Baby Bottles

Hi,
Below is some really good information on baby bottles and the materials they are made off. Having your child use conventional polycarbonate bottles will not cause immediate harm in them but you do not know what the exposure to all those toxins will cause in the future. I think we live in a world where we are exposed to toxins every day but we should definitely do what it takes to keep this exposure low.
I am going for a BPA free bottles and glass bottles!!

Hope it is helpful

PA - Also known as Bisphenol-A
is an estrogen-like chemical in plastic could be harming the development of children's brains and reproductive organs. It is found in #7 POLYCARBONATE plastics that are bottles, microwave ovenware, eating utencils and the plastic coatings used inside metal cans. BPA interferes with hormones by simulating the action of estrogen.

"An ingredient of polycarbonate plastic, BPA is one of the most widely used synthetic chemicals in industry today. It can seep from hard plastic beverage containers such as baby bottles, as well as from liners in cans containing food and infant formula." - LA Times article. Read more below.

Phthalates
"plasticizers" that soften PVC plastic (#3) into it's flexible form.
Most cling wraps are made of PVC and traces of phthalates and another chemical called adipates can leak out of PVC when in contact with food, especially heated, fatty food. Phthalates are suspected of interefering with hormones and the reproductive development of baby boys.

So what is a mom to do with this information?
First thing - ditch all your polycarbonate bottles! These are the #7 PC or PLA (polycarbonate/polylactide) bottles, also avoid #3 PVC (polyvinyl chloride), #6 Polystyrene (better known as styrofoam).

When using plastics look for these safer plastics: #2 HDPE (High Density Polyethylene), #4 LDPE (Low Density Polyethylene), and #5 PP (Polypropylene).

Avoid using the #7 plycarbonate bottles that are the very clear plastic bottles like Avent, Dr. Brown's, Gerber, and Evenflo.

So, what bottles are safe to use?
BPA-Free Baby bottles like Born-Free and Think Baby (Medela bottles have always been BPA-free!) are #5 Polypropolyne. They tend to have a cloudy or yellowish tint to them. Also a great sippy cup option is stainless steel - like the Safe Sippy from Kid Basix

31W – The work has started

Well, I guess we have been kind of procrastinating for past few months in regards on getting the house ready for our little girl. We started last weekend and we still have a lot of work to do specially on her room. At least we got the living room figured out. We got a new bookcase, which made us realize that we have been accumulating quite a collection of all kinds of books. Cooking books, exercise books, religion, self help, business, leadership and quite a collection of pregnancy related books, form part of our new found library. We are planning on going through them and maybe donating some of them to the local library here in the key. We also got a new TV stand and we are so happy about it since the old one was just out of place on our living room; now our house is starting to get rid of its hodge-podge look and turn more into a grown up looking house. It has been a lot of work though; yesterday it was a 9 to 6 day; with a 1 hour break I got for a prenatal massage which was awesome. Today we had friends over for breakfast / brunch and we started working at around 2pm and just got done a few minutes ago (it is 11pm).

The problem is that as of now all the old furniture that we need to get rid of is at Corina’s room; so we need to get rid of it in order to start cleaning up that room and making room for her furniture. I am also realizing that I might have to hire a professional cleaning service, at least to clean the carpet and the window screens that get filled with dust. I tried to clean those screens with a hand vacuum, a lint brush and tape, and after 30 minutes of hard work they looked as dirty as before.

Regarding my pregnancy everything is going great, well I am loosing a bit of flexibility of movement; I mean that I can’t be bending down much because I can feel my little girl getting uncomfortable and throwing some kicks to make me move or stretch, but besides that I feel great. The appointment I had with Dr. Serious a few weeks ago was good; although he did have a smart ass comment about me picking a pediatrician whose office is 20 minutes away from home. But oh well, I took his advice and told him I will think about it; I didn’t feel comfortable telling him that the reason that I wasn’t choosing the pediatricians next o my house was because I want to selectively vaccinate and delay the shots for at least 6 to 9 months. I know that the Drs close to my house are very traditional and pro-vaccines; and Dr. Serious seems that way too.

This coming weekend we are going to Birmingham for a Baby Shower Dave’s family is putting together for us. We are super excited about the trip and about seeing all the family. It will be a short trip (leaving Friday and driving back Sunday), but it will be worth it. After that we are going to have to spend almost every weekend until Corina’s birthday getting her room all set up. I don’t want my little girl to feel rejected because we do not yet have her room ready; although, as our breastfeeding teacher said it, a newborn just needs love, milk and a place to sleep; and they can literally sleep in a drawer; but we’ll get everything ready for our little one before she gets here; so that she feels welcome into our home.

