There I was, in the diaper aisle at Target, looking for wet wipes that wouldn’t irritate my daughter’s skin. Some wipes were too wet, some were too dry, and some were too expensive. As I flipped over the package of wipes I was blown away by the number of ingredients in them. What am I wiping my daughter’s skin with, I thought to myself. Up until that point I had no idea there were so many chemicals in something so simple. What was I introducing my daughter to?
I wouldn’t consider myself all-natural by any means. I eat artificial sweeteners, I buy plenty of products with unknown chemicals in them, and I rarely buy organic. I’ve never thought about it too much, but when I saw my once so pure daughter start to become affected by the world around her, it got me thinking.
You see, the womb provided my daughter with the perfect environment and she was protected. Over the past couple of months though it has been hard to see how the choices I make affect my daughter. Whether it’s wet wipes, things passed through my breast milk, or our environment, watching my daughter adjust to the world around her has been hard.
This week, after being diagnosed with pneumonia, my daughter encountered a lot of firsts. First time taking Tylenol. First time having her blood drawn through an IV. First time getting an x-ray. First time taking an antibiotic. As her mother, I know she needed all of these things and I didn’t stop anyone from doing them, but it was hard. My pure daughter was once again being introduced to things that she was protected from in the womb.
Having a baby has made me look at the world through such a different lens. I care so much more about our environment, the foods my daughter will eat, who is in her daily life, and how my decisions affect her growth and development. While I can’t seem myself going ALL-natural or even being able to protect her from the things that the womb protected her from, I at least know that I can strive to make the best choices for her. Some weeks will be hard, like this one, and some weeks will be full of pure bliss. Every day we learn something new and as her mom, I just hope that I’m making the best choices for her life. It sure is a precious one!
