A study published in Biology of Reproduction’s Papers-in-Press, Neonatal Phytoestrogen Exposure Alters Oviduct Mucosal Immune Response to Pregnancy and Affects Preimplantation Embryo Development in the Mouse, has potentially broad implications for the health of our babies over their lifetimes. The issue is soy. Specifically, how even brief prenatal exposure to genistein, one of the isoflavones of soy, can be detrimental to the female reproductive tract.
Within this new study an immune response trigger to genistein was discovered. Researchers isolated a correlation between prenatal exposure to genistein and alterations in the oviduct immune response levels in mice. The early exposures prompted both immediate and long term consequences in the mice. Most notably, the altered mucosal immune response impacted the adult functioning of the oviduct and uterus—setting the stage for fertility problems.
Although this study, was conducted on mice the findings support earlier studies which have also demonstrated an association between plant based estrogens and environmental estrogens. Of greater import to humans is that our reproductive tract formation spans a longer duration of physical time than that of the studied rodents. Thus, continued and chronic exposures to soy compounds extending from the womb through puberty allow a greater time threshold for adverse health outcomes. The steady rise of soy and soy-derived substances in commercially processed formula, food and drink products is a grand biological experiment. One in which our infants and children are being used as lab rats.
Soy and Human Consumption
China is considered to be the “birth place” of the soybean. Consumption of soy beans or the soya bean can be traced backed to Asia about 2,500 years ago. Ancient Asian food preparations mainly consisted of eating fermented products of the soya bean. In the early part of the 20th century, soy started to become used as a food in the United States. Previously, soya had largely been considered purposeful for only industrial usage.
Genetically Modified Soy
In 1996, soybeans were genetically engineered to enable herbicide resistance. This “resistance” allows the crops to tolerate being heavily sprayed by a weed killer. As of 2010 per the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications a reported 81% of soy beans grown globally are now GMO. According to the Center For Food Safety 91% of the soy grown in the United States is genetically modified.
Many believe that GMO foods pose substantial health risks. The Organic Consumers Association, in an article Spilling the Beans: Unintended GMO Health Concerns posits the concerns around demonstrated increases in allergies, liver damage and intestinal changes and compromises to reproductive systems.
Fetuses, babies and children are most susceptible to genetically engineered foods as they are involved in states of rapid growth that demand high nutritional intake. Thus, subtle changes in how a food or beverage is absorbed by the body can lead to larger implications for health. In Genetic Roulette, The Documented Health Risks Of Genetically Engineered Foods, Author Jeffrey M. Smith cites that
8.1 Pregnant mothers eating GM foods may endanger offspring
1. Embryo development can be adversely affected by tiny amounts of substances in the mother’s diet.
2. A pregnant mother’s diet may even alter gene expression in children and be passed on to future generations.
3. GM crops may contain substances that impact normal fetal development, but have never been adequately tested for these effects.
8.2 GM foods are more dangerous for children than adults
1. Children are generally more susceptible to toxins, allergens and nutritional problems.
2. They consume more milk which may be from cows treated with rbGH.
3. The emergence of antibiotic-resistant diseases may also significantly impact those children who are prone to recurring infections.
As labeling of GMO is not currently mandatory within the United States, the default assumption must be that the soy and soy products are genetically modified unless it is organically derived or otherwise stated to be non GMO.
More Reasons Why Infants Should Not be Fed Soy Formula
Besides the risks of introducing a genetically modified, non-organic and biologically unnatural “milk” source to infants here are other troubling concerns about soy as they relate to infants being fed soy formulas.
1) Dr. Mercola states “Infants fed soy formula take in an estimated five birth control pills’ worth of estrogen every day.” Such excessive estrogenic activity alters the reproductive tract of both male and female children.
2) Negatively impacts brain development by disrupting neurotransmitter signals.
3)Damaging to the pancreas, thyroid and thymus leading to disease, stunted growth, infertility and cancer.
4)Soy phytates interfere with the absorption of minerals needed for growth. Thereby, depriving a growing infant of crucial minerals such as calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and zinc.
5) Full of excessive amounts of corn syrup and sugars which can lead to infant and childhood diabetes type 1 and type 2.
Read more here from Gail Elbek, who testified at the 2009 National Toxicology Program (NTP) Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction (CERHR) panel on soy infant formula (a division of the National Institutes of Health).
Lactose Intolerance Questioned
Many parents turn to soy based infant formula after an incorrect diagnosis or misinformed assumption that their infant is unable to digest lactose. Lactose is the sugar in all mammalian milk. The true incidence of lactose intolerance is low. Primary or true lactose intolerance is a rare genetic manifestation.
The symptoms such as gas, bloating, intestinal bleeds, and behavioral upsets that are sometimes attributed to lactose intolerance are actually manifested by allergic reactions to milk proteins such as casein.
Sometimes, irritations to the gut can temporarily disrupt the ability of the gut to to digest lactose, which can lead to secondary lactose intolerance. As the gut heals from illness or obtains relief from allergens it heals itself and once again is able to effectively digest lactose.
It is extremely rare for infants to be “allergic” to breast milk. Yet, many breastfeeding mothers are often incorrectly told that their newborns are allergic to their mother’s milk. Actual triggers could be an item in the mother’s diet, an incorrect ratio of the mother’s hind milk, or just simply the development of the infant’s immature digestive system.
Infants given dairy formula who display symptoms of discomfort or allergic reactions may also be incorrectly given a lactose free formula or a soy formula. However, the issue here is often an allergic reaction to milk proteins and not lactose. Or, in some cases it might be a soy based ingredient within the dairy formula that is causing upset. The best solution would be to prescribe breast milk. Dairy based formulas contain protein from cows or goats. Human milk is much lower in protein and contains different ratios of proteins in comparison to dairy formulas. An infant’s intestines often react negatively to these foreign proteins. Infants displaying irritations should be screened for milk protein allergies.
Infants have the biological ability to digest lactose. The lactose content of human milk is the highest of any mammal. It is believed that such high amounts of lactose within human milk facilitate brain development. If this is the case are we disabling intellectual capacity by feeding milk substitutes? Soy infant formulas contains zero lactose and are heavily formulated with processed sugars.
This ability to effectively digest lactose is proportional to the biologically based weaning period. After the natural weaning period of 2 – 5 years the ability to digest lactose decreases. The historic rise of animal domestication gave humans the ability to”harvest” milk from other mammals and incorporate that milk into their diets past the weaning period. Thus, the incidence of late childhood and adult irritations caused by lactose is a bodily protest against a foreign substance.
The importance of breastfeeding should be instructed early in pregnancy and greatly supported in the postpartum period. Ideally, human infants should be fed human milk. Clearly, infants can survive on formulas that are both dairy or soy based. Whether those infants are still thriving into their larger adulthood is another set of questions. The leap between inter-species milk to the more recent precedence of nourishing an infant with a plant is not something that the human body was designed for.
Prior to placing an infant on soy formula all options must be examined. Every effort must be made to confirm that the infant is truly exhibiting a long term and genetic based intolerance specifically to lactose. Failure to do so may have long term repercussions on the health of that infant through adulthood.
Good Soy Vs. Bad Soy
Fermented soy products such as Tempeh, Miso, Natto and soy sauce are considered better alternatives to non-fermented soy products. But if they not organically grown and not non GMO any benefits would be obscured by the health risks outlined above.
Preponderance of Involuntary Soy in Our Diets.
The American cupboard and fridge is increasingly stocked with soy products and products containing soy additives. For most, this high level of soy consumption has been an involuntary choice.
Commercial bread (even some of the “healthy” variety) and other baked goods often contain soy based lecithin, soya flour and soybean oil. Many ready made pasta sauces, salad dressings and mayonnaise have readily exchanged healthier olive oils for less expensive soy oils.
Soy lecithin has become the predominate emulsifier of products from chocolates, cereals, bread, energy bars and beverages. Other processed foods are flavor enhanced with hydrolyzed soy proteins.
Michael Pollan, author of Food Rules, says ” today we’re eating soy in ways Asian cultures with a much longer experience of the plant would not recognize: “Soy protein isolate,” “soy isoflavones,” “textured vegetable protein” from soy and soy oils (which now account for a fifth of the calories in the American diet) are finding their way into thousands of processed foods, with the result that Americans now eat more soy than the Japanese or the Chinese do.”
Epigenetics
The growing field of epigenetics and new insights into the events of the womb are now showing us that our sum genetic totals are not as hard wired as once thought. Our environment –internal and external, is accordingly shaped by our experiences. We are truly, as the saying goes what we eat, breathe and drink. Thus, it is not enough to only anecdotally or empirically state that soy does no harm. We need further long term and unbiased studies that correlate the consequences of going against our physiological design and needs.
Conclusion
It is indeed the inconvenient truth, thatt here is no true substitute for human milk. This is not the rant of the breast feeding mother militia, this is the inherit reality of our biological needs and design increasingly bolstered by new scientific fact. Don’t let the ease of use argument that formula manufacturers and food processors propagate us with lull you into thinking that there is not a consequence —there is. Convenient substitution comes at a price. The cost may be hidden for some time. The bouncing baby girl that excels in her well baby exams may be the outwardly healthy woman that tomorrow is scheduling a visit at an infertility clinic.
The health consequences of soy consumption by pregnant women, nursing mothers, infants and children deserves closer examination. Until then, the existing information demonstrates a need for caution.
Resources:
Cleveland Clinic Soy Allergy Info
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Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods 20 total customer reviews... |
Wishing each of you a day of beauty!
We’ve heard a lot about baby sleep and mothering recently in the media and chat forums. What triggered it all was a new study in the Journal of Child Development: Maternal Depressive Symptoms, Dysfunctional Cognitions, and Infant Night Waking: The Role of Maternal Nighttime Behavior. The researchers,Teti and Crosby, concluded that depressed and anxiety-ridden moms were more apt to engage in night-time parental behaviors that disturbed their sleeping babies. The scientific team asserted that such maternal behaviors predisposed the studied infants to sleep deprivation and correlated health problems.
The mainstream press was instantly captivated. Time published an article titled “Never Wake a Sleeping Baby? Why Depressed Moms Don’t Follow that Advice.” A piece in the Daily Mail proclaimed, “It could be YOU that’s keeping baby awake: Babies are more likely to have sleep problems if mothers are depressed.”
