Archive for the 'Pregnancy' Category

May 5, 2008 | Pregnancy

Natural Awakenings Magazine has a great article this month titled What to Inspect When you’re Expecting. They list 10 tips for expecting moms to achieve a healthy pregnancy and give their baby the best start possible. What do they suggest? Everything from the basics, like regular prenatal check-ups, to less known hazards like avoiding foam-based nursery furniture to stay away from PBDEs. Eating organic ranks high on the list, as does avoiding pesticides. And going against every pregnant mom’s instinct to nest, they advise holding off on home improvement plans until after the baby is born - especially in homes built before 1978. One more interesting piece of advice? If it stinks, it stinks! In other words, trust your nose. Substances with a strong odor (like glue and paint, for example) contain chemicals that can be harmful to the developing fetus. Trust your sense of smell. And fortunately for us, pregnant women have a more sensitive sense of smell - just one more way our bodies protect our babies.

March 4, 2008 | Health, Pregnancy

I love that. I think moms have been aware of it for generations - eons, perhaps. But USA Today has just published ’scientific’ evidence that it really happens. Oh, wait, did I forget to tell you what it is? That’s because I have a 2 year old, a 3 year old, and any day now will have a newborn. Momnesia is the fact of life that after a woman has a baby she suddenly becomes forgetful - sometimes to the point of embarrassment. A friend of mine went to the grocery store without her shirt on (she realized it in the parking lot and went back home… no worries!). I remember not being able to speak well - I just couldn’t remember words. I’d forget to put on shoes or completely black out when it came to friends’ names.

But, it’s no longer just a theory. They’ve put a name to it - kind of catchy, I think! Momnesia. Yes, I’ve had it. Probably still do. And it will probably get worse when baby #3 makes his appearance. But have no fear, dads. Momnesia is usually accompanied by a super vigilance about other things - basically about all things baby-related. Feeding, changing, temperature, keeping small objects away… We may lose our minds a bit, but we’re completely capable of challenging tasks like changing a diaper while singing a lullaby, rocking side to side (why is it that mommies of little ones can’t stop rocking, even when we’re not holding babies?), and helping big sister with homework all at once.

Now, if someone could just come up with a way to make momnesia go away. Then I’d be able to do all of the above while also planning dinner (whoops! do we need to eat again tonight? didn’t we just do that yesterday?!) and creating a mental shopping list. But for now I’ll have to rely on my trusty pen and paper. Now where did I leave them?

January 31, 2008 | Food & drink, Pregnancy

Okay, so there are 2 writers here at Broom Huggers - Kathy (a.k.a., mudlark) and Jeana (a.k.a., well, Jeana). As of right now, Kathy is 7 months pregnant and Jeana is newly pregnant, so forgive us if there’s a sudden wave of pregnancy-related posts. It’s kind of what’s on our minds. And don’t worry - we’ll get it out of our system (and eventually we’ll give birth and raise our families’ carbon emissions too…), but in the meantime, here is yet another post on health during pregnancy.

NPR had a great story this morning on mercury in fish - what to eat, what not to eat, how to get information - the whole shabang. Basically, if you’re not pregnant, and if you’re old enough to be reading this yourself, you don’t need to worry about your mercury levels. Your body can cope with it just fine. But children and pregnant and nursing moms need to use a little bit of caution when choosing fish. That’s not to say you should avoid fish - you’ll find all sorts of nutrients in fish that your body needs. The key is in finding balance. 4 fish to avoid:

• Swordfish
• King Mackerel
• Tilefish from the Gulf of Mexico (why do we have to discriminate against the Latino tilefish?)
• Shark

As for tuna, the canned type is usually best in terms of mercury levels, because they use smaller, younger fish who have less time to accumulate toxins. Still, limit it to 12 oz. a week, and limit albacore to 6 oz. a week. (If you’re anything like me, that won’t be a problem…)

Good choices that are notably low in mercury are mackerel (though not King Mackerel) and tilapia. I was disappointed that the story didn’t cover my 2 favorite fishies - salmon and shrimp. After doing some more research though, I found that my favorites are on the low mercury side as well, to be limited to 12 oz. a week (or the equivalent of 2 meals per week - I think I’m safe since I only have fish once a month or so…). There’s a nice chart here from the FDA that gives more specific information about mercury levels in fish.

January 26, 2008 | Food & drink, Pregnancy

Pregnancy is an amazing adventure! One that is filled with so many “do’s and don’t’s” that it can make your head spin (or wait, maybe that’s the nausea?). One of the big discussions on the table right now is how caffeine affects your pregnancy. CNN posted an article on a recent study showing that caffeine may boost your chance of miscarriage. Miscarriage is one of those things that nobody wants to think about happening to them, yet it happens to so many. (Sidenote from Mudlark: I don’t know about you, but since I found out recently that I’ve got another little baby on the way I will do just about anything I can to avoid being one of those statistics!)

The study found that pregnant women who consumed more than 200 milligrams of caffeine a day, equivalent to about two cups of coffee, had twice the risk of miscarriage as the women who consumed no caffeine at all.

