Why are So Many Babies Being Born Too Early?
The Epidemic of Low Birth Weight and Premature Birth
Low birth weight and the frequency of delivering a premature baby is an epidemic in the US and is a consistent predictor of future health problems, like Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
A mother pass bacterial and fungal infections to her fetus, creating risk for a low-birth weight or premature baby.
Amniotic Fluid as a Key Predictor
A new report has discovered that profiling proteins in amniotic fluid is one of the best ways to predict the likelihood of premature delivery and can also detect potentially dangerous infections in pregnant women.
While tests are still in development, researchers believe that diagnosing intra-amniotic inflammation or infection is important because these conditions can cause premature birth, brain damage, or lung and bowel complications.
What is Amniotic Fluid?
Amniotic fluid surrounds your developing baby in the amniotic sac and:
- Provides cushioning.
- Protects your baby and uterus from infection.
- Serves as a backup of nutrients and fluids.
- Allows your baby to move and breathe.
- Helps in the development of the respiratory, digestive, and musculoskeletal systems.
The Risk of Infection
Infections (fungal, bacterial and viral pathogens) are becoming a more common complication in pregnancy today because each generation of young women giving birth are weaker than the previous generations. (See The Myths and Truths of the Mercury/Autism Connection). The expecting mother’s immune system is repressed. Infections in the mother’s blood are easily passed to her developing fetus.
Body Ecology teaches that systemic fungal infections, like candida, are more common than we think during pregnancy because as progesterone increases (normal in pregnancy), blood sugar also rises, feeding the yeast with this sugar and making her chronic yeast/fungal infection more acute..
So how does this infection enter the amniotic sac? The placenta produces amniotic fluid early in your pregnancy. After 4 months, your baby’s kidneys start to work, creating amniotic fluid. Within 14 weeks of pregnancy, fluid from your circulatory system (blood) passes into the amniotic sac. If this fluid contains pathogens (yeast, viruses and bacteria), it can be passed to your fetus via infected amniotic fluid.
For more on how candida can affect mom and baby, read: The Myths and Truths of the Mercury/Autism Connection.
Unfortunately, these inter-utero infections typically don’t even have symptoms! Therefore, most mothers won’t even know if their baby is not well. So what’s an expecting mother to do?
Your Doctor Might Propose One of Two Options:
- Antibiotics – However, these don’t fight fungal infections.
- Antifungal – Which has negative side effects on the mother and fetus.
Body Ecology Has a Better Solution:
The Body Ecology Diet can help both parents prepare for the health and longevity of their baby.
- Start the Body Ecology Diet. If you are planning a child, currently pregnant or breast-feeding the Body Ecology Diet has long specialized in healing candida and helping parents and children boost immunity.
- The Body Ecology diet is rich in minerals that alkalize your blood, which is critical to heal yourself and protect your baby.
- Ideally, both parents would go on a strict anti-fungal diet for a minimum of 6 months to 2 years prior to conception. The father’s genes contribute to a healthy placenta, liver and adrenals – all important to your baby’s immunity.
- Order a live blood cell test and check history of lifetime antibiotic use to determine if there could be an undetected systemic fungal infection.
Pass Along Health
Every potential mother and father has the ability to positively impact the health of their future children.
Following the Body Ecology Diet is an effective way to reduce the risk of pre-term delivery, low amniotic fluid, and systemic infection, all of which indicate health risks later in life. The future health and longevity of your children is in your hands, even before conception. The Body Ecology Diet offers solutions for improving your own health and planning for healthy, happy children.
If you haven’t already done so, be sure to read The Body Ecology Diet book by Donna Gates, as it provides a complete understanding of how to optimize your body … to be a healthy mother (whether you will be one soon or someday in the future), to be a healthy woman, to be a healthy man or a healthy child.