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  You can imagine that being involved in natural birth and midwifery I can only be a fervent defender of breastfeeding. There are many good websites and books out there relating all the benefits of breastfeeding, so I won’t go through them extensively.Let’s just not forget that colostrum -the very first milk, often of a yellowy color – fires up the newborn immune system and that as long as the baby is breastfeeding, the mother’s milk will contain whatever antibodies and nutriments the baby needs at that particular stage. This specific absorption of the mother’s immune defenses can happen while the baby’s intestinal wall is permeable, ie. until the baby can digest. After that stage the mother’s milk will need not be the only and essential and irreplaceable nutriment for the toddler. That is probably the better time to start introducing solid food, and as nature does things well, you know that time has come when the first set of teeth have pierced; that is, around age two or two and a half.

Often, when breastfeeding is evoked, one of the common ideas that are expressed is the concern of having to wake up at night to attend the baby. A baby can feed from 6 to 14 times a day, in the most usual scenarios. But in every case, the mothers metabolism rhythms to the baby’s. That means that if the baby is hungry by night, the mother will naturally wake up with little effort to breastfeed, and by doing so, will actually enjoy a better and more restful sleep that if she had ignored the baby’s call and refrained from breastfeeding as many times as the baby asked during the night.

Finally, let’s keep in mind that when the baby stops breastfeeding, his body will cease production of the enzyme lactase and will become lactose intolerant. Food intolerances are allergies of the third degree (that can be measured through IgG concentration for a particular aliment). Severe allergies are referred to as first degree allergies. Food intolerances will have no huge symptoms most times, but will actually render the intestinal wall permeable as per continuous irritation, preventing nutriments from being absorbed by the body and leaving the door opened to chronicle illness (you may now understand why in some regions of Africa when a person was seriously sick the traditional remedy was to get that person to breastfeed from a woman whose baby was weaning, as her milk would still be highly more assimilable by the human organism, even once gone lactose intolerant).

And you will of course feel the emotional and bonding benefits of breastfeeding I feel I need not mention.

Anthroposophy was created by Rudolf Steiner in the early XX century. This approach to Spirituality states that anyone who “conscientiously cultivates sense-free thinking” can attain experience of and insights into the spiritual world; Steiner wanted his approach to be as systematic and precise as “regular” science is within the physical world. Needless to say, this statement has generally been rejected by scientist and philosophers.

The truth is that Rudolf Steiner did a huge amount of empiric and trustful work, which gave birth upon others to Waldorf education, -one of the solely educations I know of that respects the child rhythm and nature, as well as his balanced need to learn from what he sees and what he doesn’t. This interdisciplinary learning integrates artistic, intellectual and practical elements, and emphasizes the importance of imagination, and Freedom. As Steiner was from the western world, spirituality concepts that are present in Waldorf education are based on Christian inspiration, but Spirituality is never narrowed to a single religion in this approach. You may find more information at the Wikipedia’s Waldorf education page.

Anthroposophy is also the source of Biodynamic Agriculture, which is of course organic, and shows with magistracy how spiritual concepts have a material application in order to high up our physical world: only a few drops of any biodynamic remedy applied at the right time (moon and astronomical time that is) and combined with a full approach will have Mother Nature give its most splendid fruits and Earth regenerate itself. A biodynamic farm should be one of the most wonderful landscapes that meets the eye. You may find more information at the Wikipedia’s Biodynamic agriculture page.

Steiner created anthroposophical medicine in conjunction with Ita Wegman. Anthroposophical medecine states that the body seeks an equilibrium in permanence, and that is what we call “health”. Using homeopathy, artistic and massage therapies, it ensures that the organism has everything it needs to recover its balance, therefore its good health. It perfectly accepts allopathic approaches such as surgery when needed, but it respects what each individual is and what his life has been up to the present stage. You may find more information at the Wikipedia’s anthroposophical medecine page.

From a birthing point of view, Anthroposophy is a meaning and respectful approach to life and labor. From a medical point of view, it allows to stress relieve the body and the maternity experience, as natural birth is greatly enhanced by applying anthroposophical remedies when needed, especially on a prevention basis.

From a spiritual point of view, Anthroposophy helps us know what our place is, and what the place of the newborn will be. From a karmic point of view, but also upon the different stages a soul takes to incarnate: it begins with conception, but the embodiment process ends only years after the baby is born. Knowing this greatly helps us and the child to embrace life and the physical world – as at first this may seem like an obstacle.

Steiner also created eurythmy, was contemporary of Franz Bardon ( Franz Bardon’s legacy is the best compilation of antic and practical knowledge, also known as Theurgy) and of the Theosophical Society (Helena P. Blavatsky, Annie Besant), where he met his second wife Marie Von Sievers. As theosophist weren’t ready to accept some of Steiner’s practical approaches, he left the society in 1912.

Sound has its own healing powers and there are, as a matter of fact, sounds and words so powerful themselves they can produce or stop things from happening. I will talk in another occasion of those, but just let’s keep in mind for this article that whatever a mother to be listens while she’s pregnant, her baby does too. And that sound will have itself a strong memory feedback once the baby is born: it will ease and calm him down, allow him to fall asleep with a sense of security.

I cannot imagine better sound to offer a baby than the one above, as it will also nourish parent’s souls too; wouldn’t it be ideal if this welcome and healing mantra could be song while birth is taking place too?

This mantra was recorded when a monk, who was very well loved by the Dalaï-Lama, was about to pass away. In order to help the transition, the Dalaï-Lama sat upon his bed and sang these mantras for hours until the monk left our world.

Those who witnessed the scene begged the Dalaï-Lama to record this wonderful song to share it with the rest of the world. A cd was recorded with the sole condition that it would never be sold, although it can be copied and shared.

The mantra goes as follows:

“Om trayambakam yajamahe
sugandhim pusti vardhanam
urvarukamiva bandhanat
mrtyor muksiya mamrtat”

And you can listen it from here:

Sri Mrutyunkaya Mantra for Healing by the Dalaï Lama.mp3

There is also this alternative spelling for Mrityunjaya Mantra (Victory over Death, also called- Mahamoksha Mantra, Great Enlightenment):

“Om Tryambakam Yajamahe
Sugandhim Pushthi Vardhanam
UrvaRukamiva Bandhanat
Mrytyor Muksheeya Mamritat “