Green Parenting for Non-toxic, Healthy Homes
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What does supermodel Gisele Bundchen and yours truly have in common? We are both gorgeous chose to give birth to our babies in water. Studies and personal experiences have clearly shown that water births ease labor pain for mothers and offer a gentle transition to newborns.
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There is no doubt that caesarean sections (c-sections) save mothers’ and babies’ lives, but the World Health Organization (WHO) has long declared this surgical procedure overused in many countries throughout the world. As we’ve reported before, the US c-section rate is 31.8%, half of those being elective procedures, and that rate continues to rise. WHO recommends “optimal cesarean section rates” to be between five and ten percent, with greater risks for women in countries whose percentages rise above 15.
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Winter pregnancy increases risk of MS due to lack of vitamin D sunlight absorption.
Sunlight is important for our health. In these days when people are afraid of skin cancer and smother on sunscreen, Vitamin D absorption has been reduced. Vitamin D is also vital to infant development, and new research suggests that mothers who are pregnant during winter months have an increased risk of delivering babies with neurological issues. Of particular concern is the increase in babies with multiple sclerosis (MS) born in April.
According to research published in the European Journal of Neurology, lack of vitamin D in pregnancy “predisposes” individuals to MS. The Telegraph reports:
Vitamin D, which is largely gained through sunlight and food, is known to regulate a gene that can predispose individuals to MS. If the gene is passed on to the unborn child, without being regulated by a sufficient amount of vitamin D, it could “hard wire” them to develop the disease in later life…
Professor George Ebers, from Oxford University’s department of clinical neurology at the John Radcliffe Hospital, said: “The difference [in developing MS in Scotland] between being born in April versus November is an astounding 50per cent. This is real, there’s no doubt of a seasonal link. There are different theories, but I think the April excess of births could be linked to a sunlight deficiency.
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The amount of genetic screenings suggested to prospective parents in prenatal care has grown dramatically over the years. From cystic fibrosis to sickle cell anemia, pregnant parents may find out before birth if their child has a genetic disorder, but then what? Given the prevalence of genetic screenings, researchers were shocked to find the incidence of Down syndrome has actually increased by 31 percent over the last 24 years.
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We’ve been getting a lot of wonderful feed back from the comments on our Green Toy Giveaway: Classic Wooden Rocking Boat and Stairs by Natural Pod. Many readers have shared they like to learn about eco-friendly products, such as natural cleaning products and toys. Honest, authentic product reviews have always been part of Eco Child’s Play; however, my own personal interests lie with reporting newsworthy information about how changes in our environment affect our kids and what we can do to mitigate it.
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Phthalates, as you know, have been ordered removed from children’s goods, which includes food contact materials. But they’re still found in common items, such as shower curtains, personal body care products, and various medical products, among many other things. Phthalates soften plastic and bind “fragrance” to the products that contain it. [Hint: look for PVC and fragrance, and you'll find phthalates.]
So what’s the big deal? They’re endocrine disruptors, which means they interfere with the normal functions of hormones. Phthalates have been linked to early onset of puberty in girls, obesity, lower sperm count and testosterone level, under-virilized boys, and male genital deformities such as hypospadias (in which the urinary opening is located somewhere besides the head of the penis, like the underside). Whee!
And now they’ve been linked to preterm birth. Makes you wonder if we should kick the chemical out of all products, doesn’t it?
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For women of Afghanistan, pregnancy and delivery are dangerous. The war torn country has the “world’s second-highest death rate in women during pregnancy and childbirth”, second only to another war torn country Sierra Leone. The medical journal Lancet reports that 78% of these maternal deaths could be avoided. The New York Times reports:
For every 100,000 births, 1,600 mothers die; in wealthy countries the rates range from 1 to 12. In one remote northeastern province, Badakhshan, 6,507 mothers die for every 100,000 births, according to a 2005 report in the medical journal Lancet. In all, 26,000 Afghan women a year die while pregnant or giving birth. The main causes of these deaths are hemorrhage and obstructed labor, which can be fatal if a woman cannot obtain a Caesarean section. Even if the mother survives, obstructed labor without a Caesarean usually kills the baby.
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Look at you, ya beautiful pregnant woman! You glow! There you are, ready to bring life into this world, waddling through grocery stores and Farmers’ Markets. Feeling beautiful and just a little spacey.
Well, what do you know? Turns out that holding the gift of life in your womb makes you a trash receptacle for other peoples’ baggage.
I have had some—shall we say?—interesting comments during my pregnancies. But I also turned to Twitter and Facebook, as well as my friends in real life. Here are some of the funniest and most disturbing comments women have gotten during their nine months with child.
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