Teti and Crosby postulated that frequent infant waking is a mother driven behavioral mechanism in mothers who are depressed and anxiety ridden. They argued that these mothers are more apt to engage in unnecessary and excessive parental actions in order to fulfill their own emotional needs or to avoid spousal relations.
They saw frequent night-time feedings, comfortings and check-ups as intrusive to the infant’s sleep requirements, since mothers would wake their babies or otherwise hinder them from being able to soothe themselves whenever they did wake up. According to Time:
” Teti has compiled preliminary data that shows that moms who have more problems in their marriage soon after giving birth are more likely to be bed-sharing and co-sleeping by the time their baby is six months old. For unhappy moms, sharing a bed with their baby — or rousing them in the middle of the night — may be a way for them to seek emotional comfort.”
But this study of infant sleep patterns — while seeking a broader understanding of the mother-baby relationship— has many fallacies. Its conclusions seem to attack responsible mothering and could make maternal depression and anxiety even worse, and possibly endanger infants. Thus a critique is in order to prevent the report’s doubtful conclusions from becoming part of parenting lore.
Questionable Relevancy
This limited study examined only 45 mother-infant relationships, with babies aged between one month and two years. The study was based on written recollections of mothers over a seven-night period, with only one of those seven nights being video-taped.
As well, the study relied on mothers, not pediatricians, to report on the wellbeing of their infants. This is relevant because some night-time sleep disturbances in infants could be linked to sleep apnea, reflux and allergic reactions, among other issues. Such undiagnosed conditions, with their associated discomfort, would warrant vigilant attention by mothers. Developmental phases such as crawling, walking, teething and talking might also disturb an infant’s sleep. Yet the study made no mention of any of these variables.
Then there were the so-called depressed mothers in this study. Not one of them had been independently evaluated by a mental health professional. Each had diagnosed her own depression as a result of completing a questionnaire. So they could have had transitory baby blues, clinical postpartum depression or simply a frustrating week. Then there was the authors’ lack of follow-up. Surprisingly, they never bothered to ask the mothers why they did what they did. Rather it seemed the authors were predisposed to see their actions as problematic, even though discerning questions might have revealed the mothers had good reason for them. The researchers chose, however, to interpret what they saw as odd, intrusive and dangerous.
Inherent Bias
The study failed to consider how maternal-infant relationships have survived and thrived throughout human history. Instead it reinforced the modern perception that parenting is a daunting and problematic task—with night-time duties creating huge dissatisfaction.
On the first home visit, mothers were asked to complete a questionnaire. Twenty questions were designed to ascertain how mothers perceived infant night behavior and associated waking. Unfortunately the questions displayed an inherent prejudice that discounted proactive parenting and made it seem abnormal. Here is a sampling:
* My child will feel abandoned if I don’t respond immediately to his/her cries at night.
* My child might go hungry if I don’t give him/her a feed at night.
* I should not allow my child to cry at night
* I should be getting up during the night to check that my child is still all right.
* If I try to resist my child’s demands at night, then he/she will get even more upset.
* If I say no to my child’s demands at night, it means I’m a bad mother.
* I should respond straightaway when my child wakes crying at night.
* I am able to resist my child’s demands when he/she wakes at night
* If I give up feeding at night, then he/she will never sleep.
If a mother answered yes to most of these questions, it seemed to prove to the researchers that she was anxiety-ridden. But it could be argued that such compassionate and involved mothering ensured the infant not only survived, but also thrived.
Dr. Mayim Bialik, author of Beyond the Sling: A Real-Life Guide to Raising Confident, Loving Children the Attachment Parenting Way, was interviewed by World Baby Report.
“If everything about the normal physiological patterns of babies is twisted and misinterpreted as some sort of abnormal manipulation,” she said, “then (one’s) entire framework for being a parent will be one of fighting that baby.”
She further stated that “to place on top of normal sleep deprivation this societal notion that there is something wrong with you, wrong with your baby, or at worst—which I have been accused of—that you are needy… leads to a really big societal problem.”
Bialik mentions high maternal-infant mortality rates and increasing social and psychiatric problems in children. It can be argued that such societal ills are not due to the failure of mothers to respond dutifully to their infants. But, that they are founded in forcible attempts to redirect those infants and mothers towards behaviors that are contrary to their innate, time-tested wiring
Biology Discounted
Although mother-baby instinct is deeply rooted in human biology, the researchers elected to disregard the scientific trail of evidence.
In our interview, Dr. Bialik cited frequent night wakings and nursing sessions as indicators of “normal mammalian physiological sleep patterns.” She said mothers should securely understand that is “normal [behavior] to be concerned about the baby, so much that you want to be close to it. That’s the vigilance that leads to survival”
Human infants are born cerebrally premature. The bulk of their brain development is set to mature outside the womb. Such immaturity establishes a hard-wired biological need for infants to rely on their mothers for safety.
Dr. Nils Bergman, well known for his advocacy of skin-to-skin contact or “kangaroo care,” explained that such interdependence is linked to the inability of infants to walk at birth, unlike other animals. To protect the infant the mother had to carry it in our biological past. Moreover, the prematurity of the infant gut meant it had to be fed frequently with human milk which was low in fat and protein. So the human infant needed to remain close to its mother to survive. In the primal brain of the infant, separation signaled danger. For her part, the mother was flooded with hormones which directed her to maintain closeness.
“When mother is absent,” said Bergman, “the newborn brain feels unsafe. It perceives a danger and threat to life if its basic needs are not provided.”
He said the brain kicked in a powerful defense reaction, expressed first in a short burst of crying and then by a lowering of the heart rate and temperature, Then all activity was shut down, in an immobilization defense similar to that of frogs and reptiles.
“This looks like sleep!” Bergman said. “But it is not, and it is maintained by high levels of cortisol. This is not actually sleep, so the pathways are not established. Instead, when stress is prolonged, the cortisol disrupts brain architecture unless there is the buffering protection of adult support.”
In order for sleep to be biologically productive—for optimal physiological growth– the infant needed to feel safe. Physical contact with the mother reassured it of protection, and breastfeeding provided the best nutrition. The combination of both led to soothing sleep. So it was not only the quantity of sleep that was important, but also its quality.
Thus, mothers within the Teti Crosby study who responded positively to infant calls and cues to be comforted or fed were actually helping those infants to sleep better . Conversely, it is probable that infants who were left with unmet needs were left to voyage solo into a stressed sleep.
In Biological Psychiatry (2011) Barak E. Morgan, Alan R. Horn, and Nils J. Bergman further detailed the impact of sleep on these separations. They wrote:
” Maternal-neonate separation is associated with a dramatic increase in HRV power (heart rate variability) possibly indicative of central anxious autonomic arousal. Maternal-neonate separation also had a profoundly negative impact on quiet sleep duration.”
Hormones such as cortisol and somotostatin are released during stressed sleep states and disrupt physical and mental growth. Current theories even suggested such repeated states of infant stress predispose the matured body to obesity, heart attacks and strokes. So the lack of a timely response, at any hour of the day or night, to a crying infant, actually can cause the sleep disturbances and associated systemic health problems that Teti and Crosby sought to address. Thus, harbingers of illness, do not stem from vigilance but manifest instead in dismissing the biological needs of the infant by interpreting them as manipulative or unwarranted.
Infants learn to sleep as their biology matures. Sleep training or downright neglect of their needs might produce an infant who eventually sleeps, but today’s medical knowledge, including gains in neuroscience—now afford the knowledge that babies are merely triggering survival mechanisms.
Dr. Bergman explains that babies call to their mothers when separated. Cries and other manifestations of protest are enacted to draw the mother back to the baby—to effectively, rescue it. When the calls of the infant go unanswered, Bergman elaborates, “a deeper survival mechanism kicks in, based on the logic that the mother who does NOT pick up the baby is probably in greater danger herself … and so crying is endangering the mother and the baby, so baby stops crying”.
Bergman further describes a state of “freeze” the infant then enters characterized by a high arousal state with accompanying immobilization. This freeze state, as it lowers heart rate, can’t be maintained for long durations. A transitional stage is then entered, called “dissociation” where the baby disengages his awareness —tuning out of his environment. Maintenance of this state is easier for the infant to sustain until the mother returns. But it costs the infants, in the weakening of regulatory set points and furthering problems in self-regulation attempts.
How many adults would like to enter into these sleep states?
Dr. James McKenna, head of the Mother-Baby Behavioral Sleep Laboratory at Notre Dame, has also observed and documented the biological mechanisms between mother and child at night time. McKenna points out that bottle-feeding had revolutionized night time parenting. Once infants were given formula, they no longer had to exist in the same room as their caregiver. But the re-emergence of breast-feeding in western culture has reversed the logic of this trend.
Most women who chose to exclusively breastfeed their baby found that room sharing or bed sharing allowed them to respond better to frequent nigh time feeding needs, and facilitated the return of restful sleep for the nursing pair. So the recent historical tend of placing an infant in a room away from his parents became questioned. Parents began protesting this separation, both because it was inconvenient and because their instinct told them it was unnatural.
McKenna wrote, “Irrepressible (ancient) neurologically-based infant responses to maternal smells, movements and touch altogether reduce infant crying while positively regulating infant breathing, body temperature, absorption of calories, stress hormone levels, immune status, and oxygenation.” These faculties observed by McKenna in infants who co-slept with their mothers, led to increased infant sleep and more content babies.
Co-sleeping arrangements (a broad term relating to sharing a room or other sleeping surfaces with an infant) have even led to a 50 percent reduction in the rate of SIDS. The American Academy of Pediatrics, in acknowledging this statistic, affirmed safe co-sleeping practices after decades of advocating solo sleep environments. Teti and Crosby, take note! The AAP did not view co-sleeping practices as symptomatic of maternal psychosis.
Frequent breastfeeding at night is normal for infants. In fact, McKenna points out that frequent night feeds allow the transfer not only of vital nutrients but also of important antibodies. Sadly, one woman in the study was found to be aberrant in her mothering because she breastfed her infant nine times in one night. Individual metabolic rates, anticipated growth spurts, illness recovery and teething relief might necessitate more frequent feedings.
Of greater issue, however, is that each baby is a unique human being. One baby might need frequent feedings at night, while another might need fewer. My own children are frequent night feeders. And during my interview with Dr. Bialik she said her children were, too.
It is not correct to regulate the growth trajectory of our infants to adult clocks. Rather than question the hunger demands of an infant, we need to discover the rhythms of our infants and graciously comply.
