As soon as I got home, I began to do research.

It’s a bit more complicated that the packaging implies.  First, and most worrisome, there have been no long term studies on the use of silicone as food containers or as bakeware for food.  And, the truth of the matter is, Silicon (without the “e”) is natural. That’s what much of the earth’s crust is made of, but “Silicone” is a man-made polymer.  This polymer may be made with silcon mixed with oxygen, carbon, hydrogen or other chemical agents.

The good news is, this polymer seams to be highly stable and inert even at high heat.  These baby bottles contain no BPAs or Phylates which is good and gives them a clear advantage over most plastics.  Some environmental gurus have even given silicone the green light.  One of my favorites, Debra Lynn Dadd did her research and concludes:

“Though this is a completely manmade product, it is completely inert and will not transfer to foods.”

However, in some of the comments there is disagreement.  For this reason, I have concluded that the jury is still out on silicone.  Consequently, this baby bottle will be returned to the baby store for either glass or stainless.  My concern comes from the possibility of leaching.  We all remember the silicone breast implant scare, where women had a host of health problems including fibromyalgia, from their implants.  When the implants were removed, many women found relief.  Subsequently, the ill health effects have been disputed (largely by studies funded by the manufacturer) but consider this from an article on the Environmental Working Group’s website written by a mother who had silicone breast implants and breast fed her child.

Toxins in Breastmilk: Don’t Add Silicone

“Silicone breast implants eventually leak. No one definitely knows the impact on breast milk. Many children breastfed on breasts with implants display no harmful effects, but some do and the effects can be very bad indeed. There’s a whole community of families dealing with the effects of implants on their kids’ health.”

The below is from an engineer who commented on Debra Lynn Daddy’s site:

The safety of Silicone Rubber cookware has not in my mind been proven. I am an engineer that uses silicone rubber to make parts cast from silicone rubber compounds and the material’s flexibility is in part do to the silicone oil present in the material’s structure. The oily nature of the silicone rubber’s surface testifies to the oils presence. It can be washed off only with very strong detergents, but continues to leach out to the surface over time with use. This is the same silicone oil that has been determined to be dangerous when used in silicone breast implants. I can’t help but wonder and worry about the long term effects of trace amounts of silicone oil mixing with the foods one bakes or cooks in this bake ware.

So, I’m not comfortable with silicone as the baby bottle of choice for my guys.  I think more studies and time have to pass to know the true safety of this very new product — I don’t want to use my kids as experiments.

For more information on our thoughts on baby bottles see this post.

I found Katrina’s patterns on the web and tried out her soaker shorts. I love them! I hope they contain blowouts and fit my little guys.

Here is what it will look like using two contrasting fabrics:

finished soakers

step 1. first, print out and then cut out the soaker pattern for the desired size. show here is the newborn size.

soaker pattern for newborn

step 2. place the pattern on the fold of the fabric. make sure the fold is going with the stretch of your fabric (from left to right as shown here). You want the cuffs and waistband to stretch and the body of the soaker to stretch width-wise.

place pattern on fold of fabri

fabric is now read to sew. see below.  please note, you will need one more cuff — not pictured here.

fabric now ready to sew

step 3. if you want to add an appliqué, now is the time to do it.  Here is the stars pattern I created on my computer but you can do it yourself and make anything you want.

adding applique

place the star on the right side of the fabric and sew along the edge of the star with your zig zag stitch. when you get to corners, keep your needle in the down position, turn your fabric and keep going. it looks best when you stay on the inside of the color of fabric that is the same as your thread

star embellishment

step 4. next put the wrong sides of the soaker together and sew along each side with your straight stitch.

sewing the soaker sides

step 5. take the cuff that you cut out and fold in half lengthwise. the right side of the fabric should be out so that when you flip the soaker out, you have the right side of the fabric showing on the leg cuffs.

insert cuff in soaker

Then, place on the inside of the hole for the legs on the soaker. (see above).

stretch soaker as you sew

the cuff will be smaller in diameter than the cut out on the soaker for the leg. this is so you can have the cuff act as elastic around the legs. when you sew, simply pull and stretch the cuff so you can make it to the end with enough fabric on the inside.

sewing the cuff

finish the cuff.

step 6. do the same thing with the waistband.  make sure it’s stretched out (i used pins on both my cuff and the waistband to make sure it would fit all the way around).  also, make sure it’s wrong side out (see below)

sewing waistband

stretch waistband while sewing

step 7.  admire your work.

finished soaker

- First, some versions of this shot have mercury in it. If Kerry decides to take the shot, she will choose a mercury-free version (BayRho and RhoGAM make one).

