Simply Babies Magazine

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Herbal Wellbeing Hello! My name is Yvette Lavender, founder of the Lavender Practice, which is proud to offer a system of herbal, holistic, health care as an alternative to or implemented alongside conventional medicine. I passionately believe that true health starts in the gut and that many symptoms of our physical, mental, and emotional health occur as a result of a disturbance in the intricate balance of our gut bacteria. I believe the body has an astonishing intelligence and a natural and innate ability to heal itself given essential nutrients and vitamins, water, fresh air, and sunlight. A healthy mind, body, and spirit are powerful weapons against a lifetime of chronic disease and prescription medication.

Why I believe true health starts in the gut Delivery through the birth canal is a crucial time for 100 trillion bacteria and 1000 different species (collectively known as the microbiome) to start the process of populating the gut of a newborn infant. Breast milk also contains bacteria and nutrients to feed the microbiome and jump start the neural development of the brain, the immune system, and the digestive system. Factors such as severe stress, antibiotic treatment, and lack of nutrition in early life have the potential to profoundly

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alter critical signalling between the gut and the brain which can result in neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism, ADHD (attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder), learning difficulties, allergies, asthma, and other long-term chronic conditions. Studies show that wherever possible, breast fed, vaginally delivered, non-antibiotic treated infants have the best chance of developing a healthy gut flora. How can the Lavender Practice help? The Lavender Practice is a passionate advocate of natural plant medicine and diet and lifestyle intervention and can offer wrap around care from a first consultation to support gut health and pre-natal fertility right through to the physical and development milestones of the growing toddler, child, and teenager! Herbal medicine is a personalised system of healthcare and prescriptions will be unique to you and your requirements.

Weaning Weaning can be an exciting time as your child begins to discover new foods, smells, and tastes. However, in general, a baby’s digestive system continues to develop and mature through the first two years of life and is directly linked with the development


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