Noted pediatrician Dr. William Sears, who coined the term “attachment parenting,” is supportive of co-sleeping arrangements. He became a believer after one of his infants often became distressed after being placed solo in a crib. He observed his wife and child sleeping side by side and noticed the mother acting almost as a “pacemaker” for her infant, regulating its breathing patterns. He watched a host of other non-verbal cues such as frequent touching and positioning. The pair acted in concert with one another—even experiencing timed arousals out of sleep states Both Sears and his wife, by working with the needs of their infant for closeness, experienced better sleep. They went on to have other children, some of whom they also slept with. And they are still married! So much for the marital discord Teti lamented that was supposedly caused by co-sleeping.
Societal Assault on Affirmations of Instinct
Besides personally noting the benefits of co-sleeping, Dr. Sears found his patients also experienced positive outcomes. His website includes such anecdotes. Many mothers felt their actions of co-sleeping with and vigilantly checking on their infants had life-saving results. Episodes of apnea and interludes of irregular breathing dotted the discourse. They shuddered to think what might have happened if they had resisted the voice in their head that alerted them to their babies’ dire need for attention.
Teti and Crosby would have described those mothers as having clinical psychological problems. They stated: “We suspect that mothers who worry excessively about their infants’ well-being at night may be motivated to seek out and intervene with their infants, regardless of whether the infants require intervention or not, in order to alleviate the mothers’ anxieties about whether their infants are hungry, thirsty, uncomfortable, and so on. … Mothers with elevated depressive symptoms may be motivated to spend time with their infants at night in order to satisfy [their own] emotional needs.”
Frustratingly, the authors made this bold leap without even asking the mothers directly about their actions. The study cited one mother who was video-taped picking up a baby (which resulted in the baby waking up) and carrying that baby back to her bed for the night. This was viewed as an act of lunacy and detrimental to the infant. Yet the mother was never asked why she felt such action was warranted. Perhaps she felt the need to be closer to the infant in order to protect it. This would have concerned her more than waking the baby. Who are we to question her instinct?
If depression or overt anxiety existed, it might be that the mothers in the study were displaying the emotional fall-out of a societal assault against them – a rejection of how they were biologically driven at their core to mother their babies. One could argue that the very vigilance they demonstrated sought to allay their psychological fatigue. This was not how Teti and Crosby saw it. But the women may have been attending to hormones and synapses that were directing them to be the best mothers they could be. Ignoring such biological impulses would have led to dismay rather than fulfillment.
Conclusions
We are in the midst of a baby craze in this country, with celebrity baby bumps making headline news. But as a society we are often unwilling to talk about the exhaustion of parenting and the sacrifices involved in embracing a new self and a new life. So new parents may have unrealistic expectations, and end up feeling like failures.
Dr. Bialik’s book, Beyond the Sling, attempts to bridge the gap between how parents expect life with a baby to be versus how it actually is. Bialik, a mother of two, is an advocate and practitioner of attachment parenting, and her approach is refreshing and honest.
First and foremost, she insists, believe you are the expert on your family. New parents need to incorporate this empowering premise into their thinking from the start. Accepting it will allow them to navigate through the flood of information (and misinformation) that they are besieged with, much of which contradicts how they intuitively wish to parent their child.
Bialik considers her book to be a “love letter” to attachment parents. She sees herself as “the public person who speaks out against things that many of us [attachment parents] are criticized for privately.” Beyond the Sling, was puposedfully designed to” appeal to people who may not have thought about attachment parenting or who may be thinking of parenting differently.” It doesn’t tell us how to parent, but it describes what this style of parenting looks like. It showcases –as Bialik describes – “the good, bad and ugly” of attachment parenting”.
The strains and sometimes isolation of motherhood can manifest themselves in clinical depression for some. If you are feeling depressed or simply overwhelmed by mothering —-at any stage of that journey—seek the help and support of a medical professional. Also reach out to family, friends and support groups such as La Leche League, Attachment Parenting International, local religious organizations and new mothering groups. Good people are out there willing to help, and there is no shame in your struggle.
As mothers we can help other parents who are doing the best they can by being less judgmental and more honest in sharing our triumphs and failures. None of us has it all figured out. But together we can form a common bond of understanding with which to push back studies like Teti’s that do a disservice to our efforts to mother lovingly.
Watch for a full review of Beyond The Sling in an upcoming post! We thank Dr Mayim Bialik for sharing her views on this study with our readers.
It’s been a beautiful spring day here in our part of California. The local hills are dressed in seasonal emerald and dotted with purple Lupines and day-glow- orange Poppies.
After dinner, at sunset, we will finally be planting Baby D’s apple tree up in our orchard . We started the tradition of a tree planting with our first son. Each tree receives the honor of a preserved placenta in a thankful commemoration of a healthy pregnancy and it’s continuing role as nourishing agent to the young tree. A true mother-child-earth reunion.
Apple trees like the company of other apple trees. Having this second tree will aid in the pollination of both trees with the anticipation of an abundant fruit harvest.
Our hope is that these dual plantings will be a constant symbol to our sons. One that will beautifully remind our boys of how much stronger they are when united and near to one another.
We didn’t initially set out to have this family tradition organized specific to Earth Day—-that’s just the luck of our schedules this year. But, I can’t think of a more perfect way to honor both our land and family.
As we still are witnessing the devastating effects of the Gulf Oil disaster and the unmitigated spewing of radiation from Fukushima, it is apparent that educating our children about protecting our planet is still of great import. Of equivalent significance, is the commitment in our roles as parents to be actively engaged in efforts to preserve this planet for them to inherit.
Happy Earth Day.
Luz Milagro. Light and Miracle. This is the name of the premature Argentinian baby girl now fighting for her reclaimed life. Earlier this week, the small infant captured the compassion of the world as her parents explained how they had heard her miraculous cries while bidding her farewell in the morgue. The mother on hearing her infant cry, fell to the ground in disbelief fearing that she was hallucinating.
Doctors believe that the hypothermic conditions that her body endured actually might have assisted in allowing her to survive for 12 hours without care. Her mother told reporters that the baby was covered in frost. Therapeutic Hypothermia, is sometimes intentionally used by Doctors for neonatal encephalopathy, cardiac arrest, ischemic stroke, and some types of brain and spinal injury.
One can only speculate how the erroneous death pronouncement and subsequent abandonment, has cost a baby already challenged by severe prematurity. Reports, from yesterday indicate that she has stabilized after suffering cardiac arrest. Her mother is now expressing milk for her and has finally been able to hold her daughter for the first time.
Prior to the account from Argentina, a similar story was reported about a Zambian baby who also came back to life. The mother had went into premature labor at seven months and delivered her twin girls at home. The babies were rushed to the local hospital for further evaluation. It was there that doctors informed the parents that one of twins had died. But many hours later, after a death certificate was issued and the family prepared to make final arrangements, the family saw the baby had started to breathe and was crying. Hospital staff initially ignored the fathers pleas to assist the infant, thinking it a hoax. Finally, a nurse finally agreed to view the infant and was astounded that the baby was alive. The families rejoice was short lived, however, as the infant ultimately did succumb to prematurity complications and died. The distraught family argued that if hospital staff had placed the baby immediately in an incubator and administered other due care their daughter might still be alive.
In 2010 another illustrative case, had a much happier ending as reported in this Mail Online article and by other news organizations. I remember the original story, and re-reading it today still makes me emotional.
Australian mother, Kate Ogg, gave birth to twins prematurely at 27 weeks. The twin girl was born in stable condition. But her twin son had a round of medical staff battling to get him to breath. After 20 minutes he was pronounced dead. You can imagine the heartbreak.
Kate Ogg was then handed her baby son to say a final goodbye. She unwrapped him from his hospital blanket and held his tiny body to her body skin-to-skin. For two hours, she held and carressed his limp body through. Through tears, she spoke to her son about the life she had planned for him. At one point, the baby gasped. But, Medical staff assured Mrs. Ogg that what she observed was merely a post-mortem reflex. She continued to hold the baby and began to sense that he was indeed stirring. Instinctively she dabbled breast milk into his tiny mouth. The baby breathed. Then came more breaths, opened eyes and a grasp of his mother’s finger. Her son was alive! The medical staff were baffled.
What Mrs. Ogg, instinctively, performed on her baby is known as Kangaroo Care or Kangaroo Mother Care. And, it saved her son’s life. It makes me wonder if the outcomes of the Zambian and Argentinian babies could have been altered if this type of care had been instructed? All three of these babies were born from six to seven months premature. Is vital sign detection very challenged during this state? If so, how many other variations of this story exist that don’t make the headlines? Should Kangaroo care be the norm?
The founding tenant of Kangaroo Care is that babies should naturally be stimulated by skin-to-skin-contact. The mother and baby are viewed as a dyad–a pair–even in the postpartum state. And, therefore separations should not exist except when medically necessary as biologically each inspires bio-mechanic reactions within the other. When medical challenges exist, such as with premature or sick infants, advocates for skin-to-skin contact affirm that such care can be predominantly be given utilizing Kangaroo Care. Proponents of SSC argue that the primary place for treating an infant should not be the incubator, but rather the chest of the mother’s (or father’s). The website Skin-T0-Skin Contact is dedicated to helping parents and medical caregivers achieve this practice of care.
When babies are held skin-to-skin they achieve a naturally regulated state of body warmth. The stable source of heat rendered by the mother is a physiological nod to the infant that it’s own internal temperature should be set to the same scale. Another premise of Kangaroo Care, is that babies should be breastfeed. Babies are biologically programmed to seek out the breast without any guidance from their mothers. The pre-milk or colostrum that they ingest for the two days prior to milk production affords tremendous immunological benefit. Thus, mothers must be supported in their efforts to breastfeed or supply breast milk their newborns who may not yet be able to suckle due to illness or prematurity. Dr Niles Bergman, advocate and a pioneer of Kangaroo Care, writes on the Skin-To-Skin Contact website ” In the safe and ideal environment of the mother , the “physiological set points” are efficient and economical, and allow maximum use of energy to be directed towards growth.”
All of these stories contain mystery. Whether, they are attributed to medical mystery or the mystery of God —they unite in their qualification as miracles. There is much that we do not know. And, in that sphere of the unknown therein lies room for humbleness, hope and prayer. Not to mention the broader acknowledgement that the mother-child-bond has both spiritual and biological roots greater than we can fully understand or yet appreciate. Dr. Niles Bergman believes that the growing understanding of Epigenetics (in simple terms how our genes are switched on) might one day illuminate the genetic component of the mother-child postpartum dyad.
