Phthalates

Phthalates are chemicals used to make plastics more flexible and harder to break.  But when you're exposed to phthalates, they can alter hormone levels. 

The Huffington Post article How to Avoid Phthalates (Even Though You Can't Avoid Phthalates) is scary but yet very informative:

"You'll find phthalates in perfume, hair spray, deodorant, almost anything fragranced (from shampoo to air fresheners to laundry detergent), nail polish, insect repellent, carpeting, vinyl flooring, the coating on wires and cables, shower curtains, raincoats, plastic toys, and your car's steering wheel, dashboard, and gearshift. (When you smell a "new car," you're smelling phthalates.) Medical devices are full of phthalates -- they make IV drip bags and tubes soft, but unfortunately, DEHP is being pumped directly into the bloodstream of ailing patients. Phthalates are found in our food and water. They are in dairy products, possibly from the plastic tubing used to milk cows. They are in meats (some phthalates are attracted to fat, so meats and cheeses have high levels, although it's not entirely clear how they are getting in to begin with). You'll find phthalates in tap water that's been tainted by industrial waste, and in the pesticides sprayed on conventional fruits and vegetables."

As scary as this information is (or maybe it doesn't scare you), this article does give some great tips on staying away from phthalates:

• Get a water filter ASAP!  It should filter out those phthalates found in water pipes. 

• Avoid plastics (same as my BPA-free blog post) and NEVER heat your food in plastic. Even if it's BPA-free or phthalate-free, it can still have harmful chemicals that can melt into your food at high temperatures (same with the dishwasher). Sticking with glass is your best bet!

• Recycling Codes - Containers with recycling codes #2, #4 and #5 are best.  Plastics marked with recycle code #3 or #7 may contain phthalates or BPA.

• Go Organic! Phthalates are used in pesticides, and they are also found in sewage sludge that is used in conventional agriculture. Neither is permitted on certified organic produce.

• Stay away from fragrance! This is a hard one ladies!! When it comes to cosmetics, the word "fragrance" or "parfum" on a label almost always means phthalates. What you want to see are claims like: "no synthetic fragrance" or "scented with only essential oils" or "phthalate-free." Unfortunately, you will very rarely see phthalates listed on a product label.

• If you're already a mommy, ditch those hand-me-down plastic toys! Today, phthalates are banned from toys, teethers, bottles and feeding products. However, that didn't take place until 2009! 

BPA-free

BPA stands for Bisphenol-A, and it's a chemical that's been used to make certain plastics since the 1960s.  It's found in polycarbonate plastics (often used in containers that store food and beverages like water bottles) and epoxy resins (used to coat the inside of metal products, like food cans, bottle tops and water supply lines). BPA is believed to mimic hormones and disrupt the endocrine system that's responsible for assuring proper fetal development. Exposure to BPA, in extremely high doses, may cause birth defects or miscarriage.  

Here's a scary fact... According to the Centers for Disease Control, 93% of all Americans have BPA in their bloodstreams!

So what can you do?

• Avoid Plastics - Look for glass containers or BPA-free. Containers made from #2, #4 and #5 are best.  Plastics marked with recycle code #3 or #7 may be made with BPA. I have a BPA-free plastic 32 oz water bottle that I use to take to the gym. It helps me get the recommended amount of water I need, and I just hand wash it. Here's a great article: Water Bottles for Pregnant Women

• Never heat your food in plastic! Microwave foods only in glass or microwave-safe plastic containers such as Tupperware and Rubbermaid. I stopped microwaving food in plastics all together because the chemicals can melt into your food at high temperatures (same with the dishwasher). Sticking with glass is your best bet!

• Avoid Cans - Many cans are lined with a protective resin that contains BPA.  Instead of canned foods, use frozen, dried or fresh is always best! Avoid acidic items like canned tomatoes, fruits and soda.

You're Pregnant!!

You're Pregnant!! So what do you do next?  You can't exactly scream it from the mountaintop; you've got to wait it out now!  Here's a list of things that helped me get through my first trimester...