- Next, the shot is a human blood product. There are always risks of diseasae associated with this even though it is highly filtered. There are also other side effects such as swelling, inflammation, hives and anaphylactic shock. Furhterore, some studies have indicated that having the injection may affect the immune response of both mother and baby to other foreign substances entering the blood stream.

- Thirdly, after doing some research, the Anti-D immunoglobulin shot is only effective within 72 hours of fetal and maternal blood mixing. Therefore, they recommend you get booster shots throughout your pregnancy. An article on Natural Birth and Baby Care describes it like this:

“The Anti-D shot is only effective within 72 hours of maternal-fetal blood mixing. So even if the injection is given at 28 weeks, it will only help if maternal and fetal blood has mixed 72 hours or less before the injection. The Rhogam manufacturer states that an injection every 12 weeks will maintain a ‘passive immunity,” meaning that theoretically a shot every twelve weeks will protect you in the event of trauma causing your and your baby’s blood to mix. They still recommend a new shot at the time of blood mixing if greater than 15mL of exposure has occurred.”

So, the question is when, if, and how often to take the shot?

We learned that you can take a blood test to see if you are in fact producing the anti-bodies against your baby. This seems like a good first step. Also, it seems like if she were to fall or get into an accident, this would precipate taking the shot becuase the chances that maternal and fetal blood have mixed are higher. In general, fetal and maternal blood don’t mix, again, a reason why the risks are relatively low with complications with the first child.

We also learned that you can have your baby tested at birth to see if he or she is RH positive (if the baby is RH negative Kerry won’t have a problem). If the baby is RH positive, then Kerry can take the shot at that time. (This needs to be done within 72 hours after birth)

Also of note, according to the March of Dimes almost all babies born with Rh disease will be cured, but it is still a very serious condition requiring a lot of intensive care — so, again, you have to weigh the pros and cons to receiving this shot. For me, I think I would do the blood testing at every step and, hoping to avoid pre-natal shots. I would consider taking the shot after my child was born if her blood was opposite of mine. But Kerry has to decided this for herself and it is definitely a difficult decision.

weego glass bottles

You have probably heard about the problems in plastics, especially Bisephenol A, in baby bottles and toys. If you want to know why it’s bad, take a look at this new study that reaffirms an older study.

Plastic baby bottles are not good for your baby.

They leach the chemical bisphenol A which has been found to causes birth defects, low sperm count, hyperactivity,
early puberty, obesity, small testes size, and enlarged prostates in animals. In short, bisphenol A is a xeno-estrogon, which literally means “foreign or strange estrogen”.

The new study by Consumer Advocate group, Environment California shows that when heated, five of the most popular brands of polycarbonate — the clear, shatterproof plastic used in baby bottles — leached bisphenol A at
levels that have been found to cause harm in laboratory animals.

But more importantly, no one should be drinking out of plastic. The leaching chemicals aren’t good for you either. Plus, plastic is petroleum product, and dependence on petroleum isn’t good for the environment (or peace.) Plus, bottling water WASTES water and burns gas to deliver all the bottles to the stores and to your door. Just say no to drinking out of plastic. The best thing to do is to use flitered water that you store in glass containers (i bought some nice ones at Ikea). Or, you can used the stainless steel Kleen Kanteen as well

cod liver oil

Fish oil is high in natural and non-toxic vitamin A, D as well as Essential Fatty Acids, Omega 3s. It’s great for all pregnancy and pre-conception and post birth — just make sure you get a high quality fish oil that is free of Mercury. Check the botte, but it should say “filtered” and tell you where the fish is from.

The great reasons to take fish oil are as follows:

1. The EFA’s are great for fertility — for women and men! Your body needs them because our hormones come from fats and cholesterol which gets made, utlimately into testosterone, progesterone, and estrogen — so EFA’s are the building blocks for fertility.

2. Studies show that Babies whose mother’s had Fish Oil while pregnant had bigger brain size and higher hand-eye coordination.

3. lower blood pressure in the offspring of mother’s who take Fish Oil.

4. the EFA essential fatty acids improve brain function and help stave off autism, dyslexia, and ADD.

5. Fish Oil can help with post par tum depression and it’s good for breastfeeding moms to keep giving your baby the Fish Oil (for brain function, motor skills, et.), so keep going even after you give birth!!

