Health Canada issued an adviorsy earlier this week advising expectant mothers and breastfeeding women not to take the vitamin-mineral supplements Maxum Matragen or Maxum Multi-Vite by Seroyal International Inc.

The concerns lie in the lack of proper labeling, certain ingredients, and lack of others. Both Maxum Matragen and Maxum Multi-Vite contain ginkgo biloba, green tea extracts and vanadium. At this point, the safety of these ingredients for pregnant women or nursing women isn’t known and there is no such labeling to that effect.

As well, the supplements don’t have enough iron or folic acid for pregnant or nursing women. These are essential for both baby and maternal health. Folic acid has been found to be very important in the baby’s development.

If you are pregnant or nursing and aren’t sure what type of vitamin supplement to take, speak with your doctor, midwife, and/or pharmacist for guidance.

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Image: Newscom.com

Organic Green Mommy is a little off-putting at first (for some reason I hate the whole “Mommy” title) but it’s actually a super useful site for green parents. Organic Green Mommy was started by Lauren Davison in 2008. Davison, is a mama, an organic lifestyle coach, yoga teacher, holistic nutritionist, and documentary filmmaker. Organic Green Mommy is an interactive site that provides tools and tips for eco-conscious parenting and green living.

The site is pretty darn cool, my favorite two features being the customized registry section which features a green baby registry and a green kid’s birthday (and other gear) registry. I also really like the parent swap feature - a sort of online classifieds for pre-owned children’s items, local events, eco-businesses, and child care that can be swapped, donated or sold at a used price. It’s free to use and it’s a great way to stay green by exchanging goods rather than buying new.

Other website features include:

• An organic shop with natural baby gear, family apparel, toys, furniture, and more…
• Lauren’s Blog - although in my opinion it’s not so much a blog as an article site, but still there are useful topics covered and it’s a fun read.
• Awesome FREE yoga downloads for pregnancy and other stages of life.
• There’s a parenting information section that covers various topics for eco-smart parenting; Nutrition, Toy Safety, Attachment Parenting, Green living, Child Birth, Fitness, Holistic Medicine, Breastfeeding, Conscious Parenting and more.
• Organic Mommy TV which features some various videos both of products you might like and interviews with guest speakers.
• Organic Green Daddy section which features a blog which FYI is not updated hardly so don’t look there for green news, BUT it does cross post with the article section and I think the articles are useful and interesting for both mamas and dads. There’s also a good organic daddy shop.
• And more - the site has lots of little features and tips to check out.

Overall, the site was easy to navigate, pretty on the eyes, there were no major site glitches, and if you’re an organic, green parent, it’s worth a visit.

Check out Organic Green Mommy.

[image via stock.xchng]

If you are the parent of a young child, pregnant, breastfeeding or thinking of becoming pregnant, the swine flu, also known as the H1N1 virus, should be of particular concern to you.

During a pandemic, children and pregnant women are at high risk of serious complications and even death if they become ill with the flu, according to the March of Dimes. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has developed extensive plans for minimizing the impact of the pandemic flu, and once a vaccine has been developed for the virus causing the pandemic, pregnant women and children from age 6 to 35 months would be given highest priority for receiving it.

For information on how to protect yourself, your unborn child and your young children visit these sites from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

Information for Concerned Parents and Caregivers

Guidance for Prevention and Control of influenza in the Peri- and Postpartum Settings

Photo, Flickr, honey-bee

I was well equipped to breast feed. (Um…) Having worked at the March of Dimes for the absurd number of months I was pregnant, I had the benefits of breastfeeding drilled into my brain. The organization also gave me a free Medela Breast Pump (value - $300) and a boxful of What to Expect books. They even had a breastfeeding consultant contact me and offer pep talks. Even then, I was half-hearted about the whole concept. My new pal Dr. Laura would shake a stick at me for that. But I was big and uncomfortable and looking forward to having my body back. Yes, it is a beautiful thing to be pregnant and to know you are sustaining a little life inside. I think nursing must feel even more beautiful. But still.

