clear that there might be no anesthesiologist available for hours. The streets are dried up. When the anesthesiologist arrives, the woman is usually relieved by her luck that this hard–to–find anesthesiologist happened to have a minute to supply her. The doctor enters, picks up the chart, and with barely a glance at the woman, asks the same 10 questions that the woman has repeatedly answered since her arrival: allergies, general health, no previous surgeries, etc. In the same monotonous tone, without ever making eye contact, the anesthesiologist pushes the consent form and pen into the woman’s lap, rattling off all the possible bad effects of epidural while the woman is sitting up on the bed, already in position to have the epidural, and often while having a contraction and unable to pay attention to what is being told to her. The anesthesiologist is reluctant to answer questions. In response to questions, there is usually a "I have better things to do" tone of discourse. The nurse is already gloved and masked, waiting to hand sterile objects to the anesthesiologist. What a surprise that the woman in labor, who’s been waiting for her fix, says, "Why yes. Give me what you’ve got." Now the fun really starts The anesthesiologist takes a large gauge needle on a 5 or 10 cc syringe and starts digging into the laboring woman’s back. The hole has to be large enough to fit the drug–bringing cannula which goes in 4 inches, or 10 cm, in and up her spine. Blood flows down her back in a half–centimeter stream from the hole. It hurts to be stuck. The hole will hurt for a few days like any wound. During this time, the woman in labor has to stay absolutely still during her contractions. The anesthesiologist explains to her that if she moves, the needle may tear the epidural membrane in her spine. The anesthesiologist threatens her that she can cause a terrible headache if she makes a slip or, alternatively, cause a hematoma which may result in permanent spinal damage. Amazingly, this woman who was writhing and moaning with pain just a few minutes before is now absolutely silent and doesn’t move a hair during the contractions that were so very painful just a minute before the anesthesiologist arrived. Is she aware of her ability to have strong contractions at 5 cm dilation, seated under fluorescent lights while a total stranger carves a hole in her spine, merely by breathing in a careful, concentrated manner? No one points this out to her. The epidural is her choice, the midwife whispers to me. I certainly would get thrown out of the hospital by the cultural majority if I went around pointing this out to women. But I must write it for those who desire to know. Anyone who has the mental and physical strength to sit through strong, painful contractions without budging a single muscle, in the bent–over, uncomfortable sitting position required for getting an epidural, for 10 long minutes, on a raised bed, under bright fluorescent lights, while a strange, unknown anesthesiologist sticks a large needle in her back, can have an easy attended labor in the comfort of her own home, without any need for pain relief beyond a few Tylenol capsules. This is a fact that needs to be told to her. Once the epidural is in, she is expecting full pain relief for her efforts. At least 5% of women get no relief whatsoever from the epidural. The epidural does nothing, except leave a painful wound in her back. The risk factors for receiving no pain relief from an epidural include (3): * obesity * multiparity * history of a previous failure of epidural anesthesia * cervical dilation of more than 7 cm at insertion * the use of air to find the epidural space while inserting the epidural instead of other things like N2O saline or lidocaine * being a regular opiate user Due to the intervention of the normal labor process, this woman—1 out of every 20 women who get an epidural feels no pain relief—must now go through the pain of labor on her back with a fetal heart monitor attached to her belly and an IV running into her veins through her arm. She will not be allowed to get up to urinate or defecate in the toilet, but will have to use a bedpan. She may be catheterized for urine and given suppositories to defecate. She is a beached whale and will not have any pain relief whatsoever. The staff will tell her that she is mistaken. They will tell her the epiduralis working. For the other 95% of women, the epidural will either work partially or fully for 30 minutes to an hour. I do notice that many young women today are excited about what is often their first drug experience. They get a little buzz and feel a bit tingly high from the relief of pain and the fentanyl and smile from the high. It seems a shame that they are unaware that they could get that high by learning how to find the place inside themselves that releases it naturally, or by surrounding themselves with other high people. Also, if the woman feels the fentanyl high, then the baby must be getting it also, which probably accounts for the many babies who have difficulties nursing after an epidural birth.(4) Obviously, sometimes the fentanyl comes out of the spinal column and enters the bloodstream. This also explains why many women get the "fentanyl itch," a full–blown red, itchy rash that spreads across the woman’s chest. Although high doses of epidurals can bring complete anesthesia for use during surgery, including cesarean surgeries, anesthesiologists resist using high doses during labor because of the possible side effects.(5) The anesthesiologist gives a large loading dose, but then the woman receives a low continuous dose after that. Usually this means that the epidural only works for 30 minutes to an hour and then the main effect wears off. After that, the woman starts feeling the pressure of her contractions and, frequently, the pain of contractions. However, again, she is unable to get up and walk around and use her imagination and power, because she is forced to stay in bed, attached to the monitor, having to urinate in bedpans or be catheterized until after she delivers. The epidural slows down labor significantly—meaning a longer labor overall, which equals more pain, not less. The following are accepted explanations for why this happens: 1. The release of oxytocin is decreased with epidurals.(6) 2. Lack of gravity: the woman is lying down instead of standing up. 3. Lower blood pressure, which also slows oxytocin release. 