We took a breastfeeding class this week and it was amazing; we learned so much about the benefits of breastfeeding for as long as possible (12 months is the recommendation of the American Association of Pediatrics). We also learned how to properly hold the baby while breastfeeding, it seems easy but it was quite a challenge.

We found out about some products that are sold as essentials for babies and are actually completely useless such as sterilizers, wiper warmers and diaper genies among others. It was very encouraging to hear that every woman should be able to nurse and should produce enough milk for her child if that is what she wants to do; it is not easy and takes work but it is how it is supposed to be. I get a bit annoyed sometimes at work when I said I plan to breastfeed for 1 year and they tell me “What if you have no milk”, "It has no effect after 6 months", "my friend didn't breastfed and her kid is super healthy", etc. I am thinking if all the other mammals in this world do not have that problem why would I? Aren’t we the highest level creatures in this universe? plus all the long term benefits for mother and child that breastfeeding has? wouldn't that be enough reasons to do it as long as possible?...

I will update you all in a week or 2, as we are getting closer to the date and busier getting ready for the baby it is becoming harder to keep this updated but my goal is to have at lease 2 updates per month.

Thanks for visiting.

29W , Quito, leg cramps, my orchid

I am now 29W!!. It seems unreal that I am already in the 3th and last trimester of my pregnancy. At the beginning it seemed that it was going to slow and that 9 months were going to seem forever; now on the other hand, I feel it was yesterday when I first took the pregnancy test. I am getting very excited about having my little girl in my arms; a bit nervous about being a mother and a bit nostalgic about my pregnancy coming to an end. I have truly enjoyed these past 7 months especially my 2nd trimester. I didn't follow the Dr.'s advice on getting the nursery and everything ready before the 3th trimester; everything is still on the works; we need to buy the furniture, set up the computer on the living room and set up the nursery/guest room; and of course get rid of a lot of stuff. I want to get most of it done before the end of the month when we are planning a trip to Birmingham to visit Dave's family.
Regarding my pregnancy I am still feeling great. Yes I get tired at night and on Saturday mornings I can take up to a 1hr nap after my yoga class; but I do have the same energy I had before getting pregnant. I feel great at my swim class and at my morning walks. The only strange thing that has happened to me is that for the first time in my life I felt a cramp on my leg. I honestly never expected it. I have run marathons, triathlons and century rides and never ever had cramps; but the other night a cramp on my calf woke me up. My left calf felt like a rock and it hurt really bad; I was able to get it loose after 30 seconds or so and it felt better. I started doing more calf stretches and some exercises that I learned in my prenatal yoga class and I haven't had other cramps since then so hopefully I won't have another one in the next 2.5 months; but apparently leg cramps are very normal and common during pregnancy; and I have had such a great pregnancy that I shouldn't complain.
Last weekend I went to Quito for my cousin's wedding. I had a great time although the trip was only 2 days. The wedding was so beautiful and I was so happy to see how happy my little cousin was. It was also good to see my grandma who was not doing too well a few months ago and is much better now. My little niece, nephew and little cousin (I have 50 first cousins) walked in the wedding and they looked so precious. My niece felt she was truly living a princess story and wanted to follow the bride (Main Princess) everywhere.
I was afraid of getting altitude sickness since Quito is over 9,000 ft above sea level; however, I did great and did not even felt tired throughout the weekend. I think that exercising throughout the pregnancy and having been raised at high altitude really helped.
This week I want to make an appointment with the pediatrician. My yoga teacher says he is very holistic in the way he treats his patients and very open to selective and alternative vaccination schedules; so I am nervous and excited to see what he has to say and what he will recommend. I have also heard really good things about him from a good friend of mine who takes her kid there, so I am hoping that this will be the right Dr. for my little one.
I have my 29th week appointment this week as well; and I will have to see the very serious Dr. this time. I do not know if he has already seen my birth plan and talked to my other Dr. about my natural birth philosophy; we'll see how it goes. The first time I saw this serious Dr. I almost change practices.

My orchid
I got an orchid a year ago. Usually I would have thrown away the plant once the flowers fell off; however, this time the lady who sold me the orchid told me that orchids are very strong plants and that eventually they will bloom again. Surprisingly the flowers didn't fall for 6 months which is unreal for orchids and I was super excited. Once they felt I kept the plant; it looked kind of weird in my living room but I just watered it once a week or so. I am very happy to announce that this week my orchid bloomed again. Don't ask me why but I am very excited about it. I heard once that if you are able to keep a plant alive for a year or so and then a pet you are ready to have kids. I have been successful with the plant so far and I will skip the pet part since I am not a fan of indoor pets and my building doesn't allow them; but I do feel ready for my little baby.

