There have been many studies coming out lately that validate my entire approach to pregnancy and parenting. The latest, just announced by the Washington Toxics Coalition (WTC), shows babies are exposed to chemicals in everyday consumer products even before they're born.

WTC tested blood and urine from pregnant women in California, Washington, and Oregon during their second trimester of pregnancy and the results showed chemicals that are found in a wide variety of consumer products.

From the study:

• 100% of study participants had bisphenol A (BPA) in their bodies, which is found in polycarbonate water bottles and food and beverage cans and has been linked to cancer, early puberty, diabetes, obesity, and reproductive problems.

• 100% had mercury, a known neurotoxin.

• Most had several different types of phthalates, which may have an impact on masculinity in boys. These are plasticizers and fragrance carriers found in consumer products from shower curtains to shampoo. Phthalates are linked to reproductive problems and asthma.

• The study didn't make any associations between a woman's lifestyle and the levels of chemicals found in her body.

• Each woman had at least two and as many as four "Teflon chemicals," or perfluorinated compounds, in her blood. These are chemicals used to create stain-protection products and non-stick cookware and are linked to low birth weight, obesity, and cancer.

While I generally spend time coaching families on how to avoid these very chemicals; the best anyone can do is minimize exposure. But Erika Schreder, staff scientist for the Washington Toxics Coalition and author of the report (full disclosure: she wrote an essay for my book, The Complete Organic Pregnancy), says, "Pregnant women can't avoid every exposure to these chemicals because they are in so many products. They can't shop their way out of this problem. We need policies that keep toxic chemicals away from pregnant women and the most vulnerable-the developing fetus."

She's right. And the levels found in women who were already attempting to avoid these very chemicals backs her up.

To make those policies happen, WTC, along with Commonweal, the Toxic-Free Legacy Coalition, and members of the Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families Campaign are urging Congress to reform the federal law (the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act) by doing the following:

• Immediately initiate action to eliminate chemicals that build up in our bodies or are passed on to the next generation.

• Reduce the use of chemicals that can cause serious health problems such as cancer and reproductive harm, or lead to learning disabilities.

• Require manufacturers to create consumer products using only chemicals they have tested fully for safety and to provide full information on their hazards to the public.

• Preserve the rights of the states to enact legislation that sets higher chemical safety standards than federal law....

Dear Alexandra,

First, THANK YOU and Deirdre for your book - I bought it when my husband and I decided to have a baby and it really set the tone for how I've approached my entire pregnancy. I truly appreciate the work and thoughtfulness that went into the guidance in your book.

I'm now just about 37 weeks pregnant and have been mired in the search for the best crib mattress! Time is ticking away, so I thought I'd email you about my concern to see if you might have an opinion on the issue. I have been researching mattress options for our co-sleeper as well as crib and want to use an organic mattress, for all the reasons you have outlined. A question about each option:

1. Co-sleeper: The Arms Reach co-sleeper includes warnings against putting any additional mattress or padding on the mattress board that comes with the unit. However, the Dax co-sleeper mattress is indicated to go on top of the existing mattress board - apparently, the board is needed for support. I'm concerned now about putting the Dax mattress I've ordered on the co-sleeper mattress (along with the puddle pad). Any advice?

2. Crib: The latest data on SIDS prevention suggests using the firmest mattress possible. However, after talking with the folks at Dax Stores and doing some reading, it seems that a bit of firmness is sacrificed with an organic mattress because wool is used as the flame retardant, making the mattress slightly less firm. Also, using wool "puddle pads" is an extra layer of cushioning. So, I have thought that a happy medium may be Naturepedic's mattress (wouldn't need puddle pads), but I don't fully trust the polyethylene and would prefer an organic innerspring with wool puddle pads, were it not for the SIDS concern.

I'm surrounded by newly pregnant people. Like too-early-to-tell-anyone early. But I'm the happy keeper of their wondrous secrets. Don't ask for hints on who I'm talking about. I won't tell.

It's funny how short that newly pregnant moment is, because when you're in it, it feels so long. And it's amusing how no one would ever guess because it's so not apparent bump-wise even if inside your own head it's the LOUDEST thing that has ever happened, and ever will again. Well, maybe until your own kid(s) tells you they're pregnant.

One pregnancy I'm spending a lot of time thinking about is a third. The first two times, the mom was severely nauseated. She threw up for months on end. And she's expecting to be so again. But until that nausea comes on, she's cramming herself full of all sorts of great and crucial food and sleeping when her kids will let her. These are weeks to take care of yourself as much as you possibly can. While we were on the phone strategizing about how best to get the nutrients in before she started hurling them up, I went back to my personal notes plus my lists published in The Complete Organic Pregnancy.