I’ll look forward to that research. And, I pray that little Luz Milagro’s miracle continues to shine.
In other Baby News -
Non-Toxic Nail Polish Still Can Pose Birth Defect Danger
In an investigation by the state of California some nail polishes were found to be falsely labeled as toxin free.
Radioactive Cesium in Bay Area Milk Still Climbing
As fallout from the Fukushima nuclear disaster continues to deposit radioactive contaminants across the globe, the department of Nuclear Engineering at University of California at Berkeley recently released their latest milk sampling data from the San Francisco Bay Area. The results show that radioactive cesium levels registered at the highest levels since last June. They now at nearly double the US EPA maximum contaminant level.
If you and your family, in particular pregnant women, babies, toddlers and children, are still consuming dairy products on a regular basis you need to be aware of the involved risk. Ingesting (eating or drinking) radioactive contaminants is NOT the equivalent of a plane ride or an x-ray. The consumption of radioactive isotopes, such as cesium 137 , iodine 131 or strontium 90, allows those contaminants to become lodged in your body where they irradiate your internal organs, blood and bones.
This problem is not unique to California. Fallout has impacted most of the Northern Hemisphere. The EPA has not released milk data since April of 2011. Thus, the UCB info offers an important view of how our food and drink is fairing during this nuclear threat.
View our previous articles for more information:
Got Radioactive Milk, Fukushima Food and Drink Risks, California Infants and Iodine 131
Anita Palmer is helping economically challenged parents meet their ecological desires to use cloth diapers by organizing a cloth diaper bank
Good article that puts to rest some of the food lure concerning the diet of breastfeeding women.
Celebrity Cradle:
Dallas Cowboy Tony Romo celebrates the birth of son Baby Hawkins
Ange Adorable! Andrea Bocelli welcomes Baby Virginia
Hillary Duff share a family photo with Baby Luca
An Oregon family joyfully awaiting the arrival of their second child, experienced a heartbreaking farewell to their first born last week. The toddler’s mother was reading in a nearby room when she grimly discovered that her son had fallen into an operating washing machine. The young boy was raced to the hospital, but doctors were unable to save his life. The cause of death was listed as accidental drowning, complicated by sustained entanglement injuries.
This story, unfortunately, is not unusual. Every so many months there is a tragically similar account that gets broadcast in the news. For those not detected in the headlines or airways, hospital emergency room staff and pediatricians can recount their own caseloads of fractures, contusions, entanglements,burns, poisonings, drownings and dismemberment’s relating to laundry facilities. In many households, the laundry room just isn’t believed to be a high danger zone. But it is an area within the home where it only takes precious seconds for curious babies and active toddlers to encounter peril.
In conjunction with constant adult supervision, here are ten safe laundry room tips:
- Keep the doorway to laundry facilities locked or otherwise restrict the entry with the use of a tall child safety gate.
- Install safety lid/door locks on both the washer and dryer.
- Keep lids/doors closed when not operating appliances.
- Before running machines or closing the lid/doors, verify that the insides are empty of occupants. Children and small pets have been known to become entrapped in appliances after climbing into them and then falling asleep.
- Put the container cap back on all laundry and cleaning supplies. Store out of reach of children. Consider also using a locked childproof supply cage.
- Pods or pouches of detergents also need to be kept out of reach. They have caused eye injuries, poisonings and burns.
- Do not leave washers, utility sinks, buckets or bins filled with standing water unattended. Babies and toddlers are top heavy and then can drown in as little as two inches of water.
- Watch for climbing hazards. Agile toddlers can use readily use boxes, step stools ,baskets, buckets or laundry piles to climb atop the appliances or gain access to cleaning supplies.
- Don’t place a baby carrier atop an appliance in operation or otherwise. Infants, can cause small movements that could gradually teeter a car seat, carrier or bouncer seat leading to a serious fall. Additionally, the vibration caused by these appliances could cause a baby to fall.
- Household fires can start from uncleaned dryer exhausts and lint traps. Clean and inspect often. Also, examine the cords of both the washer and dryer for sign of damage.
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In other Baby News…
Breastfeeding in Combat Boots is a website, blog and book that provides vital support and information for those AMAZING moms actively serving in the military that breastfeed their infants. Ladies, you have my admiration!
Robyn Roche-Paullis the dedicated author of the book and website. She is a former US Navy Veteran, Mother, holds a degree in Maternal and Child Health and is an International Board Certified lactation Consultant.
The Woman Who Makes Ferber Look Like A Wimp
Kitty Raymond, a Calgary infant sleep specialist, has a no tolerance approach to restless infants. Her infant sleeping methods, which commence with newborns, make the Ferber method seem gentle. The Times Colonists states in an interview with Raymond that “She believes that to learn that (sleeping) skill, newborns must be left alone in their cribs to cry for up to 20 minutes and, at two to three months old, whatever length of time it takes for them to fall asleep, with absolutely no comforting or assistance from caregivers.”
I wonder how these babies will psychologically fare as adults? I’ll never understand why some people insist on stamping the adult mind and body profile on an infant. They ARE not mini adults!
Your Baby the Social Butterfly
Researchers at Charles Stuart University, in Australia, have observed that babies exhibit social group behaviors even before they can talk. The study followed the babies in daycare settings via tiny cameras mounted on the heads of the infants to achieve a baby’s view of the world. The author’s observed that babies aged six months to 18 months old displayed “sophisticated” communications. They expressed humor, extended invitations to play and engaged in comforting behaviors while interacting with other babies.
Swedish burglars robbed a home and lifted a keepsake umbilical cord along with money and jewellery loot. That puts a new spin on stealing the “family jewels”!
Hopefully Not the Next Beauty Craze…
Baby Poo Facials. I am thinking that this was just a an April Fool’s joke…LOL
Celebrity Cradle
Bruce Willis and Emma Hemming are experiencing newborn baby joy with daughter Mabel. Congrats! Note the traditional name, in comparison to the more unusual naming of Bruce’s daughters with Demi Moore of: Scout, Rumer and Tallulah.
Ali Landry’s Post-Baby Workout
Fit mom of two Ali Landry details her post baby workout.
A report released by the Harvard School of Public Health this month, validated earlier studies in confirming that rice consumption increases the risks of developing type 2 diabetes. White rice is a processed food with a high glycemic index that causes spikes in blood sugar. With both childhood obesity and youth diabetic rates climbing the health consequences of feeding infants rice cereals and commercial baby foods thickened with rice flours needs to be questioned.
In an era when a variety of fresh foods are readily available to our infants why are parents still being told that this is the sole choice for babies first meals? There are more nutrient rich grains and seeds such as barley and quinoa that could be substituted. Bananas, avocados and roasted sweet potatoes offer additional nutrient dense food choices that can be easily prepared and enjoyed by babies.
A growing baby should be offered foods high in naturally available nutrients and not just a starch- filled substance laden with added vitamins and minerals that lack proper bio-availability. Manufacturers have convinced many pediatricians and parents that rice is the sole food that young infants are able to navigate swallowing and digesting. But this logic needs to be revised. Approaches such as the baby led approach to weaning, anecdotally prove that babies prompt parents when they are ready to eat and to the degree.
The fanciful marketing of baby food manufacturers has long been a stronghold in assuring parents that they are giving their babies the best food available. It has been a profitable industry. Rice is cheap. And, modern lifestyles created a demand for fast and easy food preparations for infants.
But fast, cheap and easy doesn’t build a better baby despite the boxed assurances of cherub-faced babes. In light of today’s science and improved food access it is time to overhaul the gastronomic traditions of infanthood.
In Other Baby News…..
An increasing amount of women are experiencing surprise pregnancies in their forties. An overdose of media stories hyping declining fertility and even infertility for women in their forties has led many women to believe that naturally achieved pregnancy – that without the assistance of fertility treatment- is nearly impossible. The truth is that women remain fertile well into their 50′s, even when experiencing the early bouts of menopause. Doctors currently advise women to continue to use contraceptive measures for two years past their last recognized period
This above linked Mail Online article profiles the emotions that these unexpected pregnancies bring. They also serve as stories of hope for women actively seeking motherhood after forty.
Recalled Baby Products Resold By Meijer
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has determined that the retailer Meijer has resold to various discounters, dollar stores, liquidation firms, thrift stores and flea markets across the US baby products that were recalled for safety concerns. The above link contains product descriptions and pictures of the dangerous recalled items. The list contains baby slings and infant toys.
Swedish Tweets of Teats Twitter Controversey
The new curator of the Sweden’s official Twitter feed has taking her breastfeeding rights agenda to the micro-blogging site via revealing tweets of her teats. Natasahja Blomberg posted pictures of her breastfeeding her children creating a round of debate on twitter on breastfeeding in public. Blomberg told The Local online news site that “Eating is a basic need and what (the) woman is doing is not showing off her tits or trying to offend, she is just trying to feed her baby.” Ditto.
My MoMo Boys (Blog)
Katie and Shane Bauer have bravely share their pregnancy journey and birth of monoamniotic monochorionic twins via their blog. MoMo twins (officially called monoamniotic or monoamniotic monochorionic twins) are identical. They share the same amniotic sac and placenta. However, they have two separate umbilical cords. Such pregnancies are rare and are deemed high risk due the potential of cord entanglement and compression.
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Celebrity Cradle:
Waiting for Baby Maxwell Johnson —Is it just me, or does anyone else thinks that Jessica Simpson is having twins and that she is waiting for D-Day for a double baby reveal? Despite the speculation, Jessica has insisted that that hers is just a singleton pregnancy.
Jessica’s bare naked belly pose on the cover of Elle recently caused a small raucous in Tucson, Arizona where a local store has decided that Jess is sharing a little too much of her pregnancy news. The store installed a jacket flap over her nude(but strategically covered) pregnancy pose not to offend customers. Really? So odd that it is perfectly fine to have checkout counter magazines that feature women in skinny bikini’s or plunging necklines, but the natural state of pregnancy turns some people into prudes. Goodness!
That small controversy aside, Jessica is definitely enjoying the last few weeks of her pregnancy. She recently had a a celebrity filled baby shower with a Charlotte’s Web theme —very cute. On the desert menu were FRIED Oreo cookies! Oh, dear she has one bad pregnancy sweet tooth!
