you can now watch the business of being born online for free!
http://quicksilverscreen.com/watch?video=45525
i highly recommend it to any woman who ever wants to get pregnant!
Common ingredient in infant formula was found to be linked to
diarrhea, severe dehydration and seizures in babies, according to
complaints submitted to the FDA.
A shocking report has been released on the adverse health effects of
fatty acids found in infant formulas. The Cornucopia Institute, a US-
based corporate watchdog group, presented their findings on the fatty
acids DHA and ARA, which are now commonly added to formula.
The report is based on a Freedom of Information Act request that the
Cornucopia Institute filed with the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA), the result of which was the uncovering of 98 reports filed by
parents and physicians detailing incidences when babies had reacted
adversely to formula containing DHA/ARA. The reported incidences
range from cases of vomiting and diarrhea that stopped when babies
switched to non-DHA/ARA formula to babies being treated in intensive
care units for severe dehydration and seizures.
The FDA has never been convinced of the safety of DHA/ARA additives,
according to the report. In its initial analysis of the additives,
the FDA stated it had reached no determination on their safety
status. The administration also noted that some studies had reported
unexpected deaths among infants who had been fed with DHA/ARA
formula. Despite its reservations, inexplicably the FDA did not
withhold approval for the additives.
INFACT Canada has long questioned the use of DHA and ARA (also
marketed as omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids) in infant formula. All
major formula companies have added the fatty acids to their products
in recent years, claiming that they aid in brain and eye development.
However most test results have found the additives have negligible
effects on infant development. But because DHA and ARA are found
naturally in breastmilk, formula companies market DHA/ARA formula
as “closer to breastmilk.”
Martek Biosciences Corporation, the company that supplies almost all
formula companies with DHA/ARA, has admitted that the purpose of the
additives is not to encourage healthy development, but to be used as
a marketing tool. In its promotional material to encourage
investment, Martek stated:
“Infant formula is currently a commodity market, with all products
being almost identical and marketers competing intensely to
differentiate their product. Even if [DHA/ARA] has no benefit, we
think it would be widely incorporated into formulas, as a marketing
tool and to allow companies to promote their formula as ‘closest to
human milk.’”
While DHA and ARA are found naturally in breast milk, the idea that
Martek’s manufactured acids make formula closer to breast milk is
ridiculous. Martek produces DHA and ARA from fermented algae and
fungus, and uses hexane (a neurotoxin) in the manufacturing process.
Simply adding these synthetic substances to formula cannot make
artificial baby milk behave like breast milk, which is a complex,
living substance that provides babies with the best possible
nutrition and immunological protection.
Regular infant formula puts babies’ health at risk, but now infants
are being harmed for the sake of a marketing tool. This is an
egregious case of formula companies putting profit margins above
infant health. In light of this report, it is imperative that all
parents be made aware of the potential risks of feeding their babies
formula with DHA/ARA. The products should be pulled from the market
until their safety can be properly assessed by independent
investigations.
Babies should not have to get sick just because companies want to
raise their sales figures.
For the full report, see:
http://cornucopia.org/DHA/DHA_FullReport.pdf
~ INFACT Canada
http://www.infactcanada.ca
If you are pregnant and using an older Nalgene water bottle you may want to reconsider. Nalgene has been making their hard plastic bottles with Bisphenol A (BPA) for years.
BPA causes chromosome abnormalities in female fetuses.
BPA is also harmful to children and adults. Avoid buying baby bottles that contain BPA.
“More than 130 studies suggest that BPA exposure at very low doses is linked to a staggering number of health problems, including prostate and breast cancer, obesity, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, brain damage, altered immune system, lowered sperm counts, and early puberty.”
We have known that BPA is harmful since 1999. It’s sickening that it has taken this long for it to get national attention.
Mommy’s Bliss Nipple Cream is being recalled because it contains ingredients that are harmful to infants. You can read the entire story here on CNN’s website .
