I’m not going to lie, this week has been a particularly rough week. Everyone assured me as I suffered through morning sickness in the first trimester that the second trimester would be better - “Don’t worry - you get TONS of energy in the second trimester. You’re going to feel great!” But sometime between last week and what is now my 21st week, exhaustion and fatigue hit me like a ton of bricks. I saw my doctor yesterday for my monthly check-up and asked her if I was sick, to which she replied, “No, you’re just pregnant.”
For a minute, I was jealous of my baby, seeing her on the monitor of the ultrasound at my doctor’s office, curled up in the fetal position and sleeping. I’ve had to really push myself mentally through my workday this week even as my body has been yearning for my bed. It’s amazing how challenging, both physically and emotionally, the pregnancy can be - as I’m sure all of you out there can relate! Unfortunately, the timing for this fatigue couldn’t be worse, as we are busily preparing for the launch of our new Nine Naturals product line.
That said, there is no better motivation for Nine Naturals than bringing a life into the world. I’m constantly encouraged by the fact that we are changing the way women approach their beauty routines that help themselves, their babies and the environment around them. The latest issue of Scientific American featured an article, “Toxins All around Us” about the toxins in common consumer products and how scientists are increasingly concerned abut the impact of even small chemical exposures particularly on women and their fetuses:
“Scientists have become increasingly worried that even extremely low levels of some environmental contaminants may have significant damaging effects on our bodies—and that fetuses are particularly vulnerable to such assaults. Some of the chemicals that are all around us have the ability to interfere with our endocrine systems, which regulate the hormones that control our weight, our biorhythms and our reproduction. Synthetic hormones are used clinically to prevent pregnancy, control insulin levels in diabetics, compensate for a deficient thyroid gland and alleviate menopausal symptoms. You wouldn’t think of taking these drugs without a prescription, but we unwittingly do something similar every day.
An increasing number of clinicians and scientists are becoming convinced that these chemical exposures contribute to obesity, endometriosis, diabetes, autism, allergies,cancer and other diseases. Laboratory studies—mainly in mice but sometimes in human subjects—have demonstrated that low levels of endocrine-disrupting chemicals induce subtle changes in the developing fetus that have profound health effects in adulthood and even on subsequent generations. The chemicals an expecting mother takes into her body during the course of a typical day may affect her children and her grandchildren.”
I’m glad to see that scientists are finally sounding the alarm on the impact of chemicals on women and their babies. As moms-to-be we have the especially significant and often daunting task of doing the best for our bodies so that our babies are well-nourished and supported as they develop in the womb. Consumer products companies in turn, should take responsibility in creating products that don’t pollute our bodies and our unborn children! In the meantime we do our best to avoid chemicals where we can - in our beauty products, our food, our household products and elsewhere - to reduce the levels of exposure to our babies. We’re proud that Nine Naturals can provide you with healthy beauty alternatives during pregnancy. It puts me at ease as a mom-to-be as I hope it does for you too.
Grace