And for now, the lovely Kristin Cavallari has chosen to skip the au naturel photo shoot and is opting to drape her burgeoning belly in designer delights in shoots for Glamoholic Magazine.
Interesting article on the trademark pursuit of Blue Ivy Carter’s name by Beyonce and Jay-Z. Perhaps some lessons to learn if you are considering trademarking your tot’s moniker.
New mom Hilary Duff and husband are enjoying the weekend cooing over their newly born son.
And congrats to the newest baby bumps on the scene modeled by veteran moms Tori Spelling and Reese Witherspoon!
Newly revealed tapes, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, show the unconscionable failure of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission to protect California infants from radioactive fallout from the meltdowns at the Fukushima Daichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan.
As reported by Energy News.com, NRC officials on March 17, 2011 candidly discussed the reliability of an estimated dose projection of iodine-131 prepared by DITTRA (Defense Threat Reduction Agency) and NARAC (National Atmospheric Release Advisory Center). The projections had calculated an annual thyroid dose of 40,000 Microsieverts (or 4 REM) for infants under one year of age in California. The NRC was not satisfied with figures provided by DITTRA and NARAC and engaged in ordering another set of tests other than those sanctioned by the Department of Energy. NRC officials are heard repeatedly stating they will not be releasing the information to the public. The shocking transcript can be read, here.
Per the US Department of Health and Human Services division of Radiation Emergency Medical Management division (REMM), a child’s dose of 5 REM is immediate grounds for evacuation and prophylactic measures. (REMM does not specifically reference an infant dose) Thus, the projected government dose of 4 rem was 80% of the suggested evacuation rate.
The modeling was based on facts and assumptions specific to circumstances known as of March 17 , 2011. It is unclear if the projections were met or exceeded. No government agency has released an adequate volume of information to either refute or support what the actual fallout rates were in California or elsewhere. Yet, with California in the wind path of the Japanese nuclear disaster— public concern is deeply warranted. Unfortunately, most government-based testing, such as efforts by the Environmental Protection Agency, relating to testing Fukushima fallout stopped in June of 2011. Yet, the Fukushima Nuclear Complex continues to spew significant amounts of radiation into the atmosphere and Pacific Ocean with no clear end in sight. Main Stream Media often refers to the problem of Fukushima in the past tense compounding the public information gap. Proof of the continuing problem is largely tasked by citizen based reporting. A commendable example of this is Los Angeles based reporter Michael Collins, who regularly posts radiation readings and conducts radiation testing on his website EnviroReporter.com. This past week he reported the highest levels yet of radiation from Fukushima in Southern California.
While this article addresses the NRC discussions concerning California, it is important to emphasize that Fukushima radiation has traveled the globe. Much of the fallout follows the atmospheric Jet Stream and has blanketed Alaska, Canada, the US Pacific Northwest, US West Coast and US Mid-West. However, radioactive contamination from Fukushima has also been detected in Europe and even in the Southern Hemisphere. A fallout map, based only on one of the six reactors melting down shows the widespread deposition of nuclear particles across a huge geographic region.
Since the NRC and other government agencies did not share projected dose modeling with the public, they thwarted the efforts of parents and caregivers of infants and children as well as the pregnant from taking preventive action.
In radiation emergencies Potassium Iodide (KI) can be given to adults, pregnant women, infants and children to protect the vulnerable thyroid gland. Iodine -131, a radioactive isotope, is primarily taken up by the thyroid gland. It is a bio-mimicker. The thyroid gland requires iodine to function. In a nuclear accident large amounts of radioactive iodine-131 are released. The thyroid gland is unable to differentiate between regular iodine and radioactive iodine and will uptake whatever chemical form it is presented with. The timed administration of Potassium Iodide (KI) enables victims of nuclear disasters to quickly flood their thyroid glands with non-radioactive iodine in a highly concentrated dose.
Additionally, citizens faced with nuclear fallout need to be given prompt information about the time, location and amount of contamination. This affords an opportunity to alter eating habits, evacuate vulnerable populations and remedy ranching and farming practices. The failure to protect the thyroid gland from inhalation or ingestion of radioactive iodine can primarily result in thyroid cancer and disorders of the parathyroid and thyroid gland.
The calculated threat of iodine-131 is mainly modeled around the intake of milk. Radioactive fallout gets deposited by wind and rain onto pastures where cows then feed on radioactive grass. Humans drinking milk or resultant dairy products from those cows would be at risk for iodine-131 contamination via ingestion. Although cow derived milk and dairy is popularly cited as a threat, the milk products from other ruminants, such as sheep or goats, are also a cause for concern.
Additional contamination, via ingestion, would be from water or food sourced from plants, such as green leafy vegetables. Pregnant women can pass iodine-131 onto their unborn baby via the placenta after inhalation or ingestion of iodine-131. Breast milk, can also become contaminated by the same pathways.
The negative health consequences of iodine-131 target the sensitive populations of the pregnant, unborn, babies and children up to 10 years of age most aggressively. If iodine -131 is inhaled or ingested it lingers in the body with a half life of 100 days, wherein it emits radioactive energy that results in internal damage mainly to the thyroid and parathyroid glands. Continued uptake, lengthens this time frame, setting up the opportunity to cause more devastating damage. Other areas of target include the bone, kidney, spleen and reproductive organs.
The unborn, infants and children have tiny thyroid glands and an overall small body mass. Thus when ingested, a particle of iodine 131 can direct tremendous and damaging energy at cells at a much greater ratio than in an adult. For infants, who are primarily consuming milk (be it breast milk or dairy derived formula) for the first six months of their life small amounts of daily contamination can quickly bio- accumulate within the body with life threatening and health altering consequences.
Critical uptake facts Per the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Case Studies in Environmental Medicine:
- Newborn babies will uptake iodine at rates 16 times higher than adults
- Infants under the age of one have an 8 times higher uptake than adults
- Five year old children have four times the adult uptake rate
- Pregnant mothers have increased thyroid uptake. Most noted in the first trimester.
- The unborn have an increased thyroid uptake in the second and third trimester of pregnancy
- Nursing Mothers can secrete 25% of iodine reserves to their babies
The above statistics highlight the bodies natural requirement for iodine. Again, the body will uptake whatever iodine is available to satisfy immediate need. If there is a deficiency of iodine, or a sudden overrun of radioactive iodine then that is what it will uptake. This is the reason why the failure of the government to protect our children is so deplorable. They knew the radiation was coming and they failed to inform and protect the exposed populations of women and children. A review of official government proclamations from March of 2011 indicate that the public was repeatedly told that there was no need to worry. The NRC informed President Obama that Fukushima fallout would not reach the shores of the United States. The president, then in a Rose Garden speech, on March 17th the same day the as the NRC tapes utters the following historically regrettable words:
“I want to be very clear: We do not expect harmful levels of radiation to reach the U.S., whether it’s the west coast, Hawaii, Alaska, or the U.S. territories in the Pacific…The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and public health experts do not recommend people in the U.S. take precautionary measures beyond staying informed..Going forward we will continue to keep the American people fully updated because I believe you must know what I know as president.”
Was it not the right of the children of California to know that they were being projected to receive 4 rem of radioactive iodine?
Immediate large scale and accountable testing must be made of air, food and water within the United States with methods that scan for ALL radioactive isotopes (view World Baby Report’s recent post on radioactive Cesium in San Francisco milk) and the results must be made public. Additionally, children should be screened by medical professionals knowledgeable about the health impacts of long-term radiation exposure. Parents and pediatricians will need to work together over the long term to mitigate further exposures and monitor health outcomes.
Our babies and children are greatly,greatly at risk.
Please circulate this message. We need to have parents, grandparents, pediatricians, child caregivers and those advocating children’s rights demanding answers from the government in order to save our beloved children.
Sources of Information:
Environmental Protection Agency- Iodine- Radiation Protection
Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Case Studies in Environmental Medicine
US Department Of Health and Human Services- Radiation Emergency Medical Management
Just when I think the decay rate of the modern mind has slowed, I come across sad truths that make me fearful of the twisted thinking that masquerades itself as supposed intellect.
Such an example, is the macabre theory recently published in the Journal of Medical Ethics titled “After-birth abortion: Why Should the baby live? — Giubilini and Minerva.
The paper’s argument revolves around these three postulations:
(1) both fetuses and newborns do not have the same moral status as actual persons, (2) the fact that both are potential persons is morally irrelevant and (3) adoption is not always in the best interest of actual people, the authors argue that what we call ‘after-birth abortion’ (killing a newborn) should be permissible in all the cases where abortion is, including cases where the newborn is not disabled.
The paper is a ghastly discussion ensconced in medical ethics . It attempts to construct an argument that fetuses and newborns are not actual people. The authors piggyback their theory on already highly charged fetus rights arguments. But the true goal of the paper is to persuade one to feel comfortable in the assertion that newborns do not exist as people. Thus, since they do not exist as people they can legitimately be killed if a need exists by it’s parent or society. And, although the authors play coy with illustrating mercy killings of possible severely ill infants —their blatant viewpoint indicates that even the murder of healthy infants should not be spared if they are not wanted. They assert:
“If a potential person, like a fetus and a newborn, does not
become an actual person, like you and us, then there is neither
an actual nor a future person who can be harmed, which means
that there is no harm at all. So, if you ask one of us if we would
have been harmed, had our parents decided to kill us when we
were fetuses or newborns, our answer is ‘no’, because they
would have harmed someone who does not exist (the ‘us’ whom
you are asking the question), which means no one. And if no one
is harmed, then no harm occurred.”
Newborns in this paper’s theoretical world exist only as potential people. They are not children, but akin to a fetus.
Therefore (according to the argument) the rights of older living humans always outweigh those of the newly born. Astonishly, Giubilini and Minerva state: ” Indeed, however weak the interests of actual people can be, they will always trump the alleged interest of potential people to become actual ones, because this latter interest amount to zero” They further assert “”It is not possible to damage a newborn by preventing her from developing the potentiality to become a person in the morally relevant sense”.
So intent is this academic jumble on infanticide (fancifully coined as “after-birth abortion”)that the authors try to persuade the public audience that adoption lacks nobility. Shockingly they state: “after-birth abortion should be considered a permissible option for women who be damaged by giving up their newborns for adoption”
The authors alledge that birthmothers should essentially have the option to commit infanticide rather than be troubled to give up their child in the adoption process. In the opinion of the authors, the rights of the birth mother as an established person outweigh the presumed rights of the newborn as a potential person. In their estimation, infanticde would allow a birth mother a clear cut way to grieve. Whereas, the adoption process stymies the grief process creating undue emotional burdens.