The smell of cooking food is particularly awful to the nauseated (mildly or very) pregnant person. Roasted meat scent in particular killed me when I was pregnant so I remember doing all sorts of things to get protein sans smell - protein rich grains like amaranth went down ok, so did beans (sometimes). Avocado worked. Eggs also smelled when scrambled or fried but boiled eggs worked (no smell cooking but sometimes unbearable when I cracked open the shell post boil). I remember having people cook me meat at their houses so I wouldn't have to smell the cooking. My friend has family that lives nearby. I suggested she have her husband cook their meat (they belong to a great pastured meat collective, like a CSA for humanely and ecologically raised animals) over at their houses, and to bring it back into their apartment after it cools off and the scent is less intense. Sounds crazy but when you only have a short period of time to get animal protein and nutrients in before months of barfing, you do what you have to do. If eating seafood, make sure to eat fish and shellfish with the lowest contaminants (PCBs, mercury) and the highest omega-3s and other crucial nutrients found in fish.
]]> Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:35:00 EST http://www.thedailygreen.com/living-green/blogs/organic-parenting/breastfeeding-in-public-47102505?src=rss http://www.thedailygreen.com/living-green/blogs/organic-parenting/breastfeeding-in-public-47102505?src=rss Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:45:00 EST http://www.thedailygreen.com/living-green/blogs/organic-parenting/microban?src=rss http://www.thedailygreen.com/living-green/blogs/organic-parenting/microban?src=rss Another great and timely reader question in my inbox this week:

I'd love to know what you think of Microban. It seems this label is appearing on more consumer products all of the time, but I'm kind of afraid of it since it sounds like an "antibacterial coating", and I wonder if it's really necessary. I will be having a baby in January, and I see a lot of baby and children's products that say they use Microban - so I'm wondering if I should be avoiding those products. I now question everything that states "antibacterial" - even those that say "naturally antimicrobial". Would you be able to clear this up for me?

Thank you,

Kim

Hi Kim,

I have seen this label on a lot of plastic items lately. I first saw it in potty seats a while back and most recently encountered it when I went to a store to buy "big girl scissors" for my three year old. Should you avoid it? Well I personally ran from the place - scissor-less - when I noticed every single pair was "protected by" Microban. I ran straight to my computer so I could figure out what that meant. Even though I never found the exact answer (the company doesn't really come clean on its ingredients or properties on their website -- "Microban® antimicrobial protection is built-in to products during manufacturing to provide continuous antimicrobial product protection. Microban protection can be found in hundreds of consumer, industrial and medical products around the world. For an added level of product protection against microbes, look for the Microban® brand on the products you buy."), I know enough about unknown antimicrobials from my work and research to avoid them across the board when and if there are any other choices. There usually are.

I emailed Kim back to see where, specifically, she had seen the stuff, to make sure she would have other choices. Her response?

I have seen in stores the Microban label on several diaper bags and those baby changing stations in bathrooms. I did a search online and saw they are also putting it in certain keyboards, mouse pads, pet dishes, Teva sandals, yoga mats, sinks/washtubs, cutting boards, and other kitchen and baby items, it seems. I sure hope they don't start putting it in everything!

It does seem to be getting uncomfortably prevalent but yes, there are Microban-free choices for all of the above. Meanwhile, some of my most trusted resources are also suggesting people avoid Microban. The NRDC's Dr. Gina Solomon says:

This week a great question arrived via Facebook email, from someone I went to school with. Here's her plea for advice:

I have a REALLY bad case of dandruff (and I apologize here for the TMI). I can't use dandruff shampoos because as a curly-haired girl they dry my hair. My dermatologist gave me something which works great BUT (and here's the problem) I'm trying to get pregnant and you're not supposed to use it if you are pregnant, and I don't want to risk it.

So ... as the organic pregnancy guru and a fellow curly-haired girl, any suggestions? I tried apple cider vinegar but it doesn't work.

I feel her pain. As someone who wages war with eczema and had tried every possible remedy - organic and otherwise - I know these itchy, flaky skin issues can be excruciating because they're impossible to figure out how to cure, uncomfortable, and ugly. I'm no expert on dandruff but from my research, it sounds like it can be as difficult to "fix" as eczema.

Here's my checklist to go through to try to figure out what's causing the dandruff, and how to find an effective treatment for it. Again, I am not an expert. Anyone who has battled dandruff with natural cures and is winning the battle, please post your secrets to success in comments.

13 Questions to Ask Before Starting a Dandruff Treatment

* What kind of dandruff is it (I gather some is waxy, some dry, some fungal)?

When you have a baby, the Hallow-hell candy fest is easy to avoid. They do notice the good stuff - costumes, parades - without focusing on the sugar overload part. Last year, when my daughter was two and a half, hiding the sugar started to become more difficult. This year I am screwed....

