What to avoid to have a healthy baby

So you read about all of these chemicals in food, cleaners, cosmetics and other everyday items and you wonder…are these really in me? Or are they making a bigger deal out of this than they need to? Well, it turns out that if you are pregnant or are thinking about becoming pregnant one day, then you should worry about these chemicals.

In a recent study, out of the pregnant women tested for over 163 toxic chemicals, 99-100% of the women tested positive for many of these chemicals. Some of the chemicals found were:
o PCB’s-linked to cancer and impaired fetal brain development
o Organochloride Pesticides-DDT, which is banned, is in this category.
o PFC’s-found in Teflon-linked to low birth weight, developmental risks
o Phenols-linked to reproductive and fertility disorders, heart, liver, kidney problems
o PDBE’s-affect hormones and calcium in the body
o Phthalates-affects hormones-linked to reproductive abnormalities in boys
o PAH-linked to cancer
o Perchlorate-otherwise known as rocket fuel
o BPA-linked to genetic damage and miscarriages-found in 96% of women
No one really knows everything that these chemicals may be linked to, especially when the exposure occurs to a fetus during pregnancy. During pregnancy, the fetus is growing at really rapid rates and developing all of their systems. Any chemical that the baby will be exposed to can permanently change the DNA of the baby, make the baby more susceptible to diseases and disorders in the future, well beyond the initial exposure timeframe.

Chronic childhood diseases linked to exposure to toxic chemicals in the environment have been surging upward for years, and experts believe rising rates of birth defects, asthma, neuro-developmental disorders and other serious diseases in U.S. children are a result of these early chemical exposures.

Babies are not able to process chemicals and toxins like grown adults. They have a more porous blood brain barrier so more chemicals are absorbed in to their brains. They do not have the systems in place to filter the toxins out of their body. Also, the baby is exposed to these chemicals at a much higher rate pound for pound.

Well, then we wonder if babies are actually exposed to the chemicals that are found in the mother. Maybe they don’t cross the placenta or the baby is somehow protected? Well, the Environmental Working Group recently did a study to test just that question. They analyzed the cord blood of newborn babies and found 287 chemicals that the babies had been exposed to in utero.

So while we can’t pinpoint every single disease and disorder that may be linked to these chemicals at this point, we do know that they are getting into our bodies and are being transferred to our unborn children. We do know that chemicals affect unborn babies and children more than they affect adults. FInally, we do know that this exposure is taking place during CRITICAL times of growth and development for the baby. So, it is critical for all women of childbearing years to protect themselves and their future unborn children by reducing the about of toxins that they are exposed to and stop the accumulation of these chemicals in their bodies.

References:

” 99 Percent of Pregnant Women in US Test Positive for Chemical Exposure .” Natural Health Articles – Latest and Current Health News and Information by Dr. Mercola . N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Feb. 2011. .