The paper is a hungry wolf in sheep’s clothing. There is no mistaking the sinister realm of the authors disregard for human life. The conclusion of the paper summarizes the true treachery afoot:
“if economical, social or
psychological circumstances change such that taking care of the
offspring becomes an unbearable burden on someone, then
people should be given the chance of not being forced to do
something they cannot afford.”
In simple speak: Newborns should be allowed to treated like disposable waste.
With such deranged thinking such as this coming from academia how do we segregate the societal impact of our most exalted minds from the evil machinations of those criminalized and incarcerated?
Is this the deliberate attempt of some government think tank to ruminate public opinion? A test ground for the revitalization of world war II era eugenics? Or a direct attempt to deconstruct the still standing remnants of modern parental attachment strongholds? Maybe it is priming the public pump of acceptance for the coming wave of birth defects, autism, cancer and other diseases dramatically rising upwards due to ecological disasters and the spiraling consequences of pesticides, GMO foods and other toxic body burdens.
Whatever the rationale, the trickling of such vile thought has the potential to become institutionalized. It sets the stage for a meme. Once the draconian notion that infants are sub-human or organic blobs void of life gains broader acceptance it can be incorporated into medical practices, government policies and set legal precedence.
That such a disturbing paper could be published in a respected journal says volume about the values and agenda of a few that have the potential to shape the opinions of many.
Babies are morally relevant. The day they cease to be …is the day we lose our humanity. Such callous thought must not be allowed to permeate our culture.
Douglas Kennedy, the son of the late Robert Kennedy, was arrested after a confrontation with maternity ward nurses concerning his right to take his two day old son out for a walk outside. He was accompanied by a family friend and a physician that worked at the hospital in his attempted excursion. This is the fourth child to be born to Mr. Kennedy and his wife Molly. Presumably, the couple know a bit about raising children. Yet, Mr. Kennedy now faces charges child endangerment charges in addition to harassment charges.
This story hit a nerve with me. Granted I do not know all the facts . My observations are based solely on the provided raw video footage and the story as exclusively reported by 4 NBC New York.
This isn’t another story about the Kennedy Clan. It’s a story about a dad trying to bond with his newborn. A story about how a simple parental intention can be misunderstood, escalate into a confrontation and result in criminal charges. Birth is a beautiful event , but it can also greatly stress new parents.
For the most part, I have been blessed to have received caring, competent and thoughtful maternity ward nursing staff in both hospital stays with my children. However, I was also able to witness nursing staff that exhibited less than exemplary behavior.
Such nurses treated OUR newborn as hospital property. My husband and I had to very firmly state our personal preferences over their assertive viewpoints and unhelpful commentary.
Other times, I was boggled by their “sack of flour” treatment as they performed post-delivery testing on infants in the nursery ward in rough fashion. This is the reason why we never let our newborns out of our sight. Our babies slept exclusively in my maternity room. And, we had the good fortune to be able to always have one of us accompany them to the nursery ward for evaluations. Obviously, certain medical situations and life circumstances make this unfeasible for some families.
I remember one nurse scoffing at me for this persistence. Another applauded it. The bottom line was that I was the “Mother Lion” and was not going to blindly abdicating the care of my cub to anyone. This instinct was especially heightened after a nurse came by to provide my first son with pain medication for a procedure he had not had. The nurse had made an error with the room number. This was in a world renowned hospital.
And then there were the overall odd protocols, that seemed to interrupt bonding and recovery. Is it really necessary to awake, disrobe and weigh a healthy 18 hour old infant at 3:00 AM?
So again, don’t misunderstand my appreciation for quality nursing staff. I get that you are often over-worked…and probably not sufficiently paid or respected. But there is a growing distrust that many parents have about birthing in the hospital environment. Births and recovery are overly medicalized. Parents are feeling that their wishes are marginalized. High profile stories such as the Kennedy arrest seem to highlight that the rift is getting worse rather than better. This is part of the reason why home births are growing in appeal.
A dialogue needs to be opened.
No parent goes into the hospital hoping for a confrontation with hospital staff on the joyous occasion of a birth. But these incidents are happening. Perhaps they don’t amount to arrests. But they can be tallied in irritations, distrust and disappointments of the the overall birthing experience within the hospital environment. These frustrations relates not only to the nursing staff but to the physicians and other supporting personnel.
Perhaps the the standard hospital tour needs to be less about fluff and more of a nitty gritty discussion about hospital protocol and parental expectations. And, instead of outwardly retrofitting maternity wards in swank, more sincere attention needs to be paid to developing and supporting internal and external hospital environments that create fantastic early bonding and care opportunities.
Radiation levels in milk continue to climb in San Francisco area milk samples as per testing conducted by the Department of Nuclear Engineering at the University of California Berkeley. Cesium levels in the latest tested milk samples were 40% higher than they were in March 2011. UC Berkeley is the only known institution that is still publicly releasing information about the milk supply in the United States. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has not released milk testing results since April of 2011. And, in effect has left the public dangerously in the dark concerning the state of the nation’s milk supply.
Below are some frequently asked questions and concerns concerning radiation in milk.
How Did The Milk Become Radioactive?
The source of the radiation is fallout from the ongoing nuclear disaster at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan that began on March 11, 2011. The nuclear power plant experienced a reported three nuclear reactor meltdowns and probable melt-throughs. This facility which houses six nuclear reactors remains in unstable and critical condition. It remains unknown when TEPCO, the Japanese owner and operator of the facility, will be able to stop the plant from leaking radiation. This is the worst nuclear disaster in the history of our planet.
Radioactive fallout from Fukushima has been deposited not only in Japan, but in astoundingly high quantities throughout the northern hemisphere of our planet. Also, evidence is now emerging that parts of the southern hemisphere have begun to show spikes in radiation readings from Fukushima. Thus, it is likely that dairy herds throughout the world are now being impacted by fallout.
Air, wind and rain are capable of carrying radioactive particles great distances. These contaminants subsequently get deposited into the water ways and tables, vegetation and soil. Vegetation can be directly contaminated by airborne particles. Or, the vegetation can uptake the radioactive particles from soil and water during growth into the internal plant structure.
Dairy cows typically consume a large amount of grass when pastured. If the grass that a cow ingests contains fallout then that animal is impacted by internal radiation. The higher amount of contaminated food the cow consumes the more likely that it will produce milk and meat that is radioactive and unfit for consumption. This collection of toxic burden is known as bio-accumaltion. Contaminated feed and water supplies also contribute to accumulation of radioactive toxicity.
What is Cesium?
Cesium is a metal. It can either be radioactive or non-radioactive. The cesium threatening the milk supply is radioactive and is known as Cesium 137. It has an environmental half life of 30 years. External exposure from Cesium 137 results in gamma radiation. When inhaled or ingested, Cesium 137, is deposited primarily in the soft tissue, such as muscle, and emits beta and gamma radiation.
Testing has also detected amounts of Cesium-134, which is a decay product of Xenon 134. It has a half life of just over two years.
Exposure to cesium can cause cancer and heart damage among other health concerns. More information can be located, here.
Cesium Pregnancy Concerns
Cesium crosses the placenta.
Pregnant women are normally urged by medical professionals to consume dairy products as a good source of calcium. However, expectant mothers could unknowingly be endangering both themselves and their babies by ingesting radioactive dairy products. Unborn children, due to rapidly dividing cells are very sensitive to radiation. In fact, a recent epidemiological study by noted researchers Dr. Joseph Mangano and Dr. Janette Sherman cited an increase in infant deaths within the United States in the 14 week period following the Fukushima disaster. The full study is located on the Radiation and Public Health Project website. On a related parallel, Canadian officials also experienced an unexplained increase in SIDS cases in 2011.
The more radioactive particles a pregnant mother consumes the higher her rate of bio-accumulation tallies. This forebodes ill health consequences for both her well being and that of her unborn child.
Infant Formula Radiation Concerns
Additionally, of great concern, is the unknown radioactive status of dairy ingredients in infant formulas. In December, the Japanese company Meiji issued a voluntarily recall of infant formula due to cesium contamination. However, no other major brand in or outside of Japan has recalled any product based on radiation levels. There are no mandates that dairy suppliers and their end users test for such radioactive contamination in their products.
For most formula fed infants, infant formula constitutes 100% of their nutritional uptake for the first four -six months of life. This is a rapid growth phase. Cells are dividing and nutritional demands are high. Many radioactive particles mimic non-radioactive nutrients. The human body will therefore uptake whatever is available as it can not discern one particle from the other. It is very easy for a infant to become biologically burdened with these particles. Their body mass is small and such radioactive uptake can overwhelm immature body systems that have not yet developed a fully functioning immune response.
If you are using infant formula it would be prudent to inquire with the manufacturer about their testing protocols (if any) for detecting radiation in their products.
Breastfeeding Concerns
If a mother has been internally exposed to cesium or other radioactive contaminants it will pass through to her breast milk to her infant.
However, in the absence of a known and available radioactive free donated breast milk source or verified radioactive free infant formula it generally considered better for the mother to continue breastfeeding rather than resort to contaminated replacements. Breastfeeding affords the impacted infant with unique immunological properties that could prohibit or curb the development of illness and subsequent disease.
Mothers should do as much as they can to mitigate their own exposure to inhaled or ingested particles radioactive particles to protect the dual health of mother and child.
Other Radioactive Contaminants
Fallout of Iodine -131 and Strontium 90 have also impacted milk sheds. The UC Berkeley sampling has focused on Cesium. However, these radioactive substances are no less alarming.
Iodine-131 has a half-life of 8 days. When inhaled or ingested it primarily attacks the thyroid. In the aftermath of uptake, cancer and various thyroid malfunctions are manifested.
Strontium 90 has a half -life of 28.8 years. Thus the deposition of strontium 90 fallout will remain a health concern for an extended period of time as it will continue to enter our food chain. Strontium 90 mimics the role of calcium in our bodies. It is of significant concern to the unborn, infants and children who have high calcium uptake rates as they are growing teeth and bones. The human body will uptake Strontium 90 when that is available in greater quantity than calcium. High Strontium 90 uptake contributes significantly to childhood leukemia.
