Hi Natural Mommies!
As part of our Natural Mom of the week feature, we interviewed Mommy Esperanza Yu who is a certified public accountant, a teacher by profession, a daughter, a friend, an employer, a neighbor, and most of all, a natural super mom (she won the ASCOF NATURAL SUPER MOM OF THE YEAR contest)! Most people call her “Teacher Espie” but she also loves her “other” title, "naynay"
Read on to find out how Mommy Espie started going natural, her fond memories about guava leaves, some tips for healthier living, and the challenges she wholeheartedly faces for her children!
How She Started Going Natural
Mommy Espie is blessed to be surrounded by good friends who are not only "health conscious", but also "health aware"... These are the type of persons who actively research what is good for a person’s physical, spiritual and mental well-being, and are more than happy to share their knowledge. Through them, she got to understand and appreciate that natural is the only and best way to go. “Natural is not only healthy, it is also a less expensive lifestyle!”
For the Sake of Guava
It is widely believed that the steam from boiled "young" guava leaves hastens the healing of wounds, no matter how severe - a practice which has helped Mommy Espie immensely after giving natural birth to her first child, Kimberly (She was up and about, as if nothing had happened less than a week after giving birth!) but one time when she was in the toilet getting "steamed up", an earthquake hit Manila! The ground softened like clay, the 4 walls of her bathroom were shaking back and forth as if to collapse, and all she could do was stand still because she was wounded and still naked!
Another story Mommy Espie shared with us was when she was pregnant with her second daughter, Michelle in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates with no relatives or friends nearby and her becoming more apprehensive as her due date is getting nearer: “I walked all around the city looking for a guava tree and finally found one near Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank. With knife in tow, I went out to cut some guava leaves (to store in our freezer so I can boil them once I gave birth) but the security guard of the bank saw me, apprehended me and angrily grabbed the leaves from my hands. I practically begged him to give them back to me, that I only needed a few because my due date was coming soon and it was the only guava tree I could find in the entire city! In spite of the language barrier (the guard was an Arab), I somehow got my message through, he returned the cut leaves to me, but told me never, ever to come back. Needless to say, I thanked him profusely, got my leaves and had a faster healing process as a result. Twist of story, after giving birth, I was accepted to work in -- of all places -- Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, and the guard even became my friend!”
Her Best Tips for Other Natural Moms
“Having worked in the Middle East for almost a decade, I've noticed that their senior population are healthy because they start the day right - in the morning, even before having breakfast, they drink a glass of lukewarm water with half a lemon. They say this is for cleansing and I've been doing this for some time now”.
Mommy Espie also drinks pure coconut juice as much as possible instead of ordering soda or sugary drinks in restaurants. She has been practicing this since she had UTI during her pregnancy with her first child. “It was coconut juice that cured me. We are fortunate because fresh coconut juice is easy to find and is relatively cheap in our country”.
How Being a Natural Mom Saved Her Daughter’s Life
“One of the toughest times any mom goes through is when our children are sick - we storm the heavens with our prayers so that our children will get well soon. Sometimes, we even pray that the sickness be ours instead of our kids' and we are always so willing to bear the pain and suffering for them!”
Mommy Espie recalls when her daughter Michelle had dengue fever a week before her senior's prom: “There was a dengue outbreak in our area and when Michelle's fever would not go away after a couple of days, I brought her to the hospital, had her checked up, and when the lab tests came out, it was confirmed that she had dengue fever and had to be confined. Doctors told me that there is no cure to dengue and we just had to monitor Michelle's platelets every so often to make sure that the count does not go down to critical levels to a point when blood transfusion would be necessitated”.
Upon hearing this, Mommy Espie immediately started a text brigade to all her friends and acquaintances to - aside from praying for Michelle's quick recovery - help her find "tawa-tawa" leaves, a natural herb that freely grows in vacant lots like weeds, but is believed to be a sure cure to dengue. Her friends then responded by not only bringing tawa-tawa leaves, but tawa-tawa tea as well. Her friends took it upon themselves to search, clean and boil the tawa-tawa leaves so that when it reached Michelle, it was all ready to drink. Thanks to the very caring doctors, classmates and of course, Mommy Espie’s well-meaning friends, Michelle's blood platelet count started to rise steadily but surely after taking the tea allowing her to attend her senior's prom in time - beautiful, happy and yes, healthy again!
Are you a Natural Mommy? Do share with us your stories, experiences, and recipes by leaving a comment, or send us an email at naturalmomsph@gmail.com and you could be our next featured Natural Mom of the Week!
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