Green Options

From flame retardants to fossil fuels, newborn babies are exposed to chemicals passed on by his/her mother in utero. Although this is not new information, I was shocked to learn that there are actually 300 chemical compounds in a newborn’s umbilical cord!

Those pure little beings aren’t so pure at birth, and as a mother and a human being, I find this level of contaminants alarming.

According to the LA Times:

Virtually everything we buy, breathe, drink and eat contains traces of toxic substances…Every day, about half a dozen chemicals are added to the estimated 83,000 already in commerce. In the United States alone, about 42 billion pounds of chemicals are produced or imported daily.

If we start with 300 chemicals in our bodies, imagine the bioaccumulation that occurs over our lifetimes.  Some parents have gone so far as to have their whole family’s body burden tested.  The results of one Oakland family were shocking.  The children had chemical exposure levels seven times those of their parents proving children are more susceptible to the chemicals in our homes. 

I decided early on in my pregnancy that I would have an epidural if need be. I fully support anyone who has a natural birth, but for me that was a level of pain that I did not wish to experience.

Funny how best laid plans always go awry isn’t it?

So we were two weeks from our due date and family had just arrived “just in case” I delivered early. My husband went with me for the weekly check-in with the doctor. After listening for the baby’s heartbeat she pulled me up from the exam table, told me to throw my clothes on and get to the hospital right away - she’d have a team ready to meet me (the hospital was next door to her office). Words blurred, but I managed to remain calm and understood only that the heart rate was not what it should be.