— so, grandma wasn’t crazy after all when she’d make you take a spoonful of Cod Liver Oil when you’d come to visit!

Unfortunately these xenoestrogens are everywhere — they’re in:

1. insecticides and weed killers:

• dieldrin (insecticide)
• DDT (insecticide)
• hexachlorocyclohexane (insecticide)
• endosulfan (insecticide)
• atrazine (weedkiller)

2. body lotions

• parabens

3.  and sunscreen

• 4-Methylbenzylidine camphor (4-MBC) )

4.  food preservatives (AVOID PRESERVED FOOD, nothing good can come of it)

• hydroxy-anisole butyrate and bisphenol-A (food preservation)

5.  our food supply (polluted fish) and industrial supplies:

• Polychlorinated biphenyls,(PCB)s (lubricants, adhesives, paints)

6.  detergents

7.  p-nonylphenol

7.  plastics

• bisphenol-A

8.  nail polish

• phthalates

They are literally everywhere.  The good news is, your body can metabolize excess estrogen.  So, the goal is:

1.  Stop surrounding and ingesting yourself with xeno-estrogens.  Avoid all chemicals in the above list and all commercially raised meet and dairy.

2.  Cleanse the body of excess estrogens.  Make sure your bowels are working properly;  eat plenty of fiber or do a bowel cleanse, the bowels are a primary way we get rid of anything out of our body!  Also good to do is a kidney cleanse (Dr. Shulze has a good one) or support your kidneys using the herbs of your choice — kidneys play a major role in cleaning up our body.   Another good supplement is Magnesium, which is an all purpose detoxifier (it can cause diarrhea so be careful!).  And B6 and Milk Thistle help the liver break down excess estrogen in the body. For more information, read this article to see how another supplement DIM (a supplement) may help metabolize excess estrogen.  And remember, before starting any supplements, please consult your health care provider.  All things are not good for all people.

Nursery room furniture is a great place to go sustainable, organic and VOC free.  It’s not only good for the environent, it’s really great for your tiny new one.  And today there are a lot of choices available to you.   When asking about these products make sure of the following:

1. it contains no V.O.C’s (volatile organic compounds).
   2. no formaldehyde, this is often found in baby bedding.
   3. the use of water based-glue.
   4. Bedding of organic cotton and/or wool.  Latex mattress. (traditional mattresses have toxic chemicals in them that may cause problems like SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). I will post more on this study and the scientist who figured it out at a later date.

Other recent evidence echoes the positive effects of yoga for infertile

women. In 2000, Harvard Medical School researcher Alice Domar, Ph.D.,

published the results of a study in Fertility and Sterility

(Vol. 73, No. 4) that showed women who participated in her program,

which included relaxation and yoga, were almost three times more likely

to get pregnant than women who didn’t.

Yoga helps with stress, and stress is not a good thing when you are trying to get pregnant because it stimulates your adrenals and thus raises your cortisol levels which in turn disrupt your body’s ability to produce sex hormones.

So, the poses you want to utilize when trying to get pregnant are all the restorative poses like corpse pose, and then a lot of hip openers (like pigeon, frog, happy baby) and those poses that move energy in the pelvis.

Poses to try are:

Bridge Pose	1.  Supported Bridge Pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana) like the picture to the left, but put a block or a bolster under your pelvis. Salamba Sirsasana (Supported Headstand), Salamba Sarvangasana (Supported Shoulderstand)
supported shoulderstand	2.  supported shoulder-stand. this pose is especially good for hormonal balance.
supported headstand
leg up the wall pose	4.  Legs up the wall pose (like the picture to the left) you can also butterfly your legs as you keep them on the wall to get a pelvic stretch.
bound angle pose	3.  Bound Angle Pose or Baddha Konasana  (see image to the left) you can also do reclining Bound Angle, which would be more restorative.  From here you would lie back and leave your legs as they are except for possibly supporting each one of them with bolsters.

i would recommend checking out the full article at Yoga Journal.

also, check out this website, yoga for fertility for a free sample video.   the teacher makes a uterus symbol with her hand that I found really mindful and feminine.

Kerry’s Pre-natal – Rainbow Light, One a day
Robyn’s pre-natal – New Chapter, three a day

In the beginning of my pregnancy and while trying to conceive, I took an additional Folic Acid supplement, just to be sure I was getting enough.  If you aren’t aware, low levels of folic acid have been linked to spinal cord problems.  Also  And, we really like taking Nordic Naturals Omega-3 during pregnancy and studies say it’s great for children to take as well.