4. Mal–positioning of the baby’s head to transverse or posterior. Epidurals cause a relaxation of the pelvic muscles, which were previously working to help the baby descend in the correct position. With the relaxation of the pelvic muscles, the baby frequently turns into a posterior position or some other non–optimal position, with the heaviest part of his head falling to the back of the pelvis, leaning on the spine with his face facing up. This causes the contractions to be less effective. Posterior position increases the length of labor. It is a harder, longer, more painful labor because the back of the head, instead of the face, is pressing against the spine. Most women with epidurals feel the sensations of the second, or pushing, stage of labor. They feel the baby’s head pressing on their rectum. They usually experience this as pain. Although the first stage may have been painless, now they feel the labor after full dilation because the epidural is wearing off. Once the woman is fully dilated, the woman often feels everything as if she had not had an epidural, or worse because her expectation was full pain relief. Now she is feeling all the pain of pushing and it’s worse because she didn’t expect it. She is disappointed in what she may think of as her body’s failure to be anesthetized. Finally the baby comes out. It always does. No matter what you do to women, the baby comes out one way or another. You can’t put the baby on her belly, because first you have to open the belts holding the two large monitor sensors and then take the monitor sensors off her belly. Then you can pass her baby to her. Finally the baby is on her mom’s belly. The monitor is off, the mother is relieved. Administration of epidural analgesia has been found to delay onset of breastfeeding and to shorten breastfeeding duration in women.(6) In this first study looking at breastfeeding two days after epidural anesthesia, it was discovered that epidural analgesia in combination with oxytocin infusion causes the woman to have significantly lower oxytocin and prolactin levels in response to the baby breastfeeding, even two days after the birth, which means less milk is being produced. This is a critical side effect, because most women with epidurals do end up with a Pitocin augmentation because the epidural decreases the release of natural oxytocin. At an empowered woman’s birth, the baby’s land life starts with a reassuring breastfeed, easing his transition into extra–uterine life with associations of unrestricted love, warmth and happiness, laying the groundwork for a life in which he searches for more experiences of the same kind and questions authorities that offer other types of experiences. Judy Slome Cohain, CNM since 1982, MS, is devoted to illuminating the field of women’s health with objective evidence, based on the scientific method. [For additional research visit the GreenMedInfo.com page on natural pregnancy and childbirth] References: 1. Van den Bussche, E., et al. 2007. Why women prefer epidural analgesia during childbirth: the role of beliefs about epidural analgesia and pain catastrophizing. Eur J Pain 11(3): 275–82. PMID:16624602 2. Ibid. 3. Agaram R., et al. 2009. Inadequate pain relief with labor epidurals: a multivariate analysis of associated factors. Int J Obstet Anesth 18(1): 10–14. 4. Mothering magazine web site. http://www.mothering.com/articles/pregnancy_birth/birth_preparation/hidden–risks–epidurals.html Accessed 23 Mar 2009. 5. See Reference 3. 6. Jonas, K., et al. 2009. Effects of intrapartum oxytocin administration and epidural analgesia on the concentration of plasma oxytocin and prolactin, in response to suckling during the second day postpartum. Breastfeed Med 4(2): 71–82. SIDEBAR Possible Side effects of epidural on mother * Severe restriction in mobility due to epidural wire in spine, partial or complete leg paralysis, continuous fetal monitoring and IV in arm during labor despite frequent occurrence of either no pain relief (5%) or inadequate pain relief (10%). * Lowered oxytocin, endorphin and adrenalin levels in blood, which prevents the fetal ejection reflex and the ecstatic feeling after birth. * Fentanyl itch — a common itchy red chest rash in reaction to opiates. Painful wound in the back, where needle entered, lasting 1–2 days. Short– or long–term generalized backache lasting weeks to months (5% chance). Full–blown migraine headache following birth, lasting 1 to 7 days (5% chance). * 1 in 250,000 will be paraplegic for the rest of their lives. * Loss of empowering birth experience. Decreased confidence in ability of body to function and ability to mother compared to empowering birth experience. Remember: A woman who can sit still long enough to have an epidural inserted during labor can have a relatively painless, un–medicated birth if she were provided adequate birth support in the home setting. If and when she figures this out, she may be resentful that no one informed her of this beforehand. Possible Epidural side effects on baby * Frequently causes deep drop in maternal blood pressure causing fetal anoxia. When maternal fever intrapartum exceeds 100.4 F or 38 C (true for 15% of women who received an epidural; 1% of women not receiving an epidural), neonatal seizures are more likely. * Epidural use makes the baby more likely to undergo neonatal sepsis evaluations and neonatal antibiotic treatment. Possible effects on mother and baby * Doubles the risk of vacuum extraction and concomitant bruising to head and face, increasing perineal damage and risk of permanent incontinence of mother. * Frequently increases risk of cesarean surgery by lowering oxytocin levels causing slower labor and relaxes pelvic muscles causing fetus to turn posterior. * Infrequently, an epidural can prevent cesarean surgery. There are two situations in which this may be the case: a woman who is in adrenalin overload, who has not been offered any pain relief other than epidural (Hot bath, Tylenol with Codeine, Pethidine, Laughing Gas) (and the adrenalin is presumably interfering with progress of dilation) gets so much relief from the epidural that her contractions actually improve without any need for augmentation. In the second situation, presume that a woman who is at 8 cm with a persistent posterior baby needs Pitocin augmentation to make her contractions stronger to help turn the baby, but she is already exhausted due to the long haul to get to 8 cm. In this case, an epidural may allow her to cope with IV Pitocin augmentation, and she will progress with stronger uterine contractions, sometimes spontaneously turning the fetus to an occiput anterior position. * Lowers chance of mother successfully breastfeeding, short and long term. * It would be simplistic to assume that epidural would not have a significant effect on the neuro-hormonal processes, about which we know very little. It would also be simplistic to think that its effect is the same in every woman or every baby. Judy Slome Cohain is a masters degree certified nurse midwife in the US who has been living and working in Israel since 1983 as an unlicensed midwife. This twist of fate enables her to practice evidence-based midwifery, instead of less-than-optimal protocols to protect a license. Judy welcomes feedback or questions which can be sent to  judyslome@hotmail.com

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