This organic mom has too much to read – newspaper and magazine articles, blogs, books, studies, listservs, emails etc. etc. etc. – and far too little time on her hands to read it all. But now that the organic preschooler is ensconced in school during the mornings, and my next manuscript is (basically) done, I'm taking a moment to do some reading to go with my writing.

The first book on my pile is Deeply Rooted: Unconventional Farmers in the Age of Agribusiness by Lisa M. Hamilton. It’s not technically a parenting book but I think being mindful and smart about food is one of the most crucial things any parent can do. Hamilton’s book, as the title suggests, falls squarely into the sustainable realm. (Full disclosure: Lisa wrote an essay for my book, The Complete Organic Pregnancy. Though I have yet to meet her in person, she’s a friend of my co-author, Deirdre Dolan.) It is not a light book about how growing tomatoes in your back yard is a good idea, but rather a real book -- sometimes gritty -- about real American farms and farmers who are doing things a little bit differently at a moment when most farmers are not. ...

Sometimes this organic mom wants to gift her own not-entirely-organic mother a present. I try to make the gifts meaningful, but I'd be lying if I said I don't also aim for something with an underlying green theme. Nothing over the top or in her face, just something she'll enjoy but also notice is eco-friendly, even though that isn't the main point of the present.

For her recent birthday, I had a jackpot win-win idea: a seltzer maker. I can't believe I didn't think of it before. My mom loves, loves, loves seltzer. She lives for it, drinks it constantly. Not only would having her own seltzer maker save her money, but it would also keep her from being involved with the transportation of bottles of water and help her save untold numbers of unreusable plastic bottles. Yes, she recycles. But recycling plastic #1 bottles doesn't mean everything in those bottles actually gets reused, and breaking them down is an intensive, complicated process. I personally avoid plastic whenever I can. Unfortunately, store bought seltzer in glass bottles is a lot more expensive than what comes in plastic. The home seltzer makers with glass carafes are also more expensive than plastic, but if you do the math for how much it saves over buying bottles for a year, it seems doable....

I sifted through some of the recently tested items on HealthyStuff.org and was pleased to see that there are a number of handbags -- especially inexpensive (and cute!) numbers from H&M -- that I assumed would have high levels of lead, bromine (brominated flame retardants), and chlorine (PVC), actually do not. But other items from widely available brands like Aldo, 9&Co. and Tory Burch did, including some with lead levels way over the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) limit for lead in kid's products. My daughter likes to play dress up with my bags, and is around them all day long, so I'd prefer something without, thanks. HealthyStuff.org also tests for other chemicals "based on their toxicity or suspected toxicity, persistence, and/or tendency to build up in people and the environment," including cadmium, arsenic and mercury. These plus lead, bromine, and chlorine have "been linked in animal and some human studies to long-term health impacts such as birth defects, impaired learning, liver toxicity, and cancer...."

Alexandra,
You've written about SIGG as being a good brand bottle to use in the past. What are you going to do now that they've admitted to using BPA in their bottles? I'm not sure what to do with the ones I have.
Best,
Sally (mom of three)

Dear Sally,

Thanks for the question. Crazy, right? But not entirely unexpected. It's been known for a while now that SIGG goes after any consumer group (EWG, OCA etc.) that infers their "proprietary" liner content contains BPA. They have also released reports proving that there are undetectable levels of BPA in their bottles. Why would they test for it and release reports about it if it weren't in there? Consumers who prefer total transparency and want to avoid plastic have long preferred stainless steel bottles to SIGG's lined-with-a-secret aluminum. ...

Dear Organic Mom,

How can I tell if the water I swim in at the beach or the random swimming hole we found this past weekend when hiking is safe to swim in? Especially with kids.

Thanks.
- Jackie

Good question. We're also swimming so much these hot days, it's something I think about often. ...

I do not want to be writing this column! It's only mid-August! I'm holding on tight to the summer I have left. But for (organized) moms and dads everywhere, these are the days to get the back to school gear in order. I'm not big on stuff, but since a little shopping is inevitable, make sure to vote with your dollars for the greenest gear possible. Thankfully, eco-versions of everything from knee-highs to lunchboxes to art supplies exist and even abound. Some of the items on my radar:

SHOES

I'm a monumental fan of hand-me-downs, but second hand shoes can be a little tricky when it comes to kids. Nothing could be greener or cuter than Simple Shoes. Their newest toddler shoes are very flexible, beyond comfortable, and will feature frequently in my 3.5-year-old's fall footwear rotation. I like the gray, she prefers pink. That they're washable suede from an eco-certified tannery, lined with certified organic cotton fleece, and have recycled soda bottle laces and soles made of natural rubber? Icing. Why stop at getting them for the offspring, they're just what mom or dad need to be wearing to drop off, pick up, and class outings. ...