Take Action
Please inform your friends and family of these real and present dangers. Consider contacting local dairy producers and manufacturers and ask them if they have in place or will be implementing testing protocols. Phone or write your elected officials and demand that the EPA and other agencies provide the public with current, comprehensive and accessible testing data of milk and other dairy products.
A large public outcry will prompt change. Our children deserve to be protected. If ever there was a clarion call to action, this is it.
Update: New UC Berkley February Sample Shows Cesium at 150% of EPA Limit.
Happy Year of The Dragon
Hong Kong Maternity Wards Prepare for Baby Boom
Fertility Clinics Offer Promise of Dragon Babies
Amazon Mom Program Changes
Amazon is curtailing deep discounts in it’s immensely popular Amazon Mom program. Mothers currently enrolled in the program still have until January 24th to order. Per an email from Amazon:
“Starting on January 24, 2012, the maximum discount available on diapers and wipes subscriptions will be 20%. This includes a 5% Subscribe & Save discount plus an additional 15% exclusively for Amazon Mom members who are earning free shipping benefits or have an active Amazon Prime membership.
Customers who join Amazon Mom in 2012 will get three months of FREE Two-Day Shipping benefits. However, as a founding member of the Amazon Mom program, you were eligible to earn up to one year total of free shipping benefits.”
Forget about memory books! Some moms are opting for tattoo’s to preserve their memories of baby.
Women discovers a surprise pregnancy at 47. She had thought she was going through pre-menopause.
What is your baby having for dinner tonight?
Great recipes ideas here @ http://www.homemade-baby-food-recipes.com
Plus, follow on Twitter and receive a free e-book.
And, babies in New York should dial-up Junior’s Fresh for delivery of ” Small batch, local, seasonal & organic baby food.
Celebrity Cradle:
Let me get this out of the way first. How a parent decides to feed their baby is their privileged right as a parent and should be respected.
But that said, my mantra has always been that parents need to be properly educated about the benefits of breastfeeding and proper breastfeeding technique in order to make that informed decision.
According to the 2005 UK Infant Feeding Study: 76% of mothers breastfed their newborns, but that number dropped to only 48% at age six weeks, and further diminished to only 35% at age four months. Clearly, there are impediments within those statistics that keep women from breastfeeding longer. Perhaps they left the hospital without lactation counseling. Once at home they might have experienced great discomfort, reduced milk flow and a less than happy and healthy baby. All of this could have been solved with ensuring that the infant had a good latch when nursing from day one. Or maybe these women, once at home, were receiving poor familial support of their breastfeeding efforts. They may have started to believe that just a little bit of formula would make life easier. That little bit of formula increased as the days went by and their milk supply naturally, in turn, decreased and the infant was weaned off the breast onto the bottle. And of course, finances also force many women back into the work force and infants into alternate care. Pumping at work can be difficult for some and formula may be instituted sooner than desired.
But all of these obstructions to breastfeeding , pale in comparison to the dirty disinformation spin constructed by the formula industry to undermine the confidence of expecting and new parents. Such was the case this past week, when press outlets were abuzz with a new study concerning breastfed babies. The research was supposedly meant to applaud breastfeeding, but the resultant articles seem to have turned the findings into propaganda fodder for the formula history.
Here is a sampling of the negative press headlines that ensued chronicling the research study:
- Breastfed Babies Cry More
- Breastfed Babies Are Cranky And Cry More
- Breastfed Babies Cry More, Harder To Soothe
- Bottle-fed Babies Are Better Behaved
- Breastfeeding Makes Babies Grumpy
- Breastfed Babies More Challenging
- Formula- Fed Infants Easier To Put To Bed
- Breastfed Are More Irritable
- Breastfed Babies Cry More And Smile Less
- Scientists Say That Breastfed Babies Have More Challenging Temperaments
If I had read this accounts when I was expecting my first child I probably would not have breastfed my baby. After All, what sane person would want the baby of their dreams to be a crying , temperamental, crank that refuses to sleep and that is rebellious far before the teenage years? Everyone wants the happy, cooing baby that they see on TV. And therein lies the collective problem that allows the spin of the formula industry to fester: a cultural removal from the true demands of parenthood in our modern society.
There is a great saying that I read years ago that holds very true: Babies are Stone Age. Our needs and wants as adults have been impacted by the modern age and that is reflected in our current parenting structures. But, despite all of our fancy and modern baby accoutrement’s the needs of babies have remained universally unchanged. Frustrations arise when we try to force babies into our way of eating, sleeping and living.
In fact, the conclusion of the British breastfeeding study reports this very fact.
The results of study were comprised of the perceptions of 316 mothers who were asked to rate the temperaments of their infants at three months of age via a questionaire. The infants were grouped as follows: formula fed, exclusively breastfed and those that received a combination of both feeding methods. The questionnaire yielded results showing that mothers of both breastfed babies were and mixed-fed babies thought they were fussier. The study was in an essence a survey, and not a true scientific attempt to sort out whether the perceptions were routed in any biological soundness.
The researchers viewed the irritability or fussiness of an infant as a communication attempt. Such signaling cues the mother to feed the infant. The researchers stated “Humans often perceive infant crying as stress, but for infant animals irritability is a normal component of signaling to parents.” Additionally, they theorized that mothers might interpret the constant crying as a sign that their breast milk was insufficient. A reason cited for cessation of breastfeeding was “Breast milk alone didn’t satisfy my baby”. The different eating patterns of breastfed babies (more frequent as breast milk digests quickly) vs. formula fed babies may have assisted in that interpretation.
The researchers concluded that “Mothers could receive more information about the behavioural dynamics of breastfeeding so as to have a better expectation and understanding of normal infant temperament and, where necessary, support to cope with difficult aspects of infant temperament.”
Thus the real story that the headlines failed to capture is that society needs to support breastfeeding mothers.
Deciding to nurse my two babies was my personal pathway. Yours might be entirely different…but let the discovery process be your own. Beware of propaganda from an industry that makes money by scaring you into making your parenting decisions. You can say what you want about over-the-top lactivist’s…but you can’t say that they are making billions (or any money at all) from touting the benefits of the “Breast is is Best” campaign.
The full study (Breastfeeding and Infant Temperament at Age Three Months ) can be found here in the PloS One journal.
BTW, we have plenty of smiles, coos and giggles at our house.
In Other News –
Pre-Eligibility To Family Medical Leave Act Protection Upheld (FMLA)
The United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit upheld the right for a worker to discuss and plan with their employer future Family Medical Leave Act time and the employees protected right to such leave once a qualifying event, such as the birth of a child, occurs even when at the time of discussion or request the employee is not eligible, but will be once the qualifying event happens—post-eligibility. Subsequent employer retaliation, interference or unsubstantiated dismissal actions emanating from such leave request directed at the requesting employee is illegal. The ruling involves the case known as Pereda v. Brookdale Senior Living Facilities, Inc., whereby a pregnant women was fired after she requested leave. At that time of her leave request she was not eligible for FMLA, but would have been eligible at the time she wanted to schedule her leave. She won on appeal, because the courts believed that there was a need to extend and reinforce the protections to those who would have post-eligibility at the start of their leave, despite only having only pre-eligibility status when notifying employers. FMLA rules require an employee to notify an employer of their intent to take leave at least 30 days prior to the onset of the leave.
Are the health and wellness claims of new baby bottles believable? Which baby bottle is the best for your baby?
Champagne Kisses and Caviar Dreams: Maternity Wards Go Luxurious
Hospitals are lavishly revamping their maternity wards to appeal to the rich and famous and improve their profits.
Celebrity Cradle -
Nia Long debuts baby Son Kez in Los Angeles .
Kelsey Grammer and wife Kayte await the stork .
Peaches Gelfdof”s baby is due on late mother’s birthday.
Baby Sleep Woes Can Trail Beyond Infanthood
The subject of infant and toddler sleep is a hot topic in parenting circles. It’s a discussion that is often encased in confusion, competition and even secrecy. Having an infant that soon sleeps through the night, in his own bed, is viewed by some as a good badge of parenting: a sure sign that you have become a baby whisperer. Rather then be judged negatively by their parenting peers, parents will often downplay their concerns and frustrations relating to the nighttime sleep antics of their baby. And, during Well Baby Visits even some pediatricians are sometimes quick to dismiss infant sleep. Reassuring parents in a cursory manner that such infant sleep patterns are normal, quickly outgrown and part of the rigours of early parental demands . The conversation then stays within the family.
At five months of age 73% of babies sleep through the night at five months. Babies that are exclusively breastfed may continue to wake and feed for longer than this cited age. Every baby is different. And, varied parenting routines and other household dynamics can play a part in supporting or distracting good sleep practices. It is also common for infants to encounter intermittent sleep disturbances such as teething episodes, illness, sensory over stimulation, encountering developmental milestones, and switching to solid foods. However, once baby reaches completes these events standard sleep patterns normally resume. Yet, for some infants a good nights rest is much harder to achieve. These are otherwise healthy infants with no known suffering from allergies, reflux or other established ailment. These are infants that awake upwards of twice a night and not due to hunger.
It can be a lonely and tiresome journey for families to endure on a nightly basis. Often they receive criticism for lacking some bedtime skill set by other family members and friends. They query their pediatrician to no avail. Some spend size-able sums consulting sleep experts via books and in house consultations incorporating the latest sleep training methods.
Sleep deprivation impacts all members of the family. It follows over into the next day’s performance in the work arena and creates household strain. It can create or exacerbate existing health problems.
Now a newly published study in the Journal of Pediatrics confirms that these severe cases of sleep problems in infants are legitimate and should actually be labeled as sleep disorders. The objective of the study was to: “Examine the prevalence, patterns, and persistence of parent-reported sleep problems during the first 3 years of life”. Researchers found that about 10% of the children studied experienced true sleep issues in the first years of their life. A significant 21% of infants within the study retained their sleep disruptions into the third year of life. Some sleep disturbances point to larger health issues, and left untreated bode for continuance into adulthood.
The study recommends better screening for sleep disorders at pediatric visits due to tremendous physical, emotional and societal import. It states ” detection
and treatment of pediatric sleep disorders is underscored by a growing literature that links sleep problems with morbidities…cardiovascular morbidity and metabolic syndrome have been linked with obstructive sleep apnea. Sleep problems are also associated with impairments in daytime functioning and decreased quality of life in children…as well as secondary effects on families (disrupted parent sleep:marital discord;maternal stress).”