Every Friday Husband gets excited by one computer generated email that graces my inbox. That would be babycenter.com‘s “My Baby This Week” email. Each Friday we open this email and find out how big our baby is this week. The first week I signed up (week 6) Baby was the size of a lentil. Then for week 7 we found out that Baby was as big as a blueberry. And now this week Baby is the size of a pinto bean. Husband loves going to work monday morning and telling everyone how big Baby is this week.. And really I do too.
This is going to be a very lovely post about the joys of pregnancy. One of those joys in particular : yeast infections. Apparently getting one of said infections is extremely common during pregnancy because your body is going through so many different hormonal changes. But to be honest to you I didn’t care why I was getting it. (Especially since it was nothing that I was doing actually causing it.) So I emailed my birthing center and I was kind of appalled at what the receptionist told me to do. Okay maybe not appalled but it definitely wasn’t what I was expecting.
Here is a letter I wrote to my alternamama’s group and their advice on the subject:
“I am sitting here trying to decide how to put this seeing that it’s
not something very nice to have a conversation about. So I’ll just be
blunt. I have a yeast infection. From what I have read this is very
normal during pregnancy so I shouldn’t be surprised. I emailed the
birth center where I am going for my prenatal care about what I should
take. I was kind of surprised when I got the answer back today. The
receptionist told me to take the 3 day Monistat supositories. But
shoving a ball of chemicals up there so close to my tiny baby (and i’m
still just in my first trimestser!) scares me! What do you guys think?
Or what did you take during your pregnancy?
The package doesn’t say not for use of pregnant or nursing women but
it does say consult your doctor before taking. I guess I was expecting
to be told to use yogurt or something natural.” -me
the replies:
“Use PLAIN yogurt and insert in right inside and around outside, it
eats the bad bacteria. Try twice a day for about two or so days, it
will do the trick 
Also, check into acidophilus pills.” – alternamama #1
and
“I have been told that those things only hide the yeast and not
really get rid of it. That’s the best way I can explain it. I had
one of the worst yeast infections at the beginning of the current
pregnancy. I used essential oil of niauli. Every time I went to
the restroom, I used my peri-bottle with warm water, apple cider
vinegar, niauli, peppermint, lavender, and sea salt. You only need
a drop of each oil, may be two or three of the niauli and the rest
is what you feel like. It is very soothing. I get some excellent
oils, oil blends, and advice from a website called
www.harmoniousscents.com. She is from Utah, but moved to my ward
about a year ago and has really pure oils. The other thing that I
used was a salve called comfrey gold salve. I got it from
www.drugfreehelp.com. They have a phone number you can call and
they will direct you on what to take or use. I have also heard that
peeling a clove of garlic and tying a string and inserting helps
tremendously. In your underwear, use peppermint oil on the crotch
before you wash them to kill any bacteria or fungus or whatnot and
get rid of stains. A little bit of the oil remains and works on
keeping you healthy. Best of luck.” – alternamama #2
what do you think about using these types of drugs during pregnancy and more specifically your first trimester? or what natural remedy do you use?
today is mother’s day and i have received my first “gift” as a mother. morning sickness. i know that a lot of people take drugs for this type of thing but to be completely honest with you i just don’t trust drugs. and why should i? both thalidomide and des were prescribed for morning sickness and just look at how much damage these drugs caused! you would think that we would learn our lesson. but we continue to prescribe pregnant women untested drugs. i have been recommended zofran (ondansetron) by some very well meaning loved ones but it scares me. a lot of women are and affectionatly call it “the miracle drug”. but there has only been one study on zofran in pregnant women. zofran’s label even warns that it should not be used by pregnant or nursing women.
