More on BPA

Playtex is offering FREE BPA-free products (it's the same bottle/nurser system I use, and I really like it).

www.playtexbaby.com/bpafree/info.html.

E-mail warning on BPA

Just got this email from MomsRising.org, thought I'd share to get the word out.

BPA is also found in polycarbonate (Nalgene-type) bottles. Be sure to check out the Washington Post link at the bottom to learn how to reduce your exposure (i.e. no hot liquids in your Nalgene, no harsh detergents for washing, etc.).


----- Original Message -----
From: Donna, MomsRising
To: tamajean@msn.com
Sent: Saturday, April 19, 2008 11:48 AM
Subject: Stop Toxic Baby Bottles - Quick Action Needed
Dear MomsRising.org member,
The evidence is mounting. After years of concern about the safety of baby bottles, children's care products, and other food and beverage containers which contain the chemical bisphenol A (BPA), the verdict is in--and it's not good. Yesterday the Canadian government announced it is planning to ban the use of BPA in baby bottles, and declared BPA dangerous.[1] And, earlier this week, the Los Angeles Times reported that the U.S. based National Institutes of Health (NIH) concluded that there is "some concern" that babies, fetuses, and children are in danger because BPA harms animals at the low levels found in nearly all human bodies.[2] Sadly, a recent study found this chemical in all five leading brands of American baby bottles. It's enough to sink any mother's stomach. Let's take a second to take a collective deep breath, and then mobilize for major action. Sign a petition calling for the CEOs of the leading manufacturers of baby bottles to stop the use of BPA in our baby bottles and other children's products. TAKE ACTION: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1768/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=1177 Sign on now and we'll send the petition to the CEOs of Avent, Disney/First Years, Dr. Brown's, Evenflo, Gerber, and Playtex in collaboration with Center for Health, Environment, & Justice and other organizations. *Can you also forward this email to five of your friends so they can sign too?
The more signatures, we have, the more the CEOs will get the message that consumers want healthy products, not toxins. With the current media attention on BPA, this is a critical moment to take advantage of that momentum and push these CEOs to stop using it in baby bottles. WHAT DOES BPA DO? Growing children are especially at risk to chemicals as they face greater exposure per pound of body weight. Even fetuses are susceptible as chemicals, including BPA, cross the placenta in pregnant women. Over 130 studies suggest that BPA exposure, even at low doses, is linked to many health problems, including early puberty, breast and prostate cancer, obesity, attention and hyperactivity disorder, brain damage, altered immune system, and lower sperm counts.[3] This is a widespread issue which we need to address together. A 2007 study by the Environment California Research and Policy Center found that all five leading brands of baby bottles leached BPA at levels found to cause harm in numerous laboratory studies.[4] It is time for all parents to take action!
*Click below to sign the petition now:
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1768/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=1177 Thanks for your work on behalf of all children. - Donna, Rachel, Kristin, Joan, Anita, and the MomsRising Team P.S. For tips on how to limit exposure to BPA, see: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/15/AR2008041502161.html [1] http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/04/18/ST2008041803545.html [2] http://www.latimes.com/features/health/medicine/la-na-plastic16apr16,1,498138.story [3] http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/environmental-health/stop-toxic-toys/bisphenol-a-overview [4] http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/reports/environmental-health/environmental-health-reports/toxic-baby-bottles

Day Four

Well, not every day can be the best day, but the last few haven't been that bad either.
We had a couple days of glorious sunshine, followed by, you guessed it--SNOW. Yes, in April, yes after nearly 80 degree hot sunshine.
Aaack! I know we need the moisture & all, but c'mon!!!!

I'm keeping busy. Still taking it slow, but easily getting things done. The bathrooms are clean. Hooray! They even smell clean. I'm planning the little man's birthday party & having a blast doing it. Worked on the goody bags today--wish I were a kiddo getting one of these, they're SO cool. Gave the girl a bath, and still had a couple hours to work on the transcription project. I'm really enjoying listening to these tapes, and I'm amazed how God is using them to speak into life for me right now.

The husband and I had a bit of an argument this morning. After taking some time apart to really think out why I was angry (besides the total lack of sleep the night before--note to self: no real serious conversations prior to breakfast), I realized that when he had asked a simple question I took it as an affront to how I do my "job." That is, the job of "mom"--running this household.

Ah-ha. Yep, okay, an egg, some bacon, a piece of toast, and a cup of tea--now we're ready to talk. We worked through it--almost 10 years of marriage & we're still learning how to do this right. He totally understood how I felt about doing my job without being questioned, and I definitely admitted that I was being a nasty, crabby, tired mommy.

It's nearly eleven, I'm blogging, working on a special project (can't say what b/c the receiver of this project might be reading), and contemplating what else I can fit into the day before crashing. I'm thinking: uh, yeah, just go to bed.

Day 1: Life After "Work"

Today marks my first official (working) day as "unemployed."

It's amazing what I can get done when I'm not having to check my work e-mail every 5 minutes!
I decided to take it easy the first few days to just adjust to this new life, but still I can't believe what I've gotten done already.

My poor husband really is not used to the idea yet either. Yesterday he was so concerned with making sure we had time to clean house before the week started. I had to remind him that I would be home all week, with plenty of time to clean--he should just enjoy being with his family. Today, he was rushing from one job to the next--he asked about dinner, what he needed to do, what could he get done in the next two minutes. Again, I reminded him that dinner was now my concern--not his. He shook his head, and said this is going to take some getting used to. I just smiled. I'm liking taking care of him for a change.

Praise the Lord! It was FINALLY over 70 degrees today. O played outside for the better half of the morning and afternoon. We had a blast "mowing" with his bubble mower, washing out all the outdoor toys, and digging in the soon-to-be garden. Fresh air is blowing through the house, and it's fabulous!

