Posts Tagged ‘pregnant’

Things We’ve Read – Week of November 3rd

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New test may predict preeclampsia odds in pregnant women (CBS): A new test predicts preeclampsia risks by differentiating women with preeclampsia from those with high blood pressure alone

The Passion of Parenting (NYTimes): Wonderful op-ed about enjoying parenting.

Baby’s Gaze May Signal Autism, a Study Finds (NYTimes): When and how long a baby looks at other people’s eyes offers the earliest behavioral sign to date of whether a child is likely to develop autism

5 Myths About Labor and Delivery (Huffington Post): We love this breakdown on labor and delivery for first time moms-to-be!

Pregnant? Your Doctor Should Have Told You This (The Daily Green): We’ve been posting about the ACOG and ASRM recent statements that doctors and nurses need to warn moms-to be about the risks of chemical exposure. Here’s another publication’s take on it …

Healthy Child Healthy World: The Nonprofit Every Health-Conscious Parent Should Know


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We created Nine Naturals to empower moms and moms-to-be in their consumer choices. Central to our mission is not only to create amazing beauty products that you’ll love, but also to provide you with educational tools to make it easier to create a safer environment for you and your family.

That’s why Nine Naturals is a proud supporter of the non-profit, Healthy Child Healthy World.

Healthy Child Healthy World’s vision is a world where every child has the opportunity to grow up in a healthy and safe environment. By working with manufacturers and supporting policy initiatives, Healthy Child Healthy World provides access to critical information that encourages smarter lifestyle choices that reduce chemical exposure in homes and communities. Since our own launch, Nine Naturals has partnered with Healthy Child; we support and are grateful for their tireless work to create a healthy environment for children.

Why they do it.

James and Nancy Chuda launched Health Child Healthy World in honor of their daughter Colette, who was diagnosed with a rare, non-hereditary cancer at the young age of four years old and eventually passed away from the disease. Through their research they learned that a possible cause of their daughter’s cancer was maternal exposure to chemical pesticides. Healthy Child Healthy World celebrates Colette’s memory and helps to prevent other children from suffering the effects of unnecessary chemical exposure.

How they do it.

Healthy Child focuses on three channels to execute on their mission:

Empowering Parents

Healthy Child’s website provides practical ways to reduce chemical exposure in your home. They have developed an “Easy Steps” series to guide parents in finding safe baby formula, improving indoor air quality, and using environment-healthy alternatives to dry cleaning.

The nonprofit also assembles inspiring Moms on a Mission and Parent Ambassadors, arguably just as important as Healthy Child’s science gurus in spreading awareness on chemical safety and environmental concern. Celebrity supporters like Laila Ali and Molly Sims proudly support Healthy Child’s causes as well.

Influencing Policy

For over 20 years, Healthy Child has worked to influence policy that better protects our children’s health. Healthy Child partners with manufacturers and policymakers to shed light on issues like corporate accountability, legal and regulatory reform, and greater chemical and product safety.

Promoting Solutions

Healthy Child helps to identify safer alternatives to toxic products, work with responsible companies to create and promote those alternatives and pressure industry giants to follow suit. Nine Naturals is proud to be a Shop Healthy partner of Healthy Child Healthy World. Our haircare and skincare line prioritizes chemical-free safety above all, a flagship shared with Healthy Child Healthy World.

Watch Healthy Child’s “Wake-Up Story” below and check out Healthy Child’s page today.

 

Minimizing Toxins While Breastfeeding

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Breastfeeding provides a growing baby with numerous health advantages. Breastmilk’s natural ingredients include protein (whey, casein, and other baby-friendly proteins), fats, vitamins, and lactose, in addition to infection-fighting leukocytes (APA).

If you are considering breastfeeding, it’s a wonderful option. Science Daily, for example, discusses PSTI (pancreatic secretory tripsin inhibitor) which reinforces and strengthens the lining of newborns’ intestines. Leukocytes, which battle illness in babies, also only exist in breastmilk. Nursing could also go so far as to improve baby’s genes in ways that safeguard an infant’s immune system.