“The only real human study done thus far was for “Placental transfer of ondansetron during early human pregnancy, Siu SS.” showed that the drug was found in maternal venous blood, coelomic fluid, amniotic fluid, and fetal tissue. Since this drug is a SHT3 receptor antagonist and that’s key to proliferation, differebtiation and migration of the central nervous system neurons as well as chondrogenesis it is possible that the drug could have an impact and could be so long before you ever knew that it’d be difficult to correlate the defects back to drugs.”
with the lack of studies on zofran in pregnancy it is tremendously hard to find “side effects” on it (or anything more specific than “may cause birth defects”). many women claim that there are none however after scouring the web i have found numerous complaints about heart defects on babies whose mothers took zofran early in pregnancy. who knows what we will find out in ten years about this drug. until then as pregnant women we need to weigh our options and be sure to discuss any prescriptions with your health care provider and pharmacist before taking anything that you are unsure of.
so the question remains about what I am going to do about this morning sickness problem. well other than keep some crackers on my nightstand to pop into my mouth before i even sit up in the mornings. and i have been drinking Yogi brand “mother to be tea”. here is a good link to some more natural remedies.
i would love to hear about what works for you!
**update 5/20/08**
I discovered the most wonderful “cure” for morning sickness. Sea Bands! They are accupuncture wrist bands that while wearing take away the nausea. I bought mine last night for $8 at the Target pharmacy. They are great because you can re-use them as many times as you want and even wash them up to 5 times. Best of all you are not putting a drug in your body. So there are no side effects. Getting used to the plastic studs is the hardest part but it’s such a small price to pay for feeling normal. Anyway I am super excited about this update and being able to feel normal again.
When it comes to obstetrics in America we have a pretty terrible track record. And when it comes to infant and maternal mortality we come in last in all of the industrialized world. How would you feel about birthing your baby in China, Russia, or Mexico. To be honest with you it doesn’t sound all that great to me.
Yet we as a country statistically are right along side of all three of those when it comes to way we deliver babies. I’m not trying to scare you I merely want to open your eyes. There is a reason that you should be doing research before your baby is born. There is a reason to question our idea of normal. Because frankly normal just isn’t working for us. Just look at our track record for example.
Twilight Sleep 1914 – 1945
women birthing in hospitals were give injections of scopolamine and morphine which caused them to forget the pain of childbirth. it also however caused them to go crazy. so women going through twilight sleep were strapped to their beds in effort to keep them from hurting themselves and others around them. they were often left in these beds for days sometimes having to lay in their own feces. this eventually went out of style because of the terrible treatment of mothers and risks of asphyxia to the babies. babies also were force fed the first couple of days because they were too drugged to suck. as terrible as it was it’s amazing to me that it lasted as long as it did.
X-ray 1930′s
In the 1930′s obgyn’s xrayed pregnant women to measure their pelvus’. Not only were doctor’s using x-ray they were recommending cigarettes to pregnant women. this caused an increased cancer risk and reduced brain development.
Thalidomide 1950′s – 1960′s
Thalidomide was prescribed to pregnant women in the 1950′s and 60′s for relief or morning sickness and to aid in sleep. This drug caused 10,000 children to be born with severe physical deformities.
Diethylstilbestrol (DES) 1938 – 1971
DES was prescribed to pregnant women to prevent miscarriages and other pregnancy problems. In 1953 published research showed that this was not the case however doctors continued to prescribe it to their patients for almost 20 more years. DES is now known to cause breast cancer, clear cell adenocarcinoma (a type of cervical cancer), reproductive tract structural differences (for example,t-shaped uterus), pregnancy complications, and infertility.
Cytotec 1990 – Current
Cytotec’s only FDA approved use is for treating ulcers. However this does not stop doctor’s from prescribing it to induce labor. In August 2000, Searle, Cytotec’s manufacturer, sent physicians a letter reminding them that Cytotec was not approved for use as a cervical ripening agent and that it was contraindicated for use in pregnancy. The letter listed serious adverse effects associated with using Cytotec, including maternal or fetal death, uterine rupture, and severe vaginal bleeding and shock. Cytotec is still being used in hospital’s today because of it’s affordability.
click here to watch a CBS news segment on the dangers of cytotec. seriously, watch it!
why are women still taking this drug? it is important for you to know your options.