I will keep updating everyone on my progress on a weekly or biweekly basis. So keep visiting us!

Almost 27W

I will be 27 weeks this week and almost finishing my 2nd trimester. It seems crazy that I am almost in the home stretch. I am very excited about my little girl coming into the world. I think that by week 38 or 40 I will be ready to let go of my pregnant state of being. I know some women have it difficult during pregnancy but so far I have had such a great experience, I have enjoyed every second of it and although I know it will get uncomfortable during the next few weeks I am sure that through keeping active I will pull it through; more so I will be ready for delivery. I am honestly loving being pregnant.
We are done with the Hypnobirthing class and now we, especially I, just need to practice getting into a deep relaxation. It might sound weird but while swimming seems to be the best time for me to just focus on the present moment and let go of all the other stuff in my mind and relax; plus it has helped me keep my swimming at a slight decent level.
My neighbor took the same childbirth class when she had her babies and she went to the same group of Drs. I go. I was pleased to learn that even the Dr. whom I have always felt not very fond of was very supportive of an all natural birthing style and even showed his warm side during her delivery; it makes me feel a lot better about what to expect for my girl's birth day. Although this time I didn't have the courage to go to a midwife I do feel that my Drs. and hospital are more open than other practitioners to completely natural birth, and will respect parent's wishes in terms of no intervention and no newborn procedures w/out parent's consent.
This weekend one of the couples from our childbirth class invited us over for a crawfish boil. I have never been to one and it was a lot of fun. It was also fun to share time with couples that share in the same beliefs about birthing than us; one of them is even having the baby at home with a midwife and I am sure they'll have an amazing experience. The majority of people I tell about what I expect from my labor experience think I just don't know what I am talking about; but they said the same when I mentioned doing an Ironman, and I see labor just as another ironman. It will take a lot of training and a lot of endurance and it won't be easy but it will all be worth it, and in the end an amazing experience.
This coming weekend I am going to Quito, Ecuador for my cousin's wedding. I will be there only for a couple of days. I am a bit worried about how my body will react to the altitude, Quito is at 9,000FT. I usually never experience any problems since my body is genetically prepared to adapt to high altitudes; but I don't know how it will respond with the pregnancy. My Dr. said everything should be fine and just to take it easy and keep myself very hydrated while I am there. I am looking forward to the wedding and to show my belly bump to my family!!
I am very happy that I am still fitting in most of my pre-pregnancy clothes, of course with the assistance of a tummy sash!!, and I have 1 pair of jeans that still fits even without the sash. I don't know what is up with maternity clothes, they look very cute on the models but once you get them, especially the tops have this tent like build that makes you look huge. I have found out that for tops a size bigger than your regular size fits a lot better!!

25W

Update!!! I think Corinna is training for a triathlon, but this week she really started moving and kicking a lot. I love it. Also I showed my Dr. my birth plan and he was very cool with it!!!
Here is my belly picture at 25W and 4 days

So I have only 3 and half months to go. I am getting very excited but I am also enjoying a lot this time of my pregnancy. I haven't felt any discomfort and it is just so much fun to feel my little girl kicking and moving inside of me; today she has had lots of energy!!! I feel I have company all the time and I also feel a very special connection with her.
We got a lot of clothes this week from my sister in law, for which I am very thankful. Corinna even got her first bikini!!! I can't wait to try it on.
Since I have been swimming throughout my pregnancy and it feels really good I am looking forward to teach her how to swim as early as possible. I believe that the earliest you introduce them to the water the most likely they are to not develop fear of it and to develop swimming skills; it makes sense considering they are swimming when they are inside of you.
Last week at our Hypnobirthing class we watch a video about women in Russia who either have their babies at home on a birthing tub or go the the Black Sea and have their babies there. It was truly amazing to see how the babies just come out and swim up to their parents. I have read that until 6 months old babies by instinct will hold their breath under water, so technically they partially know how to swim when they are born. The Black Sea births sound crazy but they were truly amazing, so peaceful and such a celebration of life. It makes you wonder why in the western world birthing has become such an intervention needing procedure when in the rest of the work women are birthing healthy babies in the sea with apparently 0 complications.
I am finishing the birth plan and I will show it to my Dr. this Wednesday that I have an appointment with him. I really hope that he supports me on my decision to have a drug free natural birth, and that he makes the staff at the hospital respect that. I have heard that most of the time hospital staff will push you to do what is more beneficial for them and will not necessarily respect your wishes. Of course I am open to intervention in case of an emergency, but if everything is progressing as normal and both the baby and myself are in good condition I want to wait as long as it is needed for my baby to come out naturally. I am a big believer in the ability of the human body to birth, it was designed for that.
I run into a very interesting poll today about mandatory vaccinations, and I was very happy to see that all the replies to the post are against it and advocate for being the parents the ones responsible for making decisions in regards to what vaccines, if any, to administer to their children. If you want to participate or are interested in checking this survey click here.
I will post a belly picture tonight when I get home. My belly has definitely grown during the past few weeks; and it has moved up as well; but fortunately it is still very comfortable to do everything, except a bit to bend down but it is not a big deal and I just try not to do it or do it in a different way.
Thanks for visiting!!!