1) Figure out your due date! Click here for a due date calculator that does it all for you!  It can get confusing. Some people think "I'm pregnant, so I'll count 9 months from now!" Nope!  Forty weeks of pregnancy aren't even counted from the day you conceived, they're counted from the first day of your last menstrual cycle. My mom was a little confused, but my friend who's a nurse said our mothers calculated their due dates differently 30+ years ago. And get this... only about 5% of babies actually stay in the womb for 40 weeks, which means only 5% of women give birth on their actual due dates! A full term pregnancy can be anywhere from 38-42 weeks!

2) Call your doctor and set up your first prenatal appointment! Unless you are a high risk pregnancy (35 and over) your doctor probably won't see you until you're about 9 weeks pregnant. They'll tell you what you should be avoiding on your first phone call... deli meats, cheeses that aren't pasteurized, certain medicines, etc. 

3) Start taking prenatal vitamins!  I also take a DHA vitamin, which helps in fetal and infant brain development, as well as cardiovascular, eye, immune and nervous system health.   

4) Download OviaPregnancy app!  It's been my favorite app so far! You can enter in your symptoms, and it tells you what's normal.  It gives you little articles to read each day and helps you keep track of your weight gain, nutrition, workouts, etc.  Some other good ones are What to Expect, babycenter, sprout, thebump (just be careful during your first trimester because a lot of the stuff you share is made public).  I also really wanted to use Cinemama to track my growing bump.  I had read some not so great reviews, but I tried it out anyway.  After a few weeks, it logged me out on my phone.  When I logged back in, none of my stuff was saved!  So I'd say skip this one.

5) Buy a book!  You can't go wrong with What to Expect When You're Expecting (get the 4th edition). A lot of my mommy friends said they love reading chapters that go right along with your pregnancy! 

6) Tell a friend!  I was lucky enough to have a couple mommy friends that are nurses, so I was always texting them with my questions!  I also have another girlfriend that's about 3 months ahead of me, so I could always talk to her about the dreaded first trimester morning sickness. Mommy friends are wonderful, and they completely understand what you're going through. Plus if those mommy friends are nurses... even better!!

7) Give up or cut back on caffeine!  I gave it up cold turkey.  I felt awful for a week with massive headaches, but then I felt great! I was drinking more water and felt like I actually had more energy! This is a great article from What to Expect:

"[Caffeine] is a diuretic that washes calcium and other key pregnancy nutrients out of your system before they can be thoroughly absorbed. Another downside to this diuretic effect: frequent urination, which is the last thing a pregnant women needs... Heavier caffeine intake (in the range of five to six cups of coffee per day) slightly increases your risk of miscarriage." 

8) Get a water filter! It should filter out those phthalates found in water pipes. I will write more about phthalates and how to avoid them later on. It is especially important for pregnant women to drink filtered water because excessive lead levels found in tap water can lead to birth defects.  

9) Get a water bottle! Honestly, before I got pregnant, I could go days without water… another skinny vanilla latte please!!  Well, as I said before, I stopped cold turkey and started drinking AT LEAST 64 oz. of water a day! I bought a 32 oz. BPA-free water bottle, and I get to my 64 oz. a day much easier that way!! It makes it a lot easier to keep track of your water intake.   

10) Keep working out!!  It's totally safe to do so, and you should keep working out before you have some extra cargo in front and can't move as well. I stuck with my regular workout routine through my first trimester.  I ran on the treadmill, did interval workouts, and kept up with my home workout DVDs (like Insanity). I'll write another blog post on my favorite workouts.  I tried to workout 3-4 days a week, but sometimes with morning sickness I'd only get to two days a week. Sometimes my workouts were an hour, other days they were only 20 minutes. One thing that never failed though... Whenever I worked out, my nausea always subsided.   

11) Figure out how much weight you should gain. Click here to find your target weight range. OviaPregnany app has a great pregnancy weight gaining tool that helps you stay right on track.    

12) Decide when to announce it to the world!  Most people wait until they're about 12-13 weeks. If you choose to do an early risk assessment (ERA) at 12 weeks, you should have your results back within 7-10 days. Then you're safe to share your exciting news!! My doctor even told me that once you pass the 8 week mark AND get a confirmed heartbeat (which we did at 9 weeks), there's a 5% chance you will miscarry.  That made us feel wonderful!!