There news circling the news sites (here, here) about Canada banning the sale of baby bottles containing the chemical “Bisphenol A” after concluding the chemical is toxic.

Now, this may not be news to you. After all, some sites have been saying this for quite some time. Just google for ‘Bisphenol A toxic’ to see for yourself.

I just wonder why it has taken so long for someone (a government) to take a stand on this. It is mentioned in the reports that some studies have found that even at low doses the chemical can increase breast and ovarian cancer cell growth, as well as some prostate cancer cells in animals. Further, Bisphenol A has been linked to fertility problems, diabetes, hyperactivity and early puberty in girls.

So, what is the answer ? Well, I think Glass Bottles could be a good start. I know they are a bit harder to find and need more care, but the benefits and health implications seem obvious. During the early stage, breastfeeding seems rather handy as well… No plastic there :)

What other areas of your baby’s care could you switch to non-plastic alternatives ?

It is interesting how we have refined the process of pregnancy to such a finite limitation - 40 weeks - not a day more and not a day less. The human body is nothing if not unpredictable and amazingly unique in every one of us. For the most part we all  have ten fingers and ten toes, two eyes a nose and a mouth. And yet each of us does things in a slightly different way.

Growing a baby is no exception. Each of us had our own perfect period of gestation inside our mothers and each of ours will do their thing inside of us. Impatience begins to set in at that 40 week mark though, and fears and concerns for our baby’s health also wander through. Perpetuated, unfortunately, by the medical world in which we live.  If only we could learn a little more often where a woman shows no sign of being at risk for complication, that maybe her baby is just not ready and we should leave well enough alone. Monitoring every week or even twice a week for safety is such a blessing for our over active modern minds - hearing a strong happy heartbeat puts our fears to rest for a while. Fear mongering a woman into induction, and in so many cases this leads to more serious interventions, is just irresponsible.

So I will continue to wait - as patiently as I can - we are so eager to meet this little one and know if it is a boy or a girl that the suspense is tangible - and know that my baby is safe and happy - and has obviously decorated so nicely in there that it is struggling to come to terms with leaving :)

Keep safe and we will let you know, xxx, anita

Here is a concerning little story: The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has completed a two year study (2004-2005) that showed that unintentional overdoses were the third leading cause of non-fatal injuries among infants treated in hospital emergency department. For children aged 1 to 4 years, it was the sixth leading cause.

The study estimates that 158,520 patients aged 18 years and younger visited emergency departments for adverse reactions to prescription and non-prescription medications, vaccines, vitamins, dietary supplements, and complementary and alternative therapies during that two year period.

The important part to note was that children from 1 to 4 years old were nearly 10 times more likely than children of other ages to be hospitalised for adverse drug effects. Almost half (45 %) of the hospitalisations were unintentional overdoses, mostly from pain relief and respiratory medications.

It is just so important to remember that our baby’s body does not yet have the tolerances to foreign influences that you and I do. We’re all used to grabbing Aspirin or Paracetamol tablet when we have a headache, but we tend to forget that the dosage is made for a 80kg+ Adult, and not a 5-15kg child. Simply splitting a tablet is just not safe as the medication may not be perfectly evenly dispersed in the tablet. And really, who of us can successfully split a table into 4 or more chunks ? Even then, that quarter chunk is still enough for a 20kg person…

If you do need to give your child medication, please make sure you use the children’s version of the product if it is available, or switch to one.