The study looked at 1,063 women in the early stage of pregnancy. Among women who consumed no caffeine, the miscarriage rate was 12.5 percent. In comparison, 25.5 percent of women who consumed more than 200 mg of caffeine a day miscarried. Although there was an increased risk for women who consumed fewer than 200 mg of caffeine a day, the lead investigator says the increase is not statistically significant.

We now know that drinking caffeine can DOUBLE your chances of having a miscarriage. It doesn’t matter whether the caffeine comes from coffee, tea, soda or chocolate. Recommendations from the March of Dimes warn women not to exceed 300 milligrams of caffeine a day.

But what about that last part? There was still an increase in women who consumed less than the recommended amount of caffeine in a day! Although I cannot find as much information on this subject as I would like but I did find a few things that can be connected to miscarriages.

Smoking - Women who smoke have an increased chance of miscarriage. The risk also increases if the father is a smoker. The husband study observed a 4% increased risk for husbands who smoke less than 20 cigarettes/day, and an 81% increased risk for husbands who smoke 20 or more cigarettes/day.

Exercise - A study of over 92,000 pregnant women showed that most types of exercise, with the exception of swimming, correlated with a higher rate of miscarriage before 18 weeks. Increasing time spent on exercise was associated with a greater risk of miscarriage: an approximately 10% increased risk was seen with up to 1.5 hours per week of exercise, and a 200% increased risk was seen with over 7 hours per week of exercise. High-impact exercise was especially associated with the increased risk. No relationship was found between exercise and miscarriage rates after the 18th week of pregnancy.

Obviously the key thing is to take care of yourself, eat a healthy balanced diet (watch the caffeine!) and take it easy for a while!

I know that’s what I’ll be doing!

Updated, 2/6/08, by Kathy (not Jeana, who expertly crafted the rest of the post): I had my 31 week check-up today with the midwife, and this time when I complained about dizzy spells (which I’ve complained about at every single appointment) my midwife suggested that I should increase my caffeine intake. Apparently the dangers later in the pregnancy aren’t as severe, and for people with excessively low blood pressure (like me), the suitable amount of caffeine is a bit higher. Need I mention that I’m anxiously looking forward to allowing myself to indulge in 2 cups of c0fffee tomorrow, guilt-free and worry-free?

December 12, 2007 | Food & drink, Health, Pregnancy

Being an Emergency Medical Technician I could give you the medical explanation of why we need iron and what it does for us . I will spare you the medical jargon and just tell you that we need iron because it is an important component in our blood, which we all know we desperately need, and it helps us maintain a healthy immune system. The recommended daily amount varies by web site and is quite controversial but here is an idea of what I have found:

~ 10 mg a day for children, men over 18 and women over 50
~ 15 mg a day for females and lactating women
~ 30 mg a day for pregnant women

Iron is not secreted from the body except for very small amounts through hair, nails and skin so the amount of iron we consume builds up over time. The other obvious way we reduce the iron in our bodies is through blood loss. Having too much iron in your diet (HEMOCHROMATOSIS) can be cause for concern. Most Americans get enough iron in their diet, some get too much, others can be deficient. Those who are most likely deficient are children, pregnant women and those with tested and diagnosed iron deficiencies. The easiest way to find out how much iron is in your blood is by a simple blood test that can be preformed by your doctor. The other ways you can make sure your iron level isn’t too high is to avoid taking iron supplements (unless instructed by your doctor) and by donating blood. Sure, it may involve a little pain, but donating blood serves the dual purpose of ridding your body of excess iron and potentially saving lives.
To keep your iron levels in check, follow a healthy and varied diet! You can find out about iron-rich foods here. If you are into checking labels than see how much iron is in the processed foods you eat. The recommended daily value of iron on labels is 18 mg which unless you are pregnant is more than most adults need (The daily value percentage has not been updated since the 1960’s). So, if the daily value of iron on the label is 10% it really contains closer to 20% of your daily quota. Just double the number to get a closer result.

The skinny on iron? It helps maintain overall blood health and energy levels, but there is such a thing as too much. Your doctor can help you decide what works best for you and whether or not you need supplements.

December 11, 2007 | Outdoors, Health, Organics, Pregnancy

The December issue of Environmental Health Perspectives has an interesting article that links childhood cancers - Acute Leukemia and Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma - to the mother’s use of or exposure to pesticides and insecticides during pregnancy.

It’s based on a study done in France that looked at non-agricultural families. This is the first study to test the effects of pesticides and insecticides used in domestic situations, and it found startling results. Even moms who only used pesticides or insecticides once during their pregnancy have children with increased rates of leukemia and non-Hodgkins lymphoma. In fact, the rate increases two-fold. That’s right, children whose mothers used insecticides inside or outside the home during pregnancy were twice as likely to develop hematopoietic cancers.

