Of all the jobs I have as a mom, there is one job that I take most seriously.
I need to keep my kids healthy.
I do this in quite a few ways. I make sure they have good food that will nourish their bodies. This addresses the vitamins and nutrients that their growing bodies need. When I cook at home, or prepare their Yumboxes, I make sure they have five different colors a day.
By taking in the right vitamins and nutrients with immunity boosting power, I know my kids are armed against the viruses and germs and bacteria that they are subjected to on a daily basis.
Common colds don’t stand a chance if their immune systems are strong.
But food as medicine cannot be the only defense my children have against diseases and bacteria.
Healthcare and wellbeing needs to be fought and maintained on two fronts.
When my kids were younger, and they would be sick, I would take them to see two different doctors. I would seek the help of doctors who utilized a western approach. But I would also see another doctor that was well known in the yoga community for treating some of my students with alternative healthcare, and homeopathic medicine.
I took my children to this doctor for earaches and common colds. We treated their illnesses with less harmful homeopathic medicines which eased my worrisome mind because I felt my kids were ingesting too many antibiotics.
It was all about striking a balance.
I used both approaches to wellness and health, until my husband got upset one day. Miguel had an ear infection (he used to suffer from them often) and my husband questioned my approach because by the fifth day, Miguel still had quite a high fever.
Honestly, Miguel suffered from ear infections almost every two months. In fact, he was the reason why I really look for alternative ways to treat what ailed each of my kids. I felt as if he was on antibiotics once a month. And that’s not good, no matter what way you slice it.
But again, I digress in sharing this story. There is a point to my story after all.
The point I am trying to make when it comes to my approach and my kids’ wellness is that I need to balance everything.
I can give them healthy food for their intake.
I can make sure they get enough rest.
I can offer alternative medicines when they are sick.
BUT I need to follow the basic guidelines that have been given to me by my pediatrician for their immunization schedule.
When we were still living in the states, it was very easy to keep up with my kids’ well visits. Well visits were scheduled months in advance to follow the immunization guidelines given by the doctors and doctors’ associations of the United States. The appointments went in the calendar and leading up to the appointments, I was always reminded with a quick call from our pediatrician’s secretary.
Things are a little different here with our doctors, and our well visits.
Y’all know I want to make it easy on myself, right?
I have four kids.
That means four schedules to manage.
How do I make it really easy on myself?
Every year before school, I make two appointments for each kid.
I make a dentist appointment. They have their teeth cleaned, checked, and the little ones have their teeth sealed.
Then, I make a well visit for the doctor.
It’s at this appointment that we do all the weight checks, the height checks, milestone checks, and of course we make sure that everyone is up to date on their immunizations.
During the launch of #MomProtect, that took place last month, in Grind Bistro with Mommy Mundo and the Philippine Foundation for Vaccination I learned that there are guidelines also in place here in the Philippines for defending my children against diseases and bacterial infections through preventive care.
I know this proactive approach to children’s healthcare is always the best option when we are talking about diseases where a cure is available.
It’s actually a BALANCED three pronged approach.
Proactive Care is based on these three basic principles:
- AWARENESS/EDUCATION
- DILIGENT PRACTICE
- SHARING
“Prevention is always better than cure, especially if cure is not always available, Dr. Montalban said. “Advances in medical science have given us highly effective ways to avoid the pain and costs of diseases through vaccination.”
I compare this to the way I parent my children and manage their healthcare. Turns out what Dr. Montalban suggests, is something I have been doing all along.
Even with their schedules of immunizations!
For example, when Gelli was still an infant, I would research the different shots she was scheduled to get for each well visit. If I felt that there was too many shots being administered at one time, I took it upon myself to research and ask questions. I asked my doctor if some of the shots could be split up and administered at a later date. I just didn’t think her little body could take 7 shots in one visit.
So we would break it up, and she would receive three in the first week, and four shots two weeks later. This way I was still diligent with her healthcare and keeping up with what the doctor would prescribe, but we did this by taking her little body into consideration.
I made sure I educated myself on all the up to date studies by using Mr. Google. I asked other parents questions, and more importantly, I sought the advice and guidance of Gelli’s doctor. We are very happy with her doctor. She is not only her primary pediatrician, she is also Gelli’s pediatric neurologist as well.
Dr. Butler would always answer all of my questions. She eased my fears, and because of that I have always respected her recommendations. With our well visits, I am sure to diligently apply what I know is good not only for Gelli, but also for the rest of my children as well.
By sharing what works for our family, and what I have learned, I hope to empower other moms to protect their children as well.
It is my sincere hope, that through my sharing, that other mommas will be able to figure out what works for them in caring for their children in the best way possible.
Because sharing is caring. I’m so glad I have these mommas to share my motherhood with as well!
Also-look out for the coming events where Mommy Mundo teams up with Millenial Moms PH, Newlyweds at Work, and Mothers Who Brunch to create more awareness when it comes to vaccination.
