Optimizing Body for Baby
Toxins:
Baby Poop!
In the studies that have been done looking at toxicity levels of babies at birth it has been shown that the toxicity levels are on the rise.
One neurotoxicology study checked the first bowel movement of almost 500 babies and found elevated levels of many neurotoxins. Some included were the following.
84% of the samples contained Mercury
27% of the samples contained DDT
27% of the samples contained Lead
Baby Cord Blood!
There have also been tests looking at toxins in the blood found in the Fetal Cord. In one particular Canadian study they found 137 chemicals. Specific chemicals found included:
Lead and mercury
PCBs
Pesticides
Dioxins
In another similar study on Cord Blood done in America- they found almost double the chemicals. Documenting the presence of 287 chemicals. Finding the additional chemicals including:
By products of Teflon
Phthalates
Pesticides
Flame retardants
Did you know that Europe has over 1000 chemicals that are banned to be used in cosmetics, while America only has 11 chemicals that are banned? We are being exposed to chemicals daily. While this is an important health matter for anyone, it can escalate in importance when we are looking to conceive and protect our babies to the best of our abilities. Using resources like EWG.org to avoid exposure and optimizing our bodies detox pathways can help us protect ourselves and babies from these chemicals.
Gut Microbiome:
Science has identified certain gut microbes that are correlated with the development of ailments including rheumatoid arthritis, estrogen metabolism issues, hashimotos, chrons and ulcerative colitis. Balancing our microbiome could play a huge role in our overall health and wellness. Mothers pass their microbiome down to their babies which could be part of the “genetic” predisposition to certain diseases. Screening your gut microbiome for any dybiosis and correcting imbalances can help optimize your child’s resiliency against many chronic diseases including many autoimmune diseases.
Birth Control Use and Childhood Cancer.
Specifically childhood Leukemia. A danish study done on 1.1 million danish children concluded that the use of combination oral contraception within the previous 6 months prior to conception put the children at an increased risk of childhood leukemia (non lymphoid types).
Absolute risk is still considered low and thus not considered a major concern. As part of a follow up study lasting 9 years they concluded that the maternal use of the combination contraception would have resulted in about 25 cases of leukemia in Denmark. This means that for every 50,000 babies who were exposed there is 1 child that will be diagnosed with Leukemia.
So, yes, small risk and your odds are good. However, awareness is empowering. If being aware of this fact could prevent even one case of childhood leukemia I believe it’s a women’s right to know and I find it worth sharing. Science also doesn’t know everything, further research in the future may even show greater risk so for now, play it safe and wait 6 months when possible.
Allergies:
For years it was suggested that Pregnant women should avoid common allergy foods while pregnant to prevent the development of food allergies in their children. More recently the research has been in support of moms (especially in the third trimester) eating a diverse diet with exposure to all the common allergies. This has been shown to decrease food allergies in baby. This is not the case if mom is diagnosed Celiacs or has an anaphylactic food allergy.