I didn’t breast feed. I’m not blaming it on being high as a hippy for days after my difficult delivery or the absent breast Nazis who never taught me that “latching on” secret or even the breast pump that sucked not one drop of anything from these breasts. I tried a little. And then I just gave up.

Looking back, do I regret it? Of course. Especially when I hear more and more stories of the far-reaching benefits of breast milk for children. I want my son to have the best in this world. He is my life.

Now there is evidence that breastfeeding can be just as beneficial to mothers as well. According to a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine study, touted as one of the largest and longest-running investigations of its kind, women who breast-fed for two years or more had a 23 percent lower risk of heart attack. The same study also showed that women who nursed had a lower risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, with a 15 percent lower risk per year of breast-feeding.

“Is it the lifestyle of nursing mothers or the milk itself?” asks Alison Stuebe, M.D., assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at UNC Chapel Hill who lead the study. “These questions are hard to answer in observational studies. But the protective aspects of breastfeeding are becoming clear.”

Photo, Flickr, honey-bee

Have you seen this study that says that traditional parenting results to better adjusted children?

sxc.hu

A study in the UK says

The research found that a culture of “good enough” parenting - under which children are not stretched or closely supervised - led to a greater risk of behavioural and emotional problems among young people.

The study results are of course closely linked to the length of time mothers have breastfed their children.

What does this say about the modern parenting where children are supposedly treated like adults and given no boundaries?

Pregnant and lactating women have special nutritional needs in order to feed both mother and baby properly.  Vegetarian Mother’s Cookbook: Whole Foods to Nourish Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women and Their Families, by Cathe Olson is perfect for busy vegan and vegetarian moms. 

This book contains more than 300 healthy recipes, including options to make vegetarian meals vegan, changes for people with allergies, wheat-free, and soy-free. Some of the recipes are quick and easy, while others are perfect for plan-ahead, re-heat it meals. This handy cookbook also contains complete nutrition information, helpful shopping lists, and time-saving tips.  It’s a great addition to any cookbook collection.

Vegetarian Mother’s Cookbook: Whole Foods to Nourish Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women and Their Families, by Cathe Olson

Image credit: Barnes and Noble.com

The primary function of breasts is baby food not porn.

I was loving the Suave commercials showing the breastfeeding mother. They came under fire by National Action Against Obesity, whose President MeMe Roth Cites U.S.’s Anti-Nursing Climate as Contributor to Obesity Epidemic–”Suave Shampoo is irresponsible in discouraging breastfeeding, even in jest.”

Breast feeding DOES make breasts flat. For many, many mothers. How is that discouraging breastfeeding? To say that it doesn’t make breasts flat is to deny the reality of breastfeeding. And it inflates the importance of full breasts.

That it changes the nature of breasts, as does pregnancy, weight fluctuations and age, doesn’t mean it’s not worth doing. It just means you might buy a different bra.

Now Facebook is removing all breastfeeding images from its site. MiMi, what if all your criticism about showing breastfeeding backfired? What if they are taking it as anti-breastfeeding - not fit for public viewing and all that?

I’m joining Babylune in stating that breastfeeding is not dirty and shouldn’t be hidden. I breastfed my babies in PUBLIC and I had every right to do it. More women should.

I can’t tell you how many times I had people tell me I should hide in the bathroom or in a hot car that was 120 degrees - the MOMA, JC Penny, family members and strangers. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve defended other mothers’ rights to not hide in a filthy toilet or smother their babies under hot blankets.

In this culture, we hide what we consider dirty and obscene. Why should breast feeding fall in that category? We’re inundated with images of breasts in a sexual-object context, but not at all supportive of a maternal-feminine context for breasts?

We, as women, must stop shunning the nursing mother. Men will follow our lead.

Join Momsrising.org in their statement of support for breastfeeding moms.

Send Facebook hatemail - they deserve it.  Join the group Hey Facebook, breastfeeding is not obscene!