A delay in sleep latency was manifested in all study participants from age 6 months to three years. Sleep (Onset) Latency is defined as the period of time from a state of total wakefulness to sleep. Participants 6 months in age to 24 months noted symptoms of short sleep durations and frequent nighttime wakings. The upper age group of 24 – 36 months noted regular occurrences of restlessness and nightmares. Snoring was noted in 12 % – 20% of the sample groups.
What this study shows us that sleep has to be a larger discussion at well baby visits. In particular, if you note that your child routinely snores several times a week this is a vital piece of information that your pediatrician needs to evaluate. Currently only 25% of pediatric visits screen for snoring. If you feel that your child has an undetected problem be persistent with your pediatrician and push for further evaluation. Keeping a sleep journal for your child might be a valuable aid in convincing your pediatrician that child is indeed experiencing a sleep disorder. Remember that you know your child best.
Open Your Heart and Home To a Japanese Family Fleeing Fukushima Radiation
As the worst nuclear catastrophe in our history continues to destroy our planet, those in the hellish pit of the radioactive disaster area within Japan are in the need of relocation assistance – temporary or permanent. If you have a room in your home, a vacation residence, or vacant rental consider sharing that space or renting it out to Japanese family needing to evacuate Japan. Click here to register your space.
The Fukushima nuclear accident is much worse than Chernobyl radiation incident. Chernobyl leaked radiation for two weeks and was limited to one reactor. Fukushima involves 6 reactors and has continued to leak radiation since March 11, 2011 into the air, ground and Pacific Ocean .
Parents in Japan are operating within a maze of misinformation and limited information about their health status and prospects for the future of their country. As the truth about the nuclear accident slowly comes to light many are opting to evacuate their homeland. Life on the Japanese island on Honshu has been permanently altered.
For many months parents have been reporting that their children are ill with diarrhea, unexplained bruising (most likely a sign of leukemia) and swollen nodes (a sign of thyroid dysfunction/cancer). It is a daily worry just to feed their children. Japanese stables of rice,vegetables seafood and seaweed have been detected as being contaminated by radiation. In the age of social media, many of these stories are appearing on personal blogs and twitter. The nuclear lobby and the government of Japan in an effort to prevent panic, and to prop support the nuclear industry have gravely under assisted their people. This is a nuclear war zone. Analyzed household dust from vacuum cleaner bags are registering radioactive. Playgrounds have also registered radioactive in places far from the epicenter, such as in Tokyo. Children have been cooped up inside since March or now frequent indoor playgrounds. Please help get this message out about helping a Japanese family in need.
Gestational Hypothyroidism More Prevalent Than Thought
Pregnant or recently had a baby? Then demand the low cost and simple blood test designed to detect your TSH levels. Such a test will let you know if you and/or your unborn baby are at risk for hypothyroidism. One in six women test positive
Lead Paint Exposure Still A Risk In Homes
Lead-based paints within the home remain a risk to pregnant women, infants and children.
Each New Year NameCandy.com compiles the names of babies first born into the new year across the United States. This site is a fun place to search for names. My favorite feature is the “Whats My Candy Name? “Calculator.
Celebrity Cradle
Beyonce Knowles and Jay -Z Welcome A Girl
It’s both Pink and Blue for Beyonce and Jay-Z as the coupled welcomed their first child, a daughter named Ivy Blue Carter. Some reports are also stating the name as Blue Ivy Carter.
New EPA Emission Limits Bode Well for Babies
Oil and coal-fired power plants in the United States will finally be required to limit emissions of mercury and other pollutants, per a new EPA ruling. This CNN article cites a report that “estimates that for each part per million of mercury found in a mother’s hair — a common way of testing for mercury exposure — her child loses approximately 0.18 IQ points.” Besides loss of intellectual capacity, many children acquire asthma, acute bronchitis and damage to the central nervous system from mercury emissions. Damage begins in the womb.
Voters Pick Least Favorite Celebrity Baby Names of 2011
But, I bet these babies actually fit their names.
Keeping Your Home Safe From Carbon Monoxide
Good reminders to deploy at home this winter.
What Every Expectant Dad Needs … a “Dudela”
Perhaps a new delivery room trend for 2012?
Wishing each of you a beautiful New Year. Thank you for supporting World Baby Report.
Holiday Baby-Proofing TipsMake sure the season is safe for your baby and/or tiny visiting guests.
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Guidelines For Babies and Children
Updated TSA guidelines and tips concerning flying with babies and children. Including information on breast milk, baby food, juice and other liquids. And, details concerning security screening procedures. Worth the read before you leave for the airport.
Delightful Holiday Recipes for Babies
Create a special dish for your little gourmet.
Countdown Santa’s arrival with the help of NORAD’s Santa tracker.
Best wishes for a happy Hanukkah, a merry Christmas, and a happy Kwanzaa!!!!
Today Meiji, a Japanese milk and candy manufacturer, voluntarily recalled supplies of infant formula after finding traces of radioactive cesium in it’s product. Word of the recall caused the company’s stock shares to tumble. The source of the contamination is the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant located in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. The nuclear facility was heavily damaged by the massive earthquake and resultant tsunami on Match 11, 2011 and experienced (a now admitted) triple nuclear meltdown.
At World Baby Report we salute Meiji for it’s brave and ethical decision. We do, however, take exception to the company’s assurance that the detected levels were acceptable had they been consumed. They are not.
Cesium 137 is deadly, especially for the vulnerable populations of the unborn, infants and children. Cesium targets the bodies tissues and bones. It not only causes cancer, but attacks the heart. After the Chernobyl nuclear disaster many children were diagnosed with heart deformities and heart disease collectively referred to as “Chernobyl Heart”.
Harm from radiation can come from both inhalation and ingestion. Conveniently many governments knew at the March onset of the triple nuclear meltdowns in Fukushima, that the results to the public food supply would be epic. Accordingly, respective world regulatory authorities banded together and increased the “tolerable “safety limits for radiation in food and drink. Most of the cumulative harms, to those fortunate enough to reside away from the direct zone of Fukushima, will be tallied in ingestion rates via a process called bioaccumulation. In short, repeated and prolonged consumption of small doses of radioactive particles via food and drink accumulates within our tissues, organs and bones. Many of the radioactive elements, mimic and displace non-radioactive and biologically essential elements such as iodine, calcium and potassium within the body. They interrupt bodily functions and have the ability to disrupt DNA sequencing leading to cell mutations and cancers.
As of today the the Japanese company Tepco, which owns and operates the ill-fated Fukushima Daiichi nuclear complex, has been unable to stop the facility from leaking excessive amounts of radiation and preventing further unscaled calamity. Unfortunately, main stream media outlets have have often referred to the nuclear accidents at Fukushima as past events, despite the fact that they remain clear and present dangers. This is an unprecedented disaster. It is not only a horrific tragedy for the poor citizens of Japan, but a catastrophe for the entire western hemisphere. Weather systems and ocean currents have and will continue to deposit these radioactive particles in places far from Japan. Alaska, Hawaii, large areas of Canada, and the Pacific Northwest of the United States, California, the Midwest (especially St. Louis) and Europe have already received significant amounts of radiation from the failed Japanese reactors. The particles are in our atmosphere and oceans and their ill effects will reach into our grandchildrens’ era and beyond. How all of this will impact human health is not entirely clear. But, we do have clues from major accidents like Chernobyl and weapons testing conducted in the 1950′s and 1960′s that dismally bode the heartache of increased cancers, heart disease, miscarriages, still births, diabetes, birth defects and a reduction in the mental capacity of our children.
Unfortunately, here in the United States I am unaware of any food or beverage maker that is testing products for Fukushima fallout. If they are, they are undoubtedly keeping the results secret and not acting as ethically as Meiji in contemplating and issuing a recall. Citizens armed with Geiger counters, instead, are testing their own food products. It is a small help in detecting very contaminated food products (those deemed “hot”). But a handheld Geiger counter is not a match for the more sophisticated testing tools that governments and institutions, such as the ones the University of California at Berkeley Depart of Nuclear Engineering utilize in their calculations. Yet, data from official sources with such testing skill is scarce and not comprehensive in scope. Thus due to the information void, possessing a personal Geiger counter (like the sensitive Inspector model) is better than not having any information at all for many.
When radioactive fallout occurs, farm animals that eat food that is exposed to the elements and weather become an entry point of contamination into our food chain. Dairy cows are a particular concern. They consume large amounts of foods that uptake radioactive particles, like iodine 131 and strontium 90, in their grass and alfalfa feeds. Accordingly, the milk that they than express is radioactive (as is their meat.) That milk ends up in our food chain in the large variety of dairy and dairy derived products that we consume. Since fetuses, infants and children are rapidly growing, the repetitive exposure of such pathogenic particles is of maximum concern relative to their small body mass. Their tiny and growing nutrient needy systems are more prone to uptake radioactive elements such as strontium-90, iodine131 and cesium -137 in food and drink, as the human body does not differentiate these radiated particles from their harmless non-radioactive counterparts.
The website, Enviroreporter.com, has a dedicated conversation to radiation contaminated food on it’s Eat Me Page. In the absence of official government test results some people, especially parents, have elected to eliminate or severely reduce dairy products and leafy green vegetables. But the reality is a host of foods will remain contaminated as long as the radiation continues to be dispersed. Protective measures such as opting to source food from the southern hemisphere, growing food in a greenhouse or gardening hydroponically have also been enacted by those concerned. Supplementing with iodine, spirulina, clay, apple pectin, calcium and magnesium, as examples, are practices now supported by those seeking to alter the threat to their bodies. Others, avoid exposure to the rain (precipitation sheds radiation from the atmosphere), equip their homes with HEPA filtration and treat their water with reverse osmosis systems. Extreme measures? Only time will tell as the numbers of unmitigated illnesses and deaths are tallied. By then, however, it will be too late for most to enact a plan of protection.
There was a huge uproar last week about the findings of unacceptable levels of arsenic in apple and grape juice. Are we not a million more times incensed that the entire food supply within the western hemisphere continues to be contaminated with radioactive particles without an end in sight? Or is the prospect of protecting our future and subsequent generations so colossal that we deem ourselves not up to the task of fighting?
Don’t be placated by the attempts of others with a financial or political interest to downplay the danger. The risk is real. Conduct your own independent research and learn the truth. More information can be located at the below websites:
