"A Toxin Free Mom To Be
Requires Changes Well
Before Early Pregnancy"

Prior to conception, and during early pregnancy we can't stress enough how important it is, to use organic products. Most moms to be spend many hours/days thinking and planning what they can do during early pregnancy to give their child every advantage during fetal development.

What's Causing The Increases In Birth
Defects And Serious Childhood Diseases?

If you don't read another word on this web site, at least stop long enough to really think about that question.

There is no way to know, in most cases, in advance what a child's vulnerabilities will be. The precautions you take prior to conception set the stage for what takes place during early pregnancy.

Unfortunately many moms to be have no idea that they need to be taking precautions long before conception to guard against chemical exposures.

One of the single most overlooked things a mother to be needs to consider, prior to conception, during pregnancy and breast feeding, is what you put on your skin.

It's so very important to make adjustments to your daily beauty regime and start using organic skin care products, organic body care products and organic/natural cosmetics.

Think about this. Up to 60% of the chemicals in beauty products are absorbed into your blood stream and stored in your body's fat deposits for months, or even years for some chemicals, then some of them are passed on to the developing fetus or nursing infant.

It's a natural maternal instinct to protect our children from harm. Still most parents don't understand, or just refuse to believe, how important it is during early pregnancy that they replace conventional products, they personally use daily, with organic products.

A recent far reaching study found that virtually every man and woman, from the largest cities to the most remote wilderness areas, has traces of more than 100 synthetic chemicals in their body.

Many of these chemicals are the ones released by bleaches, cleaning products, cosmetics, disinfectants, dyes, flame retardants, skin care products, pesticides, personal care products, Teflon coatings, many plastic and vinyl products.

Many of the chemicals which the mother to be is exposed to prior to conception and during early pregnancy are stored in her fatty tissues for months, in some cases years, then passed on during early pregnancy, in the fetal development stages, through her blood.

Many of these same chemicals will also be passed on to the infant if the mother breast feeds the child.

Effects Of Chemical Exposure
During Early Pregnancy

From the moment of conception forward a developing fetus can be exposed to an "alphabet soup" of chemicals which can, and often does, have devastating and irreversible consequences.

There have been many studies about chemical exposures prior to and during early pregnancy. One such study by The Environmental Working Group (EWG) had some very disturbing results. This video is of Mr. Ken Cook, President of the EWG giving a very informative and entertaining presentation of their findings.

The Story Of 10 Americans

The Following Is A Short Synopsis
For Those Who Didn't Watch The Video

Working with several major laboratories the EWG found an average of 200 pollutants and industrial chemicals in the blood, collected by the Red Cross, from the umbilical cords of newborn babies in August and September 2004.

The total number of chemicals found came out at a staggering 287:
*28 Waste byproducts, car and factory exhausts;
*47 Consumer products i.e., teflon, stain repellents and flame retardants;
*212 chemicals and pesticides banned over 30 years ago;
*168 chemical ingredients from skin/personal care products;
*134 are known to cause cancer;
*154 are hormone disruptors;;
*186 cause infertility;
*158 interfere with brain and nervous system development;
*151 are known to cause birth defects.

Those effects included immune suppression disorders, allergies, asthma, altered reproductive development, cancers, delayed brain development, lower IQ's, ADD, ADHD and autism just to name a few.

If you had to, which of these would you choose for your child? Or, to give your child a better chance, would you choose to use organic products both for yourself prior to and especially during early pregnancy and for you, your family and your baby after birth?

Research has found that compounds known as endocrine disruptors affect brain and reproductive development as well as the development of almost every other critical body function.

All women who plan to have children should, if for no other reason for the child's sake, be proactive in eliminating their exposure to these toxic chemicals.

One of the first steps everyone should take is to remove as many endocrine disruptor sources as possible throughout the home. The four main toxins we are referring to are BPA's, phthalates (pronounced "thal-ates"), parabens and PBDE's.

These four toxins are not only the most damaging to so many areas during early pregnancy and the cause of many birth defects. In most cases they are the easiest to eliminate as they will not be found in organic products.

Follow this link to learn more about these chemicals which are known as endocrine disruptors.

There is an almost nonstop tidal wave of research, serious medical problems and information which shows that these chemicals are causing wide spread and often times devastating fetal development problems during early pregnancy.

These toxic chemicals are in many, many products that a mother or mother to be comes in contact with every day of her life.

Any woman who is planning on having children should first and foremost take whatever steps are necessary to remove as many toxic chemical sources as possible from her environment.

Secondly she should take steps to cleanse, detoxify, her body prior to conception. Before you start imagining all sorts of terrible things based on rumors, hearsay or maybe past experience, talk with your health care provider to learn more about what you can do to cleanse your body.

Chemical Exposure After Birth

Many of the same sources around the home that exposed the mother and father, if not eliminated, will continue to compound the infant's exposure and developmental concerns from birth on.

The exposure for infants, however, is of much greater concern than that of the parents. There is still much development ahead for the infant.

The body mass of a child is much less than that of adults and they are being exposed to the same levels, therefore their ratios are considerably higher.

Hardly a day goes by that we don't hear about yet another child that has developed some form of cancer. There is a definite trend of ever increasing cases of juvenile cancer.

Just a couple of examples:
*1973 to 1999
62% increase in the cases of childhood acute lymphocytic leukemia;
*1973 to 1994
40% increase in the cases of childhood brain cancer.

Seattle Children’s Hospital, reports that they see, on average, 230 new cases of juvenile cancer each year. Multiply that by the hundreds of medical facilities which treat juvenile cancer and maybe you can begin to understand what is being done to the children that are our future.

What You Eat Is
So Very Important Too

I personally have no background to draw upon when it comes to the details of prenatal/pregnancy nutrition. For information on this subject I defer to those with first hand knowledge, Alisha and Florence, they're the experts. They are Natural Pregnancy Mentors and provide in depth information on the subject of prenatal nutrition and natural pregnancy.

What I can add to this part of the discussion is warnings about chemicals which contaminate food.

It should come as no surprise to anyone that much of the food in the world is contaminated with dangerous chemicals. All moms, moms to be and nursing moms need to be extra vigilant when it comes to what they eat and what they feed their children. Follow this link to learn more about pesticides in food.

Another area of considerable concern is fish and seafood. Fish and seafood cannot be classified as organic as there is no safe way to control their environment.

The high levels of mercury contamination in certain types of fish and seafood has prompted the FDA and the EPA to issue a warning. The FDA and the EPA are "advising women who may become pregnant, pregnant women, nursing mothers, and young children to avoid some types of fish".

There are also serious chemical exposure and health concerns associated with the consumption of fish raised on fish farms. The FDA and the EPA recommend the total elimination of farmed fish from everyone's diet and at the most a very limited intake.

Now that you know this information if you, as a parent or parent to be, choose not to take the steps necessary to protect your children who will? If your child is born with physical problems, develops a serious medical condition or is mentally challenged, who's really at fault?

Is it the chemical makers for making the toxic chemicals? Is it the government for not establishing stricter regulations? Is it the fish farmers? Or, is it you as parents for not making the decision to making every reasonable effort before and during early pregnancy to help protect you children from toxic chemicals as much as possible?

If you have small children, are expecting a baby or plan on having children there's no time like the present to get started. Take the necessary action to protect your child during early pregnancy and fetal development.

We urge you to do everything possible to accomplish this for the health of your child.


Return from our Early Pregnancy page to the Organic Living Home Page