Beyond just getting house work done, and taking care of kids--I recently took on a transcription job--typing up interviews for a magazine editor I know. They're fantastic interviews with pastors across the globe. Some of what they say is just amazing, and I'm feeling ministered to while I'm working. It's pretty cool.

So far, so good--I'm enjoy life as "stay-at-home" mom.

No children allowed

On Saturday I got a hair cut. Yeah!
I love it--short, but not too short, easy to clean & style--just what a busy mom needs. The stylist was really sweet & did a fantastic job, and was very accommodating for a busy mom's schedule.

I don't think I'll ever go there again. Let me tell you what happened.

I scheduled 3 haircuts, one for myself, my husband, and my almost 3 year old son. Based on feeding/napping/work schedules, somehow I landed 3 appts. that would work for our lives. The salon required a credit card hold for the appointments, and stressed that no children were allowed in the service area unless they were receiving a service themselves. No problem--if I were at the spa, I'd like to be free of kiddos too.

Wouldn't you know, my daughter decided to go to a 4-hour nursing schedule that threw a wrench in everything. I thought I could still work around everything on the fly. I nursed baby E in the car as to not disturb anyone in the salon, while O had his hair cut (supervised by his dad). My husband ran O to the car afterwards, and ran back in for his hair cut (as originally planned). As I burped E, I realized that my appt., scheduled for later in the afternoon would now collide with E's next feeding. AAACK! I called my hubby over & over trying to catch him before his appt. started.

Knowing that the salon would charge me for half my appt. fee (something we just can't afford), I grabbed the kiddos & marched into the very crowded salon.
Of course, my hubby & stylist were packed into a back corner & I had to navigate through the service area to get to them.
Again, this stylist is amazing, and was actually nearly done with my husband's cut. WOW!
I explained the situation to her, asking if she had another opening that day, or if we could do anything. She was very kind, and said no problem--she would start my haircut immediately after finishing my husband's.
I found a quiet corner (yes, in the service area) where I could hide for 5 minutes while we waited.

Okay--here's where I should explain. Yes, I knew their "no kids" policy, and yes, I was breaking that rule. I was however, trying to make the best of a difficult situation. Wading through stylists(they are literally packed into a very small space) with kids in tow to wait in the very crowded lobby area, I thought would be even more stressful for everyone in the salon rather than hiding in a quiet back area where very few people even noticed us.

Guess I was wrong.

Only seconds after sitting down, I realized I was being watched. Two ladies, obviously employees of the salon were conferring with each other, and I can only imagine it was about what to do with the frazzled mom & two (very WELL behaved) kids.

One finally approached me, and in an ever-so-condescending voice, proceeded to explain the "rules" to me as if I were the child. I attempted to explain the situation, but before I could continue--she did. Making it abundantly clear we were unwanted & I needed to leave the service area NOW.
Despite that my husband was seconds from finishing, I picked the kids up and headed to the lobby--nearly bumping into 5 people, only to find the lobby packed with people, and realized the only option was to go back to the car.
My husband was not long behind me, and I ran back in past the extremely rude non-customer oriented supposed "guest relations" employee to my awaiting stylist.

I thought about contacting the salon owner, and I might still. I do realize that I wasn't following their rules, but unlike the rude salon employee--I feel that I was at least attempting to be considerate of all parties involved.

Truly, the only real thing I'm miffed about is the total lack of customer relations this person showed me. I was a paying customer. She didn't ask if she could help me get relocated, she didn't ask if anything was wrong, but she was rude. Just totally unkind. She was more concerned with the salons rules, than her customer's needs.

Salons, spas, and the like need to realize that women--MOMS--are a vast majority of their clients. I'm not saying let's start bringing the kids. The salon is a great place to get a break, but let's get a little understanding for the rare circumstances that sometimes are out of our control.

A baby story...part 1

I've been told that it's important for me to journal and share my birth experiences. That it's key to my healing, and hopefully can help other women.
So, here we go.

My first pregnancy was awesome. I had been healthy for the most part--a bit of nausea early on, but that's to be expected. My husband took such excellent care of me, and my only real complaint was my stress level at work.
Around 30 weeks I noticed that I was exceptionally puffy around my ankles and face. My mom had just come into town for my baby shower, so I took a few days off. I mentioned it to my lay-midwife (I had planned a home birth), but by the time I saw her for my appointment I seemed fine.
Fast forward 6 weeks later. In less than 2 weeks I had gained 20lbs. of water-weight, and my legs, feet, and face were more than puffy--they were huge. I just wasn't feeling "right" either. A friend of my who had severe pre-eclampsia had shared some of her symptoms with me. I called my lay-midwife & made an appointment immediately. I left work & headed straight to her office.
After take a urine sample, and taking my blood pressure (multiple times) she had me lay down. She continued to take my blood pressure & consult with her assistant.
They recommended I stop working, and go home for the remainder of my pregnancy. I thought they were being a bit over dramatic, but I agreed to "take it easy." I called work & let them know I'd be taking a few days off, and went home.
Being that it was free cone day at Ben & Jerry's, I couldn't stay in bed all day that day. (who gives up FREE ice cream?) I did rest for a bit at home, but then spent the evening walking around down town with ice cream.
The next day I just was feeling horrible. I read up on pre-eclampsia & became very scared. My lay-midwife called to check on me, and proceeded to tell me that I was way worse than I was grasping. It was necessary to see an ob/gyn immediately.
I made an appointment & headed in.
The same round of tests, laying me on my side to rest, and then the doctor said I needed to go to the hospital for observation immediately. (Notice how many times I had to be told "immediately.)
...to be continued.