However, it behooves moms and their babies to also understand that healthy nutrients aren’t all that can transfer via breastmilk from mother to baby. What you eat, drink, or use for your bodycare during pregnancy and nursing can contaminate your breastmilk and expose your baby to risk. Florence Williams, acclaimed author of “Breasts,” wrote in a 2005 NYT article about how toxins can transfer from mother to baby via the breastmilk. Women in their child-bearing years may have unknowingly developed a “chemical burden,” or buildup of harmful compounds:

When we nurse our babies, we feed them not only the fats, sugars and proteins that fire their immune systems, metabolisms and cerebral synapses. We also feed them, albeit in minuscule amounts, paint thinners, dry-cleaning fluids, wood preservatives, toilet deodorizers, cosmetic additives, gasoline byproducts, rocket fuel, termite poisons, fungicides and flame retardants. -Williams

This should not discourage mothers who wish to breastfeed - but rather should make them more judicious about their exposure to chemical toxins during pregnancy and nursing. What you put into and onto your body counts in the pursuit of a healthy body for both you and your baby. Keep that truth in mind when selecting which products to incorporate into your skincare and haircare regimens.

Women should look after themselves during nursing as carefully as they do during pregnancy. Here are a few tips to accomplish just that, while avoiding exposure to toxins where possible:

  • Use chemical-free, natural products. Research and stick to beauty lines such as our very own Nine Naturals.
  • Read product labels closely. Learn how to recognize variations of harmful chemicals as phthalates and sulfates.
  • Eat organic. Make organic food choices that optimize your nutrient sources and minimize chemical exposure, like pesticides.
  • Steer clear of second hand smoke. You obviously know not to smoke at all while pregnant. Research also proves that cigarette and marijuana smoke can subject your infant to risk of SIDS and stunted growth and development.
  • Avoid synthetic fragrances. They’re riddled with toxins and can enter your body through your respiratory system and through your skin.
  • Inform your physician of any and all medications. From aspirin to acne cream, even the most innocuous medication can cause harm to your body and your baby’s body while nursing. Have a detailed discussion with your pediatrician and / or obstetrician to go over which meds are safest and which are risky.

Want to learn more about preparing for breastfeeding? Read our Top 5 Tips on how to Prepare for Breastfeeding and Top Breastfeeding Gear from Expert Lactation Consultant Sheridan Ross. Also checkout our Nine Ways to Reduce Your Toxic Burden During Pregnancy.

We wish you a wonderful experience with your newborn. As always, we encourage you to keep your body healthy through pregnancy, breastfeeding and beyond. Because taking care of yourself is the best thing you can do for your baby - especially during this special time in the baby’s development.

Things We’ve Read – Week of October 20th

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The Power of the Pregnant Body (Huffington Post): An inspiring tribute the physical prowess of our bodies even during pregnancy! Pregnant politicians, actresses, musicians and Olympians …

10 Advantages to an Unplanned Pregnancy (Jezebel): One woman in her tells the rapid maturity she experienced and the discoveries she made when she found herself unexpectedly pregnant in her early 30s.

Full Term Pregnancy Gets a New Narrower Definition (USA Today): A terminology change will help discourage doctors & patients from scheduling medically unnecessary deliveries before 39 weeks.

Exercise During Pregnancy Strengthens Arteries in Children (Counsel&Heal): CA State University studies show that exercise during pregnancy bolsters the vascular health of the baby from childhood through adulthood.

Creative Mom Turns her Baby’s Naptime Into Dream Adventures (Bored Panda): One mom creates beautiful scenes around her sleeping baby.

 

Celebrity Mama-to-Be featuring Halle Berry

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Congratulations to Halle Berry and beau Oliver Martinez! The couple were married over the weekend. They held a quaint ceremony in a village church in France’s Burgundy region.

Already a mother to a five-year old daughter, the pregnant actress, Halle Berry, who was recently interviewed back in April by CNN, describes her pregnancy as the “biggest surprise of my life”. She noted, ““I thought I was kind of past the point where this could be a reality for me”. However, Halle Berry also noted that she “feels fantastic!”

In the interview, she went on to explain how her pregnancy made her think more about the pre-natal healthy of her baby. “Especially now, being a pregnant woman and already having a child … it’s so important what happens to the baby while they’re in utero. And the first 1,000 days is fundamental,” said Berry. She revealed her pregnancy has inspired her to act on behalf of hungry children and pregnant women who struggle with maintaining proper nutrition during pregnancy, teaming up with the Word Food Programme in the fight against hunger.

We’d like to commend Halle Berry for being an inspiration for mothers who believe that a healthy life starts in the womb.

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