Other than the sleepless nights, things are moving along here in week 25 of Operation Baby. My ravenous appetite, which had subsided for several weeks, is back with a vengeance, so I suspect another belly pop is in my future. My back is holding out, but is getting crankier by the week. I'm definitely achy everyday now, which wasn't the case only a few weeks ago. But I'm still holding out hope that my brace and PT will give me more time before any real pain kicks in. I can't believe the second trimester is almost over! After this next doctor's appointment, I start going every two weeks, which makes the end seem so much closer. Now if we could just get to Albany!
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On a - mostly - unrelated note, I wanted to give a little shout-out to that horrid little toxin known as BPA. If you're super green than you've read all the websites and know all about it, and if you're like most people you may have heard a news show about it in passing, but didn't pay much attention to it. Feather Nester reminded me about it yesterday with my straw suggestion and I had honestly totally forgotten about it other than the fact that all of the baby bottles and other stuff we registered for was "BPA Free."
There's no need to spend all day doing research because it's already been done for you. There's no controversy about this, every agency agrees that it's dangerous and is affecting our children. And there's no need to get panicky about it either, you just have to know what plastics not to reuse. Click HERE to read the wikipedia page about it. I made a little cheat sheet for myself this morning and just stuck it to the side of our fridge so I would know what plastic containers I can reuse and what ones to recycle. It's that simple.
3 comments:
I'm not "sleeping" well either anymore. We have a queen size bed and it doesn't feel big enough either! I wake up swollen before my feet have even hit the floor. I have found that propping my head up with 2 or more pillows feels better than just using one. Maybe that will help for you. Hope your back hangs in there a little longer. I highly recommend a prenatal massage so you can lay on your stomach (technically) and have all of the pressure taken off of your back for a little while. Expensive, but worth it.
Oh, if only it were that simple.
There actually IS a ton of controversy on this and it get really complicated. I'll try to provide a nutshell: Scientists are pretty sure that BPA in the levels found in plastics that hold foods/liquids for human consumption are safe. But they're not totally sure. And the bigger problem is that they don't know at what levels it becomes unsafe.
The blood of almost everyone, when tested, will reveal amounts of BPA chemicals. It's likely not harmful in any one product, but when those products are EVERYWHERE, over your WHOLE LIFE, we're talking huge amounts of exposure. And when we talk about exposing developing organisms (i.e., babies and children) to these chemicals, scientists REALLY don't know what the effect is because you can't conduct those kind of studies on kids (for obvious ethical reasons).
We do know, from studies with animals, that BPA messes with your endocrine system, which controls hormones. There is significant evidence that suggests that BPA exposure is tied to the early puberty we see in kids now, as well as obesity, allergies, and a host of other problems. Some scientists are completely sold on this link. Others are not.
What started as a grassroots campaign initiated by mothers, is now reaching some real political significance as pressure is mounting at the state and federal level to do something. One state (Conn, I think) has passed a law banning it from baby formula. More are likely to follow suit, and the FDA is under scrutiny now to figure out their position (they're a odds with themselves). It will be interesting to see how it all unfolds.
So, that wasn't a nutshell at all, but, believe it or not, if you want more info on this, I've got it. Feel free to contact me.
Hi Daughter,
Well, you ARE going to Albany! But the cats should be persuaded to be content with an alternate sleeping place - without whining. Practice your parental firm discipline now on the cats. You will need it for my granddaughter later.
Love You,
DAD
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