What qualifies as pesticides or insecticides? Any chemical-based application of insecticide to rid the home, pets, or garden of crawling or flying pests, any herbicidal ‘weed-killer,’ or any fungicide to get rid of mold. The conclusion therein is that pregnant mommies avoid such products both during the pregnancy and preferably while nursing an infant as well. We might draw similar conclusions that if those chemicals are harmful to the developing fetus, they might also cause due harm on anyone with a suppressed immune system - the elderly, children, or the infirm.

Just another reason to take steps toward the organic side of life.

Note: When I googled hematopoietic cancers, I also came across studies linking these specific cancers to pregnant mommies’ use of chemical hair dyes, consumption of aspartame sweetener, and exposure to ethylene oxide (a sterilizing agent).

December 1, 2007 | Food & drink, Health, Pregnancy

A new study by the Johns Hopkins Blomberg School of Public Health links non-stick cookware to low birthweight in babies. Additionally, a 2004 study they conducted found PFOA (a carcinogen released when the non-stick cookware is heated) in the umblilical chords of 99% of the 300 babies they tested. (Scary, no?) This could be one contributing factor to the sky-rocketing cancer rates in young children.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Environmental Working Group (EWG) have suggested that manufacturers remove PFOA from their products by 2015. In the meantime, we should all take steps to avoid PFOA cookware, and pregnant mommies should be extra careful.

If you have cookware that uses PFOA (Teflon, Calphalon, Scanpan, and All Clad), you can avoid some of the dangers by using your cookware at low to moderate heat, and by replacing it every 2 years. The Green Guide has some good suggestions for alternatives in their recent article, Outfitting the Green Kitchen. Another diamond in the rough is Green Pan cookware, as reviewed by Sprig.

November 7, 2007 | Health, Pregnancy, News

Vogue magazine published an article in their August 2007 issue titled “Infertile Ground” that delves into the potential chemical causes for the alarming rise in infertility rates. In fact, the National Infertility Association quotes that one in eight couples are now infertile, with the rates rising annually. Scary stuff. And for the ladies and gents out there who are trying to have a baby, stats like that are pretty discouraging.

The article looks at environmental factors that contribute to infertility, including - but not limited to - pesticides, plasticizers (bisphenol A and phthalates), surfectants (alkylphenols), artificial fragrances, and flame retardants (PBDEs). Some of these can stir up trouble at 2,000 times less than the EPA regulated amounts. An estimated 1,500 to 2,000 new chemicals enter product lines each year in this country, many of which without adequate testing and without being listed as active ingredients.

The cumulative effect is unknown, but rising rates of certain cancers and rising rates of infertility (which has known ties to some of the chemicals names above) can certainly be blamed partly on the reliance we have on inadequately tested and inadequately controlled chemical substances in our plastics, fabrics, food sources, cleaning products and personal care products - to name a few.

Unfortunately, these chemicals don’t just affect us, they have a devastatingly long term effect on our children. In utero, these chemicals affect the growing baby and cause life-long problems like low sperm count, reproductive failure, and even some mutagenic effects. It’s not pleasant.

The natural question is what each of us can do to protect our families.  Here are some simple steps you can take:

• Check out the SkinDeep cosmetic safety database when it’s time to replace your cosmetics, baby care products, and personal care products.
• Go for the safer plastics when you’re purchasing plastic products - especially when those products will contain food or drink.  Look for the number inside the triangle on the bottom of the container - you want 1, 2, 4, or 5. Avoid 3, 6, and 7.
• Opt for low-VOC paint when possible, and don’t buy flame-retardant fabrics.
• By all means, start replacing your household cleaners with natural alternatives. If you don’t trust diluted vinegar (which really will clean up most messes quite well), try Barefoot Home Essentials, Shaklee, Method, Seventh Generation, or Ecover.

August 27, 2007 | Kids clean, Reviews, asthma, Health, Cleaning products, Pregnancy

We’ve talked about the dangers of alcohol-based hand sanitizers for children. But we’ve also talked recently about back-to-school germs. In the midst of all this, Germ-X sent me a new product to try that’s just showing up on shelves at Wal Mart. It’s an alcohol-free sanitizer with moisturizer, and it’s so new I can’t even find pictures of it online. It’s called Germ-X Advanced Protection, and I did find plenty of reviews and a few news stories toting its benefits though.

I tried it. It’s a foaming sanitizer, feels all nice and silky on the skin. And it has a nice fresh scent. But unfortunately, I can’t give it any more kudos. (more…)

July 31, 2007 | Health, Pregnancy

There’s been a recent study in California from the Public Health Department that links organochlorine pesticides with a higher occurrence of autism.

Specifically, it tracks the children of women who lived near fields (within 500 meters) that were sprayed with the organochlorine class of pesticides when the women were in their first trimester of pregnancy.

Based on the data given, the evidence is far from conclusive. But this is something we’ll be following. There’s sure to be some follow-up testing that’s a little more broad in scope. But in the meantime, if you or a loved one is pregnant, keep in mind that the little one in the oven gets everything mom gets - whether she breathes, eats, or absorbs it into her skin.

For more information about autism and its more ‘orthodox’ or accepted triggers, see the Autism Research Center.