24W and Moving

So I am almost 6 months, and that sounds like getting in the late phase of my pregnancy; one more month and I will be starting my 3Th and last trimester.
This week the baby has definitely become more active. I can now feel her move throughout the day and I can feel actual movements rather than just kicks. Thursday while we were watching a movie about the Birth Industry in the US I believe she was having some sort of aerobic training class because for about 1hour she didn't stopped moving. It was an awesome feeling; and I love to feel her moves inside of me.
We are halfway through our hypnobirthing class and every day more convinced about wanting an all natural/ drug free birthing experience. Of course we are open to intervention in case of an emergency but we have learned that unless you are very vocal about your wishes the hospital staff and Dr. will pretty much do what is convenient for them rather than for you, even if that means an unnecessary C-section; and of course that is the last thing we want. Through Hypnobirthing we have learned so much about how natural and non stressful child birthing should be and that is what we would like to experience. The movie we saw on Thursday, The Business of being born is a documentary that explores what child birthing has become in the US and raises the question: Should most births be viewed as a natural live process, or should every delivery be treated as a potentially catastrophic medical emergency?. It is an eye opening movie that I strongly recommend to everyone.
My bump keeps growing but it is still comfortable. I got a Belly Band for my speed walking because I think that even though the belly does not feel uncomfortable yet; it does puts pressure on my round ligaments; the belly band is designed to take that pressure off the lower part of my abdomen, so I'll test it this week that I am planning to walk a 5K on Saturday.
Next week we need to start working on the baby's room. I am not too much into building the mega Pottery Barn like nursery, but we need to re-arrange the furniture in our living room in order to fit the computer desk and free up some space at the Baby's room for the crib, changing table, dresser and maybe glider. I would like to have most of this done before the 30W when I have heard I will start feeling uncomfortable.
My lovely niece stayed with us one night this weekend and we had a blast. We made pizza Saturday night, played memory, played cranium (her way of playing it of course), read a bunch of children stories that I found to be actually a bit scary, went to the farmers market and went to the beach. I love having her over, she is such a sweet girl and a lot of fun to be around, she talks a lot and it is just fascinating to listen and realize to what the mind of a 4 year old can do. I can't wait for my little girl to be here. If my little niece does what she does to me (I will literally die for her) I can't even imagine what my own child will do.

Thanks for stopping by this week. Do not forget to post comments, advice, etc.

23W - Hypno-Birthing Class

So I am reaching the 23th week and as you can see now I am obviously pregnant. Today for the first time a lady at the farmer's market asked me how far long I was so I am definitely showing; and I am enjoying it a lot. I am very proud to answer I am 5 and half months!!
This week we also started the childbirth classes; we decided to go with the Hypnobirthing class and both of us were very impressed with the first session; we saw a couple videos of births happening with this method and it seemed so peaceful and relaxed, so different from what you usually see on TV or hear from other people about childbirth. Everything looked extremely normal, well birthing is extremely normal, all living creatures do it so I guess we have been conditioned to see it more as a medical procedure than just as a normal type of event. I am very excited about the class, we have 3 more to go and I am sure it is going to be of great help for us when our little girl decides to come out to the real world; I pray that I can go ahead with my plan of having a very natural and enjoyable birthing experience. We learned how perfect the human body is and how birthing muscles work in complete harmony when the body is relaxed; therefore we should strive to stay away from stress and fear to allow the body to do its job.
This week I also worked on my Baby Registry. As of now I am doing 2 registries, one at Babies R Us and one at Amazon; it is a work in progress but I am almost done. It is amazing how much the internet helps in this process. I am not the type of person who can go spend hours at the store putting together a registry; but online I can see all the products and I can even get reviews about them which gives me a better idea of how useful and/or how good each product is. There are a lot of products that apparently are completely not needed, such as the Diaper pile and the wipers warmer; but I wouldn't know that if it weren't for some friend's advice and internet reviews.
I have felt the baby move a lot more this weekend and that gets me very excited. Saturday at Yoga one of the ladies said that her baby moves all day, like a soccer player; I really want my little girl to be like that, it is so reassuring to feel her kick, in spite of some of the discomforts it brings. I can't wait until the most active weeks (26 - 30).